Avalon Arbor

[benjsuth]

Hello, I have a question about my Avalon Arbor wood stove. Does anybody know where the air comes into the stove for combustion? There is a combustor on the bottom rear inside the firebox. It has small air holes in it as well as slots for smoke to escape. I'm not sure if this is the only inlet for air. I have a problem with the small air holes plugging with ash. I can't close the bypass damper without the fire going out. If I leave the damper open it burns well. I vacuumed the holes out and it seemed to work better but they plug back up very quickly. I have recently had a brand new stainless stack installed straight up through the roof which helped with the draft. I can't keep letting the fire go out every other day to clean out those little holes. Is there anything I can do to keep this from happening? Am I doing something wrong? The shop I bought the stove from said the holes won't plug because they have air running through them.

 

[Shane]

It comes in the front of the firebox in the center.

 

[pyro68]

how long have you had your Arbor? If it's been a while, when the stove is cold, reach your hand in one of the slots in the back, you should feel a "baffle" coming down, you should be able to feel the bottom, (if your fingers are long enough). There will be some residue there, but if you have big chunks there that needs to be cleaned out. The ash can also get to the air intake in the back, if you are seeing more resistance when you are sliding the air control in or out, may need to check that as well. I took mine apart & cleaned it, made a big difference.

 

[Todd]

Wet firewood?

 

[benjsuth]

Thanks for your replies. I will have to check the slots on the bottom of the firebox like you suggested. The wood is good and seasoned and dry. Thanks for letting me know where the air comes into the firebox. I will check all this out first chance I get. You have been a big help, I couldn't get a good or straight answer from anyone in the stove shops in my area.

 

[woodburn]

It comes in the front of the firebox in the center.

Are you sure about this? I have an Arbor and always thought the air is introduced at the rear. The air control lever you push in and out is in the front of the stove, but the arm runs all the way to the back of the stove where the closing/opening of the air takes place. If you get your head down by the floor and look up at the bottom of the stove you can see this.

Just get that sucker real hot before closing the bypass. I wait until stovetop is 400 minimum. Also air contol must be fully open when you close the bypass. Leave it fully open for a good 20 minutes before you slowly start to air down- I do 3 small increments about 10-15 minutes apart. Remember, you won't see a lot of flames (if any) with that bypass shut. That doesn't mean the fire is out.