Mastering the Woodburner

When working well so much heat is generated that it is obviously unwise to touch the enamel stove and pipe ... and yet when it is not going quite so well to touch the enamel is warming to the hands and comforting. Which would I rather have? The former!
My theory is that men are better with pyrotechnics.... but  as a 'newlyagainlearninghowtobeindependent' woman,  I  have to learn to have androgynous talents!

This woodburner is very different from all the others I have known. It has a waffle bed, rather than a grate, and is enamelled.   I have followed instructions and built up a bed of ash. Today I've emptied the ashpan, which was not full but I thought it could be a factor in why I cannot keep the woodburner alight through the  night or even day!  Now I know I have to get that oak really hot before  I close down the dampers and although it is "interdit" to open that front door just a crack, it seems to be effective at getting the oak fired up and getting the room and me warmer!   So before I went out this afternoon, I got it working well, closed down the levers... and on my homecoming opened up the door just a wee bit and now the fire is humming happily. This is when I know it is working well.  And the note compared to my piano which may need a re-tune is about Eb ( E flat ).  The hum is as comforting as the heat and I've never had a woodburner that hummed.  I ought to know about acoustics .... but perhaps it is the 1.70m length of enamelled pipe that creates the sound.
My lessons from others in woodburner skills is that I must watch, listen and observe and this will indicate what I do and what I have to do with .....

• the level of ash
• the amount of paper and kindling wood to build up the heat before adding the oak log
• when to open and close the dampers left and right - one is the air wash to keep the window clean (and this is important when it takes several minutes to clean the window each morning with expensive cleaning agent, vinegar and ash)
• the length of time to keep a stove door ajar and then which one - the front or the side  
• when to use the poker to break down the glowing red oak embers so that it creates a hotbed for the next log
• exactly when to load the next log.... this seems to be crucial ....
• and many other factors,  e.g.   I am convinced the air pressure of the weather has an effect!  Science was never my forté, but I challenge even the scientist to 'have a go' at  maintaining what is at present my only source of heat, apart from the hot water bottle! I have been sorely tempted to purchase another electric blanket but I  gave up on that luxury when I discovered that I had been saved from incineration when I discovered it had burnt my bedlinen!  OK that was 30 years ago! 

I love my woodburner and although it is dirty and dusty from time to time it is enormously satisfying when I get it right and can sit in warmth and watch the fire in the window.