Buying used Harman XXV - indoor air quality concerns

[marleyandbowie]

I just acquired a used Harman XXV which spent about 10 years in a 1950s house. I'm concerned that the house had issues with mold and potentially some airborne asbestos from various sources. I used a leaf blower to blow out most of the loose dust from the burn area and the lower back inside part of the stove, but there is quite a bit of dust and grime caked on and inside the internal components that would take hours and hours of meticulous cleaning to remove. I'd imagine that anything in the path of air flow would be of concern, especially the distribution blower wheels and the area behind the fresh air intake hole. I'm guessing that a full disassembly would be required, and possibly replacing some parts, if I wanted to be 100% sure that I didn't contaminate my household air.

How would you guys deal with this situation? Am I worrying about nothing here or would you guys fully take this thing apart and clean every square inch of it?

 

[Washed-Up]

W oils you post some photos? And if it were me, completely disassemble, clean, oil everything. Especially if there was asbestos involved

 

[Ssyko]

W oils you post some photos? And if it were me, completely disassemble, clean, oil everything. Especially if there was asbestos involved

What he said! I alway gut the stove and blow it out with compressed air also

 

[marleyandbowie]

Do you guys think someone with minimal/no mechanical experience is capable of gutting, cleaning and re-assembling the stove on a tight timeline? Do I need any special tools and how long do you think it would take for someone doing it the first time?

 

[Washed-Up]

The distribution blower can be done with a toothbrush and compressed air or vacuum on the fins, use a bottle brush on the heat exchangers and vacuum, toothbrush on the caked on dust….oil the shaft closest to the motor(both sides)on the combustion blower…that’s to deal with any asbestos. As for the inside, bull the baffles and the plate under the burnpot to get all of the settled ash. This should only take a few hours and can be done by anyone with minimal experience. Also…I need to proof read…could you post some photos?

 

[Mt Bob]

My first thought,after reading this, was- "this is someone who probably should not have a pellet or wood stove". But, OK,will play nice. First, there is a better chance that box your new big screen TV from China came in getting you sick,than that stove.
As said, high air pressure is your friend. What most would do-- remove all the motors. This should be done anyway because the stove is used. Clean and lube them,if lube is possible,most are. Remove all "easily" removable panels, especially all and any that are "inside", covering the firebox, exhaust and room air passageways. This also lets you "learn" your stove, so you will learn about proper cleaning and maintenance. Most would also remove the control panel,and vac. switch, so they do not get damaged in the next process. Take stove outside, blow everywhere,inside and out,with air pressure. Wear gloves,mask and eye protection. Wood dust in lungs can give you an infection. A little wind helps keep stuff away from worker. Any "clumpy" areas, feel free to brush and scrape. Put back together,replace any questionable seals and gaskets, and you would be ready for quite some years. However, if "restoring", the next step would be remove all other electrics(harness and such) all gaskets, use degreaser and pressure wash,inside and out. This rarely happens, except for people refubing it for a sale. Anyway,hope this helps. A good looking stove from Harman,but not the best heat output,in my opinion.
Oh, be sure and clean the "pots" when putting stove back together.

 

[zrock]

I very much doubt you will have to worry about mold in the stove as the heat will kill that and burn it off... As far as as asbestos goes unless they were doing a renovation and did not do proper asbestos removal their should be no chance of contamination in the stove as asbestos does not get airborne until its disturbed.. If your worried about it the leaf blower is not your friend on this as it puts everything into the air.. you would need a lite mixture of soap and water and spray the area you are working keeping it wet and have to scrape it down and put into a bag.. of course wearing a mask, gloves, and some throw away coveralls.... But like i said the chances of having that in the stove is very slim.. To do a full clean on a stove usually takes a couple of hours anyway and you will never get the stove 100% apart to get all the areas.