Yes, an orphanage will go up in flames instantly(boxwood stove thread)

Pipe damper worked good on ours years ago. Don't recall burn times, but it definitely slowed things down a bit.
That said, it was one dangerous stove, it finally got moved out of the shed when visible flames were coming out of the seams. (maybe from pipe damper being closed...?)
Keep good ember protection all around it.

i think 6-7 hrs burn time is pretty good on that. Maybe getting a bit greedy to want more out of such a cheap unit.

Not so sure about raising the fire with a grate, think that can lead to problems. Have you tried larger splits or more tightly packed wood? Larger chucks will burn slower and at lower temp typically.

BrotherBart said:

If I had a box stove and was getting six to seven hours of heat out of a load I would be ecstatic.

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That was exactly what I was thinking. It goes back to the whole "You get what you pay for" adage

bcrewcaptain said:

With my research, the adding of a second damper in the flue MAY increase the burn time slightly, but would also increase the mess to go along with it.

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Yeah, at some point the only way to get longer burns in a stove that lacks secondary combustion technology is by turning it into a creosote factory. (That is the point where long burn = long smolder.) Sounds like you are doing a pretty good job of squeezing heat out of that stove without burning too cool or too slow.

bcrewcaptain said:

Thankfully I have access to several hundred acres of woods, the fuel is not the issue.

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Is there any demand for firewood in your area? Maybe you could split a few cords more and sell them to put the proceeds towards a better stove. With an EPA-stove you will use less wood so overall you may actually save cutting and splitting time. Getting the money for an Englander should not require many cords. The 30NC was (maybe still is) on sale for $650. Probably will be again in the spring.

I have the same unit and am making the best of it.

Enduring a layoff and this one has to work. Been reading carefully everything you
guys have typed. I'll be here to babysit the thing and we won't be doing large
burns in it either.

Now that it's too late we're just using this stove to set up the next one. Money should be fine
soon enough and I'm buying an EPA unit. Did some grinding and dremeling of some casting
flash so the cooking burners and top piece between fit tight together. The other parts all passed
the flashlight test. Gonna seal it up even more with some refractory lining, and straight chimney
for thorough cleaning.

CheapSurvivorMark

Hopefully we can both survive "the stove of death".

To be sure we're switching out in the off season.
Like you said: Perfect, no. Good enough, yes (my own wording)

Burn it if ya got it,
Cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeap

Brew, and other boxstove operators)

Did you use firebrick lining the interior? With the huge firebox and this thin-walled casting
I'm planning on it tomorrow. Base and walls are done, stack going up next day or so.
Lowest pipe is single wall then insulated up to the cap. (or will be).

Today I have the thing standing on end lining every seam with refractory. I too after reading this
am sealing the burner plates this evening. The exterior brazes look very good actually.

Got those two huge fins in the interior of the outlet halfway milled out before being called in
for some suppers. Slicing those out will allow the factory damper to close much more but will
still have it's "constant flow" 4 holes in the center of the butterfly. Maybe I should go with an
in-line flue/ shutoff. I have about a day to make up my mind on that one. Most air leak intake points
are sealed off, and yes for sure blocking that lower front cleanout trap drawer.

I haven't done anything with the door yet but will at signs of leaks or misalignment.

One leg still moves a little even after cleaning off some casting boogers. Gotta hit that again
before getting the whole unit bolted and riveted up.

At 27" deep and bricks being 9 inches at least the math is easy. I'm thinking about going 4 high
on each side and to the top of the box in back. None in front.

That's all changeable. I'm not mortaring anything into permanent place until after doing some
more research.

Up to 3 cords done up now. 2/3 oak and ash splits, one cord of random species rounds.
Mostly dead and scavenged stuff so far. Got some great standing deads in the forest we
live in also for a dry wood start. I'll start cutting and seasoning the green soon enough as
we have 42 trees and I like three of them. lol

More to follow,
CheapMark

Begreen,

Your words have not been lost on me. This stove won't be in the house next fall.
Lesson learned, but still good to keep as a backup and/ or stick it in my garage/shop.

She and I both like glass fronts too. At 50 years old we're just going to spend the cash
on an efficient and reputable model and be done with it other than maintaining and repairs
over time.

Ran the pig near full bore.
Did three mini burns curing the interior cement. Each roughly
a half hour of kindling. (In my previous career the pourers dried the ladles after
mudding with a torch at the foundry for 1-2 hours so I followed the same ritual
I've watched from '96 to '13. Luckily I had 1/8" in two layers making it 1/4" thick.
I'm using the same stuff.
The overkill on seam sealing and cementing down the cook-plates paid off well.
It didn't smoke. The bottom trap is sealed off completely. Fire goes out with the
vent screwed shut. I may have even made a near EPA unit finishing where the
factory left off. This is where a small dash of fear in the recipe can save a life or six.
Being out in the stix I ran a Y at the washing machine water supply thru the crawlspace.
The trapdoor to the crawl happens to be a few feet from burn-central. The remaining hose is
coiled up with trigger sprayer on the end. With firefighting equipment in place very close it was time.

Crammed the box N/S, short splits E/W, coupla 3-4" rounds on the third layer. The kindling coals
needed help from the torch and life turned yellow a bit after that. Closed it up with the vent open,
and damper at 3/4 open. Strangely the house began warming. turned on the box fan and killed
the wall thermostat. The sand under brick bottom didn't warm for hours. The sides warmed
nicely and the top showed 520 on the IR gun. Side temps were all over the place as the unit hadn't
been fully heated yet, brick halfway up the sides, then the whole flippin' shanty filled with smoke.
(1/2 hour temperature spike) Stunk horribly just like every year when I repaint my motorcycle exhaust
with grill paint. The stove and chimney cured off and seasoned the factory paint. Outgassed the house,
closed the windows, and we're now "stovers!"

Wall therm showed 72 and I was doing dishes in boxers n' slippers when the family got home.
The three dogs all found a new place to sleep. Set the furnace to 64 and it kicked on as I was
getting up. Took 1/2 day to come back down from last afternoon. Very satisfying for a potbelly/ box
from the info I soaked up last month or so. I'm leery of filling it before bed so we won't. Two cycles
per day and going to bed with coals seems like a good pattern to follow with a dragon stove.

Slightly more wood in this morning but nowhere near the top of the unit.
Lil' paint smell but minimal this morning.

CheapAndGrinnin'

The last thing to do is put a baffle in it with secondary tubes. That will allow you to slow down the burn and burn the smoke. I have a boxwood stove and was thinking of brazing/sealing the seams but many on here cautioned against it because it would break from thermal expansion. I will be sealing it up and installing secondaries now.