So this year I've been burning some primo oak, black locust and beech . . . and it's been a whole new experience as I cannot load the stove as I have in the past without the flu and stove temps going thermo-nuclear.
After some careful pondering I believe that this may be due to the fact that a) I have a fairly long flu and b) In the past I have not burned any black locust, oak and little to any beech . . . instead it has been a mix of ash, white birch, yellow birch, cherry, red maple and a bit of sugar maple.
Last night after loading up four splits (one oak, three beech) and seeing the temps quickly go up I used the aluminum foil over the incoming air (primary, secondary . . . I forget which is which -- for my stove it's the hole in the back). The strong draft easily held the folded up foil in place. This also immediately calmed down the secondaries. The air wash was reduced as it started to soot up, but the temps in the flu and stove were spot on and the secondaries were burning well.
I figure with this better BTU wood and strong draft I could add in a damper . . . but I am wondering if blocking or partially blocking the air would be a viable option . . . or if this is a safety concern . . . providing that the temps are on the money and I am getting a good secondary.
I should mention that this morning when I woke up I had more coals than normal . . and the aluminum foil had fallen to the hearth . . . apparently once the strong draft had weakened.
After some careful pondering I believe that this may be due to the fact that a) I have a fairly long flu and b) In the past I have not burned any black locust, oak and little to any beech . . . instead it has been a mix of ash, white birch, yellow birch, cherry, red maple and a bit of sugar maple.
Last night after loading up four splits (one oak, three beech) and seeing the temps quickly go up I used the aluminum foil over the incoming air (primary, secondary . . . I forget which is which -- for my stove it's the hole in the back). The strong draft easily held the folded up foil in place. This also immediately calmed down the secondaries. The air wash was reduced as it started to soot up, but the temps in the flu and stove were spot on and the secondaries were burning well.
I figure with this better BTU wood and strong draft I could add in a damper . . . but I am wondering if blocking or partially blocking the air would be a viable option . . . or if this is a safety concern . . . providing that the temps are on the money and I am getting a good secondary.
I should mention that this morning when I woke up I had more coals than normal . . and the aluminum foil had fallen to the hearth . . . apparently once the strong draft had weakened.
