Rebuilt the f602n

A few comments:

begreen said:

No one has done this before that I can remember. Details help if someone else wants to try it.

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BG, methinks there's a memory lapse here, look at the thread Mike referenced and you'll see you participated in it frequently.

Mike, the F602N side panels normally slide in and out, it's a snug fit. These were warped, that's why the stove had to be partially disassembled to remove them. The Zircar has much better dimensional stability, it will not warp like that.

A LOT of secondary air was being lost right up the chimney via the leaks around the edges. I'd clean and seal the baffle with stove cement before reinstalling.

This stove has to have been burned REALLY hard repeatedly to warp those side panels (which are pretty massive) and the secondary baffle like that. I always burned my 602's (both flavors) very hot and never had a warpage problem. Unless you have very poor draft, the so-called primary air control should not be open very much during normal operation. View it as "start-up air" and as a supplement to the constant stream of air being drawn in through the gap above the window and down over it. In high-draft conditions the primary control can even be shut, drawing plenty of air through the airwash "system". Check your window gasket to see that it seats the window properly to allow that air to flow. I believe they just doubled up the gasket up there to accomplish that. It's a cheesy system, it works until the gasket compresses, and then... not. Consider checking that that a part of your annual maintenance.

nola mike said:

Best I can tell, the glass is gasketed on 3 sides. The primary air comes in through the top. I put some gasket on the top edge as well, cutting the air flow about in half. Still haven't had a chance to fire it up...

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Yes, gasketed except at the top, where the air flows in. I don't think you want any gasket there, you want that airwash airflow unimpeded!

Wow, you must have a great chimney!

Mike, my Nestor Martin (pic in my avatar) has had a Zircar backplate for years now and there is no cracking. It runs hotter in the firebox than the F602 does. And I didn't see any cracking when I originally did my F602. In a woodstove firebox, you'll not come anywhere near the operating temperature rating of the Zircar material.

I suspect that the side panel isn't seating properly along the bottom; you can see in the pic, the cracked piece has settled down lower than the rest. i.e. the Zircar may be a bit thicker than the slot in places, or along the whole length, and is unsupported. If it is unseated along the bottom, then it isn't laying properly against the side either. I would suggest taking that panel out, chamfering the bottom edge (with a flat file) so that it seats fully into the slot, furnace cementing the two pieces together (held togeter with a wood clamp until it cures), and reinstall. Check the other panel while you're at it.

I may still have one of those side plates left from my project, I'll look for it over the weekend and see if I had to do something similar to it.

OK, well I can only attempt to diagnose from the armchair here, so go with your own analysis.

I cut the sidepanels for my F602 so they could easily be removed for maintenance. There was no pressure on them. You definitely want to size them allowing for the steel's expansion/contraction

The backplate of my X33 may have hairline surface cracks; I haven't looked, and frankly they don't bother me.

You've certainly put a lot of work into this. I hope you get the warmth reward soon.

EDIT: I should also mention, I NEVER stuff any stove so that wood wedges in under pressure against any surface. In response to heat, wood initially expands before it shrinks as moisture is driven out.