Another Jotul Rangeley problem, cracked fire grate

[waltdog]

Last night I decided to do my routine clean out of the firebox and ash pan. After I had it all cleaned out I noticed the fire grate is cracked. Pretty bad too. I have been burning 24/7 all winter and stovetop temps have always been under 700 except for a handfull of times. Why would a fire grate with two seasons on it be cracked / warped?
Further inspection shows creosote accumulation on the ash pan door. Could air be leaking in here causing the problem?

 

[MasterMech]

If the ashpan door gasket was leaking air then that very well could be the problem. Not to stir up trouble but do you leave the ash pan door cracked when starting up a fire?

 

[begreen]

I hope not. Could be ash impacted behind the ash pan is pushing it up against the door. Or perhaps. some charcoal fragments got crushed in the ash pan door gasket preventing it from closing tightly?

Inspect the base around the grate carefully for any sign of cracking.

 

[waltdog]

Thanks for the replies , I normally keep the main door cracked during start ups. Also when I remove the ashpan I always scoop out the ash pan bay to ensure good door closure. Hopefully ill be able to post a pic of the ash pan gasket as well as the grate.
I did find it online for 61 bucks but still stinks!

 

[jrcurto]

I do not remove ash via the ashpan with my Rangeley. It runs so much better if it always has a full ashpan and 2" of ash on the bottom. Just clean the stove when it burns down some every other day and remove the heaviest product. Into an ash bucket, into a small steel can, and place at a safe distance outside. Some snow or water on top is good and then into the garden(s)

 

[colin.p]

I do not remove ash via the ashpan with my Rangeley. It runs so much better if it always has a full ashpan and 2" of ash on the bottom. Just clean the stove when it burns down some every other day and remove the heaviest product. Into an ash bucket, into a small steel can, and place at a safe distance outside. Some snow or water on top is good and then into the garden(s)

Not to steal this thread, and I can certainly sympathize with the original poster, but this is the first year full year that I have not emptied the ash pan.
This year, I let the pan fill up and just used the shovel to empty the stove out and tried to leave a couple inches of ash in the stove. It is hard to do in a small stove like the F3 ( 2 inches is almost a quarter of the stoves firebox height) , but I found that it is a lot easier in the long run. Not to mention that I also find less ash clouds billowing up and over everything, a lot cleaner and easier cleaning the stove out with the shovel, rather than dealing with a full ash pan. I also don't worry or really care about how sealed the ash pan door gasket is as the door stays closed until I clean it out in the spring.

This way, less chance of the gasket leaking and getting the floor of the stove too hot.