Fireview gaskets and cement are burnt

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adamscotera

New Member
Feb 7, 2011
24
western ma
Hi all,
I need some knowledgable people's help...
I'm in my first season of heating with wood, using a new Fireview stove, and although I've done my best to operate it according to the manual, it seems that it got too hot. Failed gaskets and cracked cement all throughout. Ordered the gasket kit and started replacing them all, then realized that there are several gaskets not in the kit that need replacing- under the air duct cover, and between the combustor pan and the front and back of the stove. Maybe more. Most of the cement that seals the joints was cracked and falling off. Major symptom I had was inability to control the fire with the damper. Is there anyone here with experience in this kind of thing? Thanks very much!
 
I've not heard that sort of report. What did the folks at Woodstock have to say about it?
 
Your report is the first I have ever heard of crumbling cement and failed gaskets in a new FV. Please tell us a little more:

How hot do you get the top of the stove before closing the bypass?
What is the hottest stovetop temp you ever saw?
Did this problem of inability to control draft start all at once or gradually?
How did the gaskets "fail"? Did they disintegrate?
Did you do a low-temp break-in fire?

My first step would be to call Woodstock and talk it over, this is very unusual.

Check that your damper-slider did not fall off it's tracks. Todd's did and that would explain not being able to control flame.
 
Thanks for the responses. I'll respond to fire-man's questions, as they cover everyone's:
As instructed by the manual, I look for a stovetop temp of at least 250 before closing the bypass. After this, though, I'm going to rely on a flue gas thermometer instead and close the bypass when that reads 500.
The hottest temp I ever saw on the stovetop was 675, and that was only once. I did burn around 600 pretty often when it was really cold, but mostly it wasn't over 550. The first few fires I made never got the stovetop above 400.
I think that the draft problem developed over time, but as I was in the middle of a learning curve throughout, it's hard for me to be sure.
The bypass gasket was the worst affected- it came out in pieces. The combustor gasket was also fairly brittle. The gasket around the outside of the air duct cover failed by allowing smoke up under the lid, the one under the air duct cover was not singed but allowed soot into the air duct, and the door gasket was still functional but came out easily. I haven't taken out the top lid gasket yet.
Finally, the person I'm emailing with at Woodstock also asked me to check the damper plate, and it WAS askew. I pushed it back into place, but it's easy to push it out again. Is it supposed to feel like it's locked into a track of some kind?
 
Seems like you were burning just fine. What was your 'draft problem' - not in the original post (I think). This seems incredibly odd - having all gaskets fail, etc. Cheers!
 
My air slide was also off track for my first full year but didn't have gasket or cement problems. My scoop warped and cat was cracked and got those replaced. The Gaskets are easy to replace and they give good instructions on their web site. Where is the cement issues? I know the air duct has a good bit of cement underneath the gasket since there is no groove for the gasket. I replaced mine and had to chisel out the old stuff first.
 
Seems like a lot of problems for a new stove. Gaskets should last at least a few seasons I would think.
 
When you say "Flue gas thermometer" do mean a probe or a magnetic thermometer? From what I've seen, most people (at least with the FV) end up ditching the flue gas probe and stick with the stovetop thermometer and sometimes a magnetic thermometer mounted near the exit of the stove's outlet pipe.

The Flue gas probes seem to become unreliable over time. All the temps you mention are just fine, but all your evidence points to an overfire, especially with the slider being off. Too bad you did not have a magnetic thermometer mounted to the flue outlet, that gives a pretty good indication if things are heating up too fast (as would the flue gas probe). Please keep us posted!

BTW have you checked the cat for cracks?
 
any problems dont be afraid to contact woodstock. they are a class act company, and are proud of the products they stand behind.
 
Welcome to the forum pickaname.

Something very strange is going on there and it is something I've never heard of with any stove. I highly suggest you work closely on this with Woodstock. They can help you through the whole problem and perhaps they can come up with some answers as to why and how this happened.

For sure it seems you have not burned too hot. We've had out stove to 700 and quite regularly burn in the 600+ range with no problems. Are you sure you have not had that stove hotter than that? It sounds like the problem but let's see what Woodstock says.

You state, "it seems that it got too hot." Why do you feel it got too hot when you state you have not overfired it?
 
Franks said:
Did you check back at the specialty hearth retailer you bought your stove from?

can't do woodstock thru dealers... we used to sell them. we're Still listed as a parts/repair shop, but it costs ya.
 
Back to fire-man:
I wasn't aware that the probe thermometers have longevity problems. Is this common? If that's the case I'll probably just keep my magnetic thermo on the flue pipe and get a second one to leave on the stovetop. And I guess I didn't mention that my ceramic catalyst crumbled on me and I got a replacement (only shipping, as it was under warranty). The new ones are made of stainless steel to prevent cracking.
Todd: Pretty much all the cement that I can see after taking off the air duct cover can be flaked off with my finger, including the cement that seals the stove joints, but as far as I can tell there is no damage to any of the metal parts. There didn't seem to be much cement on the gasket under the air duct cover; in fact, on closer inspection, I don't see anything on that joint except some fossilized braid markings from the gasket. Maybe they just used gasket glue there- btw, do you know what the differences are between gasket glue and stove cement? And is stove cement different from furnace cement? Rutland makes a furnace cement that is supposed to be good to 2000 degrees, and I'm sure my stove got nowhere near that!
Backwoods Savage: I said it evidently got too hot because of the gasket failure. It's possible that at some point it got hotter than I think it did because we bought this stove largely for the long burn times, overnight and when we're out during the day. It's been our primary heat source this winter until last week, so there are many hours when it is not being watched. However, I am a very cautious person by nature and I never went to bed until I was satisfied that the fire was established and I could close down the vent to the point that, as they say in the manual, "the flames darken and begin to lift off the logs." When I was sure that it was not going to go out or get hotter, I would go to bed.
I'm not sure yet what Woodstock is going to do for me, so whatever I say is not intended as a criticism of them. I'll find out more tomorrow.
Thanks again to all of you.
 
Check this out on their site.

http://www.woodstove.com/index.php/building-a-fireview

Images 22-24 the person is using stove/furnace cement to install the air duct gasket. There should be some in your stove. Maybe it failed and fell through the crack? There was someone else a month or two back that posted half of their gasket was missing and didn't know why. I used a tube of Rutland furnace cement on mine and it's working fine.

Sounds like the stove was overfired if your cat crumbled and I suspect your other problems were also caused by this. When my air slide was off track I could shut the air down to 0 and still have a good flame in there and high temps. It was a totally different stove after I fixed it, much more controllable.
 
Hi Todd,
Actually the gasket I was talking about is the one UNDER the air duct cover, not around it. The series doesn't show that one- it would be between images 15 and 16. The one around the outside was in place, but brittle and leaking. Incidentally, the exploded diagrams on their site don't show any gaskets, which I'm meaning to point out to them as they ask for feedback on several pages.
When you fixed your damper plate, did you need to do anything other than just push it back into place? Did you figure out why or how it had gotten out of line?
I appreciate your responses as it seems like your problem was pretty much the same as mine, though your damage may have been different.
 
Cat crumbling also says wood is not good. Can't burn wood before its time.
 
pickaname said:
Hi Todd,
Actually the gasket I was talking about is the one UNDER the air duct cover, not around it. The series doesn't show that one- it would be between images 15 and 16. The one around the outside was in place, but brittle and leaking. Incidentally, the exploded diagrams on their site don't show any gaskets, which I'm meaning to point out to them as they ask for feedback on several pages.
When you fixed your damper plate, did you need to do anything other than just push it back into place? Did you figure out why or how it had gotten out of line?
I appreciate your responses as it seems like your problem was pretty much the same as mine, though your damage may have been different.

Ok, I know which gasket your talking about. That looks like it could be a pita to change that out, you would have to remove the air duct cover to get at it. I don't even know how you could tell if it's bad unless you took the cover off?

I just pushed the damper plate back in place with a screw driver and noticed right away the stove being more controllable. Maybe it got bumped in shipping and I would of never noticed it if I wasn't messing around back there installing an OAK kit.

I don't think it would hurt to replace the door, cat and bypass gasket every other year. They take a lot of heat and abuse.
 
Dennis,
Thanks for another useful point. I do have doubts about the moisture content of my wood. Any tips on how to safely muddle through for the rest of the season? I know efficiency takes a huge hit, but I would figure that leaving the bypass door open longer after loading should protect the catalyst. I have plans to greatly improve my storage this spring so I can get a whole summer's worth of prooper drying and be in better shape next winter.
Regarding Woodstock's customer service- just talked to them on the phone and they're sending a builder here this week to fix everything. Seems their reputation is well-deserved.
Thanks all!
Adam
 
Now that's great service, wonder if they would come all the way to WIS for something like this? If you can take some pictures, I'd like to see the before and after.
 
Pickaname:

Regarding the Flue Probes, I don't have any hard evidence that they are less reliable than the magnetic ones, I just remember a bunch of threads indicating people had issues with them. The major advantage to the probe is that it gives a real-time snapshot of the flue gas temp exiting the cat, rather than a surface temp of some pipe. But the pipe temp responds very quickly to temp changes so it works pretty well.

That is amazing WS is sending a builder to fix the stove. Stories like this are why I am willing to buy the new stove the first year. They are an excellent company.
 
Thanks Tony,
Maybe I'll just stick with the magnetic thermometer on the flue pipe instead of drilling a hole in it. The Fireview (as you know) has a hole in the back for a probe, but it's hidden too much by the rear heat shield to be very useful to me.
I'll get a chance to start over with my stove on Thursday!
I will try to get a few pics, if I can manage it.
 
btw, Todd,
What is an OAK kit? Are you talking about outside air for combustion? I'd be interested to know if I could do that with the Fireview.
Adam
 
pickaname said:
Dennis,
Thanks for another useful point. I do have doubts about the moisture content of my wood. Any tips on how to safely muddle through for the rest of the season? I know efficiency takes a huge hit, but I would figure that leaving the bypass door open longer after loading should protect the catalyst. I have plans to greatly improve my storage this spring so I can get a whole summer's worth of prooper drying and be in better shape next winter.
Regarding Woodstock's customer service- just talked to them on the phone and they're sending a builder here this week to fix everything. Seems their reputation is well-deserved.
Thanks all!
Adam

Adam, you have the right idea on leaving not engaging the cat too soon. Even if the temperature is up there; wait longer anyway. Next year will prove to be much easier for you.

Yes, Woodstock's reputation is well-deserved. Like character, it can't be given; it has to be earned and they certainly have earned it.


The OAK is the outdoor air kit. Ask Woodstock as they have what you need if you want to go that route.
 
My hat's off to Woodstock! What a great way to show a companie's commitment to their customers. Outstanding! If they were doctors, there would be no law suits!
 
pickaname said:
Regarding Woodstock's customer service- just talked to them on the phone and they're sending a builder here this week to fix everything.

Holy cow! That's unheard of in just about any business these days. What a company, eh? If they were doctors, I'll bet they'd still make house calls. :)
 
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