I wonder how many downdraft stove owners know what shape their afterburn (everburn)chamber is in"

[stanleyjohn]

For those who know what im talking about I would like to know if you ever needed to replace that fragile!high temp ceramic fiber in the back chamber.I have a new harman insert and wondering what the average life might be for this part?Heard its not a cheap part and hoping it would be covered under warrenty.I have been reading from others here on ways to keep that back chamber clean!The only cleaning i have done so far in its short usage is to place the vac hose up againts the holes to suck out what behind.When i get my stove liner and stove cleaned out from the harman dealers i bought it from!hopefully they can give me some good advice.I wonder how many owners know what kind of shape their back chamber is in.

 

[Brian VT]

I just bought a used Resolute and didn't know squat about wood stoves. I always go through everything mechanical so I know what I've got. I took the bricks and plates out and I got to the refractory box and called my bro-in-law to find out what the heck it was. He's been burning 2 Resolutes for 8+ years and he didn't know what I was talking about. I schooled him after I found this place.
I'd bet that a lot of owners just burn and don't care to know what's going on in there unless there's smoke in the house.

 

[BurningIsLove]

For those who know what im talking about I would like to know if you ever needed to replace that fragile!high temp ceramic fiber in the back chamber.I have a new harman insert and wondering what the average life might be for this part?Heard its not a cheap part and hoping it would be covered under warrenty.I have been reading from others here on ways to keep that back chamber clean!The only cleaning i have done so far in its short usage is to place the vac hose up againts the holes to suck out what behind.When i get my stove liner and stove cleaned out from the harman dealers i bought it from!hopefully they can give me some good advice.I wonder how many owners know what kind of shape their back chamber is in.

You can always pull the shoe out and check, it's surprisingly easy as I've recently learned....... If you have two hands, a flashlight, and a mirror you can do a decent inspection w/o disassembling the stove.

No, it's not cheap to replace, no refractory on any stove is, this is not specific to DW/VC/CFM/Monessan/whatever they call themselves now. But I've learned not to panic....scaling is apparently normal, even though it looks foreboding. the maintenance guides list where the ash/scaling debris are likely to build up and impede performance, it's basically just taking a vacuum hose and and gently removing the fly ash.

 

[branchburner]

As I posted earlier today on another thread, I looked at two used Harman Oakwoods this summer and both had damaged combustion packages, apparently from over-zealous vacuum cleaning. The two-year-old Oakwood that I bought (not knowing it was damaged until discovering it by accident weeks later) ended up having a few additional problems with the combustion package. When I removed it I found it was cracked at the top (not sure how this could have happened - installed that way?) and it also had a hole burnt right through the back of it (I'm guessing due to the stove being overfired, looked like someone took a blowtorch to it).

Some other forum threads have indicated this ceramic fiber afterburner material may weaken considerably after prolonged and excessive heat. Good thing I wasn't planning on doing anything crazy with this stove, like burning seasoned hardwood!

Even so, I'm still really psyched to have this stove. It's been great on these cooler nights, but I've yet to put it to the test with a long burn. I have no doubt it will make me smile.

I did what I thought was a good bit of research before choosing the Harman, but it was all the usual practical stuff: firebox size, BTU output, customer satisfaction, etc. Not until I discovered I had damaged goods did I have any idea what a downdraft stove was or how it worked. If I had bought this stove new I'd still be in the dark (and so would my combustion package, where it belongs!). I'd be nice and warm and happy, but in the dark. Instead, I've been forced to get a bit of an education, and I have to admit, I'm enjoying the class (thanks to all the posters on this great site!)

PS - I bought my stove used, as is, so no warranty for me... but in reading the Harman brochure fine print, my interpretation is that this part is not covered. The combustion package cost me $270, so take good care of it!

 

[ICY99]

I just bought a used Resolute and didn't know squat about wood stoves. I always go through everything mechanical so I know what I've got. I took the bricks and plates out and I got to the refractory box and called my bro-in-law to find out what the heck it was. He's been burning 2 Resolutes for 8+ years and he didn't know what I was talking about. I schooled him after I found this place.
I'd bet that a lot of owners just burn and don't care to know what's going on in there unless there's smoke in the house.

Now that you've had some time to evaluate your Resolute 2490 what do you think of it? Does it give you reliable secondary burn with your set-up? I am thinking of retiring my old resolute to the greenhouse and getting a 2490 or DW 2477 or 2478 for the house. Thanks!

 

[Brian VT]

I'm happy with my Resolute but I'm a newbie so I don't have anything to compare it to.
The secondary has been working great for me. I don't close the damper until the stove is 500+ or there's a good bed of coals.
My chimney looks great inside and the smoke is usually invisible except at startup.
You can overfire this stove pretty easily, though, if you get distracted while putting the air to it. It doesn't have the automatic damper that I think yours has.
If I was buying new I'd have a good look at the Alderlea and the Oakwood but I would probably still get the VC to support the workers here in VT. The refractory package is weak but I think I can make a replacement rather than pay the $250+.

 

[ICY99]

I'm happy with my Resolute but I'm a newbie so I don't have anything to compare it to.
..........
If I was buying new I'd have a good look at the Alderlea and the Oakwood but I would probably still get the VC to support the workers here in VT. The refractory package is weak but I think I can make a replacement rather than pay the $250+.

I've looked at the "combustion package" in the diagrams for the 2490. It looks sort-of complicated. Really think it would be easy to fab one yourself??

 

[Brian VT]

It's not complicated at all. It's just a box made of ceramic fiber "boards". If I had the material I could make one in about 15 minutes. It's a just a box with no bottom, a hole on each side, and a notch at the bottom of the face. Oh, and there's a few holes drilled in the back for the secondary air intake.
I just need to find the material and a place that sells it in small quantities. That may be McMaster-Carr. I need to research it some more. Mine's okay for now so I haven't persued it much yet.

 

[Dill]

Ohhh, I do, I do.
Cause I just took it apart. So currently its not full of ash.

 

[Brian VT]

I was just at a local supply house and saw Kaowool boards 1/2"x18"x36".
Do you think this would be suitable for making a refractory box for my Resolute ?
The salesman said it is commonly used where a flame from an oil burner contacts it directly so he thought it'd be fine for my application. There's no specs. on the manufacturer's website (Lynn).