Baffle Question

[rudysmallfry]

Hi all. Hope you all had a nice summer and scored a lot of free wood. I did my fall chimney cleanout today. Very happy to once again find very little to clean. Glad I didn't try to get away with a few burns prior to cleaning since I found a dead bird on top of my baffle. Not sure how the heck it got all the way in there.

Anyway, my stove is 3 years old. How many seasons can I expect to go on one baffle? If it's not showing any cracks or signs of wear, do I just keep using the same one? My stove is a Hearthstone Heritage in case it varies depending on the stove.

Same question on the stove pipe while I'm asking stupid questions. I've used the same single wall pipe for the past two seasons. Does that stuff have a shelf life?

Thanks guys from a fire loving chick.

 

[summit]

run that baffle till it falls apart... that being said, be careful loading wood into it.. these fiber-ceramic baffles get more brittle w/ age, you don't wanna smash it mid season... get a replacement to have on hand just in case.... if you have 24g stove pipe (thew type you have to snap together on the seam) it'll be good 5-6 yrs on average.. 22g stovepipe (welded or factory rolled seam, heavy) 10+ yrs.

 

[begreen]

Welcome back Rudy. Sounds like you are treating the stove right. You tell us how many years you get out of it with good care. The stove pipe should last at least 20 yrs. I would guess.

 

[Highbeam]

Don't be so hard on the baffle. It is pretty stout and is not a "wear" item. It can be broken and odds are theat you will break it at some point if you are removing it for sweeping or if you are not careful with your wood. It is not supposed to burn out or fall apart, you will be the one that breaks it and forces the replacement which can happen at any time.

Most stoves have this same type of baffle. Perhaps we can get a contest going to see who gets the record. I have shoved 11.5 cords through my heritage and am still on the original baffle.