i'm going for Number 3 on the min.

i'm going to try #3 on min setting for my pioneer bottom vent. has any one had success with this min setting.
i know jerry tried it and worked. but it was base on the type of coal used.

As long as you don';t put the fire out.....good luck...

#3 has been my Min setting on my Channing for 3 years, no problem.

Bk

I was down to 4 and fire dint go out but was having problems with Explosive Gas Detector going off, No CO just gas. Plus it smelled funny.

I cant go below 5 with my pioneer or it will go out eventually so 5 is my min..

My min on both of my Pioneer stoves has been at 3 for two years now. Never had any gas problems or fire out. Both stoves are power vented. I always use Harmony mine coal.

The power vent help keep the fumes out of the stove. Natural draft stove, you may not be able to go that low, you may not have enough exhaust temp to maintain a good draft if the temps get warm.....

Just keep an eye on your draft and make sure you have a good CO detector near the stove....

I would not recommend very low settings such as 3 for a non-power vented stove. Remember you need some heat to make the chimney produce a draft. As Dave said make sure you have a functioning CO detector and I would also recommend a manometer to make sure there is no CO problem.

Having said all that, one trick to get the lower settings to work is reducing the amount of combustion air entering the stove by either reducing the speed with a rheostat or covering part of the inlet with aluminum tape. The most accurate way to do this is to measure the draft while making the adjustment, you can also drill a small hole in the stove body above the ash door to directly measure the effect of the change.

Have fun with the science project!