Alderlea T6 First fire, question

[240onts]

First little fire tonight, already love the stove. It seems to pull air (draft) through the ash door though. Is this proper?

 

[Sprinter]

It shouldn't. Make sure the ash door is well seated. If it is pulling air, that would disturb the normal operation. The only air should come through the provided air control. This is one reason a lot of users don't like to use the ash tray at all because sometimes they don't seal back up. Personally, I prefer to scoop the ash out with a shovel into a metal ash can.

Having said that, what are you observing that looks like the ash door is leaking?

 

[240onts]

The load of wood is burnt more around the ash door, kinda like a hot spot on your BBQ. I would not have got the ash door but this stove was demo, it had been burned in the store, and I got a good deal on it. I will try to seal it today and will just leave it alone.

 

[begreen]

The ash pan is not a sealed unit on these stoves. The primary air intake is up front, above the ash pan. Pull the pan and take a mirror and flashlight and you will see it. That said, are you referring to the ash pit trap door? If yes, it sounds like there is a coal stuck in it, preventing from tight closure. It will need to be cleaned out.

FWIW, I never use the ash system on the stove. It's not a great design. Instead I make sure the ash trap door is sealing well, then fill the ash pit cavity with ash. Ash build up gets shoveled out the stove door. Our stove has been run this way for the past 6 seasons.

 

[240onts]

Thanks begreen. I will try to seal the pit door and will shovelling out the ash.

 

[madison]

Once you begin to use the stove more frequently, you can allow the chute to pack with ash. If you see a white hot flame in the area of the chute once you have a full load of wood in the stove, I would again investigate the ash chute for leaks. I've considered sealing it with high temp silicone but have not yet done this.