Dumb question...ash pan gasket on a Castile insert ?

[Jonkman]

Hi

I was watching another thread ($10 OAK install) and the poster (Dwig) had taped his ash pan shut on his castile to stop air flow so the OAK is more efficient. I just installed an OAK for my castile insert and then saw his post.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads...rt-successful-experiment.149147/#post-2003332

Does the castile really just draw air in from the ask drawer area? If so, why did I add an OAK? From googling I see the older castiles had ash pan gaskets, but not recent models. I know I can just open the front facade and see the ash pane and even the burn pot and igniter right through the gaps around the ash pan. Maybe I shouldn't have wasted my time and money putting in an OAK if it's just sucking in air from the room anyways. I haven't looked at the design to see if I can even add a gasket and still use the ash pan. Mine is a new castile (2015)

Opinions?

 

[Dwig]

Even without an ash pan gasket, most of the air will come through the OAK. The air will take the path of least resistance, which is surely the OAK. In order for the air to come in through the ash pan area, it must make its way through the cracks in your house and then the gaps around the ash pan. The OAK is a 2 inch pipe that goes straight to the outside, which is much less restricted. Adding some sort of gasket (or in my case, tape) would boost efficiency, but not by too much.

 

[Jonkman]

Even without an ash pan gasket, most of the air will come through the OAK. The air will take the path of least resistance, which is surely the OAK. In order for the air to come in through the ash pan area, it must make its way through the cracks in your house and then the gaps around the ash pan. The OAK is a 2 inch pipe that goes straight to the outside, which is much less restricted. Adding some sort of gasket (or in my case, tape) would boost efficiency, but not by too much.

Hi Dwig, I figured you would see this! That does make sense, I may look at the design of the ash pan when I get home and see if my idea will work just for the heck of it. I like using the ash pan for cleaning the fire pot so I don't want to tape it. Thanks for the input!