Replacing parts on my quad castile

I have a 1992 Cape which is not all that tight insulation wise (workin' on it) but I still put in an OAK over the summer (after having run the stove without one last winter).
I'm glad I did.
I no longer fight with removing excess crud on the bottom of the burn pot and the house is less drafty (same pellets burned as last year). Definitely an upgrade maintenance wise. I realize the Santa Fe (and the Castile) are "leaky" but I removed the bottom ash drawer for a few seconds while the stove was running and put my hand past the burn pot and felt a strong breeze coming in from the outside through the OAK (even with the ash drawer out!). Maybe it's because the OAK has a run of only about 20 inches .. I don't know about what is good for you but I feel it was the way to go in my situation.
Best of luck getting the heat you need out of the Castile.

rideboard147 said:

I'm going to install a OAK this summer as my next project. Glad to hear you could still feel air being sucked in even with it leaky. I think it will greatly help my situation, I might break down and put in the oak during the next warm spell

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If anybody is interested, I have some ways of stopping the leaks in your Castile and SantaFe stoves.

I went through the same fire drill as you did, and replaced the convection blower, new burn pot gasket, new igniter and door gasket. Mine was a 2005 but this was the third door gasket and the first on the other listed items. Did a complete cleaning and the stove ran like brand new. I got seven seasons without putting a dime into my stove so all and all, still saved a boat load of $$$. Good luck with the overhaul!