I delt with coaling my first year and while raking and placing a split in top helps without a doubt I have a different method now. The issue I was having is setting the stove too low for what my needs where. Sure it would keep the house warm but when it went into coaling stage I was to the point of needing more heat. So now I run my air higher getting more heat faster then when the coaling stage comes of have the extra heat to wait for the coals to burn down.