First off, I apologize for the newbie questions....
I just got my first wood burning insert a few weeks ago. So far, I love it. Heating a 1100sq ft home with a Napoleon 1101 Fireplace insert. Been burning well seasoned ash. My question is, what is the best procedure/timing for betting the stove up to temp, and at what point to you start pulling the damper closed? I'm sure it is different for every insert, but is there a rule of thumb?
I've been trying to get the stove to at least 400 before I really put decent sized splits in.
How full do you people usually fill the firebox? I'll put one or two medium sized splits in, which does not totally fill up the firebox, and those will burn for, 2.5-3 hours. How are people getting 7+ hours of burn time? Are you cramming the stove totally full?
Also, what *should* it look like when it's burning nice and slow. Should it look like an inferno? The way I've been doing it, the flames have been pretty minimal...is that good or bad? I just don't want to be causing buildup in the flue, or wasting wood. The whole point of the purchase was for efficiency...
Sorry to bore you with my questions!
Thanks!
BTW, here it is right after installation
(broken image removed)
Here was the first fire
(broken image removed)
I just got my first wood burning insert a few weeks ago. So far, I love it. Heating a 1100sq ft home with a Napoleon 1101 Fireplace insert. Been burning well seasoned ash. My question is, what is the best procedure/timing for betting the stove up to temp, and at what point to you start pulling the damper closed? I'm sure it is different for every insert, but is there a rule of thumb?
I've been trying to get the stove to at least 400 before I really put decent sized splits in.
How full do you people usually fill the firebox? I'll put one or two medium sized splits in, which does not totally fill up the firebox, and those will burn for, 2.5-3 hours. How are people getting 7+ hours of burn time? Are you cramming the stove totally full?
Also, what *should* it look like when it's burning nice and slow. Should it look like an inferno? The way I've been doing it, the flames have been pretty minimal...is that good or bad? I just don't want to be causing buildup in the flue, or wasting wood. The whole point of the purchase was for efficiency...
Sorry to bore you with my questions!
Thanks!
BTW, here it is right after installation
(broken image removed)
Here was the first fire
(broken image removed)