overfire !!

Doug:

Thanks for sharing this important story and I'm glad it has a happy ending with nobody hurt.
This story could have ended much worse.
You undoubtedly helped many others out to be watchful of the ashpan lever.

Can you please keep us updated when you replace the fireback and let us know how involved it was? I am extremely curious about this.

Will do , Thanks for all the support.
doug

I have been bummed all day for you. Good nobody got hurt, but what a bummer.

Glad no one was hurt sorry to hear about the stove.

I did the repair today , I will try to post pics tomorrow. And I believe I found the source of the smoke smell some Progress owners are still dealing with.

Well, are you going to tell us? Or leave us hanging?

sorry, here are the pics
https://picasaweb.google.com/dquick...&authkey=Gv1sRgCIenyIHxwdaYcA&feat=directlink

Picture number 6 shows the culprit. Its a 1/8 inch roll pin . Put on both sides of the rear of the stove to prevent over tightening. The roll pins are a clear path for smoke smell to enter the room. There was even a smoke stain on the stone. Hard to see in the pic. but its there. I plugged the roll pins with stove cement.

Doug:

Those are great pictures! I couldn't tell if you replaced the fireback - I didn't see that plate in your pics.

How long did it take - was it pretty straight forward? What was the hardest part of the job? Please do embellish !?!?

Sorry for not being chatty at this time I'm beat. It took me all day. I did take my time but it was alot of prep work cleaning the gasket surfaces.

Seriously. I'll be in the market for a basement wood stove in the next few years and I don't think my wife would buy into their styles as they're not modern looking enough, however hearing all of these solid customer reviews might get me to drive the time up there to look into some of their soapstone for a kitchen counter.

Doug, I can relate to your exhaustion. Having replaced the top gasket under the cooktop using chisel and hammer to get the old cement out, I can empathize with what must have been a monumental task. I was amazed and quite surprised with how well the stove looked considering what had happened.

Thanks for the tip on the roll pins. I'm one of those who still has the smoke smell. Could you expand on that a bit when you've recuperated? Sounds like an easy fix, if one can get to said roll pins without taking everything apart...

Thanks for sharing - I had wondered what might happen in that circumstance. Thanks also for the photos.

Last year our exchange student liked to sit by the hearth with her feet near the PH firebox door. One day I noticed excessive flames, and tried shutting down the air but with no effect on the fire. After a couple of seconds I realized what had happened. She was told to keep her feet away from there, and everyone in the house was given a live demonstration of the symptoms and cure. I think I'll repeat that lesson today.

Yes, I second HollowHill's request. I hope you don't have to take the entire top off to access those roll pins? Interseting to me that evryone else seems to have a cemented top gasket. Mine just sits in a channel there, not cemented. Don't really see why it would require cement, since there is certainly a lot of weight and gravity keeping it in place.

The bad news is the top will have to be removed to plug the roll pins.

Just wanted to check in and see how your stove is doing and if you still have the smoke smell after messing with the roll pins and other gaskets.

Yes, I'd like to know also.

me too

Me three ,looking to purchase this stove . Your info on this matter is greatly appreciated

THANKS

Yes . it did fix the smoke smell. The stove is operating as it should now..

Doug, have you talked with Woodstock about the fix you've found? Nice job for finding that! I know that old gasket cement can be a bear... I've used a cordless dremel with a wire wheel attachment along with a vacuum at the grinding source...Nice pictures and a lot of work,, I'm sure you were very meticulous making sure the new gaskets were 100%,,, a job you don't want to do twice.. Has to be all worth it now looking back having the smoke issue solved.. Thanks for posting that. Looks like you've now helped out a lot of people.
Charlie

I know I'm asking a lot but could we have an itemized summary of your parts and labor .
Any cracked stones?(may take time for some things to show up)
Sorry to ask these questions after your horrific experience
I believe you have shown us all here that we should be aware of & at least try to save guard against
One of my stoves is capable of having this happen ,the old Fisher not so much

Again thanks for sharing

Doug - how much work would it be just to get to the pins?

If you have small enough hands you can reach the pins by going in through the stove top. Try to visualize the pins as being centered at the top of the rear corner stones. If you can reach in to the left and right of the cat cover you can likely place a dab of furnace cement on the pins to block them. My hands don't fit but a colleague's did

Thanks for that info, I will attempt tonight!