Opel III Door-Seal Problem Overcome

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Status
Not open for further replies.

Firbirlar

New Member
Nov 25, 2010
7
B.C.
I thought I would share my experiences with my new Opel III stove which I just began using in our newly-built house for the first winter. This stove has always heated very well, but I was never really satisfied as my burn times were unreasonably short. I finally determined that this was caused by a leaky seal caused by a very poorly-designed single door - the hinge is non-adjustable. This is a major oversight from a manufacturer who should really know better. I contacted RSF about this, they informed me that they have upgraded the rope seal from its original 5/8" size to 3/4" and that this effectively solves the problem. I was sent a new 3/4" seal free of charge, but after installation the door still had two spots near the hinge side that would not pass the paper test. I then purchased another length of 3/4" rope seal and glued it to the door, this time scrunching the seal up in the problem areas. The door now seals perfectly and I am now amazed at how well this stove performs. I have full control of the fire and can easily achieve an overnight burn. I know that this is not likely a long-term durable solution to the door-seal problem, so I am thinking of making up a bump bezel that I can screw onto the face of the stove that will press into the rope seal when the door is closed - many stove manufacturers have such a bump designed into their stoves to create a more effective seal. I am now extremely happy with this stove and can see that they have really designed it to burn well, they just dropped the ball when they stuck on the single door. (Opel II's had double doors with adjustable hinges) I know the bi-metal air-control unit is unpopular with some, but I personally believe it is a beautiful thing as it really does help to produce a more consistent burn and makes it impossible to over-fire the stove. I can load this stove right up and run it wide open, the flue temperature will top out at around 600-650F. (measured with a probe in flue) Bottom line - the Opel III is a great stove but only for those who can tinker!
 
Yes, one needs to be careful not to stretch the rope when installing as it makes it thinner. Of course one could deliberately buy larger diameter rope and stretch it to reduce its diameter making it denser so it lasts longer. OWBs often use larger diameter rope.
 
The manual for my Opel III has instructions for adjusting the door hinge in order to get a proper seal.

Hmmm...

I used to think that it was not possible to overfire my Opel III for the same reasons you mentioned.
I was wrong.
 
You are right........checked the manual, it does talk about adjusting the door. If you look at the hinge, you will see that it cannot adjust to make the seal tighter on the left side, it is a piano hinge which folds onto itself when the door is closed - anything you do with the adjustment (moving the door in the screw slots) does not shift the door closer to the face of the fireplace when closed, both RSF and their distributor in B.C. have admitted that this is not an ideal setup. Like I said in original post, I am extremely happy with stove performance now that this has been corrected, I never would have imagined it could make such a large difference! How does your Opel III door make out with the paper test?

Please elaborate on your comment about over-firing, did you have an incident or are you referring to possible over-firing with a leaky door?

Thanks.
 
I have been thinking about this topic actually. Looking at the door / hinge setup it does apear that if there is any adjustment, it would be negligible. I have not tried it though. This is my 3rd season with the Opel. The first two years I scrounged for burnable dead wood. Since most of that wasn't dry enough, to much air was never a problem. I had to burn in the full open position for 30-40 minutes or more before trying to reduce the air. Usually I could not get past about the 1/2 closed position. Then fate brought me and several dead bone dry white oaks together. One morning I filled the firebox with this new treasure of mine, on top of a hotter than normal bed of coals, and took a shower. Yeah, I know dumb. The flue collar was cherry red. Lesson learned, and thankfully no harm done. Could this have been at least partially due to a leaky door seal? Absolutely.

This year I have plenty of well seasoned wood. After I get up to temp and reduce the air, I have secondary combustion that varies from impressive to inferno for about 2 hours. I get tons of heat and adaquate burn times that vary according to the type of wood. I have been wondering if the inferno is a result of an air leak or just the bi-metalic themostat doing its thing. I have the central heating option and the blower cycles on and off. I would assume that this increased air flow through the heat exchange might cause the themostat to open some.

I tried the paper test this morning. The seal is not as tight as it should be. Is it leaking? I don't know. I did pinch the rope / gasket in the areas in question, to try and thicken it. I was not able to observe if this had and effect, because once I got the air shut down I had to leave for work. I'll play around with it and post back.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.