So, I just got my Alderlea T5 installed and have been experimenting with burning it. To me, it seems like once I get it up to cruising speed (all splits with a nice charcoal surface), I can choose either to minimize the air and reduce the flames to nearly nothing and just leave glowing coals with a little smoke out the chimney vs. increasing the air and increasing the flames + secondaries with ultra clean gases out the chimney. What should be my goal? Especially with "shoulder" season burns. I'm of the impression that multiple hot fires is better than slow and low, with a non-cat stove. Please feel free to reply with an opinion. I'm thick skinned and won't take any single answer as gospel truth...
During shoulder season I reduce the air to the minimum that will keep the secondaries going and no smoke from the chimney. I adjust the size of the load and splits to get the amount of heat & burn time I need. KaptJaq
Yeah, what the Kapt said. It's more difficult to do a smaller fire (for me) unless I use smaller splits or kindling. I put 6 decent splits in last night at about 10:30 and the stove was still fairly hot to the touch almost 12 hours later. Not enough heat for the real cold, but more than enough now.
Yep, we got the paint curing stink overwith quick so we could wear shorts and tank tops all winter.... literally.... sandblasted an initial one, repainted it twice, and then a new one here, we just fire it up and open windows. Am I the only washing summer clothes in the winter?
I do make creosote with the T5 in the shoulder season mike as I will get it going good then shut it down for the rest of the burn.Still alot of coals from the fire that was started last night. Looks like it might be the last fire of 2015?
I ran a couple 3/4 loads thru the 27 the other day. I thought one would be enough, but I was dealing with low 50s inside and low 60s outside. The second load brought this place up to temp nicely. Anyhow, I had it cruising along quite happily, air control all the way closed, then open just a wee bit. No smoke, just heat waves in the sunlight . Went fishing for an hour or so and got an ice cream, and when we pulled in the drive I had light blue smoke coming from the pipe. I don't know how much creosote this can leave, but it can't be much. I gave it a little more air and all was well. Another 3/4 load of soft maple and beech left plenty of coals nine hours later, but that was probably the last load till fall. I suppose I should check the pipe sometime, but I haven't yet put a cord thru this setup. I don't know what the deal is, but I have never had any draft issues. Even with the warm outside temp and cool inside temp, I had no smoke spillage. It took a little longer to take off, but there was a lot of condensation in the stove that probably slowed things down. All this with <13' from stove top to cap. An easy breather, for sure. In my limited experience, this PE is a very good shoulder season burner, for a non-cat. We don't come here often in the winter, maybe twice in really cold weather, so most of my burning has been spring and fall.
I am in the hot far camp. As for your goal? I would wait till it gets colder than hillbilly hell and do what you need to do to heat your home. But then, it is hot and really humid and getting worse here in the Midwest so I am just adjusting the central air to my likes. Iffn I started a far in the stove right now my wife would shoot me in my sleep.
Absolutely not . 'Course I live WAY down here.... Did you mean "AMEN!!!"? Yeah, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt .
