30NC- minor annoyances - suggestions?

[CenterTree]

Those who own this beast might be able to help. (or sympathize)

First: The top door hinge on mine always works it's way up a little each time I open the door.
Eventually I need to get a block of wood and a hammer to tap in back down. Solutions?

Second: The door handle squeaks like a newborn piglet every time I move it. Is there something safe to lube it with? And how?

Third: Damn, I hate the way the inner part of the door latch protrudes. Got several burns as reminders, but still it seems like there could be a better design there. I now try to wear gloves.

Fourth: I wish the primary air-intake lever (push-rod) was not so "in the way". Many a times I have bumped it with my knee as I load the stove. (afraid it may get bent) If I push it in out of the way, I may forget to pull it out while lighting the fire.

Fifth: The doghouse air flow seems to be too concentrated in one spot. It is like a JET-stream or laser beam that just bores a hole straight into the CORE of the fire. Is this natural by design? Is it OK that way?

Sixth: Did I mention that I really do love this stove?



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[bsruther]

Put some graphite in the hinge holes, might solve both problems.
I open the door all the way and haven't had a burn yet, but I'm sure I will at some point.
I think there are some holes on the front underside that can be covered to limit the doghouse air. I haven't needed to cover them, but I can see how someone with a stronger draft might want to.

 

[mopar440_6]

Sympathize, yes. Help, no. I've only really run my stove once and I have the same complaints. I haven't yet had a chance to go to my shop and get some graphite powder for the joints but I also think that would help with the noise. As far as the doghouse drilling through the wood, I try to dig the trench in the coals and load it N/S and it seems to blow the air all the way to the back and circulate around. I made a little coal hoe out of some 1/4 drill rod and a piece of 1-1/2" x 1/8" flat stock about 4" long. I think it's probably going to get cut down to about 2 or 2-1/2".

 

[FTG-05]

On item #3, after I a) burned my arm one time and b) burned a hole in my fleece jammies, I learned to open the door all the way, like all the way out of the way open.

Solves that particular problem.

 

[begreen]

If the door opened on the correct side this wouldn't happen.

 

[Highbeam]

You mean I'm not the only one that's been burned by that latch?

Yes, my hands are freakishly large. Sorry.

 

[BrotherBart]

Yep. All the way open is the only way to go. On the door pin thing, just lift up of the other end of the door and you can push the pin back down. With the finger in the glove. I never even just walk up to a stove without gloves on.

 

[BobUrban]

Gloves and a fully open door has prevented any burns here. I also wish the door was hinged on the right but did not want that option so bad it was worth 12-1500$ to me by purchasing an equivalent stove that opens to the right.

Personally I like the dog house air. allows me to fill NS with a gap as mentioned above and shut it all the way down way earlier than I would expect and let it do its thing. Slowly it builds to a perfect fire.

Latch is rather simple and at first bothered me by design but after using it I appreciate the simplicity and find it very effective. Noisy... Yes but only when I move it which is 2-3x a day. No big deal.

Top pin?? Mine seems to have come up a little but not yet so much I have to monkey with it. I have been opening and shutting the door for 3 yrs so if necessary I will knock it back into place. I would guess your alignment of the hinges is not perfect from manufacture and this is causing the loosening of the pin. Not a lot you can do I don't think other than some lube unless you want to drill and pin the pin. would not be to tough to do if you have access to a drill press. It will take a longer pin that sticks out the bottom a tad so find a pin, drill it and swap them out.

 

[Highbeam]

That pin would have to come way up before it disengaged the frame. I've bopped mine down a couple of times, no big deal.

 

[CenterTree]

Sympathize, yes. Help, no. I've only really run my stove once and I have the same complaints. I haven't yet had a chance to go to my shop and get some graphite powder for the joints but I also think that would help with the noise. As far as the doghouse drilling through the wood, I try to dig the trench in the coals and load it N/S and it seems to blow the air all the way to the back and circulate around. I made a little coal hoe out of some 1/4 drill rod and a piece of 1-1/2" x 1/8" flat stock about 4" long. I think it's probably going to get cut down to about 2 or 2-1/2".

OK, so I got some Liquid Graphite today ( it is marked as "lock fluid" for key holes,etc).
I dribbled a little bit around the door latch both inside and out.
Quite as a church mouse now.

 

[CenterTree]

Personally I like the dog house air. allows me to fill NS with a gap as mentioned above and shut it all the way down way earlier than I would expect and let it do its thing. Slowly it builds to a perfect fire.

Latch is rather simple and at first bothered me by design but after using it I appreciate the simplicity and find it very effective. Noisy... Yes but only when I move it which is 2-3x a day. No big deal.....

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Yeah, I do think the doghouse air works better when loading N/S. As long as I allow a little gap.

When loading E/W I find that the air just labors to cut a hole through the front log until it gets to the next E/W log and so forth. Seems slower too. And I do get a completely different type of fire.

 

[bholler]

we use anit seize on latches and hinges it seems to work well and holds up a long time. But it can be messy