Help please, before i freeze to death

Might be that when you shut down air it closes completly, my stove has to be left about a 1/4" open other wise fire dies.

jeff_t said:

Might want to revisit that roof flashing installation, as well.

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I have bit my lip on that one. It was the first thing I noticed when I saw the picture. There is so much else done wrong, unsafe, I kind of figured a roof leak would be minor.

electrathon said:

I have bit my lip on that one. It was the first thing I noticed when I saw the picture. There is so much else done wrong, unsafe, I kind of figured a roof leak would be minor.

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I think the OP said the pic was taken mid-job so may look different now.

jatoxico said:

I think the OP said the pic was taken mid-job so may look different now.

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The flashing is nailed down on top of the shingles instead of being slipped under. The flashing should only on top of the bottom row. If is easier and faster to do it the way it is, but is prone to leaking. To correct it he will likely need to pull shingles and re-roof the section around the flashing.

Funny, the add for excel chimney (this site seems to love adds) is directly above what I am typing, it shows the flashing properly.

xesvuli420 said:

Yea people can't seem to read... they can comment, but can't read.


I did exactly what the instructions said, whine to them.

you know I'm starting to doubt joining this forum was the right thing to do...

*edit- never mind, not gonna let some idiots ruin it for me. thanks for your help people who are actually trying to help

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If you dive in head first you need to learn how to swim really quickly. If you dip your toes and wade in slowly you can learn at your own pace--confusedshush.

Everyone is trying to help you keep your head above water. You have a multitude of issues going on and nobody here wants you to learn the hard way.

This forum is the best resource I have found for woodburning. Do I agree with everyone on here all of the time ? HELL NO Does everyone agree with me all of the time? HELL NO

The advice is sound and it is also opinionated, I would respect it less if it wasn't opinionated because that shows our passion for this way of life.

Unless the perceived code violations of the install are directly related to the stove performance, then I see no need to continue harping on about it, after a couple mentions it needs no further emphasis. Clearly it is a new install, and there are likely multiple measures that could be taken to bring it into code without substantial change to the setup. While it may be outside of code it has been well assembled with good materials, and the real-world safety risk under careful operation is extremely low. The OP has come with some legitimate concerns about the way the stove is operating and is looking for insight into what may be happening and how it might be solved. I think it best serves the interests of the forum to stay on this topic instead of repeatedly diverting to what is essentially a conversation-ending conclusion.

I really don't see anyone harping on you. They are stating fact. You have a serious fire hazard issue the way the stove is shown in the picture. Clearance is way too close, and floor protection is inadequate.. Even with the proper clearances, you would be amazed how hot walls will get. To the point where you can't even hold your hand on it sometimes. And that's with proper clearances. I think the reason some people are riding you is because it appears, (may not be the case), that you have no intention of fixing the serious fire hazard you have, and they are concerned.

Well, with that, you confirmed my suspicions. You don't have any intent of correcting anything. And you may not acknowledge us here, but you can acknowledge the fire company, the insurance company, and the police, when your house burns down.

You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink.

I think everyone has missed one of the elephants in the room-

The flue pipe damper. I see this install has a key damper in the stovepipe. These have no purpose in an EPA certified stove install except as a potential tool for limiting a chimney fire or runaway fire (both might be controlled by covering the Outdoor Air Kit inlet though).

Keep that pipe damper in the FULLY OPEN position at all times, or consider removing it. Just the tiny bit of turbulence it adds to an otherwise "straight run" might reduce your effective chimney draft.

As for the video, anyone experienced can say that wood simply doesn't change its burn state all that fast. You're going back and forth with that damper as if it should make a difference... It won't. Make a change to the stove's primary air damper (that's most likely what that is btw and it's the only "damper" control you should have) and wait 5-10 minutes before making judgment about what changes have occurred with the fire.

Lastly, EPA certified non-catalytic stoves work in part by having an insulated baffle up above the burn tubes that partly involve themselves in the fire- not chemically, but thermally. When that baffle, and the stainless burn tubes get super hot, they radiate intense heat downwards back onto the burning wood to help it sustain a clean burn and prevent it from smoldering. Double-check the baffle install and make sure the insulation blanket looks OK. To work in concert with this design, "the best defense is a good offense" comes to mind- when starting your fire be sure to burn something on top of the wood load that will burn fast & hot to get the baffle superheated as quickly as possible.

The common way to do this is called a "top-down" fire, and as a new owner of an EPA certified non-catalytic stove myself, I can vouch for its effectiveness.

jatoxico said:

BTW If you highlight the text you want to quote, a reply button will appear and you'll save some time

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Cool

Another "strategy" for preheating the baffle early on is to prefer making your kindling pile "high" rather than "wide" - while you don't want it TOUCHING the baffle (they're sometimes quite fragile) it is true that having burning wood in very close proximity to the baffle heats it up hotter than any flame could.

Michael6268 said:

Well, with that, you confirmed my suspicions. You don't have any intent of correcting anything. And you may not acknowledge us here, but you can acknowledge the fire company, the insurance company, and the police, when your house burns down.

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That is ridiculous. Where did he say he doesn't intend to correct those issues?

The way many of you are speaking towards him is extremely condescending and immature. If I were a new poster I'd probably not be coming back. I'd suggest speaking to people on the forum as you would in person- that means to make points and move on with the conversation, not continually harrass over something that has already been acknowledged.

Nick Mystic said:

I can't offer any further advice on helping your stove burn better, but I did want to bring to your attention that you need to get some hearth protection for the front of your stove. If you check your manual I suspect you'll find a section on clearance requirements. Most stoves require a minimum of 16" - 18" depending on where you live. It won't be long before you have a hot coal flop out while you are reloading and then your laminate or wood floor is going to be damaged. Or, worse yet, if the hot ember escapes your attention you might have a house fire. Good luck on getting the stove burning better.

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As I'm not experienced enough for the woodstove problem, my .02 cents is to suggest putting a dab of roof caulking on each nail head so snow/water will not rust out nail and penetrate roof causing a leak.

Oh and another tip- Every time you open the door, you're cooling down at least part of the firebox. When I light a fire I get the splits, kindling and tinder (newspaper + a quarter "supercedar" firestarter) ready, squirt some firestarter gel on the tinder, light it off and close the door right away. Primary air damper open fully. Don't touch the door handle. Let it burn and see how it goes. You're trying to charge up a thermal battery here (baffle + firebricks) to make it to the "promised land" of fancy pretty non-catalytic clean burning and don't want to sabotage yourself by introducing a rush of comparatively cold air by opening the door.

Maybe it's just me but it seemed like his air control moved very easy and was very quiet. most of the time moving an air control sounds like a brick on a cheese grater. Could it be that his air control rod came lose from the metal plate that chokes off the air supply and it is now stuck in the closed position?

xesvuli420 said:

I tested some wood. Some 12%, some 18%, some 25%, some more, some less... All from the same batch! Some of the oldest, blackest, crackediest pieces once split will say 30%, while some fresher looking pieces say 11%. If these readings are accurate there is NO WAY anyone can pick out wood by eye!

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That's why we usually recommend to new members to dry their own wood. When it has been sitting for 2 to 3 years split and stacked in a sunny and windy spot, raised from the ground and top-covered it is almost surely below 20%. Testing a few pieces is then often enough to tell how dry the rest is.

The wood you got may have been sitting in a big heap somewhere with the outer pieces now being dry while anything inside still wet. Maybe get a helper and start splitting everything again. Have him/her measure the moisture content and throw the wood in piles of below and above 20% moisture. Then re-stack for the next winter what needs to dry further. Supplement the dry wood with compressed wood logs like Envi-blocks or Bio Bricks. Pallets are also an option: Often free and dry but a PITA to cut up and avoid painted to chemically treated ones.