jbirish wrote:(1) I tried to use only 30lbs of coal to fire the stove and made a 3" base the stove fired ok with the bottom door cracked open or with the vents open and the chimney damper half open. However, overnight the stove would go out each night.
Not enough coal.
jbirish wrote:(2) Should I fill the stove completely with coal in order to fire it properly?
jbirish wrote:(3) Why were my stove temps sooooo low? They were no more than 250 degrees.
Not enough coal, lazy chimney draft due to warm weather.
jbirish wrote:(4) What is the proper way to throttle the stove for shoulder months?
The stove must be full of coal, and you will have to experiment to see how low you can run it without having the fire go out. Basically you keep reducing the inlet air until you get the stove (or room) temperature you are looking for. You may have to fire the stove a little hotter than you want to keep a reliable fire in the fall & spring...cracking a window often helps also.