The Cape Cod is cracked! Now what?

aansorge said:

The heating chambers of the stove? Does this mean the inside panels? So it isn't 1/4 inch steel there?

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The heating chambers inside the stove is only gauge thickness, most likely 1/16 or 3/32" thick or so. All it's moving is heated air so you don't need much.

Craig

Shmudda said:

The heating chambers inside the stove is only gauge thickness, most likely 1/16 or 3/32" thick or so. All it's moving is heated air so you don't need much.

Craig

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Has crack in the weld gotten any bigger over the years?

lopiliberty said:

Has crack in the weld gotten any bigger over the years?

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Oh yea, much bigger. If yours is only 3 years old just wait! They will grow and grow as you use the stove. No chance of stopping them.

Have you needed to replace any structural steel holding your ceiling firebrick yet? If not you will in another year or two. Let me know when you do as I have drawings for all those steel fabrications. If you are handy and can make them you will save yourself pile of cash.

Craig

BrotherBart said:

Most steel stoves these days are 3/16" stove body with 1/4" or 5/16" top plates. Usually 1/4" if it doesn't have a step top bend in the top plate. 5/16" on the flat tops. CAD design has let them do things like strengthen thinner top plates with step bends and the firebox walls with the secondary and primary air manifolds.

The days of my old beloved 3/8" top plate and 1/4" stove body are history.

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Not even that thick. Our NC30s don't seem to have any 1/4" plate. My BK is only 1/8" on the body and 3/16" top. I can see the distortion in the top plate from the welding below. They have wisely optimized the structure to reduce the required steel thickness. It's cheaper that way.

Of particular lameness is the thickness of the air wash deflector at the top of the loading door on the NC30, maybe 1/8" thick and too small. It's this stove's weakness.

on edit, I didn't bust out a caliper to guarantee thicknesses but there ain't nothin very thick.

BrotherBart said:

I did. The body of the 30 is 3/16" and the top plate is 1/4".

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Sorry BB, I measure 3/16" top and 1/8" body on the 30. Either your measuring stick is broke or they thinned out the 30. I even took pics.

First of the top and then of the thin airwash deflector.

webby3650 said:

I'm sorry you have had so much trouble with your stove. It's not as common as you might think though, we have loads of Lopi stoves out there chugging away without cracks or warping like you have experienced. The only secondary burn repairs I have had to do was due to overfiring. They had a bad door gasket. Is it possible that your door has been out of adjustment or possibly asking too much from the stove?

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Webby,

I don't ask to much of the stove, hell the thing never is above 500-600 deg F. That's lower than what Travis says the burn temp should be. I will tell you though, the stove is started in November and is going until mid April the following year. I use it for what it is intended for ....BTU's plain and simple. The door and everything is tight as it shoud be. Honestly, I don't believe most people use stoves 24/7, they say they do, but I don't believe it, or there would be more problems. Nothing, and I mean nothing built with A36 thin gauge steel will last the way I'm using it. The only way the heating chambers would last like I use the stove is if they were made of 307 Stainless. It's a simple design issue with the stove, plain and simple. The manufactures don't want these things to last, they won't sell new units if they last to long!

I just keep rebuilding it as needed. You figure the stove is in its 16th burn season and if you look at its life of burning 6 months a year the stove has been burning solid and spewing heat for 8 years!

Not to shabby if you ask me!

Craig

begreen said:

You might want to look at the PE baffle and secondary design. It is made to last and out of stainless.

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Is this a cat stove or non-cat? I prefer the non-cat type stoves......justersonal preference.

Craig

Webby......

If you are ever in the Pittsburgh area let me know and you can come see it for yourself!

Craig

BrotherBart said:

Digital calipers. I also just mic'd the new one in the basement. 1/4" top plate and 3/16" stove body.

Do not attempt to take up sewing for a living.

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I don't know what to tell you. My tape isn't lying. Clearly not 1/4" so either your calipers are junk or your stove top is thicker. If somebody sold me that as 1/4" I would accuse them of ripping me off.

I can make a stitch, but not something I would ever want to do for a living.

Highbeam said:

Not even that thick. Our NC30s don't seem to have any 1/4" plate. My BK is only 1/8" on the body and 3/16" top. I can see the distortion in the top plate from the welding below. They have wisely optimized the structure to reduce the required steel thickness. It's cheaper that way.

Of particular lameness is the thickness of the air wash deflector at the top of the loading door on the NC30, maybe 1/8" thick and too small. It's this stove's weakness.

on edit, I didn't bust out a caliper to guarantee thicknesses but there ain't nothin very thick.

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Don't know if the king is different than princess but my top is a 1/4 inch with a tape or a caliper. The only body plate I can measure while hot is 1/8 inch.

Highbeam said:

I don't know what to tell you. My tape isn't lying. Clearly not 1/4" so either your calipers are junk or your stove top is thicker. If somebody sold me that as 1/4" I would accuse them of ripping me off.



I can make a stitch, but not something I would ever want to do for a living.

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BB has problems measuring the fire box size as well. Lol

The difference between 3/16" plate and 1/4" plate is something even a lousy engineer can spot with a tape measure. Even at just 3/16", I'm not worried about the top melting. That step bend seems to add quite a bit of rigidity.