Something to point out to new comers with these stoves with secondary air coming in up at the top of the stove thru tubes or some type of manifold. I wish I would have taken a picture to post. This is something I didnt get last year as my wood was a hair bit more moisture than it should have. I think its so true to use wood thats CSS (cut split stacked) and seasoned for 2 to 3 years.
What I was able to do and the result I got was that the temperatures built up in the stove quickly from a cold start, not on a bed of coals. Which a bed of coals makes it easier especially with really good dry wood. In addition to that is that I was able to turn the air input much farther down to get a lower level burn and my secondary flames did not go out on me. Then to really make my day was after the logs got looking like a pile of coals in the shape of the logs, what I saw was what looked like the fire had gone out but I looked at my temp gauges and the stove was still really hot not the temps that would come from just coals. So then I got down and looked up into the top of the stove and there was flames up around those burn tubes. No flames between the tubes and wood or flames at the wood but just flames around the tubes. Now to alot of these long time operators of these type stoves this is no biggy , they have seen similar situations. Plus these flames continued on for sometime so it wasnt a short lived thing. But after burning for one full winter last winter with sub par wood. Its really amazing the extra performance you can get out of these stoves with quality wood.
Another thing is my stove is rated for 12 hour burns, most likely over rated as most stoves are. On this first start of the year from a cold start I only had the stove loaded about half full if that. But with this drier wood I not only could close the air down further and maintain secondaries but I was able to get the air shut down quicker from the quicker start up, get temps up in stove. Now last year with more moisture in my wood I was wasting time waiting for temps to come up in the stove to an operational level. what this extra time does is not only make you mad but burns up more of your wood that is needed for the longer burn times. Plus with only having it about half loaded with wood I got close to a 7 hour burn which makes me extremely happy. So its all something to think about for new comers to the modern day wood stoves.
I should add I did get secondary flames but not like described above.
What I was able to do and the result I got was that the temperatures built up in the stove quickly from a cold start, not on a bed of coals. Which a bed of coals makes it easier especially with really good dry wood. In addition to that is that I was able to turn the air input much farther down to get a lower level burn and my secondary flames did not go out on me. Then to really make my day was after the logs got looking like a pile of coals in the shape of the logs, what I saw was what looked like the fire had gone out but I looked at my temp gauges and the stove was still really hot not the temps that would come from just coals. So then I got down and looked up into the top of the stove and there was flames up around those burn tubes. No flames between the tubes and wood or flames at the wood but just flames around the tubes. Now to alot of these long time operators of these type stoves this is no biggy , they have seen similar situations. Plus these flames continued on for sometime so it wasnt a short lived thing. But after burning for one full winter last winter with sub par wood. Its really amazing the extra performance you can get out of these stoves with quality wood.
Another thing is my stove is rated for 12 hour burns, most likely over rated as most stoves are. On this first start of the year from a cold start I only had the stove loaded about half full if that. But with this drier wood I not only could close the air down further and maintain secondaries but I was able to get the air shut down quicker from the quicker start up, get temps up in stove. Now last year with more moisture in my wood I was wasting time waiting for temps to come up in the stove to an operational level. what this extra time does is not only make you mad but burns up more of your wood that is needed for the longer burn times. Plus with only having it about half loaded with wood I got close to a 7 hour burn which makes me extremely happy. So its all something to think about for new comers to the modern day wood stoves.
I should add I did get secondary flames but not like described above.
Sometimes higher. But rarely lower 
