This is the 4th year I have used my Harman Oakwood stove. At the beginning of this burning season I replaced the grate; over the past three years the original had gradually warped so badly that it bowed up almost 1 1/2 inches in the middle, making it difficult to thoroughly rake the ashes and judge the depth of the coal bed. I thought maybe I had inadvertently over-fired the stove in previous years, but this year I have been extra careful with the new grate, plus this winter has been so mild that I haven't run it all that hot. I just checked when I swept out the fire box this morning, and the new grate is developing a warp, although so far only about 3/16 of an inch.
In both cases, it arched upwards at the middle, so I suspect the top side of the grate in contact with the hot coals gets slightly hotter than the bottom side facing away from the fire, and the long-term difference in expansion eventually causes permanent warpage. I'm going to try reversing the the grate each time I let the fire go out , and see if alternately exposing each side to the fire might keep the warp balanced out even over time.
I'd like to hear from anyone else's experience with this problem with whatever stove you might be using. Does anyone know what material these grates are made from? My new one appears cut from a sheet, not cast. Certainly the manufacturer could have figured out by now what material to use that would be less prone to warpage.
I also wonder if the badly warped grate could be heated to high enough temperature that it could be forced back in shape; I'm thinking of a friend's forced-air blacksmith forge that he fires up every summer to demonstrate horseshoe making.
The guy at the store that sold me the new grate asked me if I ever burnt hedge, warning me that it would over-heat the stove. I had used a lot of hedge that first year, but didn't notice the warp until the middle of the second season. I still occasionally burn maybe one stick of hedge mixed in with other wood, and don't run the fire all that hot, so I can't see how that would be a problem. This year I have been burning mainly red oak along with a little sassafras.
Don
In both cases, it arched upwards at the middle, so I suspect the top side of the grate in contact with the hot coals gets slightly hotter than the bottom side facing away from the fire, and the long-term difference in expansion eventually causes permanent warpage. I'm going to try reversing the the grate each time I let the fire go out , and see if alternately exposing each side to the fire might keep the warp balanced out even over time.
I'd like to hear from anyone else's experience with this problem with whatever stove you might be using. Does anyone know what material these grates are made from? My new one appears cut from a sheet, not cast. Certainly the manufacturer could have figured out by now what material to use that would be less prone to warpage.
I also wonder if the badly warped grate could be heated to high enough temperature that it could be forced back in shape; I'm thinking of a friend's forced-air blacksmith forge that he fires up every summer to demonstrate horseshoe making.
The guy at the store that sold me the new grate asked me if I ever burnt hedge, warning me that it would over-heat the stove. I had used a lot of hedge that first year, but didn't notice the warp until the middle of the second season. I still occasionally burn maybe one stick of hedge mixed in with other wood, and don't run the fire all that hot, so I can't see how that would be a problem. This year I have been burning mainly red oak along with a little sassafras.
Don
