Some Ashford 30 Questions ...

begreen said:

BK appears to have done a good job at keeping ash and flame away from the cat. This appears to help longevity. Some other designs have not been so successful. They complicate the story of whether owning a cat stove is more maintenance, more expensive, etc.. Some new designs are not the best, so it is good to watch the stove's history over time. That's one reason I am reluctant to recommend a stove that has only been on the market for a year or two.

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This is absolutely true! They have put lots of R&D into protecting that cat. They have a great flame shield on the front that's easily removable, unlike others that are bolted in place. Their cats are also protected from behind by the way the bypass opens toward the front, shielding the back side which is equally important.

Vigil Igne said:

Jeff_t: Thanks for that info. I was thinking it had to be pulled out to clean - apparently not!

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I don't know about the Ashford but on my King after I clean my flue I either have to pull the pipe or the cat to clean behind it. Even with the by pass open crap can get behind my cat from cleaning the flue. Cheaper to pull the pipe but it can be messy also.

HotCoals said:

I don't know about the Ashford but on my King after I clean my flue I either have to pull the pipe or the cat to clean behind it. Even with the by pass open crap can get behind my cat from cleaning the flue. Cheaper to pull the pipe but it can be messy also.

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One or the other has to happen otherwise all that junk ends up laying right behind the cat. I've seen a few BK's where the sweep is too lazy to pull the pipe. They end up with about an inch of hard ash packed right behind the cat.
It should be way easier to just lift the pipe, if it's installed properly, with a slip.

webby3650 said:

One or the other has to happen otherwise all that junk ends up laying right behind the cat. I've seen a few BK's where the sweep is too lazy to pull the pipe. They end up with about an inch of hard ash packed right behind the cat.
It should be way easier to just lift the pipe, if it's installed properly, with a slip.

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I have not, in two sweepings, ever tried to clean any accumulation from behind the cat. I do of course clean out all accessible parts of the cat chamber after sweeping and also during the season if I detect an accumulation up there that may fall onto the bypass gasket seal. On the princess, the bypass flap opens up so far that almost (like 95%) the entire flue opening is on the firebox side of the bypass, meaning all the junk being swept down will run towards the firebox and not behind the cat. Is this a design improvement on the newer princess? I reach my hand in and can easily feel around the entire flue snout and can't see how much if any junk would land behind the cat. If the bypass flap was not designed to be long enough to channel all debris toward the rear then it really should be. Attention BK!

My whole cat glows evenly. Since I was worried about this I sucked on the face of the cat near the bottom with a shop vac hose and no junk was being pulled through.

The directions certainly don't say that you need to remove the pipe and clean out debris from behind the cat after every sweep. It is a PITA to remove the pipe, you scratch the slip joint, you need to find the screw holes, you need to clean the junk off the top of the stove, etc.

Someday I'll check to be sure. This year, when somebody sweeps a newer princess properly with the bypass open, please take a picture of this accumulation.

Highbeam said:

The directions certainly don't say that you need to remove the pipe and clean out debris from behind the cat after every sweep. It is a PITA to remove the pipe, you scratch the slip joint, you need to find the screw holes, you need to clean the junk off the top of the stove, etc.

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Not too many stoves come with specific instructions for the sweep. I think it falls under common sense to clean all around the flue collar and catalyst.

I don't think this debris is necessarily from the act of sweeping it so much, rather it's a gradual build-up of flyash and creosote the falls from the flue. It lands on the by-pass door, door is opened and this debris falls forward toward the cat. Over time a build-up occurs there and should removed.
Besides, it should not be a big deal to remove the pipe. My stove pipes come off in seconds, if I get a scratch I just hit it with a little touch up paint. If mine didn't come apart easily, I would be looking for a higher quality pipe.

Crap will fall behind the cat on the King when sweeping. Trust me on that.

My guess on this, as far as King vs Princess, is that the bypass door and the frame around it are the same for both models. The bigger flue opening of the King allows more to fall behind the bypass door when sweeping.

I'm in the same boat as you, Vigil. Decided to go with the Ashford. My home is larger (2650 square feet) but the climate is moderate (Bellingham, Washington). Just finished building and staining a large woodshed which should, according to my calculations, hold just over ten cords (with some room for another couple of cords under the eaves behind the shed). I've purchased around 12 or 14 cords of Douglas fir logs. I've probably got about 10 cords cut and so far about 2.5 split and stacked. A lot of work but fun and enough wood to last a long time (I hope).

We waited until now to purchase and get the stove installed. This way the work can be done when the roof isn't icy and the days are long. I've learned a lot from Webby and others. Of course a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. You and I will be learning this winter.

begreen said:

webby have you cleaned the Ashford yet? I'm wondering how it is for crud behind the cat.

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No, not yet. But every time I clean a BK, I sweep out the entire area below the flue collar and behind the cat. There's always junk back there, its a necessity.

webby3650 said:

No, not yet. But every time I clean a BK, I sweep out the entire area below the flue collar and behind the cat. There's always junk back there, its a necessity.

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I have no doubts that, due to your experience, this is a correct statement. This year I will remover the pipe and have a look.

I propose that a portion or maybe even a majority of this junk behind the cat gets there by being deposited one splash at a time each time the bypass is opened. Seems lots of junk falls back into the stove from the flue and lands on top of the closed bypass.

I see no side effects after two years and 8 or 9 cords but I want this thing to be performing at its best.

Highbeam said:

I have no doubts that, due to your experience, this is a correct statement. This year I will remover the pipe and have a look.

I propose that a portion or maybe even a majority of this junk behind the cat gets there by being deposited one splash at a time each time the bypass is opened. Seems lots of junk falls back into the stove from the flue and lands on top of the closed bypass.

I see no side effects after two years and 8 or 9 cords but I want this thing to be performing at its best.

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I agree that most of this junk fell on the bypass and was then flipped back once it is opened. After 2 years I'd check it though.

Parallax said:

I'm in the same boat as you, Vigil. Decided to go with the Ashford. My home is larger (2650 square feet) but the climate is moderate (Bellingham, Washington). Just finished building and staining a large woodshed which should, according to my calculations, hold just over ten cords (with some room for another couple of cords under the eaves behind the shed). I've purchased around 12 or 14 cords of Douglas fir logs. I've probably got about 10 cords cut and so far about 2.5 split and stacked. A lot of work but fun and enough wood to last a long time (I hope).

We waited until now to purchase and get the stove installed. This way the work can be done when the roof isn't icy and the days are long. I've learned a lot from Webby and others. Of course a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. You and I will be learning this winter.

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Finally ...Did you get the brown enamel color ?

alforit said:

Finally ...Did you get the brown enamel color ?

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That's the one I'm ordering. When it comes in, they'll let me decide if I want it.

Parallax said:

That's the one I'm ordering. When it comes in, they'll let me decide if I want it.

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Nice.....That's good they are letting you view it first.

Of the four dealers in my area, they were the easiest to work with and they provided the best price. Total package, including the enamel finish and fan kit, installed (with a two story chimney, all new) came to $5,375. Actually, that doesn't include the hearth pad. So around $6k total.