You pretty much got it down what you need to do. I find it more accurate getting temp and lb/hr ratings if you are using a fixed feed rate. And for temp readings i found a thermocoulple place just in front of the convection tube worked best.
So two things. I still have some confusion about reading temperatures and I don't have a scale to measure the weight of the ash. I don't send out enough mail or sell drugs to warrant the purchase of one.
A couple of us have one like this here: Signstek 3 1/2 6802 II Dual Channel Digital Thermometer 1300°C 2372°F with 2 K-Type Thermocouple Sensor Probe
slvrblkk is the resident testing expert. Check out a few of his reviews, they follow a pretty standard format which gives an idea of the product quality using a variety of different data points. If you can do something similar to that format, it’s great. Doesn’t have to be perfect, any contribution is appreciated!
Scale was from Harbor Freight and thermocouple/thermometer was from Ebay or Amazon, I forget which. I actually copied jtakeman pellet review format. When you're done burning collect as much ash as possibly from every nook and cranny. Obviously, you should start with a very clean stove.
The P43 is more than happy with the Inferno Golds that I have in it now. Have it set with a thermostat to keep 69 (starts up at 68 and shuts down at 70). Feed rate 3 (small pellets) and the temps it is throwing out (while shutting down because I just thought to throw on the IR gun) are432* at the hottest spot above the door - air stream is 338*. Not much of a flame right now, so must have been hotter when it was going full bore.
I can't test in this weather! Dang near got enough time for a quicky clean and the house temps drop!!
Well, I have a Harman i52 so somebody is going to have to show me exactly where to put it (thermocouple) and up my azz responses will be ignored.
I like those readings that's about what I would see at my Medium setting , maybe just a little higher . Like you mentioned the stove was shutting down .
So my wife informs me we have a scale... so I'll be able to measure ash. But I have an insert so measuring temps are going to be different than others here. Not sure were my convection tube is or how easily accessible it is. I'm not tearing down my surround to access anything either. I'm open for suggestions. I currently don't own a thermocouple but do own an infrared thermometer gun. That's probably going to have to do -- because even if I owned a thermocouple -- where am I going to put it? I can't access anything internally on the stove. Anybody here test on a Harman Accentura 52i?
I also just wanted to make an informal observation about Bear Mountain and Sierra Supreme (Olympus) DF pellet burns. There's no doubt that BM has more ash output. When I burn my Olympus pellet -- there's almost none when compared to BM. But -- the BM burned a little hotter than I recall last time. So much better that I now wish I had my Olympus pellets to burn again to compare. Either way, both of these pellets burn really hot. What is clear to me is the BM has more ash.
