Open pipe only air control is on the stove itself do you wait for a temp (200 deg. Etc) or do you wait for full burn? Thanks!
I start sliding it closed around 200 to keep more heat in the box, engage catalytic combustor at 300 and them become the maestro of my fire symphony...
So I am in agreement with NYCountry as Woodstock says whatever the therm reads its double in the box...
I usually have to wait for around 400 or so STT to start reducing air. It depends on how cold it is outside though. I can usually close a little sooner when it's 20 than I can when it's 45.
It depends on what the temps are on what and when to close damper. Like today rain and about 50- 4 small splits and let it ride wide open. When colder 400 on pipe ,close it again in about 15 min and again in another 15 and then all the way in and just about 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch out and let it ride for 8-10 hours.
Welcome to the forum Cummings02. It depends on if you are asking about when starting a cold stove or on reloads. On ours, with a cold stove I close the draft half way or more once the flue temperature (horizontal flue, single pipe) reaches 400 degrees. Once the stove top reaches 225 or thereabouts and flue 450 or thereabouts, we engage the cat and dial the draft down to about 25%, which on our stove (draft control goes from 0-4) it means setting about 3/4 of the way towards 1. Reloads, flue temperature needs to be 400-450 then we engage. Stovetop is usually 250 or more when we do reloads so we don't even pay attention to what that is on reloads; just go by flue temps. Once that is reached, the cat is engaged and the setting goes to 3/4 of the way to 1. Forget it then for many, many hours.
I don't have very strong draft, so I can't shut my air control very much without choking the fire. On a reload (when my flue is hot and draft is strongest) I wait until there is enough fire that it is reaching the top of the firebox. Then I close the air a little and look for secondaries to start, or at least for the flames to stay strong. I continue to slowly shut down so that secondaries stay strong, but there is also a good amount of flame coming from the wood. I don't trust my thermometer so I go by eyeball.
