Off Season Stove Care

[latitude45]

What kind of stove care does everyone do in the off season?
First I clean the chimney, then clean/vacuum out the stove and check the fire bricks, then I give it a lite olive oil bath.

 

[begreen]

Our stove gets no love off season other than dusting and acting as a pistachio nut receptacle.

 

[latitude45]

Come now BeGreen show the girl some love!

 

[keydiver]

we are supposed to care of it in the off season?

 

[Bone1099]

Usually around mid august I will look to be sure its still there

 

[begreen]

Come now BeGreen show the girl some love!

Well sometimes there are hazelnut and walnut shells in there. Does that count?

 

[soupy1957]

I send out for a Masseur to come to the house and give her a rub down just prior to the first time I turn her on.

-Soupy1957

 

[ckarotka]

I left the door cracked open, the thought was to let the gasket "rebound" back to shape for a good seal. Instead of being compressed all the time with the door sealed. Probably not going to do any good but it couldn't hurt. Oh it was still latched just ajar, I have a good chimney cap so nothing with wings could get in.

Occasionally a bedtime story was in order, she likes the ones about the big blue OX.

 

[RLLD]

I play Mozart to it at night, sometimes rub its little peg legs gently while whispering to it just how intoxicating I find its dark complexion......

 

[WoodPorn]

I play Mozart to it at night, sometimes rub its little peg legs gently while whispering to it just how intoxicating I find its dark complexion......

You've got issues!

 

[RLLD]

I play Mozart to it at night, sometimes rub its little peg legs gently while whispering to it just how intoxicating I find its dark complexion......

You've got issues!

Says the poster named 'woodporn".... 8P

LOL!

 

[soupy1957]

I wanna revisit this.................an Olive Oil bath..........hmmmmmmmmmmm

-Soupy1957

 

[latitude45]

I take an old rag and rub the stove down in a little olive oil.. Makes the stove look new and helps protect the exterior of stove during the seasonal humidity changes..

 

[sksmass]

I take an old rag and rub the stove down in a little olive oil.. Makes the stove look new and helps protect the exterior of stove during the seasonal humidity changes..

Wait, are you being serious? Doesn't that smoke and stink when you do a first burn in the fall?

 

[WoodPorn]

Nevermind the oil getting rancid in the summer heat and attracting flies!

 

[latitude45]

Burns off very quickly and not much smell. First fires of the season are shot/hot. I'm not bathing the stove in oil just a little rubdown. Maybe a tablespoon for the whole stove.. Remember I do this in late spring so its been sitting there for few months too.. evaporating/rubbing off..

 

[cmonSTART]

Store your cases of Natty Light in your stove when not in use.

 

[wendell]

Morso recommends cleaning it out and filling the ash pan with kitty litter and leave the air open which I have done in the past. This year, I just finally got around to cleaning it out.

 

[PapaDave]

I do the same,.......except the olive oil thing. WHAT??

 

[DiscoInferno]

Clean out the ashes. I have at least two dead birds to remove this year. Really need to get screens up there. No oil.

Lately I need to repair/rebuild the cast refractory panels in the Ultima one or two times a year, it's really starting to crumble. I've been using furnace cement but that's showing diminishing returns.

 

[soupy1957]

I talked to the Chimney Sweep about coming by, ($150.00) and told him I had 1/2 inch of ash in the bottom of the stove that I left from last year, "on purpose" and he agreed it had it's value and would not remove it if I didn't want him to.



-Soupy1957

 

[firefighterjake]

First off, I'm digging this thread . . . very funny stuff.

On the serious side . . . just because it's too hot outside to come up with another funny line . . . I really don't do much at all . . . I mean at the end of the burning season I clean the stove out, clean the glass, sweep the pipe (although I still need to do the interior stove pipe and then vacuum out the ash on top of the baffle) and apply graphite powder to the air control lever . . . I think that is it. Before I fire it up in the Fall I do a final check to make sure nothing has decided to take up residence in my chimney, check the screws on the stove pipe, do a quick check of the latch/gaskets and sometimes add in a bit of stove cement if it looks like any has fallen out . . . I am thinking of trying some stove polish this year . . . last year's attempt didn't work out very well . . . but I know a few of you said Rutland stove polish helps the look.

 

[soupy1957]

Jake: Maybe you should try the Olive Oil on her.............or just talk sweet to her when your filling her up for that first burn!!

-Soupy1957

 

[BrotherBart]

I have glanced across the room at the stove two or three times since the last fire in May.

 

[Troutchaser]

Mine has become a birdcage.
Bluebirds are particularly fond of it.

But really, I cleaned it up and even put three pretty splits in there for decoration. Hard not to light them.