Earth Stove Manual needed for Model "T300 HT" ... can anyone help?

[A M]

Just recently bought a used Earth Stove (T300 HT). Think it was one of their last models made before Lennox bought them out but can't be sure. I would really appreciate someone out there who can give me a solid lead on where I can download or pay for a hardcopy of the Owner's Manual.

I've been to the Lennox website, but it is of no help for obtaining older wood stove manuals.

 

[A M]

Hello, Self:
Today is November 9th and not one person on hearth.com has responded to your quest for help. Soooooooo, let's give them a bit more info, shall we? Last year, the same results from the Country Comfort wood stove. The wood would initially start to burn with the aid of SAFE-LITE squares, but would within .20 minutes or so burn out. The only way you could feel heat from the stove was to open the door and stand in front of it. Propane at that time went through the roof and one nice old man who was angry at the heightened prices just happened to see my craigslist ad and called to purchase it.
This year, I bought this Earth Stove Traditions HT300, including a black wall panel and a hearth pad for about $500.00, including delivery (the owners were moving to Texas), but lived one hour from me near Springfield, Missouri. Well, sadly, the same thing.
It isn't the wood. I have two different piles and this morning bought a little bundle of seasoned wood from Tractor Supply, just to see if it would successfully burn. Nope, it did not. It start out fine and when I came back into the house from the front yard after .15 minutes or so, each end of the "seasoned" wood was black (burnt) from where I had lit the SAFE-LITE squares to get the fire started.
In conclusion, it is either the stove OR I need to have an extra one or two feet of triple wall Duravent stainless steel added to my chimney. Currently, it is about three feet above the highest peak on the roof.
Does anyone who really knows this stuff in agreement with me? BTW, the chimney was professionally cleaned out last January (2014), - the old stove was sold - but I had anticipated getting a different stove but did not and just used electric space heaters for the very, very cold remainder of last Winter.
Sincerely,
Self

 

[weatherguy]

How long is your flue as it stands now?

 

[A M]

From the top of the stove the double-wall pipe is probably six feet tall before it goes through into the ceiling and then about three feet tall on top of the roof. What do you think? Should I try more pipe attached to the chimney before I venture into having to buy (this time) a new wood stove vs. another used one?

Thanks for responding, Weatherguy.

 

[weatherguy]

From the top of the stove the double-wall pipe is probably six feet tall before it goes through into the ceiling and then about three feet tall on top of the roof. What do you think? Should I try more pipe attached to the chimney before I venture into having to buy (this time) a new wood stove vs. another used one?

Thanks for responding, Weatherguy.

I would, sounds like your draft isn't strong enough and more pipe will help with that.

 

[daleeper]

Is this what you are looking for in a manual:

(broken link removed to http://a1stoves.com/traditions-t300ht-wood-stove-manual-p-16801.html?zenid=ibsv6lnr01rvd681su144nen03)

Sounds to me like a couple of things, maybe not enough draft, maybe the air channels in the stove are plugged with ash, and the chimney not tall enough for good draft. You will also find that we will always be suspicious of the wood being dry enough. Even the bundle of wood from TSC may not be very dry, only way to know is to test with a moisture meter.

Adding an inexpensive piece of single wall stove pipe to the top of the chimney for a test should tell you if you need to add another section of duravent without breaking the bank.

Do you have a good strong draft? If you were to burn some wadded newspapers in the stove, with the door slightly open, do you have enough air that the papers and flame will move toward the chimney or blow the flame out? If not, then you probably need more draft. If you have plenty of draft, then you may not be letting your fire get started well enough before shutting the door and air controls. The firewood should be at least slightly charred all over before you begin to shut the air down. You may need to leave the door cracked open a bit longer to get that fire going well. Do not leave the stove unattended while door is open. It sounds to me like you are not giving that fire enough time before leaving it.

If the stove was tipped too far when moving, there may have been ash settle into the air channels, causing you problems.

Get a moisture meter and test a freshly split piece of the firewood you are trying to burn, you want it to be less than 20%. But even then, you should be able to get a fire going with wetter wood by using smaller pieces of dry wood.

 

[Jags]

Did I read that right? 9 foot total pipe? If so, that is pretty darn short. Most stoves will require (according to the manual) a 13-14ft minimum.

It appears that you are convinced that the wood is not the issue. Please convince the rest of us. How long has this wood been cut/split and stacked? Bundles at stores and gas stations can be suspect. I can show you a gas station that sells bundles and then drive you 1 mile to where they are being split and bundled as needed to supply the station.

 

[A M]

Is this what you are looking for in a manual:

(broken link removed to http://a1stoves.com/traditions-t300ht-wood-stove-manual-p-16801.html?zenid=ibsv6lnr01rvd681su144nen03)

Sounds to me like a couple of things, maybe not enough draft, maybe the air channels in the stove are plugged with ash, and the chimney not tall enough for good draft. You will also find that we will always be suspicious of the wood being dry enough. Even the bundle of wood from TSC may not be very dry, only way to know is to test with a moisture meter.

Adding an inexpensive piece of single wall stove pipe to the top of the chimney for a test should tell you if you need to add another section of duravent without breaking the bank.

Do you have a good strong draft? If you were to burn some wadded newspapers in the stove, with the door slightly open, do you have enough air that the papers and flame will move toward the chimney or blow the flame out? If not, then you probably need more draft. If you have plenty of draft, then you may not be letting your fire get started well enough before shutting the door and air controls. The firewood should be at least slightly charred all over before you begin to shut the air down. You may need to leave the door cracked open a bit longer to get that fire going well. Do not leave the stove unattended while door is open. It sounds to me like you are not giving that fire enough time before leaving it.

If the stove was tipped too far when moving, there may have been ash settle into the air channels, causing you problems.

Get a moisture meter and test a freshly split piece of the firewood you are trying to burn, you want it to be less than 20%. But even then, you should be able to get a fire going with wetter wood by using smaller pieces of dry wood.

Daleeper, Jags and Weatherguy: Thank you all so very much for your experienced opinions regarding my wood stove's burn-out problem.

Daleeper, you are amazing as I've looked everywhere on the web for a "manual" for this stove and you find it for me to purchase. So great. I'll try what Jags suggested. I may end up getting a cheap single pipe and have someone put it up there for me before I commit to getting another two foot Duravent piping there. Maybe the owners didn't sell me a "bad" stove and it is just a serious draft problem. Sorry, but, the thought did enter my mind, that they fibbed when they bragged that the stove would heat them out of their home and they'd have to open a window sometimes. Then again they said they had about an eight-foot chimney above their roof. For my TOTAL piping, from top of stove, through the roof, to above the highest peak of the roof, I do not think it is more than 12 or 13 feet maximum. And, that's assuming inside the interior ceiling it is three feet, but that critical area might not even be two feet. I do not know for sure but that would make the draft a total of 12 feet, from inside the house to the top of the spark arrestor cap.

Ash in the air chambers ... OK, that possibility didn't cross my mind.

I wish I knew someone around this area who really knew these stoves. I would pay someone to look it over but he'd really have to know about this particular model, and not just take my money. Haa, haa. It is a fairly modern and good looking stove, btw. Nothing like the 80s models I've seen selling on the CL site. I even had to go buy a new electric space heater from Lowe's yesterday as we're expecting weather to dip into the 20s starting tomorrow morning and at this point I am not prepared (with this wood stove) to be the main supplier of wood heat in this double-wide home. Doubt I will find someone today to help today, but I am better armed now with what needs to be done to solve this problem now.

I am going to order (download) the manual today; ... I am so grateful for this website and for experienced stove contributors such as yourselves! Thank you, again.

A. M.
Springfield, Missouri

 

[Jags]

It does sound like you might be on the short side for you stack.

You might want to consider looking up a certified sweep in your area. Talk to them first to see if they have interest in helping you chase down your issues as well as inspecting the stove.

Please fill us in on your wood supply. How long has it been split and stacked?

 

[A M]

It does sound like you might be on the short side for you stack.

You might want to consider looking up a certified sweep in your area. Talk to them first to see if they have interest in helping you chase down your issues as well as inspecting the stove.

Please fill us in on your wood supply. How long has it been split and stacked?

I've got two stacks of wood. The first stack is a CORD of wood purchased one year ago this month from a local wood seller who swore to me several times that the wood was at least two years old and was not green. However, last winter (with the Country Comfort used wood stove), it did nothing but spit, barely burn and virtually no-heat was produced. So, I learned a good lesson about trusting local wood sellers. Better to test wood with a wood moisture meter instead of a seller's words at point of sale. I have not gone as far (yet), though, of purchasing that wood meter, in all honesty. This man's cord I bought has now been in my garage for one year. Surely, it should be seasoned by now. The garage gets some air and a little sun.

The other stack of wood I bought last June, 2013, from a man who was clearing his property in order to sell his house and move. Some chucks are very large and need to be split but the other stack is of manageable size wood pieces that I use when first starting the fire (with the SAFE-LITE squares).

In the other garage (these are add-ons to the double-wide and were here when I got this place in 2013), there are still pieces of wood that were given to me from the other stove I had by that owner. The wood is very dark and needs to be split. I am not able to split them without a new hatchet, for example.

So, basically, yes, this is the same wood I have had for ONE YEAR'S time, but it has all aged; therefore, I didn't think that the wood could possibly be the problem here in the end of 2014.

 

[Jags]

Hmmm...I would also suspect your wood to be fine by this point. Back to the draft....

 

[A M]

I just received the on-line manual and am bummed. Technically, this stove is NOT approved for mobile homes. It states NOT to use a grate (I have been), and something about it should reach a minimum of 7 feet to the ceiling? I'll have to re-read that. If it means from the feet of the stove, yes. But if it means from the top of the stove and the 6" flue opening where the pipe is connected...it is certainly not even 6 feet, but I haven't measured it. I have not read through the entire manual; the above was enough for me at that point.

Sooooooo, I will not even try lighting it again. I am forced to sell it and already know that I'll lose money on it, but I won't be including the hearth pad and wall board that also came with it. NOW, once again, I am questioning myself whether to take the plunge and spend 2 grand on a totally efficient stove, NOT a $700.00 new stove from Lowe's or Home Depot just to get me through the winter, but, the kind of stove that I wanted 2 years ago before I moved into this place.

Either a Lopi Endeavor, a Princess Blaze King, or a Pacific Energy wood stove, as examples. I have heard so many good things about these three stoves. I do not want a pellet stove though I am sure it would keep this place nice and warm (1500 square feet); I really want to handle wood and put it in the box and watch it do its thing and enjoy it fully.

Back to the Draft situation ... if this really is the problem, I'll still need to add some pipe to the roof if I do end up getting a new stove that I really want and have researched, etc.. Once again, you people are excellent for helping me out here and you have my applaud.

A.M.

 

[Jags]

Most EPA stoves state that 13-14 ft is the minimum pipe length. They gotta start somewhere....

 

[begreen]

I wouldn't worry about the 7ft. 84" is a pretty standard minimum ceiling to floor height requirement. It sounds like you are ok there. For a mobile home you should have a stove that can be bolted to the floor and has an outside air kit (OAK) connection. With a 12-13' chimney I would consider a Pacific Energy Super 27. It's under $2000, an easy breathing stove and has a good track record.

Note that the stove will burn only as well as the fuel it is provided. If the wood is not well seasoned it is going to burn poorly and not put out much heat due to the high water content. Water doesn't burn very well.

 

[daleeper]

A M, there should be a diagram in the manual, and sometimes on the back of the stove that will give approved clearance measurements, that give distance at different points, look for those measurements before you give up on this stove, unless it does specifically state not for mobile homes. If that is the case, then you do need to look for something different.

If you do end up looking for a stove, the englander/summers heat stoves at the box stores are good stoves. Of course the stoves you mentioned are also good stoves. But a new stove will not work much better than what you have already tried if your wood is not dry and don't have a good draft.

 

[A M]

What bothers me about this stove and the manual is that there is no reference to an OUTSIDE AIR KIT. I've heard that even regular houses (not single or double-wide homes), should utilize an OAK. Many people laugh at this idea and find that it is not necessary. I believe I would use one regardless of what type of house I lived in, if it were an option to me, as a wood stove owner.

I do not see an OA hole on this stove. It has double-wall SS pipe in the living room it is sitting in and TW pipe through the ceiling and on the roof. This stove has a rear heat shield attached and it is 16 inches from the wall with thermal curtains that felt cool to the touch the few times I checked them while the fire did its 10 to 20 minute burning show.

I know how important the truly "dry" wood status is and if it is not, that a fire simply will not burn briskly and at the stove's full potential.

Yes, I have seen the Summer's Heat wood stoves (made by Englander and in the U.S.) on the Home Depot website before.

My primary must-haves and at the same time really-wants are:

a) it must be able to re-burn the smoke with
a minimum efficiency rate of 75% and burn less than 3% hourly emissions;
b) the door handle must not become unbearably hot to touch;
c) it must hold an overnight fire, on low, and produce hot coals in the a.m.;
d) it must be a bit of a miser on burning that wood while in the box;
e) it must have the OA hole available to be hooked up;
f) it must have the "air-wash" system as I do not want to be cleaning glass everyday;
g) it must have a majority of positive recent reviews;
h) it must have been made by a company that STANDS BEHIND its warranty
with a minimum of 85% positive customer satisfaction who would buy again.

Am I asking too much from a modern wood stove manufacturer or am I just too picky of a consumer? Naturally, I'll answer those questions and they result in a firm "no."