HI, all new here, I have about a 30 year old Kodiak Stove made by Alaska Co in Bloomsburg, PA close to where I am at and I was wondering if anyone is familiar with this stove, I need to replace the gasket on this stove that I believe to be leaking due to problems banking and burning to ash in a few hours with 3+ inches of coal in the stove and wood added. I got this stove off an uncle who hasnt used in in about 8 yrs and this stove is in excellent shape. It currently has a 1/2 gasket on it which I do not believe is the correct gasket however I may be wrong and that is what I am trying to find out. It is the kodiak with no window and is a double I can get a pic if any needs it or may know what I am talking about, I just tried a 5/8 and it was to big but fit rather nicley so 3/8 would be next but I want to make sure this is the style that goes on the firebox not the doors, thanks all for the help.
30 year old kodiak stove alaska company
- Thread starter Co3Da
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Co3Da said:
I have the double door fisher and on this stove, it does not use a gasket. The gasket was considered the metal lip found around the door. The metal lip of the door fell into a metal channel around the door opening, and that was it.
It sounds as though you have a similar setup. But I am not absolutely certain.
Are you using a damper when burning? Remember this is a pre-epa stove. It isn't going to hold wood like a new one.
pen
Hey yeah it looks very close to that one it has the podium on it and not the legs and a little stumpier up top on the box yeah it does have a lip and also no, I am not yet using a damper I am going to get one here tonight as soon as I find one, they dont sell any 8" anything around here, my girlfriends grandma has one close to the wall but I have a heat reclaimer on mine and was wondering if I can still put it in front of it, I was looking at possibly putting it on that small neck where the smoke pipe fits in like the new ones so I can keep it in the box and not the pipe. SO if I am correct in the mess I just typed your saying that mine was orignally made without one and start using a damper?
Hey! We have one we just installed as a second stove in our addition. Bought it off an older couple down the road for $100. They were converting to a pellet stove. Only problem was the gasket was missing. I put in a 3/8. We have not fired it up yet as the addition isn't finished, but it looks like a correct fit. It is a big, beautiful stove in great condition after all these years.
Bottom line: with an old beast like these, you need to find what works for you.
Now, personally, I wouldn't be using that heat reclaimer as many people have had creosote problems building in them and getting plugged. But, again, if your situation is different than go for it by all means.
If you are using the reclaimer, I don't think I'd use the damper also, might slow down your flue gasses too much.
And when it comes to your door, even though it may not have come with a gasket, you might be able to add a small gasket rope to it and improve how the old girl works. Just be sure you don't put one in too big so that the doors don't close flat or you will have an even bigger air leak!
I find that my first fire in the stove will only burn about 3 hours like you speak of, after that, once I get some coals built up in the stove, then I can burn all night long.
In other words, I can't start the stove at 10pm and load it up and expect an all night burn. Instead, I need to start it about 5pm, let that burn down at 8pm add a few more splits, then 10pm, load it to the gills with a bunch of splits. At this point, I will have built a bunch of coals built up in the bottom and can damper things down but still retain flue temps that will promote clean burning.
good luck and have fun experimenting.
I am currently having a baffle built to include in my stove since it does not have one (yours might, I've heard of some Alaska's that have it). In my stove, you could stick your head in and see right up the chimney! That is why the damper has been so important on mine.
pen
Now, personally, I wouldn't be using that heat reclaimer as many people have had creosote problems building in them and getting plugged. But, again, if your situation is different than go for it by all means.
If you are using the reclaimer, I don't think I'd use the damper also, might slow down your flue gasses too much.
And when it comes to your door, even though it may not have come with a gasket, you might be able to add a small gasket rope to it and improve how the old girl works. Just be sure you don't put one in too big so that the doors don't close flat or you will have an even bigger air leak!
I find that my first fire in the stove will only burn about 3 hours like you speak of, after that, once I get some coals built up in the stove, then I can burn all night long.
In other words, I can't start the stove at 10pm and load it up and expect an all night burn. Instead, I need to start it about 5pm, let that burn down at 8pm add a few more splits, then 10pm, load it to the gills with a bunch of splits. At this point, I will have built a bunch of coals built up in the bottom and can damper things down but still retain flue temps that will promote clean burning.
good luck and have fun experimenting.
I am currently having a baffle built to include in my stove since it does not have one (yours might, I've heard of some Alaska's that have it). In my stove, you could stick your head in and see right up the chimney! That is why the damper has been so important on mine.
pen
My parents have a huge Kodiak insert. I can't remember what size gasket it uses but it's common. If you have a piece of it left take it with you to the hardware store and compare.
EDIT - gasket material is cheap. Buy a couple different sizes and try them in the slot before gluing.
EDIT - gasket material is cheap. Buy a couple different sizes and try them in the slot before gluing.
Thanks guys for the help I did find a damper for it last night and wondered into ace they have a ton off odd numbered gaskets so I got a 1/4-3/4 which is a flat gasket that fits perfectly in there you have to put a little power on it to even it out and get it tight but not bad, I do have a baffle on mine it is welded onto the back of the stove. tommorow I am going to put this damper on the first section of pipe and see what happens worst case scenerio it stays open all the time but its still there just in case. My reclaimer does get heavy creasote but I clean my pipe often cuz I also have a metelbestos chimney (ssII) so it takes me roughly 10 min to clean everything, very easy.
The first stove I ever owned was a Kodiak,I bought it shortly after I got married in 1978 to heat a bi level that we had built,they are great old stoves.I have one similar to it now that I use to heat this place.Good luck with it.
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