Hearthstone Lincoln 8060 – Sluggish Air Response, Inconsistent Draft, Black Glass (Comparison with Second Lincoln)

[Jaya’s on Fire]

We are troubleshooting a newer Hearthstone Lincoln (model 8060, purchased Jan 2025) that is behaving very differently from another Lincoln we own.

Problem stove (newer Lincoln):

• Hearthstone Lincoln 8060 (new, Jan 2025)
• Chimney: ~17 ft total, mostly interior, stainless liner
• Sole heat source for the building (cannot be allowed to go cold)
• Well-seasoned hardwood only (same wood supply as other stove)

Comparison stove (older Lincoln, working well):

• Older Lincoln (~2023)
• Chimney: ~8 ft metalbestos, approx. half interior / half exterior
• Same building complex / same location
• Same wood source, same operators
• Performs normally despite the shorter chimney

Symptoms on the newer Lincoln (17 ft chimney):

• Draft is inconsistent — sometimes acceptable, sometimes weak
• Fire is sluggish compared to the older Lincoln
• With air control fully open, flame response is muted or delayed
• Glass gets very black/sooty, even with air wide open and cat disengaged
• Ash accumulates around the lower rear air intake rather than being blown aside
• Fire improves noticeably if the loading door is cracked slightly

Behavior of older Lincoln (for contrast):

• Responds immediately to air changes
• Cleans glass normally
• Strong visible airflow at the lower intake (ash is blown aside into troughs)
• Predictable, stable draft behavior even on the shorter chimney

Notes:

• Issue occurs with the catalyst disengaged as well as engaged
• Wood quality, loading practice, and operators are consistent
• The newer stove can draft well at times, which suggests the intake is not fully blocked, but something seems marginal or restricted

Questions for the forum:

1. Given that the shorter chimney drafts the older Lincoln well, does this point away from chimney height and toward a primary air intake or air control issue on the newer stove?
2. Have others seen partial primary air restriction, misaligned air shutter, or linkage issues on newer Lincolns?
3. Are there known design changes between recent model years that affect primary air delivery or ash behavior?
4. Any diagnostics that can be safely done while the stove remains in service?

Appreciate any insight — trying to determine whether this is a stove-side airflow issue versus a less obvious draft interaction.

 

[Wisco Shepherd]

When you say well seasoned hardwood, how long has it been split, stacked, and covered? Have you measured the content with a moisture meter? If so describe your process in detail. This site gets hundreds of posts like this and it is rarely a stove issue (although it has happened). Get past the wood checkers first and you will get lots more helpful feedback here.

 

[Jaya’s on Fire]

When you say well seasoned hardwood, how long has it been split, stacked, and covered? Have you measured the content with a moisture meter? If so describe your process in detail. This site gets hundreds of posts like this and it is rarely a stove issue (although it has happened). Get past the wood checkers first and you will get lots more helpful feedback here.

The wood we are burning was cut and split in winter of 2024 and put in the shed in summer of 2024, so over a year ago. I have not measured its moisture content but the same wood is being burned in my other Lincoln with no issues. I have been running stoves my whole life (although not these newer EPA regulated cat stoves!) and I know a piece of seasoned firewood when I see one. 😉 Thank you for the feedback.

 

[Wisco Shepherd]

If you did that with oak or other dense hardwoods odds are that's not dry enough for modern stoves.

 

[stoveliker]

Is the older one a noncat?

I.second the wood moisture remarks.
Also, winter 2024 is not clear: January 2024 (2 summers) or December 2024 (1 summer)?
Neither is likely enough for oak. For other species could be fine it 2 summers.
One summer could be fine if pine, spruce, for etc. (ash, sometimes).

Dried in a shed, or got rained on?

Other issues:
Any chance the flue on the new stove is leaking (killing draft) someplace? Is there a T that is poorly capped?

 

[begreen]

It's possible that this may be a house or flue issue and not a stove problem. The inconsistent behavior can be draft or room pressure related.

That said, is this with the used Lincoln with the RTV on the flue collar that was recently purchased and put into service? If so, has the cat been checked for plugging? Considering it was used, it's also possible that the cat was contaminated.