An air-intake-restrictor / wood-feed-snugger-upper

Since I rarely run my RMH with a full woodfeed it necessitates blocking the side opposite the barrel in order to speed up airflow.  See second picture.

I've seen images of others restricting the air intake with two bricks in a V shape pointing towards the barrel (possible when a P Channel is not in the way).

One frustration I had with the ways I used restrictor bricks was that the sticks, once burned to a height below the bottom of the brick(s), would often lean away in directions that I didn't think were efficiently getting good airflow.  Or, even worse, they would just fall flat on the combustion chamber floor.

Being happy with the performance of the Peter Channel I made (just quickly out of stove pipe to see how it works), I used the same stuff and style to make a first draft air-intake/feed-tube-size adjuster.  As you can see in the pictures, it has one face resting on top and blocking the top, and the other face at a 90 degree angle descending into the feed tube (all the way would provide the most wood-support).

This feed-tube-restrictor simply slides snug up against any given amount of wood.  It can support the wood vertically throughout the burn process.

What y'all think?

Can I ask why you never run your rmh with a full load of dry wood ?  Is it rather warm at your location?  Or are you trying to run a continuous  small fire , rather than a hot fast fire that you let go out ?
In a properly built rmh that is fully dry, heated up and burning dry wood it matters not which way your wood leans or if it falls flat in the bottom... its burning completely up anyway.  If you rmh is not fully dry yet or if your wood is green or wet you will not get a complete burn and there will be left over wood. Also if that is the case then you may be producing more ash than normal which can lead to clogged horizontal pipes.
 
I can tell you from experience in a hot burning rmh ,that if you build your peter channel from new 3/16" steel you will get about 3 - 4 seasons out of it before it is warped and spauled. (see my post,"an example of metal spalling")
Your air restricter / wood holder  would last a bit longer.
 

thomas rubino wrote: ...full load of dry wood ? ... warm at your location?  ...a continuous  small fire , rather than a hot fast fire...?
properly built rmh ... matters not which way your wood leans or if it falls flat in the bottom... its burning completely up anyway.
 
.. new 3/16" steel you will get about 3 - 4 seasons out of it before it is warped and spauled.... Your air restricter / wood holder  would last a bit longer.
 

I totally had a "d'oh!" moment reading your response that a rmh should be operated with full fuel feed.  I now remember reading that in both books.  However, I've a few reasons I often like running it between partially full and, say, 1/5 full: it's heating a small space,  for low and slow cooking or just ensuring I don't burn food (I cook everytime I fire it), the lack of smoke out of chimney indicates a partial fill burns sufficiently efficiently, ...

My wood is dry; mostly pallet wood.  Location is VT, so very cold.   I have good reliable draft and chimney duct gets to 110°F. The only insulated parts are the heat riser and around the sides and top of the bricks within the barrel's footprint.

I figured, if one of the functions of the Peter channel is to prevent wood from inefficiently burning by leaning forward on hot bridge brick, this restrictor would be similar for back-leaning wood. My experience with my rmh bears out both as true.  However, I haven't seen another rmh in person.

The p channel and my restrictor took a few minutes to make of scrap. If they don't last long... NBD.  I agree that Metal Is Doomed should be common knowledge.  

Congratulations! Sounds like your rmh is operating exactly like it should and exactly how you want it to.  Yes , your current p-channel & snugger will not last longer than this season.  Like you say no big deal, when the time comes make them out of 3/16th and at your burn rate you could get 5-6 years or more before needing replacement.