Hello. I have a blaze king ashford 30.1. It was installed in 2015 and I have had the smoke smell since it was new. (I have posted about it on here previously). I have just learned to live with it. Now I have a new issue. When the stove is on high I'm hearing an air leak sound around the top of the hinge side of the door. I have done the dollar bill test and it's fine. I also have a different gasket that blaze king had my dealer install to help with the smoke smell. The checked the glass and it feels tight. When I run the stove on low I don't hear it. What's my next step to figure out this air leak? Thanks for your help.
Blaze king ashford 30.1 smoke smell/ air leak.
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Where is the seam in your gasket? At the same place? (Puzzled why an air leak would exist when the dollar bill test is ok - suggests a channel in the gasket rather than a leak because of warped door or flattened gasket...)
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I can't make out where the seam is, but the top of the gasket seems to be too low. I.e. your door needs to be hung higher; the impression of the knife edge in the gasket is not centered enough.
Not sure how that correlates with smell from a corner though.
Not sure how that correlates with smell from a corner though.
I would agree that it's not centered. But The bottom knife edge is similar. So if I adjusted the door for the top knife edge to be centered it would throw off the bottom knife edge. I'm not as worried about the smoke smell as I am the air leak sound. I have learned to live with the smell. Just not sure if the two issues are related.
Ok. I couldn't see the bottom well. If that's the case, the gasket could have been installed better, imo.
Indeed, if air is going in at a rate you can hear, that's a problem (for burn control and for the cat).
I don't see evidence of that on the door. You wiped the glass though. The gasket is clean though.
I can't hear it from here (...) but I'd see if you can confirm where it rushes in using smoke; see if it gets sucked in.
Also, have you checked that the window is still without play? Put two flat hands, one inside and one outside, see if you can move the glass?
Indeed, if air is going in at a rate you can hear, that's a problem (for burn control and for the cat).
I don't see evidence of that on the door. You wiped the glass though. The gasket is clean though.
I can't hear it from here (...) but I'd see if you can confirm where it rushes in using smoke; see if it gets sucked in.
Also, have you checked that the window is still without play? Put two flat hands, one inside and one outside, see if you can move the glass?
No, you DON'T have to live with the smoke smell. Make sure the loading door is good and tight. If it still emits smoke you might need a 7/8" gasket and door shims. Call Blaze King, talk to them about this and give them the serial number.
I have talked with blaze king about the smoke smell several times before. They did send my dealer out to install a different gasket and check the shims. I think It did help but didn't eliminate the smell.
Then, adjust the door latch to be very tight. Make sure to mark the initial position with a pencil and gradually tighten it. I use a molybdenum dry spray on the latch roller to prevent binding and easy latching and it works very well. It lasts year to year. I am 99.999% smoke free whereas before it was intolerable. The Ashford is a dream stove.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Are you sure the noise you're hearing is indeed air being pulled in thru the gasket, and not whooshing thru some internal passage associated with the air wash system?
I agree with stoveliker, time to get some incense. Fire up the sitar, if it helps.
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I agree with stoveliker, time to get some incense. Fire up the sitar, if it helps.
It's very possible it's not from air being pulled in thru the gasket. It's just a sound I have never heard in the 6 or 7 years that I have been burning full time.
They used a 7/8" gasket on mine . If a 3/4" gasket was used, that might very well be the problem.
I can double check. The dealer left the paperwork and instructions from blazeking when they installed the gasket that was supposed to fix the smoke smell.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
BK was experimenting with a new gasket material or geometry, for the handful of hearth.com posters who were experiencing this smoke smell issue. From my memory, it had worked in most cases, but BKVP could give better detail on that. I do remember there were one or two cases that were either never solved, or resulted in the customer just getting too frustrated to continue the experiments, and swapping their Ashfords out for another stove.
It was a real bummer to watch people go thru that, since they're really a fantastic stove when you're not dealing with a smoke smell issue, and BK has been a great company to deal with support.
One other thing I failed to mention is the 7/8" gasket that was installed was graphite loaded. That may or may not make a difference. After firing the stove creosote accumulates on and within the gasket and that is the only thing I smell. Creo is stinky stuff especially if it is hot. No smoke leakage. The smell can only be sensed if you hang your nose directly over the stove. I believe little tornadoes within the stove actually blow the smoke through the gasket to produce the smoke smell. It is difficult to see the thickness difference between a 7/8" and a 3/4" gasket. Perhaps the door warps slightly upon heating in the stoves that are prone to being smelly.
Was your smoke smell fixed? I have a brand new installation and have smoke smell leaking around the door at all temp settings. The whole downstairs smells like smoke. I reached out the the dealer / installer and they are sending someone out. I'm not happy.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
I actually never had a smoke smell from either of my Ashfords, but I watched some others go thru it. As I said above, I believe all but two of the original (roughly dozen) cases were resolved. BKVP had mentioned to me that there was no single issue, there were various and differing shortcomings on several of the installs, but there was also a special gasket which resolved at least a few of those cases.
While only limited details were shared with me, I got the sense that the two cases that were reported as "unresolved" suffered from the customer being already too frustrated to participate in finding a fix. This may be due to the time it took to recognize the pattern(s), as some of the first customers to experience this issue had to wait for more cases to turn up, before BK could identify the patterns and test some fixes. I do know the two stoves that came out of these homes were later put into other homes, and exhibited no smoke smell issue, indicating the issue may be more dependent on installation than the stove itself.
I'd suggest you contact BK directly, either by PM'ing @BKVP or by calling his offices (phone number is posted all over this forum). They will do their best to get your issue resolved, especially if your installer is too busy this time of year to get back to it in a timely manner. The Ashfords have been excellent stoves for us, so I hope you do get it resolved. I know having it stink up the house is frustrating, to say the least.
@bmikeb can you flesh out your install details? Location of stove in the home. Stove venting system composition/description from stove collar to cap. Pictures of install. Indoor and outdoor pics of your pipe, roof penetration location etc. Hang in there! Good luck.
I'll get some pics.
The collar (top of stove) to the bottom of the first horizontal pipe is 20"-21". According to BK paperwork this is too short but I don't think it's the issue and I'll explain why.
A little less than 24" horizontal run to about a 3' 22 degree dogleg to 23' more straight up.
In the basement with an OAK.
6" double wall something pipe.
The smell of smoke comes from the door when closed, even if the fire has been raging with the door cracked and have a super hot flue. I think the specs may be bare minimum for draft but this is happening on all settings.
The ONLY time it does not stink, is on ANY setting when the fire has burned down to coals near the rear. Seems to leak more when the fire is first lit and for the next 3-12 hours. That's why I don't think the issue is draft but I don't know everything.
