Warped the top of my Hampton Insert - did I break it?

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That 45 mins assumes the stove has gone cold- I would overfire my stove every time if I followed those guidelines.

I do prop the door just barely open for 5 mins or so when I start from cold. I sit with it while I do that- easy to forget.
 
oldspark i agree...sorry about the who's stupid comment....i also think an i.r. thermometer aimed at the top of the insert is a little over the top.
 
bjkjoseph said:
oldspark i agree...sorry about the who's stupid comment....i also think an i.r. thermometer aimed at the top of the insert is a little over the top.
Click to expand...
No problem, like I said I am stupid but I dont like to be reminded of it. :cheese:
 
Like a lot of stuff with these stoves guys those instructions are more for passing the EPA emissions tests than heating or not burning down your house. From the EPA Method 28 test instructions:

"...air supply controls may be adjusted once during the test run following
the manufacturer's written instructions (see Section 8.10).
No other air supply adjustments are allowed during the test
run."

So they have to make sure that puppy is cranking during the test.
 
bjkjoseph said:
oldspark i agree...sorry about the who's stupid comment....i also think an i.r. thermometer aimed at the top of the insert is a little over the top.
Click to expand...

What's over the top about it if one doesn't have a thermometer?
 
pen said:
nothing on the outside of this stove should be glowing at 430F. Even if it were 430 celsius (806F) if it were glowing it would have to be COMPLETELY dark for you to see it.

Is it the top of the stove that is glowing or the baffle inside on the top of the stove?

pen
Click to expand...

EXACTLY! That cannot be the top of the stove glowing...
 
CTwoodburner said:
pen said:
nothing on the outside of this stove should be glowing at 430F. Even if it were 430 celsius (806F) if it were glowing it would have to be COMPLETELY dark for you to see it.

Is it the top of the stove that is glowing or the baffle inside on the top of the stove?

pen
Click to expand...

EXACTLY! That cannot be the top of the stove glowing...
Click to expand...

It absolutely is the top of the stove. Same spot as in the picture at the beginning of this thread.
 
stejus said:
Here's what to look for. Take a flash light and look inside the blower chamber at the weld seams along the entire stove top. You should see a nice bead of welding. If your stove top is warped, it most likely means it got hot enough to soften the medal and then it harden this way. I would say you are safe if your weld seams along the sides are still there without any cracks. You should also take a look inside the stove above the baffle. Hopefully the stove top is not too close to the baffle (meaning it sagging too much).
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. Those weld seams were the first thing I checked and they look fine. Also, the stove top bulges upwards away from the baffle.
 
you will find you will not need the thermometer..its not practical to move that cast iron piece every time....and having one on the front is not that accurate...you will get to know when to shut the air down...it's a good stove you made a good choice..they look good too.
 
bjkjoseph said:
you will find you will not need the thermometer..its not practical to move that cast iron piece every time....and having one on the front is not that accurate...you will get to know when to shut the air down...it's a good stove you made a good choice..they look good too.
Click to expand...

I have the Rutland thermometer which has a post at 500 degrees and a post at 400 degrees. If you orient it with the posts facing out you can just peak in under the mantle with a flashlight and see where the needle is pretty easily without moving the cast iron piece. I think as I learn the stove I'll have a pretty good idea of what temp it's at without the thermometer, but I like having it there as a quick check of where I am.
 
A couple of the other Quadrafire 4100I owners were talking about the same thing a few weeks ago. Myself being one of them has this exact thing at the top of my unit, which flexes during burning cycles. To the same degree described. When cold, it goes away to maybe an 1/8" or less curve to what used to be a flat top portion of the stove. When firing, it flexs about 1/4" or so. I'm no steel expert but the clinking everytime everyone fires up the stove is the steel flexing correct? So its just a part of burning from what I gather and has caused no harm so far. Check every couple of weeks as I burn 24/7 and would consider by use on the harder side never going more than 5-6 hours without a reload. 2.5 years of that and she's still trucking. I think those Rutland's are great as a guideline but not a true reflection of stove temp at the real areas. At least for inserts since we can't get stack.

Attached is my self portrait of the reason why it bulges in my mind... the airflow. And on my stove, I've got this little "tri-angular shield" before the exhaust exit, seen on the pic to the right which is a top view.

We've been toasty warm with no signs of failure at the welds or metal. I also keep the blower on as much as I can and that seems to help keep the stove at a consistent outside wall temp to contain the flexing. Tho I still don't like it!
 

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Great diagram! That shows exactly what mine is doing as well.... 4100i.
 
Mine glows and as described in a previous post, it's always the area right in front of where the liner connects to the stove (the area right where the air flow from the blower is blocked by the liner). The top of the stove does "flex" and it goes back down when it cools down. I can't see a way around it. It has to get hot to get the secondaries. I think it's normal for this stove.
 
Dollars to doughnuts those stoves have a "flame impingement" plate welded in right where the glow is occurring. Its job is to keep flames from going up the pipe and the gases bang into it and have to go around it. Therefore is gets mighty hot. Especially with a new load where often flames will curl up over the top of the baffle.
 
bjkjoseph said:
15 minutes...where did you get 45...the info comes from the manual from hampton. so who's stupid.
Click to expand...

The manual for my HI300 also says to burn with air control wide open for 45 minutes every morning.
15 minutes is for reloading.
 
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