So I take the day off yesterday to do 2 things- fix my auger squeak and work on my son's car while he is home for spring break. Complicating the auger fix, the ex wife was over and didn't quite listen to me when I said I burn my peanut, pistachio, and other nut shells rather than throwing them away by tossing them on the fire, not running them through the normal way. So when I start to work on the stove, I see the hopper bottom covered with peanut shells and a handful on the wear plate. She was cleaning up and "didn't hear" my whole statement about burning them. That is why she is an ex. Anyway, I have a laugh and I am taking it totally down anyway, spinning it around to work on it in comfort, so it is no big deal. The gasket on the lower auger bearing block falls apart, so I spend some time trying to remember where I saw a piece of gasket material. Make up the gasket, fits perfectly, and go throughout the day working on the stove and the car. Starts to cool off outside and I figure it is a good time to fire her up and see just how quiet she is. Lights right up, with the help of a trigger torch and a 5 dollar bottle of propane that costs about 8 bucks. But as the stove warms, although it is very quiet, I smell smoke more than normal. Everything LOOKS OK. To the right of my stove is my patio door, which was ajar, as it was still warm and I love the fresh air. Funny, smells stronger by the door. Oh, OH! Did I ever put the clean-out cap back in my outside tee? My shop vac is still out there, and as I walk around the corner there is the cap- right where I left it, on top of the chair cushion storage thing. This could have ended very, very badly, as there is dry grass under the tee, about 2 1/2 feet down! So, I guess this will be a reminder for me, to re-check my work before I light her up!
To make it worse, I just noticed a faint auger squeak again! Back to the drawing board! Good thing it is getting warmer!
Bill
To make it worse, I just noticed a faint auger squeak again! Back to the drawing board! Good thing it is getting warmer!
Bill
