Ashley C60 smoke spillage.

[Old School]

Until I can find a better stove for my situation I have put my grandfathers old Ashley back to use.

From my previous insert install I had to cut a couple of ft off of the liner and install a tee. I have been using it for a couple of days and for one I am amazed at the heat output. It is very warm and I am getting minimal smoke from chimney so I feel like it is burning well. The problem is smoke spillage when loading door is opened. I have tried all the tips of opening primary air ahead of time I have even tried opening ash door and still when door is opened it is immediate spillage. I did a match test inside the stove and the draft pulls the flame up the liner and when a fire is going I can hear it drawing through the liner but when I open the door it stops pulling and spills out.

I used an adjustable elbow from the stove to the snout and I wonder if that is my problem. My question is would replacing the elbow with a straight section of black pipe help or is my issue something else. The snout is 10".


I talked to family members who remember my grandfather using it and they said it always did that, which I believe based on smoke stains on cabinet just above loading door, and one even made the statement all Ashley's do that, but I am not sure that should be the case.

I will attach pics excuse the furnace cement mess the pics were from before I cleaned it up. From the tee the liner goes straight up. It is a basement install.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[Old School]

After continuous burning for 3 days same smoke issue when reloading. At coaling stage if load really fast I can keep the spillage somewhat minimal but this will not work for me long term.

I can take the cap off bottom of tee and feel very strong draft stronger than any shop vac I have ever been around so I almost positive it is an issue in the horizontal section.

Does anyone have any advice?

 

[2broke2ride]

How about a pic looking in the loading door?, this is almost certainly an issue with the design of the stove, I'm thinking the flue outlet is either on the same plane or lower than the loading door. A lot of older stoves had a hinged flap at the top of the door that was supposed to stop smoke roll, my Shenandoah has it but it doesn't work very well. That was the reason for the step top design of fisher and the copy cats, it put the flue outlet higher than the load door thus making it harder for smoke to spill out. Me thinks there is very little if anything you can do about it.

 

[Old School]

Thank you for the reply.

It is just as you described with the outlet lower than the door opening with a small hinged flap. It may very well be something I have to deal for the time being. It is heating very well.

 

[begreen]

I am wondering if one could tack weld a plate at the top of the the opening to help reduce smoke spill?

 

[Old School]

It should be fairly easy to run a test by holding a scrap piece of metal up to the opening while the door is open and see if it helps.

 

[begreen]

That could work, even a board would do for a test. Wear leather gloves.
Depending on the flange of the opening would it be possible to pop rivet or screw a piece of stainless in place?