OMG, fellow newbies, clean yer secondaries/cat more often...

[begreen]

Travis Industries still to this day will not accept the fact that the cape cod has a flawed baffle design. I've personally talked to the engineers, in person. They act like they have never heard of any issues and said that they aren't aware of any cracked cape cod stoves. I sent the stove back to them but the engineers never saw it. Ya right!
The insert has a different design so I don't expect parts to warp like the free stander but I still don't see how that catalyst can hold up under these conditions. Why would they make the baffle way beefier in the insert if the free stander hadn't had any issues? Hmm...

Prolly still sitting on the pallet. I saw a couple used Cape Cods sitting on the factory floor. Not sure their history but was wondering if one was yours.

Even the manual shows the raw exposed cat. If I owned one of these stoves I would have a stainless steel flame shield fabbed up.

 

[webby3650]

Prolly still sitting on the pallet. I saw a couple used Cape Cods sitting on the factory floor. Not sure their history but was wondering if one was yours.

Even the manual shows the raw exposed cat. If I owned one of these stoves I would have a stainless steel flame shield fabbed up.

View attachment 161739

Ya, I sent mine back in the Blaze King Ashford crate. I got a kick out of that!

 

[Dmitry]

Dmitry said: ↑
That's what I got View attachment 161732
Hey, your baffle is warped. Lifted in the back! Cool picture to show it all.

Man, I know . This is a year old stove and I don't remember overfiring it. I wondering if my dealer will replace it honoring warranty or it's gonna be "this is not gonna affect stove performance " or " this is happened because of overtiring " game. Gonna call today or tomorrow to find out.

 

[Dmitry]

9 AM EditDeleteReportBookmark#23Reply

Highbeam
Minister of Fire
Joined:Dec 28, 2006
Messages:10,348
Loc:base of Mt. Rainier on the wet side, WA
Dmitry said: ↑
That's what I got View attachment 161732
Hey, your baffle is warped. Lifted in the back! Cool picture to show it all.

Just called the dealer. They said in a case of warped buffle they will hammer it to original shape and will give it back to me. I guess I'll do it myself.

 

[Highbeam]

Just called the dealer. They said in a case of warped buffle they will hammer it to original shape and will give it back to me. I guess I'll do it myself.

You know what'll happen next year then and every year until it fatigues and cracks up. Is the baffle easy to remove?

 

[Dmitry]

They have instructions in a manual : need to remove secondary tubes, lift the door and remove . Not sure how easy it is, seems not too bad

 

[webby3650]

Just called the dealer. They said in a case of warped buffle they will hammer it to original shape and will give it back to me. I guess I'll do it myself.

Ya, Lopi said I must have overfired it. There is no revision to the baffle, they said to hammer it flat and put it back in..
When I removed the tubes 1 of the retainer screws broke off. I had to drill it out and tap it, fun!

 

[Dmitry]

Good grief. I just looked at a schematic of that thing. I can't believe anybody is building a cat stove without a flame impingement shield on the cat. That lesson was learned in 1986. They are depending on the secondary burn to eat the flame before it gets to the cat.

Same complaint by webby3650 about their design with the Cape Cod freestander. Travis seems to like to run their cats naked.

I just looked at the flame shield on BK Princess and it looks like perforated plate in front of a cat.
Do you think I can put plate like that in front of my cat to prevent flames going right into it?
I'm not gonna do it right away. Just something to elaborate on if you have an ideas.
You can find a picture of insert gut in a previous post.

 

[BrotherBart]

I would watch the stove for a while when you have if flaming and see if the flames lap up and over the front of the baffle. Like most do in early stages of the burn.

My non-cat has a solid flame impingement shield two thirds of the way back to keep the darn flames from going up the chimney.

 

[Dmitry]

I think I remember seeing it in a beginning of a cycle when fire is going strong and right into cat. And cat being very bright orange. I thought it's normal at the time.

 

[webby3650]

I don't see how a flame shield could be added. The baffle is in a constant state of movement. Mine would curl up in the right hand front corner, then after some time the entire thing would curl along the front. It would relax for the most part as it cooled. I could watch secondary flames from the middle tube go above the front tube, completely skipping it. Travis ind. said the warped baffle would not affect efficiency or performance. I say bull crap!

 

[Dmitry]

I don't see how a flame shield could be added. The baffle is in a constant state of movement

May be just drop a shield on a baffle and it's gonna stay leaning on a cat?
Or just screw it to the front of the baffle

 

[webby3650]

May be just drop a shield on a baffle and it's gonna stay leaning on a cat?
Or just screw it to the front of the baffle

It would need to be secured somehow. There isn't enough room between the front of the baffle and the cat to lay a shield in there without it falling.

 

[begreen]

Could it be bottom screwed to the baffle? Maybe with an L bend at the bottom to make this possible?

 

[Dmitry]

Wondering if I can screw BK flame protector to the baffle. Don't see why not . Might be not fully protected, but some ,even if the size is off. The draft is good , I might get away with it, I think.

 

[webby3650]

I'm not sure about the insert, but on the stove the cat hangs out into the edge of the flue collar, so when the cat is bypassed flames are licking the back of the cat. The bypass does not hinge like a BK, which protects the cat from flames while its open. Rather it just slides back and forth.

 

[Highbeam]

View attachment 161770


Wondering if I can screw BK flame protector to the baffle. Don't see why not . Might be not fully protected, but some ,even if the size is off. The draft is good , I might get away with it, I think.

That BK flame shield is a very expensive part too.

 

[begreen]

Go to a good, large metal shop and get a scrap of stainless perforated metal like shown. It is quite reasonable from the right place. Locally we have big metal shops that also serve the fishing industry. They are a great resource for this material. Industrial design shops also sell it. A friend made a heat guard chase for the class A pipe going up through his A frame out of this material, thought lighter gauge for that purpose. For reference, a full 4' x 10' sheet of 20ga will run about $170.
http://www.mcnichols.com/product/1433312041?navCode=cc:round&navCode=avc:round
Looks like smaller pieces can be ordered through this site:
http://www.onlinemetals.com/merchant.cfm?pid=13528&step=4&id=1643&top_cat=1

 

[begreen]

For extra rigidity I would fold all the edges in, not just the bottom for attachment. Notch the corners and fold to make it like a basket with open-sided seams. A 1/2" fold should help.

 

[Highbeam]

This stove modification would violate the UL listing and the EPA certification to make the stove illegal and uninsurable. Maybe, I just made that up, but I know that some people worry about these things.

 

[begreen]

Good point and very possibly correct. First course of action should be for the dealer to honor warranty on cat and baffle. On the other hand, when one is put between a rock and a hard place with a stove bent on destroying itself, what are the options, especially if the dealer or mfg. won't resolve the issue? Copying industry standard design for a flame shield is probably where I would start if other options were exhausted.

 

[webby3650]

This stove modification would violate the UL listing and the EPA certification to make the stove illegal and uninsurable. Maybe, I just made that up, but I know that some people worry about these things.

It doesn't matter. Travis Industries will blame the owner/operater anyway. I'm sure if it's been modified, they would blame any issues on that. I work in this industry, and they blamed me. Acted as if I'm the only one that's ever had these issues. It's hurt our relationship with Lopi for sure.

 

[Dmitry]

OK, Fot now the plan is:
1) Start the season and see if flame goes straight into cat
2) If it does explore option with flame shield .

P.S.: I'm wondering what happened to original poster who said that his cat was destroyed after one season

 

[Spletz]

It would need to be secured somehow. There isn't enough room between the front of the baffle and the cat to lay a shield in there without it falling.

OK, Fot now the plan is:
1) Start the season and see if flame goes straight into cat
2) If it does explore option with flame shield .

P.S.: I'm wondering what happened to original poster who said that his cat was destroyed after one season

All,

I'm still here. The folks who sold it to me are coming out today. I will certainly post what goes down.

 

[SteveKG]

All,

I'm still here. The folks who sold it to me are coming out today. I will certainly post what goes down.

Hey, is that a petosky in your avatar??