When to close damper?

[heffergm]

So on an EPA stove, when starting from cold, what should I be looking for before I first close the damper? Am I more concerned with stove temp, or with first building up a good bed of coals?

And once I'm closed down, I take it I want to run with the primary air wide open and then slowly close it down over the course of roughly 15 minutes or so?

Sorry for the newb questions... I'm not looking for absolutes of course, just some general rules of thumb to give me something to go by until I get this thing down.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

For sure follow the recommendations of the stove maker.

On the fire in a cold stove, the first thing is to warm the stove up and get a little coal bed. The reload will give you more heat than the first fire will.

Generally speaking, once the wood is well charred you can begin to cut down on the air. That should hold true for a new fire or a reload. What happens if you leave the draft open full is that most of the heat goes up the chimney.

When we start with a cold stove, I get the kindling burning good and then add a couple small splits. When they are close to being burned down, I'll then add more splits (usually 3 or more; fire burns better with 3 rather than with only 2). I'll leave the draft open full anywhere from 5-20 minutes depending upon the wood. (I like to start fires with soft maple as it lights easy and burns quick.)

Most times on cold stove I'll leave the draft open longer but still will cut it to half way normally within 10-15 minutes. Then close the draft down in stages. I never close the draft completely.

 

[begreen]

Get a stove thermometer on the top if you don't already have one. It will help a lot. Close the bypass damper after the stove has come up to temperature, usually around 450-500 degrees on the stovetop. Then adjust the air according to the desired temp.