How to tell if stove overfired
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Warped and/or cracked panels or parts. White spots in the middle of the panels. Brand spanking new paint on an older stove.
Matt
Matt
cycloxer
Minister of Fire
Look for warped panels, particularly at the back of the firebox.
Look for warped baffles assembly at the top of the firebox.
Look for cracks in the corners (look real carefully inside the firebox, easier to do if it is real clean).
Check to see if the front door(s) seal properly w/ dollar bill.
If the stove is running you can see if there are any air leaks.
Do you have to run the stove w/ very little air (because it is leaking in elsewhere)?
Look for the white discolored (burnt) paint.
Check to make sure all of the controls work w/o jamming or sticking (warpage issues again).
If you don't see any of that, even if the stove has been over-fired, it most likely hasn't suffered any permanent damage and it should function properly.
Look for warped baffles assembly at the top of the firebox.
Look for cracks in the corners (look real carefully inside the firebox, easier to do if it is real clean).
Check to see if the front door(s) seal properly w/ dollar bill.
If the stove is running you can see if there are any air leaks.
Do you have to run the stove w/ very little air (because it is leaking in elsewhere)?
Look for the white discolored (burnt) paint.
Check to make sure all of the controls work w/o jamming or sticking (warpage issues again).
If you don't see any of that, even if the stove has been over-fired, it most likely hasn't suffered any permanent damage and it should function properly.
What exactly do you mean by "overfired"?
A good stove run properly will on occasion reach what some folks worry and obsess about as excess temperatures. Just because a stove hits 800ºF on the stove top or glows a bit here or there doesn't mean it has been heavily abused. Yes, it has been overfired, but that doesn't mean it is cooked, and you won't be able to see any evidence of this single event when you examine the stove unless the degree of overfire was extreme.
If you keep doing that over time - running the stove too hot over and over again - you will wear the stove down and the damage will be easy to see. Look for the things the above posters mentioned. Examine it real close before buying. Try to get a close look (in person, not in photos) at what a mint condition stove of the same model looks like. AFAIC, if it looks good, it is good. And if some of the parts are cooked but replacements are affordable and readily available, get it if the rest of the stove looks fine and the price is dirt cheap.
About 30 years ago I was working on a horse farm, living in an apartment built over the stalls. It had electric heat and a wood stove that I was encouraged to use to save on electric. I worked 12-16 hour days, 6-7 days a week for James Sinclair, one of the wealthiest men in the precious metals futures market (he actually engineered the huge spike in silver prices in the late 70s), and given my meager wages I wasn't about to use the wood stove when labor-free electric was available.
Then one bitter cold spell (-10ºF daytime highs, -25ºF nighttime lows), the electric wasn't cutting it, so I grabbed some wood and fired up the stove to keep my girl warm and get her in the mood. After she got into the mood, I filled the stove to the top and carried her off to the bedroom.
Oh, I'd guess about 3 AM I woke up with my lungs filled with lead. I couldn't breathe it was so hot. All the lights were out, but there was a strange orange light coming from the living room. It had to be well over 120º in there, and that big ol' hunk of welded steel was glowing like Satan's eyes! I never knew I was supposed to shut the air down after I filled it.
There wasn't much I could do but opens the doors and windows and wait for it to calm down. The cold air seemed to bring it down quickly, but I didn't sleep a wink until that stove was cool... about the time the horses started kicking the stalls for their morning hay and grain (my alarm clock).
I never used that stove again because I didn't trust it (I believe it was handmade locally) nor did I think to check it for damage. I'll bet I warped it pretty good, though.
A good stove run properly will on occasion reach what some folks worry and obsess about as excess temperatures. Just because a stove hits 800ºF on the stove top or glows a bit here or there doesn't mean it has been heavily abused. Yes, it has been overfired, but that doesn't mean it is cooked, and you won't be able to see any evidence of this single event when you examine the stove unless the degree of overfire was extreme.
If you keep doing that over time - running the stove too hot over and over again - you will wear the stove down and the damage will be easy to see. Look for the things the above posters mentioned. Examine it real close before buying. Try to get a close look (in person, not in photos) at what a mint condition stove of the same model looks like. AFAIC, if it looks good, it is good. And if some of the parts are cooked but replacements are affordable and readily available, get it if the rest of the stove looks fine and the price is dirt cheap.
About 30 years ago I was working on a horse farm, living in an apartment built over the stalls. It had electric heat and a wood stove that I was encouraged to use to save on electric. I worked 12-16 hour days, 6-7 days a week for James Sinclair, one of the wealthiest men in the precious metals futures market (he actually engineered the huge spike in silver prices in the late 70s), and given my meager wages I wasn't about to use the wood stove when labor-free electric was available.
Then one bitter cold spell (-10ºF daytime highs, -25ºF nighttime lows), the electric wasn't cutting it, so I grabbed some wood and fired up the stove to keep my girl warm and get her in the mood. After she got into the mood, I filled the stove to the top and carried her off to the bedroom.
Oh, I'd guess about 3 AM I woke up with my lungs filled with lead. I couldn't breathe it was so hot. All the lights were out, but there was a strange orange light coming from the living room. It had to be well over 120º in there, and that big ol' hunk of welded steel was glowing like Satan's eyes! I never knew I was supposed to shut the air down after I filled it.
There wasn't much I could do but opens the doors and windows and wait for it to calm down. The cold air seemed to bring it down quickly, but I didn't sleep a wink until that stove was cool... about the time the horses started kicking the stalls for their morning hay and grain (my alarm clock).
I never used that stove again because I didn't trust it (I believe it was handmade locally) nor did I think to check it for damage. I'll bet I warped it pretty good, though.
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