About to Start Using Shenendoah R-77

As the title indicates, I'm fed up with the high, unpredictable oil prices and I'm about to starting heating our 1100sq/ft ranch style home from the basement using a Shanendoah R-77 built in the early 1980s. I've already replaced two of the firebricks that had crumbled into pieces during the move and run a couple of loads through the stove and am quite happy with it so far. I only had junk wood on hand so didn't get a ton of heat out of it, but enough to know the stove is still in good working order.

I have a question I'd like to pose as a newbie wood burner. This stove has a thermostatic damper in the door. How can I be sure this is working properly. I've read that this is a week point on the stove. When I turn the knob on the front I can see the flap opening and closing, although it does not close all the way. What should I be looking for here?

Thanks for any advice!

A s the unit heats up the thermostatic draft control should allow the "flap" to close all the way. This is almost the simplest woodstove ever made, don't worry too much. Burn the wood, burn the wood, burn the wood. Oh and hopefully there's a cast damper in the stovepipe? That'd be good.

I had one once. The damper flap stuck open after I dialed it down and almost melted the stove pipe. The stove pipe damper saved it. Lucky we were home.

Ehouse

Thanks for the advice, the chimney is brand new, so no issues there. I will be keeping an eye on it as I burn to keep tabs on the build up. I did install a cast iron damper in the pipe as well.

j45p3r,

I don't know why the flap stuck open, as I ripped out the stove and never used it again, but if I remember the set up, the bi-metal thingy is not connected to the flap, but merely pulls away from it when hot allowing the flap to close by gravity, therefore, the smallest speck could keep it from closing. I'd clean and inspect it frequently. If I remember, the cover comes right off.

Ehouse

Thanks, I'll pull it apart and clean out any crud just to be safe.