BK Ashford Smoke Smell Follow Up

begreen said:

I recall the thread. Here it is:
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/bk-ashford-smoke-smell-discovery.143603/
The change is not trivial. Maybe there needs to be a 30.2 or better gasket sealing technique?

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Is this a confirmed fix? What does Bkvp have to say about these issues? Too many of us are smelling smoke around the hinge whether you can smell it in the house or not doesn't make it right. Love the stove, but not the slight smell of smoke.

I did some postings awhile back about the smoke smell on my princess,here is the problem and how I fixed it 100%. The way the door is designed is the problem. Cat stoves are designed to be air tight this one isn't. I believe the Ashfords have the same design also. The glass bracket is held in place by studs and nuts which are directly under the door gasket.They stick up about 3/8" above the glass bracket. When the door gasket is put in place it sits on top of the studs and nuts and creates a void under the gasket.The gasket is a medium density gasket and will not compress around the studs and nuts. To make matters worse the 1/16" thick sealing flange on the stove hits directly on top of the studs and nuts when the door is closed.The gasket can only compress so far before the flange is pushing on the studs and nuts. The pressure on the studs and nuts pushes against the glass bracket and the door loosening the glass.The door frame is 1/16" thick and flexes to much with use.Some people think by adjusting the door tighter they will get rid of their smokey smell, but in reality it makes the problem worse. I've had 3 new doors from Blaze King and none fixed the problem.The last time I called they said I don't know what you want us to do. So I took matters into my own hands and built a new door from 1/4'' thick steel,I removed the studs and nuts from under the door gasket and had to use a door gasket a size larger because of the extra room created from removing them.I then eliminated the 1/16" sealing flange on the stove for one that covers the whole gasket when the door is closed instead of a thin edge cutting into the gasket. Don't believe that adding more chimney will fix the problem, there should be no smell from a air tight stove, period! My stove burns completely different now that it's air tight. I have 33' of triple wall pipe with a strong draft, and with the leaky door burnt out 3 cats in 3 seasons. My stove is much easier to control and I have zero smoky smell. Blaze King should listen to their customers and never stop improving and learn how to take criticism and turn it into a positive for their product.

jeffsk7 said:

Is this a confirmed fix? What does Bkvp have to say about these issues? Too many of us are smelling smoke around the hinge whether you can smell it in the house or not doesn't make it right. Love the stove, but to the slight smell of smoke.

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I sent him a personal message on here so he is aware of my issue.

I did some postings awhile back about the smoke smell on my princess,here is the problem and how I fixed it 100%. The way the door is designed is the problem. Cat stoves are designed to be air tight this one isn't. I believe the Ashfords have the same design also. The glass bracket is held in place by studs and nuts which are directly under the door gasket.They stick up about 3/8" above the glass bracket. When the door gasket is put in place it sits on top of the studs and nuts and creates a void under the gasket.The gasket is a medium density gasket and will not compress around the studs and nuts. To make matters worse the 1/16" thick sealing flange on the stove hits directly on top of the studs and nuts when the door is closed.The gasket can only compress so far before the flange is pushing on the studs and nuts. The pressure on the studs and nuts pushes against the glass bracket and the door loosening the glass.The door frame is 1/16" thick and flexes to much with use.Some people think by adjusting the door tighter they will get rid of their smokey smell, but in reality it makes the problem worse. I've had 3 new doors from Blaze King and none fixed the problem.The last time I called they said I don't know what you want us to do. So I took matters into my own hands and built a new door from 1/4'' thick steel,I removed the studs and nuts from under the door gasket and had to use a door gasket a size larger because of the extra room created from removing them.I then eliminated the 1/16" sealing flange on the stove for one that covers the whole gasket when the door is closed instead of a thin edge cutting into the gasket. Don't believe that adding more chimney will fix the problem, there should be no smell from a air tight stove, period! My stove burns completely different now that it's air tight. I have 33' of triple wall pipe with a strong draft, and with the leaky door burnt out 3 cats in 3 seasons. My stove is much easier to control and I have zero smoky smell. Blaze King should listen to their customers and never stop improving and learn how to take criticism and turn it into a positive for their product.View attachment 170014

begreen said:

Thanks for the detailed posting cannon. What model do you have? I think the Ashford has a thicker door than 1/16" thick. It's cast.

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I have the princess,I remember awhile back someone posted pictures of the inside of the door of their stove that was having the smoky smell problem. Not sure if it was calentarse,but the stove had the same set up as the princess with the studs beneath the gasket holding the glass in place.

cannon said:

glass bracket is held in place by studs and nuts which are directly under the door gasket.They stick up about 3/8" above the glass bracket. When the door gasket is put in place it sits on top of the studs and nuts and creates a void under the gasket.The gasket is a medium density gasket and will not compress around the studs and nuts. To make matters worse the 1/16" thick sealing flange on the stove hits directly on top of the studs and nuts when the door is closed.The gasket can only compress so far before the flange is pushing on the studs and nuts. The pressure on the studs and nuts pushes against the glass bracket and the door loosening the glass.The door frame is 1/16" thick and flexes to much with use.Some people think by adjusting the door tighter they will get rid of their smokey smell, but in reality it makes the problem worse.

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I wonder if you could use those half-thickness nuts I've seen, grind down the studs a bit, thereby getting more effective gasket thickness in there. Then maybe slope up next to the nuts/studs with RTV...

One thing that I could not explain is why the smell was coming from the left (hinge) side only. The only difference between the left and the right side is the gasket split. The creosote buildups are nearly equal on both the right and left side. Working in the electrical trade I just happen to have some 3M fiberglass high temperature tape. I cut a 2" thin strip and laid in the knife edge impression. Then I overlaid the gasket with glass tape to completely cover it. Loaded the chamber 1/3 rd full and lit the load. We shall see. 11:30AM 12-23-1015

begreen said:

Maybe. Not Jotul or PE models that I know of.

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And not the Englander NC30.

kf6ha[ said:

difference between the left and the right side is the gasket split.

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Yeah, that seems to be a weak point in these gaskets; They tend to unravel where the ends meet. I had trouble with the Buck ash pan gasket leaking at the gap, accelerating the burn rate. I have started working a small amount of RTV into the ends to keep them from unraveling...trying not to use too much, where it would form a big lump.

Highbeam said:

Do any other stove brands have these retainer nuts under the gasket?

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I doubt it. I'm no stove engineer but even I can see that that would be asking for trouble. Only thing I can think of is that it's an attempt to get bigger door glass?

The application the glass tape did not help at all. I just turned down the stove from high fire to 3:00. Lots of "ghost" flames dancing about in the top half of the stove. This is when the smell is the strongest. Cannon just might be right on with the problem. It makes sense. The hinge side pushes the glass creating a gap causing the odor. Once the stove top cools, I will remove the top and, using a piece of 2'X3/4" pipe, search for the point of leakage with my nose.

kf6ha[ said:

The application the glass tape did not help at all. I just turned down the stove from high fire to 3:00. Lots of "ghost" flames dancing about in the top half of the stove. This is when the smell is the strongest. Cannon just might be right on with the problem. It makes sense. The hinge side pushes the glass creating a gap causing the odor. Once the stove top cools, I will remove the top and, using a piece of 2'X3/4" pipe, search for the point of leakage with my nose.

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Those ghost flames and the explosions you see are gases coming off the wood and igniting. I think they create lots of positive pressure inside the stove. I even had one make such a pop that it rattled the top of the stove. I think smoke gets pushed out of anywhere it can when this happens.

I have an ashford.

Right now, 5 hours into the burn, the smoke is fairly strong. Only coals are glowing. The stove is -.05". I have the kitchen exhaust fan on and the front door open. I removed the cast iron top and set it aside. Using a piece of pipe and my nose, I find the smoke is coming from the hinge area only. I called Dave at A-1 Stoves and related my finding and Cannon's posting. He will call Chris at BK and find a resolve.

kf6ha[ said:

Right now, 5 hours into the burn, the smoke is fairly strong. Only coals are glowing. The stove is -.05". I have the kitchen exhaust fan on and the front door open. I removed the cast iron top and set it aside. Using a piece of pipe and my nose, I find the smoke is coming from the hinge area only. I called Dave at A-1 Stoves and related my finding and Cannon's posting. He will call Chris at BK and find a resolve.

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I really hope they figure it out.

On the plus side, at least it sounds like you have some dealer support.

Tightening the door assembly made the smoke worse.

kf6ha[ said:

Right now, 5 hours into the burn, the smoke is fairly strong. Only coals are glowing. The stove is -.05". I have the kitchen exhaust fan on and the front door open. I removed the cast iron top and set it aside. Using a piece of pipe and my nose, I find the smoke is coming from the hinge area only. I called Dave at A-1 Stoves and related my finding and Cannon's posting. He will call Chris at BK and find a resolve.

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The kitchen exhaust fan will only exacerbate the issue if your house is tight.

I thought you said you could only smell it when you were right up next to it?

Has BKVP seen this thread? Went back four pages and didn't see anything from him on any of them.

First, we have sent button head bolts and new door gasket to anyone that responded to my invitation several months ago.

So here it is again. If your Ashford stove door has the studs with nut fastners, we will gladly replace them with the above fastners and gasket. We stopped using the studs/nuts many months ago. We do listen to our customers (that is why we revised the fastners). Fortunately, it did help in a few instances but there are a few where it has not. In those instances, we are working with the owners.

Merry Christmas to all.

Chris

BKVP said:

First, we have sent button head bolts and new door gasket to anyone that responded to my invitation several months ago.

So here it is again. If your Ashford stove door has the studs with nut fastners, we will gladly replace them with the above fastners and gasket. We stopped using the studs/nuts many months ago. We do listen to our customers (that is why we revised the fastners). Fortunately, it did help in a few instances but there are a few where it has not. In those instances, we are working with the owners.

Merry Christmas to all.

Chris

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Thank you

What do I need to do to get these replacement parts?

ohiojoe13 said:

Thank you

What do I need to do to get these replacement parts?

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Send me a pm with serial number, name and address. You can peel back the gasket slightly to see if your door had the studs or button head bolts. Thank you.

Pm sent, I also have the studs on mine.

drz1050 said:

Pm sent, I also have the studs on mine.

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Thank you. Please, anyone that responds with a pm, include if it is a 30 size or 20 size Ashford.

Thank you.

Please, anybody that installs this "upgrade" post pictures. I assume this issue and fix doesn't apply to the other bk stoves with nuts and studs?

BKVP My door has the button head bolts. The stove is an Ashford AF 30.1 Serial 2639. Anything else to look for/do to resolve this smoke from the hinge area problem? Purchased 12-23-2015.

BKVP said:

Send me a pm with serial number, name and address. You can peel back the gasket slightly to see if your door had the studs or button head bolts. Thank you.

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I also have the button head bolts. Sn-2390.