getting the most heat out of a Jotul 550

[mcollect]

I started burning this stove but the"seasoned wood" that I had was just cut ,so I had to split it to 2" pieces and store it under the hearth for two weeks. Now I have honest to God dry wood and the stove is another creature! I load it and after a while I start to close the damper. Fire is good and secondary flames evident but not much heat output when the blowers are on high. What am I doing wrong this year?

 

[Roxburyeric]

Are you leaving the fan on auto - which would take about 1/2 hour for it to kick on after starting a fire and letting it get hot. That is what I do. If you turn the fan on right away it will take hours to get any real heat out as you are just cooling the firebox down. Also I didn't get super hot heat until the real cold weather when the stove would get up to 600+.