Dialing in the Drolet Escape (1500, 1800 and inserts)

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EbS-P said:
Nice work! Hope it works out this winter. How long a bead did you weld at a time? My concern would be warping the front?
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I used two welders. Stick welded with 7018AC the lower indented area. I ran a full rod lengths across the section. I was not concerned about warping for two reasons: 1. it already was indented from the manufacturing process and that is what I was trying to fix and 2. there is a lot of structure supporting that section.
For the bead I used a 90 amp welder with .030 " flux core wire. There was not excessive heat from this set up. I ran each side as best I could. I am a self taught novice. I was not stacking dimes. There was a lot of grinding and redoing. I needed to fill in gaps and had to change the corners to properly follow gasket path. It was a lot longer process than I expected.
 
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moresnow said:
@Woodcutter Tom
Guessing you contacted sbi with your warped stove body issue? Curious what they had to say.
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I did discuss this with SBI. There is another thread about this. Sent them multiple emails, photos, videos. SBI ended up warrantying the stove. They sent a replacement. They did not want to original back. When I got the replacement, first thing I did was check the front. It seemed to have the same inward recession although not as bad. I took photos and sent to SBI, but never heard back. I decided to leave the new stove in it's crate in the garage. At the time I did not see any reason install it.
Last week I looked at the replacement stove again. Although it has a bit of inward recess, it is not as bad as I thought it was, and not nearly as bad as the original. Since I put the work into the original, I will see how that works out.
 
Now I recall your other thread. Got it.
I wonder if a properly placed bottle jack (lying flat inside the stove and properly supported at top and bottom) might gently encourage the inboard bend to move back out? Even steel that has moved due to welding etc. usually has some ability to move left in it.
Believe I'd at least consider that as an option if all current adjustments need a little more help.
A thought.
Maybe this has been tried?
 
moresnow said:
Now I recall your other thread. Got it.
I wonder if a properly placed bottle jack (lying flat inside the stove and properly supported at top and bottom) might gently encourage the inboard bend to move back out? Even steel that has moved due to welding etc. usually has some ability to move left in it.
Believe I'd at least consider that as an option if all current adjustments need a little more help.
A thought.
Maybe this has been tried?
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There is more to the front than just the front plate. Attached is a drawing of the stove cut-away in a front-to-back (N-S) manner. Running across the front of the stove on the inside is the primary air chamber. This chamber takes air from a hole in the bottom center of the stove and flows it left and right to the corners. The air flows up on each side to the top where it is able to flow down over the door glass as the air wash. The chamber is made up of three pieces; the stove front, the stove bottom, and a piece of rounded angle iron which makes up the top and inside.
Placing a bottle jack on the inside would press against the rear stove panel and the primary air chamber. The weaker part would be the rear of the stove. I see bending the rear panel outward instead of moving the front panel. Thanks for the idea.

[Hearth.com] Dialing in the Drolet Escape (1500, 1800 and inserts)
 
I just received my brand new Drolet Escape1800 and will be installing it soon. This thread has me a little spooked. Since there are only a couple people reporting I hope the issues presented here are not the norm for these stoves but are only rare and isolated.

I know I haven't posted much on these forums but I have been reading a lot and the knowledge here has helped me a lot. When I finally start burning my 1800 I'll be be sure to report my experience.
 
ZC
oilcan1001 said:
I just received my brand new Drolet Escape1800 and will be installing it soon. This thread has me a little spooked. Since there are only a couple people reporting I hope the issues presented here are not the norm for these stoves but are only rare and isolated.

I know I haven't posted much on these forums but I have been reading a lot and the knowledge here has helped me a lot. When I finally start burning my 1800 I'll be be sure to report my experien
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How tall is the chimney? What is your altitude? Do you have a key damper? Do you have a way to measure flue gas temps?

The stove are designed well. But the consensus here is if you have a tall chimney you probably need a damper. That’s true for almost any stove. Don’t be worried just be thoughtful.
 
EbS-P said:
ZC


How tall is the chimney? What is your altitude? Do you have a key damper? Do you have a way to measure flue gas temps?

The stove are designed well. But the consensus here is if you have a tall chimney you probably need a damper. That’s true for almost any stove. Don’t be worried just be thoughtful.
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ZC ------ not sure

How tall is the chimney? ------about 14' from stove top to chimney cap
What is your altitude? ------ 4800ft
Do you have a key damper? -------- no
Do you have a way to measure flue gas temps?---------- magnetic thermometer and IR gun for confirmation

Don’t be worried just be thoughtful. ------ Often I'm told that I'm over-thoughtful,,, lol

Cheers
 
oilcan1001 said:
ZC ------ not sure

How tall is the chimney? ------about 14' from stove top to chimney cap
What is your altitude? ------ 4800ft
Do you have a key damper? -------- no
Do you have a way to measure flue gas temps?---------- magnetic thermometer and IR gun for confirmation

Don’t be worried just be thoughtful. ------ Often I'm told that I'm over-thoughtful,,, lol

Cheers
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You should not need a damper. 14’ at elevation it might have a weak draft until it gets warmed up or outside temps fall. Pay attention if you have a well sealed house and consider an outside air kit if possible. Post back if you have any questions.
 
EbS-P said:
You should not need a damper. 14’ at elevation it might have a weak draft until it gets warmed up or outside temps fall. Pay attention if you have a well sealed house and consider an outside air kit if possible. Post back if you have any questions.
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Thanks for the input.
I'll post my results after a few fires.
 
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Welcome to the DROLET Escape family. I hope you get many years of enjoyment and heat out of your new stove.
I suggest a digital probe for measuring flue temps. The magnetic thermometer and IR gun are good for the stove top. A probe like one of the Auber units will give you the true flue gas temps.
 
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Woodcutter Tom said:
Welcome to the DROLET Escape family. I hope you get many years of enjoyment and heat out of your new stove.
I suggest a digital probe for measuring flue temps. The magnetic thermometer and IR gun are good for the stove top. A probe like one of the Auber units will give you the true flue gas temps.
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Is an IR gun not sufficient or accurate for a single wall stove pipe ?