Be sure you have established a nice bed of coals. I believe the manual offers tips how to obtain this. Make sure you put the pine on top especially if it's a little damp. This may give it time to dry a bit before the fire getting to it. I have the CB eclassic 1400 and I have the high setpoint at 185 and the low setpoint at 177. The pulse is set to turn on every 8 minutes for 50 seconds. This setup works well for me. It took awhile to learn what the OWB wanted and once I figured it out, it runs great as JohnBcold said. Heck, the first couple of weeks operating mine I was cussing and carrying on why I couldn't keep a fire going in it. I got on here, posted my frustrations and told them what was happening. Many kind and knowledgeable folks offered some fantastic tips to keep it lit. I incorporated some of them, learn a few of my own and now it's operating like a charm. I'm using a good mix of hardwood all 24" long and 4 to 8 inch in diameter. Nothing larger than that. Once you learn what your OWB likes, you'll being singing praises about it and wodering why you didn't do this sooner. I know, I frequently ask myself why I waited so long to purchase mine. Oh, did I mention that I'm heating 3000sqft and my domestic hot water (DHW)? The house is a 1840's farmhouse. Roger