Rookie

[DTrain]

Ok this is starting to get fun. Getting the hang of the adjustments for different outside conditions. Today mild and little wind. Used a bit more kindling to get her good and hot. Shut the door. And now she's talking to me, or now I'm listening to her. Pings at 400 tell me to shut down some air. Then whoosh here come the secondaries.

 

[DTrain]

Sometimes with high winds and/or very cold temps stove top temps will climb past 600 at 1/4 and I have to shut it down completely. I shut it down once it crosses 500 approaching 550; it will cruise up to 600 or so. On 2 occasions it continued to climb as high as 700 both times were my fault, the first was because I reloaded on too hot a bed of coals then gave it too much air (should have gone right to 1/4); the second I waited until 600 to shut it down and it was cold and windy out the draft was really strong. The pucker factor was high both times, I cranked the fan to max blowing on the stove the added a second pot of water, first time I found the air intake on the bottom back center and decided if it hit 750 I was stuffing foil in there; it held at 700 for about an hour then eased up some.
Hope you don't have to add a liner, just watch the top of your chimney once you get the stove above 400, you should not see any smoke. There are some here that have the same stove that can give you stove top numbers; try doing a search on the Oslo you man find that info. If you can't get the stove unto temp it is usually moisture content of wood, draft, or house too tight and needs make up air from outside; these are the three most common.
Good luck.

Ok. Today no fun. No wind, 96% humidity, light sleet falling all day. High 34 deg. My stove is a dog today. Has been doing ok for the past few day, today it's super lazy, can't get stove top running above 350. Air is open all the way. Does this happen suddenly? Where the conditions of the day just are not good for burning?

 

[rijim]

The draft is certainly a question but what have you seen for stove top numbers and is the wood the same? We have very similar weather and I am running about 550 stove top air setting at about 1/4. Do you have any pallets or kiln dried 2x4s etc that you can throw in and see what happens, this will rule out wood moisture content.

 

[DTrain]

The draft is certainly a question but what have you seen for stove top numbers and is the wood the same? We have very similar weather and I am running about 550 stove top air setting at about 1/4. Do you have any pallets or kiln dried 2x4s etc that you can throw in and see what happens, this will rule out wood moisture content.

Good call. I have been using some larger pieces and some knarly and it's oak. Seasoned from wood guy so who knows. I'll try some scrap stud material I have in the basement. Like you said. But even the coals near inlet set all the way open look dull. Arrggg!

 

[DTrain]

Ok. I raked the coals forward and shoved the chared splits to the back. Set three 10" pieces of 2x4 on the coals and shut the door. Flames started soon after. The stove was about 280f. Then all hell broke lose. Tons of vigorous flame, and the stove is at about 410f and not a lot left of the lumber. Air was wide open the whole time. My bigger splits and knarly oak, sounds to be the issue? Seems silly I wouldnt have thought that as I was loading. I think I remember thinking I was about to make really big fire with really big splits.

Side note... Got hungry while watching the stove. If you have salsa and only crumbs of corn chips left in the bag, just pour into a bowl like corn flakes, Ada salsa like milk and eat it like cereal. Nice!