I was getting good gasification... and i still think i am ... but now i am getting quarter sized coals ending up in the bottom chamber. they land in front of the clean out door. I was getting a nice ash before... but not now. The wood is the same. I think this happened because i tried to adjust the air with the knob ( primary air) to get a better burn. I have returned it to its normal place ( wide open) but i am still getting the chunks. This is the part i don;t enjoy.. trying to adjust to get a great bluish flame. Any tips?
Tarm tuning
- Thread starter Birdman
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Not really sure why it would change for you. I get small chunks sometimes and never really thought about why. I know that everything runs smoother each time I clean out the firebox down to the nozzle. Too much build up changes the way it burns. I adjusted my primary so that when my secondary was all the way to the right I got optimum burn. If the flame is too orange, then I can add a little more secondary by pushing it a little to the left. The only time I have to adjust is if I change the type of wood I am burning or if I have a little wetter batch than I thought.
I noticed that when I turn the fan speed down to 50%, I get bigger chunks falling through the nozzles. However, if they remain in the path of the burning gas, they eventually burn up and turn to dust. Not sure why that is, either.
I don't know what you mean by "wide open." The air adjustment lever probably should not be either all the way to the right (most primary air, wetter wood) or all the way to the left (most secondary air, drier wood), unless you situation is very unusual. Some place in the middle would be the normal best position. If your wood is well seasoned and "normal" dry, just put the lever in the middle and "forget it," or play with it as much as you want until you get tired of that, and then put it in the middle and forget it.
Stay with small splits and don't jam the firebox full.
I too have experienced the small unburnt charcoal pieces left in the bottom after a fire. Could be ash buildup in the firebox. This ash prevents air from reaching the unburnt pieces. I leave the air knob a bit right of center to acheive a bluish gassification flame. sweetheat
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