Hello all, my name is Chris and this is my first post on this forum. I have a Napoleon 1401 insert that we use as supplemental heat in our home (since 2006).
I've had a problem with the insert getting too hot for some time. The original fiber baffles that came with it barely lasted the first winter. I replaced with split fire bricks. This worked pretty well, but it was still really easy for it to overfire (650 deg. +). A few years ago I also modified the air control to allow the primary inlet to be almost completly covered. The stove heated great, I just couldn't/can't really load it up or it gets too hot.
This year I purchased the new and approved baffles released by Napoleon as a "fix." They are a low-density cement-based baffles which are 2" thick. I also replaced the door gasket (again) to complete the maintenance. This helped considerably; the stove top cruises now at around 450.
That was until last night. Confident that the stove was under control, I loaded it up with oak/hickory splits (split/covered for a full year), N/S, on top of a nice bed of glowing coals. I watched it for an hour with the draft only about 10% open. The flames were lazy; I would say starved for air if anything, but I just let it be thinking it would be a pretty "cool" burn. I have the normal Rutland thermometer sitting on the top/middle of the insert with one easy modification. I place a small sheet metal screw upside down (point sticking up)on the dial of the thermometer. The screw is so light that the dial easily pushes the screw along/around the face and of course the screw is left at the highest temperature.
The scale of the thermometer goes to 850 deg.; It was past that this morning! The fire was long out and only a bed of coals left. The stove top temperature was down to only around 200.
This really scared me and I'm at a loss of what too do. I could of closed the air control a little more (not much though) but than the fire probably would of been snuffed out/or would of burned for a long time at too low of temperatures. The fans were running on the stove at about 30%. The stove is connected to a 6" liner, straight up about 20-feet. The liner is in a factory-build fireplace/flu (Napoleon says this is OK) with tripple-walled pipe. The pipe is NOT insulated and it was cold (for Georgia) last night; about 20 degrees.
Any thoughts? Thanks in advance for any input. -Chris
I've had a problem with the insert getting too hot for some time. The original fiber baffles that came with it barely lasted the first winter. I replaced with split fire bricks. This worked pretty well, but it was still really easy for it to overfire (650 deg. +). A few years ago I also modified the air control to allow the primary inlet to be almost completly covered. The stove heated great, I just couldn't/can't really load it up or it gets too hot.
This year I purchased the new and approved baffles released by Napoleon as a "fix." They are a low-density cement-based baffles which are 2" thick. I also replaced the door gasket (again) to complete the maintenance. This helped considerably; the stove top cruises now at around 450.
That was until last night. Confident that the stove was under control, I loaded it up with oak/hickory splits (split/covered for a full year), N/S, on top of a nice bed of glowing coals. I watched it for an hour with the draft only about 10% open. The flames were lazy; I would say starved for air if anything, but I just let it be thinking it would be a pretty "cool" burn. I have the normal Rutland thermometer sitting on the top/middle of the insert with one easy modification. I place a small sheet metal screw upside down (point sticking up)on the dial of the thermometer. The screw is so light that the dial easily pushes the screw along/around the face and of course the screw is left at the highest temperature.
The scale of the thermometer goes to 850 deg.; It was past that this morning! The fire was long out and only a bed of coals left. The stove top temperature was down to only around 200.
This really scared me and I'm at a loss of what too do. I could of closed the air control a little more (not much though) but than the fire probably would of been snuffed out/or would of burned for a long time at too low of temperatures. The fans were running on the stove at about 30%. The stove is connected to a 6" liner, straight up about 20-feet. The liner is in a factory-build fireplace/flu (Napoleon says this is OK) with tripple-walled pipe. The pipe is NOT insulated and it was cold (for Georgia) last night; about 20 degrees.
Any thoughts? Thanks in advance for any input. -Chris