I MADE THINGS A LOT WORSE!!!!!!!!!!!!

[BrowningBAR]

Sorry if I get old but it is getting cold in my house. I am At 65* inside my house. What would you do if you had my stove?

Can't tell since I'm not there.

You are running a stove that is a cat stove running without cats. You replaced gaskets and now the stove is supposedly starved for air and are unsure if you should not have gasketed certain portions of the stove. You are running the stove in warmer weather with a chimney that is too short. Every step of the way you seem to be guessing as oppose to trying to get the stove functioning in a proper manner.

What would I do? I would look to the manual, determine what needs gaskets. Remove all gaskets. Scrape and clean off all existing cement. I would install the catalysts. I would thoroughly clean the stove. I would be sure the airways are clean and not blocked. I would then reinstall all the gaskets. Most of all, I would have done this before the weather became cold like I did with the Encore and Vigilant this summer.

I bought an Encore for $350 this summer. I could have just installed it and hoped it worked. Instead I completely disassembled the stove. Thoroughly cleaned it. Re-cemented areas in need. Cleaned the bolts so they functioned properly. Removed all gaskets. Scraped the gasket grooves clean. Re-installed all gaskets (back panel, two doors, the griddle, the ash pan chamber, the ash pan door, the damper). I cleaned the catalysts and the assembly. I vacuumed the firebox and burn chamber. I inspected the air controls. I made sure the stove was functioning properly before the weather turned.

If I did not do this and the stove ended up not performing properly I would have had no idea why this was happening. Now if an issue occurs I have a complete understanding of how the stove should function and all the areas that I should inspect.

I am relying on these stoves to provide heat for me and my family. I need to know how they function and I need to perform proper maintenance on them. If I am not willing to do this, I need to find another solution for my heating needs.

 

[AppalachianStan]

Sorry if I get old but it is getting cold in my house. I am At 65* inside my house. What would you do if you had my stove?

If the option is replacing the stove at tax time and you will not pass the stove along and may scrap it..... Just run it with the door cracked open and get the most heat out of it that you can. I have been following this thread and just can not figure out what else to advise you. (I am certainly not even close to an expert.)

How can I sale the stove to someone with all the problems I have had. When they ask this been a good wood stove. I have no way of latching the door cracked open. But I can run it with the ash pan cracked open. just keep a eye on it. Thanks for you options. Stan

 

[fsr4538]

Sorry if I get old but it is getting cold in my house. I am At 65* inside my house. What would you do if you had my stove?

If the option is replacing the stove at tax time and you will not pass the stove along and may scrap it..... Just run it with the door cracked open and get the most heat out of it that you can. I have been following this thread and just can not figure out what else to advise you. (I am certainly not even close to an expert.)

How can I sale the stove to someone with all the problems I have had. When they ask this been a good wood stove. I have no way of latching the door cracked open. But I can run it with the ash pan cracked open. just keep a eye on it. Thanks for you options. Stan

I was not suggesting you sell the stove to someone; just acknowledging your earlier statement that you would not. Have you actually gone up to the roof and checked the cap to see if it is clogged?

 

[AppalachianStan]

Sorry if I get old but it is getting cold in my house. I am At 65* inside my house. What would you do if you had my stove?

Can't tell since I'm not there.

You are running a stove that is a cat stove running without cats. You replaced gaskets and now the stove is supposedly starved for air and are unsure if you should not have gasketed certain portions of the stove. You are running the stove in warmer weather with a chimney that is too short. Every step of the way you seem to be guessing as oppose to trying to get the stove functioning in a proper manner.

What would I do? I would look to the manual, determine what needs gaskets. Remove all gaskets. Scrape and clean off all existing cement. I would install the catalysts. I would thoroughly clean the stove. I would be sure the airways are clean and not blocked. I would then reinstall all the gaskets. Most of all, I would have done this before the weather became cold like I did with the Encore and Vigilant this summer.

I bought an Encore for $350 this summer. I could have just installed it and hoped it worked. Instead I completely disassembled the stove. Thoroughly cleaned it. Re-cemented areas in need. Cleaned the bolts so they functioned properly. Removed all gaskets. Scraped the gasket grooves clean. Re-installed all gaskets (back panel, two doors, the griddle, the ash pan chamber, the ash pan door, the damper). I cleaned the catalysts and the assembly. I vacuumed the firebox and burn chamber. I inspected the air controls. I made sure the stove was functioning properly before the weather turned.

If I did not do this and the stove ended up not performing properly I would have had no idea why this was happening. Now if an issue occurs I have a complete understanding of how the stove should function and all the areas that I should inspect.

I am relying on these stoves to provide heat for me and my family. I need to know how they function and I need to perform proper maintenance on them. If I am not willing to do this, I need to find another solution for my heating need.

I wish you were here you would probably blow the stove up. I am not a wood stove scientist so I have no clue a wood stove can be so demanding. I paid a chimney professional that also sells parts for the stove to come out to check everything and they said it looks good! A big waste of money. When we are POOR and I am DISABLED we are on our on. AS for the manual there is no where in it that tells how to put the gaskets in. If you call Appalachian you might get someone and you might not. I cleaned and vacuumed on a regular basis and I scraped the place where the gaskets go, cleaned it out really good for the new gaskets. I replaced all the gaskets. How can I put cats in the stove without damaging them when the cats has to be up to 500* before I close the bypass down to run the cats.

 

[cordmaster]

Look in owners manual and see if you can run your stove in fire place setting. This way here you can get some heat. You would have to leave your door open and adjust air control so you wont over heat your stove. Next I would call dealer to see where cat goes. I bet that ports are clogged with soot and ash. Thats why when you close door stove starves for air. Stove should run with 6" pipe.

 

[AppalachianStan]

Sorry if I get old but it is getting cold in my house. I am At 65* inside my house. What would you do if you had my stove?

If the option is replacing the stove at tax time and you will not pass the stove along and may scrap it..... Just run it with the door cracked open and get the most heat out of it that you can. I have been following this thread and just can not figure out what else to advise you. (I am certainly not even close to an expert.)

How can I sale the stove to someone with all the problems I have had. When they ask this been a good wood stove. I have no way of latching the door cracked open. But I can run it with the ash pan cracked open. just keep a eye on it. Thanks for you options. Stan

I was not suggesting you sell the stove to someone; just acknowledging your earlier statement that you would not. Have you actually gone up to the roof and checked the cap to see if it is clogged?

Oh okay. No I am not able to go up on the roof I have health problems. I have looked up the chimney from inside the stove it looks clear.

 

[fsr4538]

Go grab some 2X4 or other lumber scrap. I mean a big arm load, not just enough to use as starter. See if using a good amount of that will allow the temps to rise.

Also, after looking at the manual, make sure that when you push the bypass knob in (it should be in to be open) that you feel or hear the bypass actually working and moving inside the stove.

The lumber scraps should burn hot and allow a good fire. Keep building the fire up with scraps until you have a good roaring fire. Fill the firebox with it as long as your temp is staying low.

 

[AppalachianStan]

As you all can see the bypass is just a rod and it is working just fine.

 

[cordmaster]

In diagram you can now see where the cat is top front of stove. Does it have it like shown in picture? On monday let stove cool down blow out with compressed air. also look into a new one at dealer. I bet that cat is loaded I think this will solve your problem. For now see if you can use it with the door open. Fireplace setting. I had the same problem with my TL300 Harmen combustion chamber had 3" of ash behind it. I had to tear all the fire brick out of it. ash was behing shoe brick. stove wood die right out once you put dry oak in when you closed the lever down.

 

[AppalachianStan]

In diagram you can now see where the cat is top front of stove. Does it have it like shown in picture? On monday let stove cool down blow out with compressed air. also look into a new one at dealer. I bet that cat is loaded I think this will solve your problem. For now see if you can use it with the door open. Fireplace setting. I had the same problem with my TL300 Harmen combustion chamber had 3" of ash behind it. I had to tear all the fire brick out of it. ash was behing shoe brick. stove wood die right out once you put dry oak in when you closed the lever down.

I know how the cats is in there. I do not have any cats in the stove. I do not have the cats for the stove.

 

[AppalachianStan]

Cruising at 350* looks like that the best I can for now.

 

[rwhite]

I am a fan of the new EPA stoves but if you need heat and that one won't work I think I'd be looking for an old smoke dragon and risk burning a cord or two more a year. They can be had cheap and they served a lot of people well for years. There is nothing to figure out on them.

 

[stoveguy2esw]

the more i think about this the more im thinking the stove is trying to "fuel' the cats when they arent there.


i should have caught this earlier (my fault)

cat stoves are designed to burn a low smoky fire to feed the cats which provide a large portin of the heating load. early cat stoves were not very good at this and were extremely tempermental even when the cats were installed. they needed a very large air budget to really perform. without the cats there to reburn the smoke we have no real method of generating heat as the stove was intended, so we have a stove which is "jetted" to burn low and slow with no afterburn available to take advantage of this kind of burn.

if im right there may not be an "inexpensive " solution for this.


lemme think on this some more, i'll be back

 

[stoveguy13]

i really think extending that chimney will help you out it is a cheap test to do and may fix the problem try extending that chimney with some stove pipe and see what happens

 

[AppalachianStan]

the more i think about this the more im thinking the stove is trying to "fuel' the cats when they arent there.


i should have caught this earlier (my fault)

cat stoves are designed to burn a low smoky fire to feed the cats which provide a large portin of the heating load. early cat stoves were not very good at this and were extremely tempermental even when the cats were installed. they needed a very large air budget to really perform. without the cats there to reburn the smoke we have no real method of generating heat as the stove was intended, so we have a stove which is "jetted" to burn low and slow with no afterburn available to take advantage of this kind of burn.

if im right there may not be an "inexpensive " solution for this.


lemme think on this some more, i'll be back

You may be right on that. I have to get the temp up to 500* to get the cats to fire after that I would be good for a slow burn. I just can not get the stove up to 500* After the gaskets. I may have to get some really dry wood to do that with.Thanks for you help. Stan

 

[AppalachianStan]

i really think extending that chimney will help you out it is a cheap test to do and may fix the problem try extending that chimney with some stove pipe and see what happens

I will go to Lowe's tomorrow to get the pipe to see if that will help. Thanks for you help. Stan

 

[Hogwildz]

Just came from installing Blues liner. He has an Appalacian.
He had no gasket on the upper part of the door glass. It appears to be the air wash. If you had the same thing, and added gasket up top, then there is your problem.

 

[BrotherBart]

Just came from installing Blues liner. He has an Appalacian.
He had no gasket on the upper part of the door glass. It appears to be the air wash. If you had the same thing, and added gasket up top, then there is your problem.

OD'ed on hot chocolate eh? Blue has a Sierra Hearthstove.

 

[AppalachianStan]

Just came from installing Blues liner. He has an Appalacian.
He had no gasket on the upper part of the door glass. It appears to be the air wash. If you had the same thing, and added gasket up top, then there is your problem.

I had no gasket at the top of my side windows the door glass had a gasket all the way round. But it has a small piece of metal at the top of the glass. I know for sure tomorrow.

 

[Hogwildz]

Just came from installing Blues liner. He has an Appalacian.
He had no gasket on the upper part of the door glass. It appears to be the air wash. If you had the same thing, and added gasket up top, then there is your problem.

OD'ed on hot chocolate eh? Blue has a Sierra Hearthstove.

OOps, BArt is right, strike my post.
I must be tired. ANd have to run all the way to Philly tomorrow.
Cmon weekend!

 

[AppalachianStan]

Just came from installing Blues liner. He has an Appalacian.
He had no gasket on the upper part of the door glass. It appears to be the air wash. If you had the same thing, and added gasket up top, then there is your problem.

OD'ed on hot chocolate eh? Blue has a Sierra Hearthstove.

OOps, BArt is right, strike my post.
I must be tired. ANd have to run all the way to Philly tomorrow.
Cmon weekend!

Do you thinks Blue can get me photo of his door glass gasket. I am waiting for Appalachian teck to call me back. But what I was told so far is the gaskets in my stove are install right. hh:

 

[AppalachianStan]

Will Appalachian said the gaskets are installed right. I appreciate all the help from you guys. I'll try the stove pipe and air compressor a see if that will help. But It is looking like the stove is a lost cause.

 

[leeave96]

Will Appalachian said the gaskets are installed right. I appreciate all the help from you guys. I'll try the stove pipe and air compressor a see if that will help. But It is looking like the stove is a lost cause.

Until you put in the catalyist combustor in this stove and burn it in the context in which it was designed, you can forget about it being a useful heating stove - ain't going to happen. Try the cat or punt to another stove.

Good luck,
Bill

 

[AppalachianStan]

Will Appalachian said the gaskets are installed right. I appreciate all the help from you guys. I'll try the stove pipe and air compressor a see if that will help. But It is looking like the stove is a lost cause.

Until you put in the catalyist combustor in this stove and burn it in the context in which it was designed, you can forget about it being a useful heating stove - ain't going to happen. Try the cat or punt to another stove.

Good luck,
Bill

Can you run a cat stove at 350*? That is how hot I can get it I can't get any hotter. It does not take in enough air to burn.
Thanks for you help. Stan

 

[madison]

...lost cause....

I would agree with your above statement.