Cracks in my wood stove

[theora55]

Waterford Fionn. It has a 2ndary burn chamber. My stove overfired, not sure why. Impossible to get anyone to come look at it any time soon. last cleaned 2 years ago, as didn't want anyone extra in the house during Covid. Tends to run clean, little creosote when the sweep visits. It got up to @ 700, and I closed the front vent as well as the rear vent. After it cooled, I discovered small cracks, see picture. Nor'easter about to come to Maine with wind and @ 12" snow. I haven't fired it up since the day it overfired, plan to replace it. But, if I lose power, would it be safe to have a small fire? The smaller crack is @ 3/8", larger is @ 6/8". thanks.

 

[begreen]

Drill a small 1/16" hole at the end of each crack. That will help stop the spread. You should be ok with a small fire.

 

[Isaac Carlson]

Drill a small 1/16" hole at the end of each crack. That will help stop the spread. You should be ok with a small fire.

just make sure you actually get the end of the crack.

 

[peakbagger]

The normal approach is drill through the casting about 1/8" past the visible end point of each crack.Use a new sharp drill bit and keep it lubricated with oil while drilling.

You can get more technical by doing dye penetrant testing to find the actual end of the crack. https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/articles/testing-cracks-home-diy-dye-penetrants/

The sad thing is there really is no permanent fix to undo the cracks. Drilling them will stop them from getting worse and you can get years of life off the stove. I do not see it failing suddenly. Unless the stove has special significance, if you can buy a new top its likely the cost is going to exceed the value of the stove.

 

[Isaac Carlson]

I have drilled cracks in windshields to save them. It works very well. No idea how many I've drilled. I drilled two of them on my windshield last summer with excellent results.

 

[john26]

If you have a sick welder you could weld it with nickel cadmium rod make sure to drill the holes at the ends of the crack and pre heat the cast iron

 

[Isaac Carlson]

If you have a sick welder you could weld it with nickel cadmium rod make sure to drill the holes at the ends of the crack and pre heat the cast iron

I have seen pre heat and no pre heat with short welds to limit heat, both seem to work. I have an air compressor flywheel I might try mig welding. I've brazed plenty as well, but I sometimes get stoves hot enough to melt brazing.

 

[theora55]

The normal approach is drill through the casting about 1/8" past the visible end point of each crack.Use a new sharp drill bit and keep it lubricated with oil while drilling.

You can get more technical by doing dye penetrant testing to find the actual end of the crack. https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/articles/testing-cracks-home-diy-dye-penetrants/

The sad thing is there really is no permanent fix to undo the cracks. Drilling them will stop them from getting worse and you can get years of life off the stove. I do not see it failing suddenly. Unless the stove has special significance, if you can buy a new top its likely the cost is going to exceed the value of the stove.

Thanks. I am not likely to attempt this, but I appreciate the reassurance about sudden catastrophic failure. I'm shopping for the replacement, may need to run the stove because the heating system is wonky, and temps are low in Maine. The stove has one other crack, the collar that connects to stove pipe. It's been a great stove, but I think it's time to replace it.