Coalpail.com Forum

we recently bought a us stove model 1602m from tractor supply. really like the way it heats he entire home better. we use to just heat with 2 separate wood stoves. anyway, been running it for 2 weeks now, and just having some concerns. I was wondering if anyone can suggest or explain the proper spin damper settings to make the wood burn longer. i'm only getting about 7 hours from the wood in this stove, and that's if we pack it. I have a friend of mine that has similar stove, but next model down, but 10 years old, and he gets incredibly long burn times out of his stove. it's so hard to see what is going on with this stove. they should have put some glass in the door so you could see what the flames are doing, and the wood. so my set up is normal other then I but a damper in my exhaust (smoke) flue. like I have on my other wood stove, hoping to keep more heat in the stove.
it seems like when I first start the fire or add any additional logs, that I have to crack the load door for several mins to get the heat in the wood and heat box, then close the door, and move back the handle on top of the load door. i'm just confused on how to set the spin dampers due to not being able to see what is going on in there. that is so frustrating to me. so if anyone can hep me, I would greatly appreciate any help or advice.

thanks

Hearth.com

To get a long burn in a wood stove means to burn it dirty and with low combustion efficiency. Creosote buildup can be dangerous. Open the air in the upper door for cleanest burn.

I am not familiar with the stove so more information would be good. Perhaps some pictures of the fire box and whatever secondary burn features the stove has if any.

Wood when heated, quickly releases half its potential heat as gas which if not burned forms smoke and creosote. Good modern wood stoves have special secondary air fixtures to burn that smoke but still can not have the air restricted for a long burn and still stay clean. That's why anthracite coal is so popular in that it can achieve long clean burns. If your stove has an effective shaker grate it might be able to burn coal with some modifications to do it well.

Send a PM (private message) to other 1620M owners here...or as *Grumpy* said, check w/ the boys @ hearth.com

Member here...*Doug* knows a good bit of burning wood in the Clayton's from USSC, send him a PM