Secondary action

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Jdog

Member
Oct 15, 2013
129
Mineral wells wv
Ok iv been messing around a bit trying to figure out the best way to get secondary going real good and go for awhile. What's the best way to achieve this.
 
Get it hot and then start cranking it down so all of the air comes in at the top.

Matt
 
That's what I do I'll run my flu up to about 400 (single wall ext) and start in 1/4 down then go down according to get the flue down to around 300-325 and the stove top will get to about 550-650 but they don't last to awful long and not big. Am I doing it wrong
 
Run your stovetop up to that temperature. You should see the flames actively hitting the top of the firebox. Honestly, I don't have a temp gauge on the stove at my house. I just wait until the flames really start dancing off the top of the stove.

Then cut it down about a quarter of the way. When the fire builds back up, or if there is no change in it's behavior after 2 or 3 minutes, shut it down another quarter. Keep doing this schedule until you find you can't shut the fire down more without choking it.


If you continue to have issues I would suspect your wood. A simple test for this is to buy a package or 2 of those kiln dried bundles that the grocery and convenience stores sell. That will rule out wood.

Matt
 
Do I need to worry about the temp on my flue any? So ur saying get the stove top to that temp before I cut any air off? I usely cut the air when my stove top is 350-400 then I'll cut 1/4 of the air then
 
The way I see it is if the particulates are burnt in the combustion chamber than it can't collect on the walls of the flue. I worry about the stove and figure everything else down the line will take care of itself. They are designed to let enough heat up the flue enough to keep draft going. This is one of the differences between woodstoves and pellet stoves. Pellet stoves scavenge more heat out of the exhaust and do not maintain their own draft. Many high efficiency furnaces, boilers, and water heaters also need help with their drafts.

Now the next person who posts may look at things differently. I think people get a little too hung up on the gadgets. When it all comes down to it, you have a metal box with fire in it. Keep that fire going and you'll stay warm. With experience fiddling with the stove you'll learn to get the most heat out of the wood you burn in it.
 
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Now the next person who posts may look at things differently. I think people get a little too hung up on the gadgets. When it all comes down to it, you have a metal box with fire in it. Keep that fire going and you'll stay warm. With experience fiddling with the stove you'll learn to get the most heat out of the wood you burn in it.

Well Said.
 
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