My stove has a thermostat which in theory is a good feature especially considering the small firebox and short cycle times, but I can't seem to get it dialed in right.
After the second or third load when everything is at a consistent temperature it functions O.K., it closes down when hot and opens a bit during coaling. When I start the stove during the first load or two it will not close down fast enough and I have to change the thermostat adjustment manually, which is all fine and dandy except that now if I leave it there it will eventually close completely down and I will return to a stove full of black coals.
As I said, once it has been running a few hours I can dial it in pretty good but even then it doesn't seem to react quick enough when I put in a fresh load. This little stove heats up fast and my stove top thermometer will often peg out at 900 degrees, how far above that it is I can only guess. I know my thermometer is off (I checked it in my oven), maybe by as much as 20% but that still seems pretty hot.
So I don't have a whole lot of trust in the thermostat, which is bad because I always need to reload during my 2 AM nature call and I could get back to sleep easier knowing everything was working right. Also I don't burn 24/7 so I light a fire every night a few hours before bed and am always monkeying with the thermostat adjustment, unsure if I have it quite right because it changes as everything heats up.
Just wondering about anyone else's experience with automatic thermostats and whether or not I might be better off rigging the lever so it bypasses the thermostat and I have full manual control.
After the second or third load when everything is at a consistent temperature it functions O.K., it closes down when hot and opens a bit during coaling. When I start the stove during the first load or two it will not close down fast enough and I have to change the thermostat adjustment manually, which is all fine and dandy except that now if I leave it there it will eventually close completely down and I will return to a stove full of black coals.
As I said, once it has been running a few hours I can dial it in pretty good but even then it doesn't seem to react quick enough when I put in a fresh load. This little stove heats up fast and my stove top thermometer will often peg out at 900 degrees, how far above that it is I can only guess. I know my thermometer is off (I checked it in my oven), maybe by as much as 20% but that still seems pretty hot.
So I don't have a whole lot of trust in the thermostat, which is bad because I always need to reload during my 2 AM nature call and I could get back to sleep easier knowing everything was working right. Also I don't burn 24/7 so I light a fire every night a few hours before bed and am always monkeying with the thermostat adjustment, unsure if I have it quite right because it changes as everything heats up.
Just wondering about anyone else's experience with automatic thermostats and whether or not I might be better off rigging the lever so it bypasses the thermostat and I have full manual control.
