2022/23 VC Owner thread

[Lorde]

Alright so inspection passed yesterday. I did two small break in fires yesterday afternoon and night.
First real burn tonight. Set kindling and newspaper, burned to coals in about 20min at wide open. Placed two small splits on top and burned down to coals again at wide open in 20-30 minutes. Added three medium splits and let rip at wide open for a few minutes until stovetop hit about 475 then closed damper.
After cat probe rose to about 900 I started cutting back air. I cut it back fully at about 1100 and it back puffed so I opened it a tiny bit. It ran up to 1300 and I cut it back all the way.
Had some dancing flames and cat ran up to 1440 then hung out at 1300 for bit then very slowly dropped, down to 1150 now.
Sorry for vague timeline I got thirsty tonight.
Seems to be working pretty much as designed. Nice to have all the info ahead of time from this group so thank you.

Edit: STT stabilized at like 650 on infrared thermometer just behind the griddle for most of the time. This is with air cut all the way back, Is that ok?
Another Edit: Infrared thermometer readings are in question I just got 114deg on my forehead. I have a magnetic type K thermocouple that I need to modify to work with the Auber I'll do that tomorrow to see what the real SST temps are.
Last edit: I set up the connector on the magnetic thermocouple. When cat was down to about 950 center of griddle was 450.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

Alright so inspection passed yesterday. I did two small break in fires yesterday afternoon and night.
First real burn tonight. Set kindling and newspaper, burned to coals in about 20min at wide open. Placed two small splits on top and burned down to coals again at wide open in 20-30 minutes. Added three medium splits and let rip at wide open for a few minutes until stovetop hit about 475 then closed damper.
After cat probe rose to about 900 I started cutting back air. I cut it back fully at about 1100 and it back puffed so I opened it a tiny bit. It ran up to 1300 and I cut it back all the way.
Had some dancing flames and cat ran up to 1440 then hung out at 1300 for bit then very slowly dropped, down to 1150 now.
Sorry for vague timeline I got thirsty tonight.
Seems to be working pretty much as designed. Nice to have all the info ahead of time from this group so thank you.

Edit: STT stabilized at like 650 on infrared thermometer just behind the griddle for most of the time. This is with air cut all the way back, Is that ok?
Another Edit: Infrared thermometer readings are in question I just got 114deg on my forehead. I have a magnetic type K thermocouple that I need to modify to work with the Auber I'll do that tomorrow to see what the real SST temps are.
Last edit: I set up the connector on the magnetic thermocouple. When cat was down to about 950 center of griddle was 450.

Id put a magnetic thermometer on the stove pipe.. the back puffing is normally from the lack of draft.. you should be looking a 3 things.. STT..cat temp.. stovepipe temp.. sounds like a success..

 

[arnermd]

Alright so inspection passed yesterday. I did two small break in fires yesterday afternoon and night.
First real burn tonight. Set kindling and newspaper, burned to coals in about 20min at wide open. Placed two small splits on top and burned down to coals again at wide open in 20-30 minutes. Added three medium splits and let rip at wide open for a few minutes until stovetop hit about 475 then closed damper.
After cat probe rose to about 900 I started cutting back air. I cut it back fully at about 1100 and it back puffed so I opened it a tiny bit. It ran up to 1300 and I cut it back all the way.
Had some dancing flames and cat ran up to 1440 then hung out at 1300 for bit then very slowly dropped, down to 1150 now.
Sorry for vague timeline I got thirsty tonight.
Seems to be working pretty much as designed. Nice to have all the info ahead of time from this group so thank you.

Edit: STT stabilized at like 650 on infrared thermometer just behind the griddle for most of the time. This is with air cut all the way back, Is that ok?
Another Edit: Infrared thermometer readings are in question I just got 114deg on my forehead. I have a magnetic type K thermocouple that I need to modify to work with the Auber I'll do that tomorrow to see what the real SST temps are.
Last edit: I set up the connector on the magnetic thermocouple. When cat was down to about 950 center of griddle was 450.

Sounds pretty good to me.... Now lets see if you can do it consistently.

Be careful with measuring STT behind the griddle, I generally find that area is often hotter than actual griddle temp. I think it gets influenced by the cat, so if the cat is cranking that area may be hotter than the actual griddle. Not a problem just something to bear in mind. Your infrared will show the temp variation there.

I am always amazed at hoe much variation I see across the top of the stove with my infrared. Even on the griddle itself. I sometimes see 100+ deg differences from one side of the stove top to the other.

650 is getting up there... especially if that was the actual griddle. I very rarely get temps that high on the griddle. 350 - 450 is my typical range but I have pushed it to 600 - 650 during cold snaps.

I always trust my TC's over all else. STT can be tricky with a TC though, the TC acts as fin and will read low id you just place it on top. I have 1/8" metal sheathed TCs, I place them on the top, lay a square of ceramic insulation over it and the slap a magnet on top of that to hold it all down. It get me a better reading, but not perfect.

Tell me about your magnetic TC.... I might want to go try that myself.

 

[Willcgt77]

I think you have to shut the damper down earlier

Glad your getting the hang of your stove, Wish I could say the same. Im still having several problems that will hopefully be taken care of soon by the dealer. My air air flap keeps getting hung up in the fully open or fully closed position. I need to tap it with a screwdriver and wiggle the lever back and forth to free it up. This alone is making things difficult. I also believe I have a draft problem, I only have one 45 Degree offset but I measured my chimney and its only 10 inches above my peak. Based on its location of roof penetration (4ft from peak) it does not meet minimum 3-2-10 rule. I feel like this may be adding to my back puffing problem.
Im unable to get my stove to operate without a lot of flames present in firebox. Regardless of how slowly I dial back air it always gets to a point where the flames die back for about 10 seconds then the firebox starts doing its normal mini explosions and backpuffing like crazy. Manual says to little draft will not allow gasses to escape quickly enough and cause this. It so frustrating, needing to keep large amount of active flames really cuts into my burn time. I’ve installed the AT 100, this does help a lot but im ready to throw in the towel. anybody have any thoughts. Encore 2040 cat c.

 

[JohnDaileyNH]

Glad your getting the hang of your stove, Wish I could say the same. Im still having several problems that will hopefully be taken care of soon by the dealer. My air air flap keeps getting hung up in the fully open or fully closed position. I need to tap it with a screwdriver and wiggle the lever back and forth to free it up. This alone is making things difficult. I also believe I have a draft problem, I only have one 45 Degree offset but I measured my chimney and its only 10 inches above my peak. Based on its location of roof penetration (4ft from peak) it does not meet minimum 3-2-10 rule. I feel like this may be adding to my back puffing problem.
Im unable to get my stove to operate without a lot of flames present in firebox. Regardless of how slowly I dial back air it always gets to a point where the flames die back for about 10 seconds then the firebox starts doing its normal mini explosions and backpuffing like crazy. Manual says to little draft will not allow gasses to escape quickly enough and cause this. It so frustrating, needing to keep large amount of active flames really cuts into my burn time. I’ve installed the AT 100, this does help a lot but im ready to throw in the towel. anybody have any thoughts. Encore 2040 cat c.

These are ao touchy. I think poor draft is the culprit. Especially if you are getting the backpuffs. I regularly turn the air down to about 10%. Seem to have backpuff issues when it's warmer out which makes sense as the draft is lower.

Solid bed of coals when this happens? The other thing that could cause the backpuff is a raging fire taken down too quick. How long are you waiting to close the damper after a reload?

 

[Willcgt77]

These are ao touchy. I think poor draft is the culprit. Especially if you are getting the backpuffs. I regularly turn the air down to about 10%. Seem to have backpuff issues when it's warmer out which makes sense as the draft is lower.

Solid bed of coals when this happens? The other thing that could cause the backpuff is a raging fire taken down too quick. How long are you waiting to close the damper after a reload?

Agreed when its warmer it’s been more of a problem. With my stove its a regular in 20 degree temps. I’ve tried a few different methods after reloads but yield the same results. I reload with Cat temps usually around 580/600. I’ve tried the Owners Manual method of closing damper immediately after reload, wait until Cat temps are actively reaching 850/1000. I dial back air every 5/10 minutes. Still have a lot of active flames in firebox, dial it back a bit more to get flames to settle down . At this stage I can’t go any further on dial back or I start getting tsunami effect, the stove goes silent and dark for a few seconds then Bang a big explosion and smoke out the griddle. Other method is waiting 5/8 minutes to ignite the load then close damper and proceed with same air dial back. Same thing happens.. Off topic, One thing I’ve never understood. How are you supposed to establish a coal bed and close damper at ST temps of 450. My stove top temps will easily reach 450 within 8 minutes on a cold start. Just the kindling alone gets me to 450. i find it impossible to establish a coal bed and Close Damper at 450. My griddle always wants to be at 650 easily.

 

[Lorde]

Sounds pretty good to me.... Now lets see if you can do it consistently.

Be careful with measuring STT behind the griddle, I generally find that area is often hotter than actual griddle temp. I think it gets influenced by the cat, so if the cat is cranking that area may be hotter than the actual griddle. Not a problem just something to bear in mind. Your infrared will show the temp variation there.

I am always amazed at hoe much variation I see across the top of the stove with my infrared. Even on the griddle itself. I sometimes see 100+ deg differences from one side of the stove top to the other.

650 is getting up there... especially if that was the actual griddle. I very rarely get temps that high on the griddle. 350 - 450 is my typical range but I have pushed it to 600 - 650 during cold snaps.

I always trust my TC's over all else. STT can be tricky with a TC though, the TC acts as fin and will read low id you just place it on top. I have 1/8" metal sheathed TCs, I place them on the top, lay a square of ceramic insulation over it and the slap a magnet on top of that to hold it all down. It get me a better reading, but not perfect.

Tell me about your magnetic TC.... I might want to go try that myself.

The 650 reading is suspect. I didn't get the magnetic TC out until cat had dropped to 950 at which time center of griddle read 450.
I was taking readings just behind the griddle with the IR because I read that it doesn't read the griddle correctly due to the finish of the metal. I'm going to try again tonight and will have more accurate griddle temps. The mag TC was from Auber, model TC-K-MAG. I put a connector on it for the AT100 so I can switch back and forth between it and cat probe.
I also got a TC for flue temp but haven't put it in yet.
Pictures of mag TC and last night's fire.

 

[JohnDaileyNH]

Personally I ignore that. I let my cold fires burn all the way down with damper open to make sure I have my coal bed.

Startup I toss two medium splits on the bottom. 2 fat woods. Kindling on top. Light the fat woods and let the sucker go until I have my coals bed. Stove usually gets up to about 600 STT then starts to come down as the bed is established. If the temps start going higher I shut the damper then wait until cat gets down to 650 and load. I try not to cold start then full load. Find it harder to control. Haven't done a lot of cold starts either. We use this as primary heat so the stove has pretty much been running all winter. But cold I'd get it going around 2, first reload a half load, then full load before bed.

 

[Willcgt77]

Personally I ignore that. I let my cold fires burn all the way down with damper open to make sure I have my coal bed.

Startup I toss two medium splits on the bottom. 2 fat woods. Kindling on top. Light the fat woods and let the sucker go until I have my coals bed. Stove usually gets up to about 600 STT then starts to come down as the bed is established. If the temps start going higher I shut the damper then wait until cat gets down to 650 and load. I try not to cold start then full load. Find it harder to control. Haven't done a lot of cold starts either. We use this as primary heat so the stove has pretty much been running all winter. But cold I'd get it going around 2, first reload a half load, then full load before bed.

I would agree with ignoring but my griddle reaches over 750 during cold doing exactly what you say, maybe that is ok but the hot metal smell scares me. I still can’t get over a half load without the stove going crazy, i would expect the opposite if i had a draft issue. Im assuming if the stove allowed me to cut the air back further without backpuffing I would gain some control. Its a good heater just drains the life out of us. I would Get a Blaze King if we had a local dealer. Can’t seem to find many other options for stoves that will operate easily. Thanks John.

 

[arnermd]

The 650 reading is suspect. I didn't get the magnetic TC out until cat had dropped to 950 at which time center of griddle read 450.
I was taking readings just behind the griddle with the IR because I read that it doesn't read the griddle correctly due to the finish of the metal. I'm going to try again tonight and will have more accurate griddle temps. The mag TC was from Auber, model TC-K-MAG. I put a connector on it for the AT100 so I can switch back and forth between it and cat probe.
I also got a TC for flue temp but haven't put it in yet.
Pictures of mag TC and last night's fire.

I like that STT TC. Might have to invest in that. Seems a bit pricey at $60 but I am getting tired of fiddling with my setup....

Emissivity will be different for a shiny griddle, give it a few months and it will not be so shiny.... hahaha

 

[JohnDaileyNH]

I would agree with ignoring but my griddle reaches over 750 during cold doing exactly what you say, maybe that is ok but the hot metal smell scares me. I still can’t get over a half load without the stove going crazy, i would expect the opposite if i had a draft issue. Im assuming if the stove allowed me to cut the air back further without backpuffing I would gain some control. Its a good heater just drains the life out of us. I would Get a Blaze King if we had a local dealer. Can’t seem to find many other options for stoves that will operate easily. Thanks John.

What if you shut the damper earlier? That should knock the flames down but on full air keep stove top temps down. STT hits 550 or 600 close it down. That should start heating the cat and at that heat shouldn't be much creosote build up. I think you can make this work. Just have to figure out the process that is going to work for your setup. Little tweaks here and there. Yeah it's a pain but when it's running nice it's fantastic

 

[arnermd]

I would agree with ignoring but my griddle reaches over 750 during cold doing exactly what you say, maybe that is ok but the hot metal smell scares me. I still can’t get over a half load without the stove going crazy, i would expect the opposite if i had a draft issue. Im assuming if the stove allowed me to cut the air back further without backpuffing I would gain some control. Its a good heater just drains the life out of us. I would Get a Blaze King if we had a local dealer. Can’t seem to find many other options for stoves that will operate easily. Thanks John.

I do things a little different on cold stat from @JohnDaileyNH (not saying either is right or wrong, just different).

• 1/4 - 1/2 load, kindling on bottom with gaps for white birch skin and air flow.
  • FYI.... white birch is an excellent fire starter, I always collect it when I am out in the woods. I never use paper anymore.
• Bypass open, 100% air (if fire is really ripping I will throttle air down just to give the cast iron time to heat up)
• Wait for STT and Flue gas temps to come up to 400 - 450, engage the cat, 100% air.
  • Sometimes the cat temps stall on me at less than 500, in this case I will open the bypass, get things going again and then close the bypass.
  • My objective is get the cat involved as soon as possible, I do not wait for coal bed to form up.
• Wait for Cat temps to come up to 700 - 800 then start dialing down the air, usually 10-20% increments.
• Once cat temps start to fall off I will load it up. Usually by this time a good coal bed has formed.

Back puffing: I have had this happen to me even before I reduced my draft. It was not chronic like yours but fairly common. The frequency has not increased since I reduced my draft.

Certainly low draft could be the cause, but not the only explanation. Mine seemed to occur when I had a big load that got going really good and then I tried to throttle it down. As John said above reducing air too fast with a load that has really caught fire good.

Have you tried throwing the cat in sooner? If not try engaging the cat when STT = 400 or 450. Try to keep the yellow flames to a dull roar and nurse the stove up to temp.

 

[Eman85]

The back puffing is partially a draft issue, but in my previous house I had 20+ feet of chimney well over the peak and even after the stove had been continuously running for days it would puff if you cut the air back.
Cold start burning a smaller amount to start with to get some coals to have a bed and have flue temps up. My cold start fires use kiln dried scraps so they burn hot, then some small dry splits.

 

[Willcgt77]

What if you shut the damper earlier? That should knock the flames down but on full air keep stove top temps down. STT hits 550 or 600 close it down. That should start heating the cat and at that heat shouldn't be much creosote build up. I think you can make this work. Just have to figure out the process that is going to work for your setup. Little tweaks here and there. Yeah it's a pain but when it's running nice it's fantastic

Ive shut the damper earlier and that does help but my chimney smokes the yard out for awhile (good 20 minutes). I guess keep tweaking and hopefully get some resolve on my chimney height. Im just blindly throwing darts at this point. Thanks for the Pep Talk!

 

[Willcgt77]

I do things a little different on cold stat from @JohnDaileyNH (not saying either is right or wrong, just different).

• 1/4 - 1/2 load, kindling on bottom with gaps for white birch skin and air flow.
  • FYI.... white birch is an excellent fire starter, I always collect it when I am out in the woods. I never use paper anymore.
• Bypass open, 100% air (if fire is really ripping I will throttle air down just to give the cast iron time to heat up)
• Wait for STT and Flue gas temps to come up to 400 - 450, engage the cat, 100% air.
  • Sometimes the cat temps stall on me at less than 500, in this case I will open the bypass, get things going again and then close the bypass.
  • My objective is get the cat involved as soon as possible, I do not wait for coal bed to form up.
• Wait for Cat temps to come up to 700 - 800 then start dialing down the air, usually 10-20% increments.
• Once cat temps start to fall off I will load it up. Usually by this time a good coal bed has formed.

Back puffing: I have had this happen to me even before I reduced my draft. It was not chronic like yours but fairly common. The frequency has not increased since I reduced my draft.

Certainly low draft could be the cause, but not the only explanation. Mine seemed to occur when I had a big load that got going really good and then I tried to throttle it down. As John said above reducing air too fast with a load that has really caught fire good.

Have you tried throwing the cat in sooner? If not try engaging the cat when STT = 400 or 450. Try to keep the yellow flames to a dull roar and nurse the stove up to temp.

Getting a fire going is never a problem unless my air flap is stuck closed from the previous night, which is on the list for repair. Getting stove up to temp is no problem. I’ve tried closing damper sooner, it just causes tons of smoke outside for about 20 Min. Worries me that im harming the cat with to much smoke or building creosote. I even get backpuffing in the coaling stage with air dialed to far back.

 

[Mreif]

Glad your getting the hang of your stove, Wish I could say the same. Im still having several problems that will hopefully be taken care of soon by the dealer. My air air flap keeps getting hung up in the fully open or fully closed position. I need to tap it with a screwdriver and wiggle the lever back and forth to free it up. This alone is making things difficult. I also believe I have a draft problem, I only have one 45 Degree offset but I measured my chimney and its only 10 inches above my peak. Based on its location of roof penetration (4ft from peak) it does not meet minimum 3-2-10 rule. I feel like this may be adding to my back puffing problem.
Im unable to get my stove to operate without a lot of flames present in firebox. Regardless of how slowly I dial back air it always gets to a point where the flames die back for about 10 seconds then the firebox starts doing its normal mini explosions and backpuffing like crazy. Manual says to little draft will not allow gasses to escape quickly enough and cause this. It so frustrating, needing to keep large amount of active flames really cuts into my burn time. I’ve installed the AT 100, this does help a lot but im ready to throw in the towel. anybody have any thoughts. Encore 2040 cat c.

Check that your front door and ash pan door are closing tightly. Mine where loose from factory. Both handles can be ajusted to make them latch tighter. Also my cable that runs from the primary air handle to the flapper was also pinched and it did not function properly. It eventually snapped and had to be replaced by the dealer who also pinched it when they put the new one on. I have the same stove as you.

 

[Willcgt77]

Check that your front door and ash pan door are closing tightly. Mine where loose from factory. Both handles can be ajusted to make them latch tighter. Also my cable that runs from the primary air handle to the flapper was also pinched and it did not function properly. It eventually snapped and had to be replaced by the dealer who also pinched it when they put the new one on. I have the same stove as you.

I’ve already had to replace the griddle gasket and the damper gasket. Thus far the Doors and Ash Pan gaskets and adjustments are doing well. I had a similar experience, my cable was also pinched during a service call and broke. It has never worked correctly since. It will be made right, just waiting on another repair visit. It’s been one thing or another. Ive had to shim up my Cat access cover because it falls into the fire constantly. Dealer ordered me another, just waiting for it. Unless my current one didn’t meet mold specs Im not to optimistic a new one will fit any better.

It’s definitely doing whatever it wants, My stove hates me!

 

[Mreif]

It’s definitely doing whatever it wants, My stove hates me!

I think my stove is your stoves twin. I had all the same issues. It's on its 3rd winter, and maybe it's last. Just started pricing out bk ashford's.

 

[Willcgt77]

I think my stove is your stoves twin. I had all the same issues. It's on its 3rd winter, and maybe it's last. Just started pricing out bk ashford's.

wish we had a BK dealer close!

 

[arnermd]

Getting a fire going is never a problem unless my air flap is stuck closed from the previous night, which is on the list for repair. Getting stove up to temp is no problem. I’ve tried closing damper sooner, it just causes tons of smoke outside for about 20 Min. Worries me that im harming the cat with to much smoke or building creosote. I even get backpuffing in the coaling stage with air dialed to far back.

• Stuck air flap is not good...... need that fixed. You already know that though.
• Do you rake the coals to the back? It helps light the cat off quicker.
• I get smoke on a reload too for 20-30 min till the cat lights off. Pretty normal for me on a colder reload.
• Once in a great while, I stall the cat and it soots up, takes extra time and heat on the next burn to get it to light off. But I do not think it damages it.
• Might want to ask the repair person to measure draft, I assume they have a meter....
  • Are you seeing other signs of low draft? On mine I will get some smoke rolling out the griddle on a reload with cat bypassed.
  • You could try making your own slant tube manometer, all you need is some hose and water. Will be tough to get accuracy at the levels we are talking about, 0.1 iwc or less.

 

[Willcgt77]

• Stuck air flap is not good...... need that fixed. You already know that though.
• Do you rake the coals to the back? It helps light the cat off quicker.
• I get smoke on a reload too for 20-30 min till the cat lights off. Pretty normal for me on a colder reload.
• Once in a great while, I stall the cat and it soots up, takes extra time and heat on the next burn to get it to light off. But I do not think it damages it.
• Might want to ask the repair person to measure draft, I assume they have a meter....
  • Are you seeing other signs of low draft? On mine I will get some smoke rolling out the griddle on a reload with cat bypassed.
  • You could try making your own slant tube manometer, all you need is some hose and water. Will be tough to get accuracy at the levels we are talking about, 0.1 iwc or less.

I rake them to the back but level them out a bit if I have a lot of coals. Good to know that you also get a fair amount of smoke on a reload from the stack. I do get smoke out of the griddle during reload, its not billowing out but its a lot more than I expected. Ill ask the dealer about testing the draft. With the chimney 20 inches under code height its making question my draft, Another bridge Im working on crossing with dealer.

 

[Lorde]

So the Auber AT100 is great for what it is. Does anyone have a suggestion for a multichannel data logger with display?

Seems like ultimately thermocouples monitoring STT, cat, & flue gas reporting to a data logger with local display and WiFi/Bluetooth is the real solution.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

I rake them to the back but level them out a bit if I have a lot of coals. Good to know that you also get a fair amount of smoke on a reload from the stack. I do get smoke out of the griddle during reload, its not billowing out but its a lot more than I expected. Ill ask the dealer about testing the draft. With the chimney 20 inches under code height its making question my draft, Another bridge Im working on crossing with dealer.

When cat temperatures are low durimg a reload you should.. A ..open bypass for a minute or so to reestablish draft.. B.. expect some smoke spillage if your not reestablishing draft.. its not the brand of stove.. my friends lopi did the same thing untill he learned to reestablish draft prior to reload

During a colder reload.. sub 700 degrees cat temp some smoke will be visible untill you get the cat temps up

During a cold reload with bypass open.. you will still see smoke .. really visible.. untill you get your load to catch..

20 ft should be plenty.. of pipe.. I noticed that I didnt see an actual stove pipe temperatures posted.. Do you have something on the stovepipe to measure temperatures

 

[Woodsplitter67]

So the Auber AT100 is great for what it is. Does anyone have a suggestion for a multichannel data logger with display?

Seems like ultimately thermocouples monitoring STT, cat, & flue gas reporting to a data logger with local display and WiFi/Bluetooth is the real solution.

There are many here that can run the stove properly with out all of this.. you may be over complicating over thinking it.. most including myself are using a cat prob 1 magnetic on the griddle and 1 magnetic on the stove pipe..

When starting from a cold start looking at the magnetic on the ST and stove pipe getting up to temperature.. once you have established proper temp and coal bed close bypass and look at cat prob to ensure it lighs off.. if not repeat above

on a hot reload.. cats already running.. open bypass load wood and Immediately close bypass as nothing needs to be reestablish..

on a miled restart.. cat at about 600.. load wood reestablish some draft and closed bypass and cat should light off again..

 

[GrumpyDad]

Does anyone know what the air flapper should look like in the air intake hole of a dauntless when the stove is cold? Im curious because at the lowest setting the flapper is not completely shut. If I recall it's only about 3/4 or less shut leaving some air flow. It's working as Id expect, if I go to the lowest setting even with a box full of flames I can quickly lose all flames and start to create creosote so I dont do that, but Im just curious if my air control is actually where it should be.
Im finally ok with this stove to some degree...I just make sure I always have a big bed of hot coals when I reload and let that load catch for 45 minutes either with primary open or closed depending how it quickly the new load catches and how warm I feel the stove is on the sides.

I have had to jiggle the air control a couple of times for it to react to my changes, but I havent had to do that for quite awhile after the stove was new. I see a few people here describing what it seems to me is , an air control problem - and potentially sharing what that flap looks like or should look like will help others?