I put mine in a triangle stack as you are looking into the stove. The base is the entire length from front to back. I've noticed that the flame intensity moves from back to front as the ash pan fills up. Don't know why, it just does.
I am in season 2 with my HM. I've said it before, I don't think you're going to get rid of this drip. The ash pan sticks out the front of the stove and is by far the coldest part of your stove. It is going to cause condensation. I have an ice mound or black puddle under my ash pan all winter. I don't see what the bid deal is. If you are trying to keep your pad "clean", forget about it. At the end of the season, you'll have ash dust, bark, wood chips, soot, the front of your stove will be black and the stickers won't be recognizable. Trust me, I am an obsessive perfectionist and I too was upset of this black water "messing up" the appearance of my stove. I'm over it. It's a part of it. Burning wood is dirty.