New stove question

[Grisu]

1)Stove has a much harder time staying in cruise mode with primary air cut all the way down--in fact, it appears to be impossible. It seems like everything is going fine and then all of a sudden it starts dying down and then secondaries just go off and then it smolders. I have to open primary air back up and get the flames up again and getting the gases released again. This happens regardless of the size of the wood or the temperature of the stove. The only way to keep the stove cruising all the way until all the off gasses have been burned is to leave the primary air open a bit, which defeats the purpose of blocking off the boost air. I even took off the cover for inside air, which did not seem to make any difference.

I would not say leaving the primary air open a tad defeats the purpose of blocking the boost air. Now I have control over how much air will go into the stove. Previously I was threatened a few times especially with the dry pine I was burning that the Super was running away on me and closing the air supply was not stopping it. I find it much easier now to dial in the burn the way I want.

2) Burn times do not seem much improved, but I've yet to try a full load of hardwood.

I would say it was not a huge effect but it made some difference. It also flattened out the peak.

However, every stove/installation is different. Play around with it; maybe closing it only half with a metal coin or similar will work better for you.

 

[Starstuff]

I would not say leaving the primary air open a tad defeats the purpose of blocking the boost air. Now I have control over how much air will go into the stove. Previously I was threatened a few times especially with the dry pine I was burning that the Super was running away on me and closing the air supply was not stopping it. I find it much easier now to dial in the burn the way I want.


I would say it was not a huge effect but it made some difference. It also flattened out the peak.

However, every stove/installation is different. Play around with it; maybe closing it only half with a metal coin or similar will work better for you.

I hadn't really thought about leaving the primary open like that. One thing I do appreciate about the boost air is that once I get stove up to cruising temp, I can completely shut off primary air and be confident that the stove isn't going to need any more babysitting, but you make a very good point that with the boost air blocked, you can better control the burn. I suppose once I get used to it, I'll be able to have the same confidence to leave the stove unattended for hours at a time.

Nice tip about using a metal coin to only partially cover the boost air port. That might be the best option. I'll give it a try. Thanks!