We are getting down to the type of weather that see’s me having to light the stove in the morning to take the chill out. Typically 5-8 deg C in the mornings on a regular bases now. This being my first year with this new fandangled EPA stove, I was wondering what your morning routines are during shoulder season. For me it goes like this. Up at 0530, washroom, light a smoke, put on the coffee, toss in a bunch of small splits and birch bark in a log cabin style, light the stove, leave the door open until an established flame is going, turn up the drafter to high, close the door, shower. After the shower and shave I usually have a bunch of nice red coals and start adding the bigger wood. Set drafter back a little but still high, go finish the coffee. By the time me and the wife are ready for work I toss in some nice big wood, make sure it is going strong and then set the draft back to very low, if not off altogether. Wake up the kids too a nice warm house around 0645. Depending on how much wood I add before I leave, I will typically come home to enough hot coals that I can just toss in a few splits, open the draft and within 10 minutes I have a roaring fire again. So I am getting an average of a 10 hour burn out of the stove. I don’t like turning the draft down so low but it is the only way to get a good long burn. I make a point of burning hot when I am home to take care of any build up from the long day on low. Not too hot however as I can really see this stove cranking out an excess of BTU if for some reason the draft was left opened up for too long. So there you have it, my morning routine. Any suggestions other than to quit the step where I light up a smoke.