There could be several reasons why your wood burning stove keeps going out: insufficient airflow (either from the chimney or air vents), using wet or green wood, or an improperly sized stove for your space.
If your wood-burning stove doesn't get enough air after closing the door, it could be due to several reasons: a clogged air intake, insufficient chimney draft, or burning unseasoned wood. Check and clean the air vents and chimney to ensure proper airflow. Use only dry, seasoned wood to maintain an efficient burn.
It may be that the damper isn't opening enough since it runs fine with the door open. Have you let it build up an ash bed? It will run better when there is a solid bed of hot ash, and you are right that wood does need the air on top of it rather than drawing from underneath. Muck about and see what happens.
Flue blockage
If the chimney is the proper size and still isn't providing sufficient draft, the first thing to do is check the stovepipe and chimney flue for blockage: bird nests, fallen bricks, Frisbees, leaves, etc.
A poor chimney draw is sometimes caused by low temperatures. If there is too much cold air in your flue, it will prevent warmer air from being able to rise. Often, priming your flue first can help solve this problem.
Initiate the fire with quick-burning wood types like poplar, pine, willow, and alder, along with a lighter block, to quickly establish a warm airflow through the chimney. This heat generates the necessary draft to sustain the fire.
Make sure your log burner has an adequate source of fresh air, such as an air vent. Some log burners come with an integrated external air connection, feeding them air for combustion directly from outside your property. Also, check the air control settings on your stove to ensure they are not restricting the airflow.
Your damper helps control the flow of smoke and allows it to rise through the flue, up through the cap, and out into the air. Chimneys operate on pressure caused by heat, so when there isn't enough pressure, they don't work well. Downdraft is the number one problem created by improper pressure systems in your chimney.
The most common way to prime a chimney flue is to roll up newspaper to create a torch, light it, and then hold it up toward the damper. Sometimes it's necessary to do this a couple of times or more, to warm up the flue well enough that you have a good draft for a fire.
Open the door slightly (5-10 mm to allow air passage) and light up a lighter next to the side of the door. If the flame is drawn towards the combustion chamber, the draft is sufficient. If the flame is vertical or is pushed towards the outside of the stove, the draft is insufficient or wind blows down in the chimney.
Installing a wind-directional chimney cap can help prevent downdrafts by redirecting the wind upward, regardless of direction.
Building Regulations recommend a minimum flue height of 4.5m however the chimney must be high enough to allow for enough draught to clear the exhaust gases.
Check for Obstruction - Ensure that the stovepipe and chimney are free of obstructions. Maintain Cleanliness - Ensure that you have scheduled regular cleanings for your chimney to prevent dirt buildup. Use Dry, Seasoned Woods - Only burn dry, seasoned woods to ensure that you don't have buildups of smoke.
First and foremost, it is important to make sure that all gaps and cracks around the fireplace or chimney have been sealed properly. This can be done with caulk or foam insulation, depending on the size and location of the opening. Another solution is to install an air damper or a top-sealing damper.
Cold weather affects chimney drafting in several ways, mainly through thermal inversion and the formation of a "cold plug." When the outdoor temperature drops significantly, the colder, denser air outside can force its way down the chimney, disrupting the upward draft.
The chimney restriction could be something as simple as not having the throat damper open enough or a malfunction of the top damper if the chimney is so equipped. Excessive creosote build up in the flue, or the presence of a bird's nest or a bee hive in the chimney are also fairly common causes of a poor flue draft.
If your logs won't catch fire, it may be that you have started too big. Light some kindling wood or paper first, and wait for it to catch fire to some small logs or pieces of coal. Only when these have fully caught fire, and are nice and hot, should you start throwing some larger logs on.
When too much cool air pushes down inside your wood burning stove it means room temperature air is prevented from being drawn into the fire (even if your damper is fully open). You'll know if your fire is affected by Cold Chimney Syndrome if it goes out very soon after it's started.
Use no more than two right-angle bends in the stovepipe installation. Additional bends cause soot and creosote to collect in the stovepipe or chimney, block flue gas flow, and increase the danger of fire.
It is most likely to happen in cold weather and when a cold wind cools the outside chimney to the point where it produces so little draft that it can't overcome the negative pressure due to stack effect.