Last night relatively, warm I decided not to run my stove. This is a used stove, so I expected replacing gaskets. I have already done the door glass gasket, the damper gasket and the flue collar gasket. The griddle gasket was on its last legs, I actually saw a puff of smoke exiting once, I dampened down recently. I knew it was time to replace it,, Last night chore.
I also noticed the fire favored one side of the firebox. So after a real good cleaning it was time to look around. The right side had that fine brownish residue but the left where the fire seems to favor had some black shiny creosote spots. (Shiny creosote spots are usually an indication of an air leak)
Recently there have been quite a few posts of people rebuilding stoves or partial rehabbing.. It occurred to me that everyone, including myself, is entering into new territory. Myself, I have done some in the past. There are some mechanical procedures and safe guards we should think about. Since none of us have detailed rebuilding specs we are in uncharted territory./
As we all know cast iron is brittle and can break. I want to share some of the precaution steps I take, to avoid replacing good parts. Last night I noticed, (Encore stove), the stove has cast iron heat plates on both sides bolted in position, 7/16’ socket required.
I was just about to remove them, when the thought occurred how much force should I apply. when I re install them? Out to the garage to get my torx wrench. I recorded the torx required to break the bolts loose, not only on the plate I was taking out but, also on the right side plate bolts as well. I then added up all my recordings and divided them out to find and average. I now have a pretty good idea of,, how much torx is needed to re tighten them. As I mentioned cast iron is brittle. It is possible to over tighten a bolt and crack the plate. Say my average was 25 ft lbs. What I do is alternate between bolts a may bring both bolts to 10 or 15 lbs torx first then another 5 or so and not tighten one fully at once
What surprised me with the heat plate, it was gasketed on the rear side. The older models it just sits there. My second tip, like that of the flue collar, I feel these factory gasketing, are usually not replaced, like common door gaskets. And that once removed, they will never re-seat correctly. I feel that they should be removed and replaced new. Chances are, it was leaking in the first place. Naturally the plate fits in tight quarters and has to be tilted in a certain way to get it back in position. It came out a lot easier than it went back in. This leads me to another help full hint. With a piece of paper write down how you took it out. It will save a lot of trial and error getting things back together. One may have tip the front left side and tilt it in to get it back. Another hints digital photos of how things looked before disassembly and during it.
Since I gotten quite a few e-mails concerning rebuilding.
I want to share some other things I do to make re assembly easier
The worst thing one can do, is go mad disassembling, without thinking ahead?
It is real hard to fit 4 sides cemented into the bottom base all at once and hold them in the correct position. Impossible to do with 2 hands
What I do before I disassemble it ,is make up an internal wood frame or gig with legs with feet. It mirrors the inside assembly of your existing setup. I use drywall screws to attach the wood assembly together. Thinking ahead it will be stuck inside the stove, with drywall and one can disassemble the gig, after the stove has been set. I use a ratcheting band strap around the stove to hold and pull all joints together till the cement sets. Another variation of this may be helpful in re assembly making up another gig that mirrors the external stove box, but make it slightly bigger and use shingle wedges to make up the spacing difference, when it comes to gluing it all together.
Other hints: Some bolts should not be re-used. Get new bolts with a correct thread. New bolt test every socket by screwing in the new bolt. You should be able to hand tighten in the new bolt and back it out. WD40 is a good idea squirted into the sockets. If they work in and out freely, you do not need to do any more. If they encounter resistance, I suggest re- tapping that socket. Think about replacing questionable bolts with stainless steel bolts.
It has been discussed what to do with bolts that are frozen. I will address that situation in a follow up post. I think gasket replacement has also been discussed. The whole purpose of this post is to get you thinking ahead and to avoid common pitfalls. Good Luck
I also noticed the fire favored one side of the firebox. So after a real good cleaning it was time to look around. The right side had that fine brownish residue but the left where the fire seems to favor had some black shiny creosote spots. (Shiny creosote spots are usually an indication of an air leak)
Recently there have been quite a few posts of people rebuilding stoves or partial rehabbing.. It occurred to me that everyone, including myself, is entering into new territory. Myself, I have done some in the past. There are some mechanical procedures and safe guards we should think about. Since none of us have detailed rebuilding specs we are in uncharted territory./
As we all know cast iron is brittle and can break. I want to share some of the precaution steps I take, to avoid replacing good parts. Last night I noticed, (Encore stove), the stove has cast iron heat plates on both sides bolted in position, 7/16’ socket required.
I was just about to remove them, when the thought occurred how much force should I apply. when I re install them? Out to the garage to get my torx wrench. I recorded the torx required to break the bolts loose, not only on the plate I was taking out but, also on the right side plate bolts as well. I then added up all my recordings and divided them out to find and average. I now have a pretty good idea of,, how much torx is needed to re tighten them. As I mentioned cast iron is brittle. It is possible to over tighten a bolt and crack the plate. Say my average was 25 ft lbs. What I do is alternate between bolts a may bring both bolts to 10 or 15 lbs torx first then another 5 or so and not tighten one fully at once
What surprised me with the heat plate, it was gasketed on the rear side. The older models it just sits there. My second tip, like that of the flue collar, I feel these factory gasketing, are usually not replaced, like common door gaskets. And that once removed, they will never re-seat correctly. I feel that they should be removed and replaced new. Chances are, it was leaking in the first place. Naturally the plate fits in tight quarters and has to be tilted in a certain way to get it back in position. It came out a lot easier than it went back in. This leads me to another help full hint. With a piece of paper write down how you took it out. It will save a lot of trial and error getting things back together. One may have tip the front left side and tilt it in to get it back. Another hints digital photos of how things looked before disassembly and during it.
Since I gotten quite a few e-mails concerning rebuilding.
I want to share some other things I do to make re assembly easier
The worst thing one can do, is go mad disassembling, without thinking ahead?
It is real hard to fit 4 sides cemented into the bottom base all at once and hold them in the correct position. Impossible to do with 2 hands
What I do before I disassemble it ,is make up an internal wood frame or gig with legs with feet. It mirrors the inside assembly of your existing setup. I use drywall screws to attach the wood assembly together. Thinking ahead it will be stuck inside the stove, with drywall and one can disassemble the gig, after the stove has been set. I use a ratcheting band strap around the stove to hold and pull all joints together till the cement sets. Another variation of this may be helpful in re assembly making up another gig that mirrors the external stove box, but make it slightly bigger and use shingle wedges to make up the spacing difference, when it comes to gluing it all together.
Other hints: Some bolts should not be re-used. Get new bolts with a correct thread. New bolt test every socket by screwing in the new bolt. You should be able to hand tighten in the new bolt and back it out. WD40 is a good idea squirted into the sockets. If they work in and out freely, you do not need to do any more. If they encounter resistance, I suggest re- tapping that socket. Think about replacing questionable bolts with stainless steel bolts.
It has been discussed what to do with bolts that are frozen. I will address that situation in a follow up post. I think gasket replacement has also been discussed. The whole purpose of this post is to get you thinking ahead and to avoid common pitfalls. Good Luck
