Castile firebox brick gasket?

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DMKNLD

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Prior to doing my 2nd ton deep cleaning on my circa 2002 Castile today I was looking at the Owners Manual, what a radical concept, and one of the maintenance / cleaning section pics shows a rope gasket around the edges of the center brick - the one that surrounds the pellet drop chute, and I realized mine doesn't have one, nor never has, at least in my ownership of the stove. I'm guessing it should be there, probably removed by the PO?

It looks like a rope gasket would probably be there to insulate the pellet drop chute from the fire box heat, and my pellet chute does have some scorch on the very bottom of it from sawdust adhering there to it. It looks like pretty fat gasket rope - maybe 3/4 or 7/8" diameter? The center brick is held in by a hex screw - should I take that out and tuck the rope gasket in behind it or just lay the gasket along the edges of the brick ? Can any other 1st generation Castile owners advise ?
 
Do a search on this topic. It was just discussed about 2 weeks ago. Mine has the rope where you don't but from the previous thread, yours probably has the rope outboard of each cast brick piece. Somewhere along the line they changed it.
 
tjnamtiw said:
Do a search on this topic. It was just discussed about 2 weeks ago. Mine has the rope where you don't but from the previous thread, yours probably has the rope outboard of each cast brick piece. Somewhere along the line they changed it.
Click to expand...
That's correct - mine has the outboard gaskets but not the inboard one - I'll do some search reading. Thanks.
 
tjnamtiw said:
Do a search on this topic. It was just discussed about 2 weeks ago. Mine has the rope where you don't but from the previous thread, yours probably has the rope outboard of each cast brick piece. Somewhere along the line they changed it.
Click to expand...
Tom, that was a good thread, for sure. I understand better now how the combustion gases flow through the stove. Since my stove is running well, I probably won't fix what isn't broke and just leave it as is w/o the center brick gasket. Though B-mod will probably take me to task on that!!!

I have done several of his mod suggestions; spring additions to the exchanger tubes, blocking off the air wash, snap disc adjustable temp, etc which have all worked great. I haven't done the re-wire of the convection blower yet to run it on high full time, but plan to try that next.
 
DMKNLD said:
Tom, that was a good thread, for sure. I understand better now how the combustion gases flow through the stove. Since my stove is running well, I probably won't fix what isn't broke and just leave it as is w/o the center brick gasket. Though B-mod will probably take me to task on that!!!

I have done several of his mod suggestions; spring additions to the exchanger tubes, blocking off the air wash, snap disc adjustable temp, etc which have all worked great. I haven't done the re-wire of the convection blower yet to run it on high full time, but plan to try that next.
Click to expand...
B-Mod and I worked together on those mods. The springs were my idea and the full time fan was his. I don't remember which of us came up with the adjustable snap disk, to be honest but it works! I haven't blocked of my air wash because I really don't see a need for it since I have plenty of air through the pot.
Yea, just leave the rope where it is. I can't see where it would make a difference.
 
tjnamtiw said:
B-Mod and I worked together on those mods. The springs were my idea and the full time fan was his. I don't remember which of us came up with the adjustable snap disk, to be honest but it works! I haven't blocked of my air wash because I really don't see a need for it since I have plenty of air through the pot.
Yea, just leave the rope where it is. I can't see where it would make a difference.
Click to expand...

You guys are both clearly ahead of the power curve on 'thinking outside of the (fire) box', thanks for all your troubleshoot postings and insights!
 
Make sure you do the convection fan on high mod, it works great with the springs in the heat exchangers. I can heat my whole house 1600 sq ft, in weather down to -15 below with the stove on the low heat setting.

It is a cold night tonight, already -20 at 8pm, headed for a low close to -30.
 
DMKNLD, how many heat exchanger tubes does your stove have? Mine is a 2001 stove and only has 8, most others here have 10.
 
B-Mod said:
Make sure you do the convection fan on high mod, it works great with the springs in the heat exchangers. I can heat my whole house 1600 sq ft, in weather down to -15 below with the stove on the low heat setting.

It is a cold night tonight, already -20 at 8pm, headed for a low close to -30.
Click to expand...
Holy crap, Batman!!! It was 63 today in Georgia but snow and a high of 35 tomorrow with a low of 20. No wonder we get sick. Short sleeves today and long johns tomorrow! I'm not used to this anymore. Lived in Pa and Chicago so I know what cold is but THIS IS GEORGIA, for Pete's sake!
 
My wife and daughter are in florida, kissimmee, 82 there tomorrow, 52 on wednesday. We had a high temp here today of -10, tomorrow about the same. I like winter, but not this frigged crap. 20 to 25 degrees would be a perfect winter temp, the snow doesn't melt, and you can play or work outside, lol.
 
B-Mod said:
DMKNLD, how many heat exchanger tubes does your stove have? Mine is a 2001 stove and only has 8, most others here have 10.
Click to expand...
My Quad has the 8 heat exchanger tubes also. I have to run my Castile on medium in our drafty NE farmhouse with no insulation in the walls - about 1400 sq ft.in the main part of the house, with a wood stove heating the other couple hundred sq ft in the far end of the house. It's tough to get space heater heat to move around evenly in a spread out floor plan house like ours is. Floor fans blowing the cold air from the back bedroom towards the pellet stove room helps some.

Do you have a link to your convection fan mod ? I have somewhere between zero and the null set for electrical wiring prowess, so anything you have on the 'idiots guide' level would be most appreciated.

Dennis
 
DMKNLD said:
My Quad has the 8 heat exchanger tubes also. I have to run my Castile on medium in our drafty NE farmhouse with no insulation in the walls - about 1400 sq ft.in the main part of the house, with a wood stove heating the other couple hundred sq ft in the far end of the house. It's tough to get space heater heat to move around evenly in a spread out floor plan house like ours is. Floor fans blowing the cold air from the back bedroom towards the pellet stove room helps some.

Do you have a link to your convection fan mod ? I have somewhere between zero and the null set for electrical wiring prowess, so anything you have on the 'idiots guide' level would be most appreciated.

Dennis
Click to expand...

How many tubes did you put the springs in? I will look for the link where tjnamtiw made a diagram of the mod, it is really simple to do.
 
B-Mod said:
How many tubes did you put the springs in? I will look for the link where tjnamtiw made a diagram of the mod, it is really simple to do.
Click to expand...
I left the 2 outside exchanger tubes 'unsprung', as they seem to have reduced air flow through them even without the springs, though I don't have any definitive air flow meter readings to confirm that. Thanks for the convection fan mod links. A picture says a thousand words for those of us less 'electrically inclined'.

WI sounds like it has had some brutal cold this winter, like most of the East has. After spending my college days up on Lake Superior in Ashland, WI, I remember even 'normal' winters were harsh, much less a slammin winter like this has been. Good testing grounds, however, for alternative heat technologies and pellet stove efficiency.

Regards,

Dennis
 
You did the springs correct, I think leaving the two outer tubes empty, help get the flow going better in those tubes. It has been cold. I just looked at our electric bill. Last year for January, the average temp was 16, this year it was 8. This year is 25% colder than last year, and last year was a cold winter also. Schools have closed 4 days now just due to the cold. I think they use windchills worse than -45 or -50 to decide on if school will be cancelled.
 
Here is one to think about (at least I am). From reading the forum it appears that other pellets stoves have hopper lid seals.
I wonder if anybody owning a Castile freestanding has ever tried some sort of seal to block air that must come in under the cover and down the pellet shute?
I have noticed on more than one occasion that when my hopper is getting low, and I fill the hopper up the flame in the burn pot seems to get stronger.
 
Just took another look. Sealing the hopper lid would not be enough, as the entire top is unsealed.
 
smalltown said:
Here is one to think about (at least I am). From reading the forum it appears that other pellets stoves have hopper lid seals.
I wonder if anybody owning a Castile freestanding has ever tried some sort of seal to block air that must come in under the cover and down the pellet shute?
I have noticed on more than one occasion that when my hopper is getting low, and I fill the hopper up the flame in the burn pot seems to get stronger.
Click to expand...

I've noticed that as well. I'm guessing the stronger vacuum created when the pellets completely cover the gate feed at the bottom of the auger causes more negative pressure in the drop chute?
 
DMKNLD said:
I've noticed that as well. I'm guessing the stronger vacuum created when the pellets completely cover the gate feed at the bottom of the auger causes more negative pressure in the drop chute?
Click to expand...

Correct. I don't notice a difference until I can just see part of the auger.
 
DMKNLD said:
I've noticed that as well. I'm guessing the stronger vacuum created when the pellets completely cover the gate feed at the bottom of the auger causes more negative pressure in the drop chute?
Click to expand...

Probably a good feature to reduce the risk of feed chute, and hopper fires.
 
B-Mod said:
Probably a good feature to reduce the risk of feed chute, and hopper fires.
Click to expand...
Probably not because I know for a fact that on top loading coal stoves, you dump coal into the hopper and the heavy lid seals oxygen from getting into the hopper. Only the coal that runs out the bottom onto the coal bed burns. Sealing the hopper on our stoves would prevent any chance of a hopper fire by eliminating oxygen.
 
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