Why can't we keep the fire going after closing stove door?

[AinNC]

As some of you may recall we bought a Fajardo Ronda Woodstove a short while ago.It took a while to get it installed since we first had to build a new hearth pad made from tiles.At this point the stoves is all hooked up. We have got a external chimney which is about 16' and 2' over the peak of the roof,it's made out of triple wall insulated stainless steel.
We had a certified chimney sweep inspect both the chimney,the stove and stovepipe,he said that everything looked great! The problem is that we can't seem to keep the fire going after the stove door is closed. Strange thing is that we had the same issue with our Vermont Castings stove but that was at a different house.
Any suggestions?
Thanks!

 

[begreen]

Most likely the issue is that the wood is not fully seasoned. Half seasoned wood can be a bear to keep burning. Get some store bought bundles of wood and try them for comparison. Or add some construction scraps (2x4 cut offs) to the fire to help it burn hotter.

 

[madison]

A couple of thoughts to add to Begreen's. You are in north carolina, I would also investigate draft issues including : Temperature difference inside to outside, total height of chimney, number of right angles in chimney. Also consider the possiblity that the stove primary air control is being operated improperly (dbl check that air is all the way open and not accidentally all the way closed).

The dog still seems to enjoy the smoldering fire....

 

[AinNC]

Most likely the issue is that the wood is not fully seasoned. Half seasoned wood can be a bear to keep burning. Get some store bought bundles of wood and try them for comparison. Or add some construction scraps (2x4 cut offs) to the fire to help it burn hotter.

Thanks! We did get some store bought wood last week,it did burn great,however the fire still went way down after we closed the door.

 

[AinNC]

A couple of thoughts to add to Begreen's. You are in north carolina, I would also investigate draft issues including : Temperature difference inside to outside, total height of chimney, number of right angles in chimney. Also consider the possiblity that the stove primary air control is being operated improperly (dbl check that air is all the way open and not accidentally all the way closed).

The dog still seems to enjoy the smoldering fire....

There is one clean out T and 2 inside and 2 outside 30 degree bends.Chimney height is 16' outside and 4' of stovepipe inside. It doesn't seem to make any difference when moving the damper in the front of the stove.
Yes,our dachshund Willie does enjoy a 'Wieny' Roast ;-)

 

[madison]

There is one clean out T and 2 inside and 2 outside 30 degree bends.Chimney height is 16' outside and 4' of stovepipe inside. It doesn't seem to make any difference when moving the damper in the front of the stove.
Yes,our dachshund Willie does enjoy a 'Wieny' Roast ;-)

You should be able to see some change with moving the damper, so make sure that it is fully open.

I would suspect that the chimney system is not creating enough draft, especially in your climate. the tee's, 90's, 30's and amount of pipe outside the home may be limiting the draft. If it continues to be an issue, you could ask the chimney sweep to temporarily add some extra length to see if that improves the draft.

Finally, I would also try NOT fully closing the door until you have a good bed of coals and the chimney heated up, then add a new load of smaller split wood, and once ignited slowly close the door, do not latch, wait a bit then latch the door with draft fully open. Last suggestion would be to try cracking a door or window open to see if that affects the fire with the door closed...

 

[AinNC]

You should be able to see some change with moving the damper, so make sure that it is fully open.

I would suspect that the chimney system is not creating enough draft, especially in your climate. the tee's, 90's, 30's and amount of pipe outside the home may be limiting the draft. If it continues to be an issue, you could ask the chimney sweep to temporarily add some extra length to see if that improves the draft.

Finally, I would also try NOT fully closing the door until you have a good bed of coals and the chimney heated up, then add a new load of smaller split wood, and once ignited slowly close the door, do not latch, wait a bit then latch the door with draft fully open. Last suggestion would be to try cracking a door or window open to see if that affects the fire with the door closed...

I suspect that the damper might have gotten disconnected(?) during transport since it doesn't seem to make any difference if it's open or closed.
Thanks for all your suggestions,we'll give them a try!