The Woodstove

I gotta say "I love the woodstove!"; however, it is a bit difficult to get it as hot as it's suppose to be!

The photo below shows the read out thingy that is on the chimney inside the house. The arrow should be in the white ... I have no idea how to get the damn arrow into the white!

Right now, the fire is not hot enough and is creating creosote which means the chimney will need to be cleaned more often and can increase the chance of a chimney fire. Creosote is also a problem caused by burning soft wood (Hence why pine shouldn't be burned)

I am using a variety of wood; birch, cedar, elm and maple. The birch and cedar I am using for starter (it's soft wood, so not good to use a lot), while the elm and maple I'm using as the major fire fuel.

But, yet, I cannot get the damn thing hot enough to get it into the white!

What am I doing wrong?

I'm making sure there is lots of room for oxygen and the wood is all dry. In the entire month of November I've managed to get it into the white once!

If anyone has any suggestions, please feel free to comment on this post. I'd love to hear them!

Thanks much!