Draft questions?

Yeah, I've been really happy with how it has helped
After I try the key damper tomorrow, I will hopefully have learned how to regulate the temp in my stove.

 

That's a heck of a note, you've gone from not enough heat to too much heat

 

Ok, so I installed the key damper this morning and loaded the stove up with spruce, let it come up to 500 degrees and shut the main air down and turned the key damper just 1/4 turn.
The STT dropped to about 450 and has been cruising there for going on 4 hours now, and I bet I have an hour to go, which is the longest a load of spruce has burned for me
I will really get a better idea tonight when I load up with hard wood, those are the loads that seem to go nuclear. Hopefully not anymore

 

Glad that it was such an easy fix for you. I had made a post on my stove where I tinkered with the air lever, and it didn't take much cutting the air on the top end, to simmer down a fire and increase burn time.

I would say in my situation, I could go too far and hinder the fire and it would start dropping temp on the flue probe. My fine line seems to be keeping most flame under the baffle, with a few licks running between the baffles now and then. More than that, and the stove would go up 75 degrees, but the flue probe possibly 200 or more, so it's the point of diminishing returns.

I'm sure you'll find the right balance with your stove. Good job for going against conventional wisdom, and trying it for yourself.

 

So warm out today that we decided to let the fire go out before bed
But I'm sure tomorrow night I will get a proper read on it

 

Ok, 75% full load of hardwood went in an hour ago. STT climed to about 600 with key damper closed as well as damper on the front of the stove. That is way better than before, 700 degrees and above doesn't make me very comfortable, not to mention my house gets way hot! Now I'm cruising at 450 and I'm looking to see good coals and a warm stove in 6 hours, might update when I reload at 4, depends on how groggy I am. Otherwise I will report once I'm up for the day

 

Not quite 4 yet but the coyotes woke me up they were being so loud, it's been a solid 6 hours and I've still got a full bed of coals and the house is still warm
Before the key damper at the 6 hour mark I would have seen maybe just barely enough coals for a reload and the house would be 10 degrees cooler than when I went to sleep. Right now the living room is 75 and the far bedroom is 65, both 5 degrees warmer than normal right before a reload

 

Great to hear that you're getting along better with it now.

 

I registered 36 years ago, no call yet.

 

Took me a second.............

 

It's not connecting upstairs for me???
I don't get it...

 

I'm glad I'm not alone.

 

registered for the military draft.......you must be youngins

 

Yeah, youngins for sure!
Over 4 decades ago for me. I still have it also. Looked at it a couple years ago and couldn't believe the weight that was on there!!!

 

Ahhh, the selective service. Yea, did that too.

 

They should. Equal and all....