Where there's smoke there's....?

[weeks001]

Okay friends,
This is year two of wood burning for me, and I need to check on some things.
First, when my insert is burning, I notice a considerable amount of smoke out the chimney. I have read on this forum that smoke could be a sign of incomplete ignition. Is this always the case? I am using good seasoned wood (over a year old, check at least one piece each load with a meter). And I always try to make sure there is a visible flame inside. Is the smoke okay?
Secondly, how big is too big of a split to load into an insert? I have a broken shoulder, so swinging my axe is out of the question. All of my wood comes debarked and cut to uniform size, but some of the splits can measure as big as 6"x8"x16". Can I burn these large pieces, or do I need to use smaller splits?

Thanks, and please forgive the ignorance. I'm here to learn from the masters!

 

[Fsappo]

What kind of stove? Tell everyone about your installation set up. Well, don't tell EVERYONE, just the folks here on the forums.

 

[begreen]

Smoke is a sign of incomplete combustion. It sounds like you may need to give the fire more air. Are you checking the wood on a freshly exposed (via resplitting) face of the wood or on the end grain? The only way to get an accurate reading is to resplit the wood and the test.