Century Hearth wood burning stove

[LandMime]

Hello,

I have been using a Century Hearth wood burning stove model 244e for a few years and I am now tring to gave it a good cleaning.

During my cleaning efforts while feeling around inside the stove with my hands, I felt a mysterious rectangular shape up above the air intake steel plate (steel plate with the air holes). I was reaching up through the brick baffle holes in back and reaching forward toward the front of the stove and felt a rectangular metal box maybe one inch tall with a loose sheet metal cover. I was able to lift an edge of the cover and felt a rough spongy sort of "filter thing" inside. What is this?

I can not find any photos of the interior design of the 244e except for one that mentions a "baffle assembly", but shows no details. I'm wondering how best to clean the interior of this stove. It seems like I'm not getting the draw I used to when it was new. I've put a sweeper hose into this area as best I can, working up through the baffle brick holes. Is there more I can do and what is this "filter thing" inside this mysterious metal box, anyone know?

Thanks

 

[RedLab]

Maybe the Flux Capasitor!

 

[BrotherBart]

The Century stoves had insulation packed in the steel baffles to hold heat in the firebox for clean burns.

 

[LandMime]

The Century stoves had insulation packed in the steel baffles to hold heat in the firebox for clean burns.

Brother Bart,

Thanks for the reply.

Doesn't seem like a realtively small area of insulation would make much of a difference.

Do you know of any Century Hearth schematics that would show this design?

Any suggestions on how to best clean the stove? Sounds like I should just leave the insulation alone... no need to pull it out to clean or anything, right?