Where Are the Air Intake Vent(s) on a Hearthstone Shelburne?

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DanCorcoran

Minister of Fire
Jan 5, 2010
2,205
Richmond, VA
In a separate thread, FirefighterJake has described his "OH S**T" moment as his stove neared overfiring. He suggested we all know where are air intakes are, so that we can block them.

Can someone tell me where it (or they) are on a Shelburne? I assume it, or they, are on the bottom front left corner, where the air control lever is. Is that correct? And what do you use to block it? (Saran Wrap sounds good, but would probably melt in a situation like that.)
 
Bumpity bumpity bump...
 
Check rear lower left (if you're facing the stove). That's where it is on my heritage. It's a circular opening, about 3" in diameter.
 
I just returned from the cabin, where I checked out the air intake. It appears to be a rectangular opening, approximately 1" wide by 3" long, located beneath the front left corner. With a mirror, you can see the air control lever moving a slide across the opening. When fully closed, there appears still to be a 1/8" by 1" opening...thus the air intake is not fully closed, even though the air control lever is in the fully closed position.

Does it make sense that:

- the entire air intake opening could be only 1" x 3" ?

- there would remain a small opening (1/8" x 1"), with the air control lever in the fully closed position ?

If the above are both true, then to seal off the air intake in the event of a runaway fire, do I merely need to seal off that last small opening?

Thanks to anyone who can contribute some knowledge...
 
I had a fire in my new Hearthstone Shelburne yesterday that heated too quickly for my comfort, so I'm reviving this thread. My understanding is that there is only one air intake on the left front of the stove, and it doesn't close all the way. Has anyone had any success with sealing the air intake to starve the fire? My stovetop was reading close to 600 with an IR thermometer. I had the air fully closed, put a fan on the stove and just sat and waited it out. I tried putting some foil over the air, but that didn't make any changes. The only reason that I say that I was concerned is that the tubes at the inside top of the stove started to turn red. Also, I was taking temperatures of the fire through the glass. How accurate are those readings? What temperature should the actual fire be under?
 
It sounds like the stove is performing just as it should. Climbing to 600 even with the air "off" is right on track.
Taking readings through the glass are very inaccurate. The reflection on the glass messes with the IR.
 
I used a "plug" of alumimun foil on my old VC Encore to block the air intake. Now just a pleasant memory.
 
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I used a "plug" of alumimun foil on my old VC Encore to block the air intake. Now just a pleasant memory.
Ya, down draft stoves should come with a plug. For the occasional, unexplained, uncontrollable fire.:rolleyes:
 
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I had a fire in my new Hearthstone Shelburne yesterday that heated too quickly for my comfort, so I'm reviving this thread. My understanding is that there is only one air intake on the left front of the stove, and it doesn't close all the way. Has anyone had any success with sealing the air intake to starve the fire? My stovetop was reading close to 600 with an IR thermometer. I had the air fully closed, put a fan on the stove and just sat and waited it out. I tried putting some foil over the air, but that didn't make any changes. The only reason that I say that I was concerned is that the tubes at the inside top of the stove started to turn red. Also, I was taking temperatures of the fire through the glass. How accurate are those readings? What temperature should the actual fire be under?

I am going to guess that you have at least one other air inlet. If you need to shut off all air because of a runaway.. which I personally doubt you had, 600 is or should be just fine for a cast iron stove. It is the listed top temp for the stone stoves, but I know of one that has been a bit over, it hasn't shattered yet.

On a EPA non-cat stove, there is primary air.. that you, the user, can control.. AND secondary air that you cannot. Looking under the stove, in the back , you should find 1 or 2 "holes" in the casting, and they should more or less correspond with some sort of riser in the inside of the stove going up to the secondary manifold. Blocking those will also be needed if you are trying to cut off all air in case of emergency. BTW.. when your stove is working properly.. which it apparently was TRYING to do.. those tubes with holes in them in the top inside of your stove are supposed to be glowing. That is where said secondary air is injected into the firebox, causing the complete burning of any left over gasses and such. In fact, when the stove is running "right" those things should look like gas jets.

On our Mansfield, there are two primary inlets, and two secondary. I keep the secondaries blocked at about 50% because I have a crazy strong draft. I made little sliding panels held in place with magnets, and fine tuned the secondary burn to my needs.

As far as the temperature of the fire... why?? who cares?? an an IR cannot take a temperature through the "glass" that is accurate.
 
I'm not at the cabin, but if I remember correctly, there is a secondary air intake under the back of the stove. Don't remember if it was center or right rear, but I used a mirror to find it. If supplies air up through the metal duct running up the back of the firebox, on the inside. I figure I'd use a wad of aluminum foil to plug it, if I have a runaway fire.
 
Thanks for all of your feedback. I agree that it was probably ok last night. (The only thought, should I be worried that the tubes at the top of the box started to go red?). My question was more a matter of what to do in case. Dan, I see a nozzle at the right rear. I'll play with that the next time I have a roaring fire going. Like I said, this is a new stove for us and we are new to wood stoves. My experience has been more like tonight, where I've loaded the box on some coals and I'm nursing it to fully catch so I can go to bed. Last night, there were still some logs burning when I decided to load it up again. It got so hot so quickly, if made me fear that it was running away from me.
 
Yes, when your secondaries are burning, plug up the hole underneath in the back and see if there isn't a big reduction in their flames. That should verify it.
 
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