Got myself a 6039 4 button stove

[SidecarFlip]

Jut bought a 6039 4 button stove for 600 bucks locally on Facebook Marketplace. Have to go fetch it. Probably needs a paint job but that is about it. Guess I'm in the refurbish business now. 6039 is a true multifuel unit, corn or pellets..

 

[SidecarFlip]

Might just keep it and install in the workshop or I might sell it, just depends....lol

 

[Washed-Up]

Hoping to see some photos

 

[SidecarFlip]

Hoping to see some photos

When I get it fetched up. Will be next week sometime. Guy I bought it from is out of town until next weekend. Started out at a grand with venting but I don't want the venting. Have plenty of extra vent pipe in the shop not being used anyway. I might wind up in the refurb stove business.

Still haven't started ours. Just piddling away on propane.

 

[Washed-Up]

Good stuff, yeah ours hasn’t run since June. I’m just getting ready to install the Advance2 I refurbished last summer…just down the street from me.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Not like I don't have a lot of corn to roast. 7 ton on skids in the barn right now. I may just refurb it and use it. Undecided. Would make a nice shop corn burner. Run it on low (remote T'stat) all the time Probably have to fill it every other day at best.

 

[SidecarFlip]

This one is about 7 miles from the farm. debating whether to take the tractor to fetch it or my truck. Have a week to decide. If I did the shop thing it would be straight out through the wall, no vertical. Short and sweet. I have enough spare parts in the shop to rebuild it if it needs rebuilt. I'll know soon enough (week). Even have a spare 4 button board on the shelf. I might use it, would cut down on my shop propane use. Typically, I burn about 600 gallons keeping the floor heat at 70 in the shop. That equates to about 1200 bucks in gas. My tractors and RV like to stay toasty.

 

[SidecarFlip]

I picked it up this morning. Been used and abused. Don't look bad on the outside, inside is another story entirely. Checked the 4 button board, all good, but the combustion fan sounds terrible and when I pulled the backer board, the left side cleanout is completely filled with crusty ash. Obviously, the owner never read the instruction manual, probably used it for kindling. Inside it's a mess but all fixable. I've already bulled the door, I'll replace the door gasket and window gasket too. All the guts will come out and get refurbished. Convection blower reworked with skate bearings, combustion blower with skate bearings, all drive motors will get cleaned and lubed as well.

I take some pictures before I start on it.

He had the venting laying there. Asked him what he was gonna do with it, he said in the rubbish so I got all the venting, the standoff's and the delfector hood plus 15 bags of Michigan Hardwood pellets.

It's exactly like the one I already have, manual light, corn capable, the board is running the same revision software that mine is.

I might just put it in my shop instead of selling it. Up in the air on that, but I'll snap some pictures. it's a mess inside but 100% rebuildable.

 

[SidecarFlip]

I see list in a new one is 2300 smackers. Of course the new one's are cal rod light, but that don't bother me at all. Used to manual light anyway.

 

[Ocelot]

Good luck with the referb! I love doing that kind of thing.

 

[SidecarFlip]

I'll take some pics of the lack of simple maintenance carnage before I get into it. Ordered a new HT silicone blower gasket and a door glass replacement gasket already this morning. I'll take it apart and see what other tid bits I need, I'm sure there are some. Picked up a cheap millivolt T'state at Menards (17 bucks, non programmable Honeywell digital), last one I bought was 15 so not a huge increase and a pair of metal drawer pull knobs for the clean out slides. I have this feeling I'll keep it for the shop even though I bought it to sell. I costs me about 1200 a year in propane the shop so the stove would pay for itself nicely.

 

[SidecarFlip]

I can see I'll need to do some light metal fabrication. My in house 6039 has a metal frame that surrounds the view glass, this one don't. Has a top and bottom plate only, nothing on the sides. Not sure if this one is newer or older than the one I already have but the viewglass retainer is different and I like the total perimeter retainer, so I'll fab one up from flat bar and weld it together.

I know I can make this 'sows ear' into a silk purse. Problem is, if I keep it for my own use, I'll have to buy another used and abused unit to rebuild. That will most likely be a Harman.

 

[Clarkbug]

I picked it up this morning. Been used and abused. Don't look bad on the outside, inside is another story entirely. Checked the 4 button board, all good, but the combustion fan sounds terrible and when I pulled the backer board, the left side cleanout is completely filled with crusty ash. Obviously, the owner never read the instruction manual, probably used it for kindling. Inside it's a mess but all fixable. I've already bulled the door, I'll replace the door gasket and window gasket too. All the guts will come out and get refurbished. Convection blower reworked with skate bearings, combustion blower with skate bearings, all drive motors will get cleaned and lubed as well.

I take some pictures before I start on it.

He had the venting laying there. Asked him what he was gonna do with it, he said in the rubbish so I got all the venting, the standoff's and the delfector hood plus 15 bags of Michigan Hardwood pellets.

It's exactly like the one I already have, manual light, corn capable, the board is running the same revision software that mine is.

I might just put it in my shop instead of selling it. Up in the air on that, but I'll snap some pictures. it's a mess inside but 100% rebuildable.

Is the skate bearings thing something specific to your stove, or something that is a somewhat universal retrofit for longevity?

New to the pellet world, much more used to cordwood and hydronics....

 

[SidecarFlip]

Skate bearing replace a lot of the sintered bronze plain bearings found in the drive motors and fan assemblies in many brands of stoves. Manufacturers don't use them very much because of the cost and how it impacts their bottom line.

In reality, if you keep the plain sintered bronze bearings lubricated, they will las almost forever. it's when they get dry is when the issues start.

 

[Clarkbug]

Skate bearing replace a lot of the sintered bronze plain bearings found in the drive motors and fan assemblies in many brands of stoves. Manufacturers don't use them very much because of the cost and how it impacts their bottom line.

In reality, if you keep the plain sintered bronze bearings lubricated, they will las almost forever. it's when they get dry is when the issues start.

Well that makes sense. The old analogy about spending $0.15 more on a part would help longevity, but if you add that up over a million units its a lot of money.

Any tips on what to use for lubrication that wont attract the dust and grit and just create more wear?

 

[SidecarFlip]

I just use light motor oil, 10 weight and a needle oiler. No matter what you use, it will attract dust. I just clean everything (including the motors ) in the spring when I 'put it to bed for the warm weather. Mine comes completely apart every spring, including the combustion fan motor. I take it out and in the shop and clean and lubricate it. I use shop air to blow everything out and my shop vac on the inside of the stove.

One thing I did do was I replaced most all the TEK screws the manufacturers use (cheap) to secure the various panels and some components with threaded Rivnuts that accept machine screws. The TEK (self drilling fasteners get progressively looser, every time you take them out and put them back in. Threaded Rivnuts don't.

 

[tlc1976]

The Fasco motors in my Vogelzang use skate bearings. I tried several things, but a shot of 30w motor oil with an animal syringe once a year works nice and keeps it quiet.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Hoping to see some photos

Coming, before (ugly) and after (hopefully cured). Nice thing about pictures is, you'll get to see all the machine tools and fab equipment in the shop as well. I always like looking at pictures. Usually not for the subject but for what is in the picture besides the subject. Digital camera is all charged up and ready to go....lol

Ordered a new glass gasket and picked up a new 5/8 rope door gasket and 2 cans of HT black stove paint at TSC yesterday. I won't now what internal parts I'll need until I start taking it apart. Hopefully nothing, but we will see. I've got my fingers crossed that the HX is ok. If not, I'll have to weld it. No big deal, have all the tools necessary.

I'm sure when I get the panels off, the interior will be a disaster. From the amount of ash inside behind the back wall, I'm willing to bet the previous owner never had the panels off and never cleaned or lubed anything. Will be a discovery I'm sure.

With the amount of ash inside, I don't see how it could ever heat anything.

One part that is missing and I cannot find anywhere is the base trim parts. Been looking, no find. I'll have to fabricate them I guess. I asked the owner about it and he said he never had them which I find interesting as they all ship with the base trim parts. Oh well.

 

[SidecarFlip]

The Fasco motors in my Vogelzang use skate bearings. I tried several things, but a shot of 30w motor oil with an animal syringe once a year works nice and keeps it quiet.

It seems to me (at least) the the newer units have more skate bearings in them than plain bearings.

 

[SidecarFlip]

I also use a disposable syringe with no needle to lubricate my gear boxes. I drilled a small hole in the top which accepts the end of the barrel of the syringe and I fill it with high quality synthetic grease. You don't want to use cheap grease as it too will harden inside (like the cheap smegma grease the manufacturer uses).

 

[SidecarFlip]

As promised, Not a big picture taker but here they are. Note the amount of ash inside it. Don't see how it ran actually. I imagine as I take it apart there will be surprises lurking under the side panels. I plan on wire brushing out the entire firebox inside, cleaning out all the ash, going through the drives and gearboxes and adding grease ports to them. I already have machined a new stirrer bushing with an extended (in the firebox) end, I made a couple when I made on for my in the house unit. I'll do progress pictures as well as I get to discover just how bad things are under the panels. The side panels are in good shape as is the top and pellet lid. Needs a new gasket underneath, I'll replace that. I'll flap wheel the entire front and add ceramic pull knobs to the clean out slides and paint the entire front as well. The loading lid has rust on it, that will also get refinished

Like I said, as I tear into it, I'll take pictures and post them. Added a couple pictures of part of the shop for your enjoyment too. I have more tools, so many I sometimes forget where I put them....lol

 

[FirepotPete]

They are a breast. Most will survive no problem inside, filled with ash for years and still clean up real nice.
Electronics, not always cheap but so far available. Same with discs, motors, gear boxes, blowers, glass, just about anything.
Maintained regularly and a major end of season cleaning yearly, they more than pay for themselves in a cold climate in just a few years if properly installed.
One great weakness was USSC's own lack of information on operating and maintaining the stove. Nothing they omitted would have changed the certification of the stove. Hell, it would still pass today as it's replacement is the 6041 and other than a few minor modifications it is the same stove and the 6041 passes the newest EPA rules.
Mine is still installed and ready to go. I had to give up on corn, had to sell my truck. Not sure if I'll get to burn this season, health issues, but the price of pellets here is nuts.
I wish I knew someone nearby and looking into a pellet stove. I would let them have it and help them learn to run it.
ETA: Nice shop set up!

 

[SidecarFlip]

Like I said, if I had the dimensions of the clinker pot you kid made, I could copy it. What you don't see is the other side of the shop (on the other side of the wall). Over there lies a CNC plasma cutter and an overhead hoist on rails. Machine tools on this side, there are 2 more lathes not pictured and a Bridgeport Versa Trak and all you can see in one picture is the front fender of one of the motorcycles. A whole wall of bikes.

Don't be getting rid of the stove, I may make a trip up with my truck and take it off your hands for a price. Not that far really. Just have to deal with Chicago..lol

Next up are the side panels, first the combustion fan side and I'll pull the fan assembly and service it and take pictures, I'm sure it's loaded with crud, just like the rest of the stove is.

Guy I bought it from said it worked fine last winter, I think he was smoking some good weed.

As an aside, I had an MRI as well as a CT scan 3 weeks ago and got the results back. I'm cancer free (for now at least). I'm always expecting it to come back but for now, I'm good. Next Friday I had a infusion scheduled but I believe I'll just do a blood panel to see where my CEA (tumor marker) is at. If it's under 5, I'll cancel all the scheduled infusions and just keep an eye on things via CT scans.

Someday it will get me, I'm sure, just not today.

Life is good until it leaves you...

 

[SidecarFlip]

From what I just read, you may be running pellets this winter, for sure the next. Just read in the local rag that the price of NG is expected to rise between 50 and 75% between this year and next winter because the demand in Europe is outpacing supply. So with gas going up and propane climbing (I pre bought 1000 gallons this fall). Bio mass stoves will be in high demand even if the fuel goes up, it will have to go WAY up before they won't be a viable alternative to conventional heat.

 

[Washed-Up]

Awesome news, very happy to hear your health is good! Keep kicking ass on this rebuild, I love seeing the progress!