In need of some help....

[B Smithers]

My mother in law has a Earth Stove 1003C that they have heated their home with for many years, besides a couple small runs of electric base board it is the only way to heat the house. My father in law passed a couple years ago and until then I did not pay much attention to the stove and actually until last week my brother in law I thought was maintaining for my MIL.

Last Sunday my wife called and said the stove was not burning well, every time the door was opened it billowed out smoke and some smoke out of the stove connection from time to time. Yes the pipe was clogged right at the stove, the flue was plugged pretty good as well. I cleaned of the stove let it cool and took the pipe apart to find a mess, the pipe(6" single wall stove pipe) was very well coated with creosote which would not clean up well at all. I spent hours cleaning the stove the masonry chimney and decided to replace the 6" interior stove pipe with new. Sorry for the long read.

I was not all that impressed with how clean I could not get the masonry chimney but it was as good as I could get it. My problem is I don't understand these air tight stoves? My father has burn't wood my whole life but they have all been older stoves with plenty of dampers for a lot of air. I can not figure out how to get a good hot fire going and keep it going in this stove?? For the many years I have been around this stove it has always had a very lazy fire, to me almost smoldering. My FIL would tell me that's how it works, it will burn a lot longer than most stoves? From what I have been taught everything about this stove was wrong....

 

[B Smithers]

So again sorry for the book.

So I put all new Dura Vent 6" black chimney pipe on the stove approx 6' up and 2' into the masonry chimney, I hot a pretty good fire going(after some trying) no leaks and good heat it was getting late and I had to head home for the next few days my MIL said it was burning great. Fast forward to yesterday just 4 days on the new pipe and she tells me there is black liquid leaking out of the pipe connections?? Creosote I am sure but that fast? She is burning a mix of maple and ash that I believe is seasoned. So my questions are how do I get this stove to heat up good and keep the pipe clean? Am I wrong in thinking the stove was not burning correctly with a lazy flame? Can anyone give me some pointers on this stove? I know the C is for Catalyst, but I don't see anything of the sort, where might I find this, and can you explain this to me please? Sorry all I looked around here and on the net and am not finding very good info. Any help is so greatly appreciated! I myself burn corn and pellets so my wood burning experience is limited. Thanks

 

[mark cline]

This sounds like a chimney fire waiting to happen................If you get a very hot fire going in that stove, you will end up burning the house down . If the single wall pipe was plugged near the stove , the chimney has to be a mess.
Not knowing what her financial situation is, but If she were my MIL, I would replace that stove with an EPA stove. Like the Englander NC 30 or any Englander stove from Home Depot or equivalent. The wood saved would off set the cost of the stove. The chimney needs to be looked at , maybe it needs a liner or a real good cleaning. The wood needs to be checked for moisture content. This is not a good situation, I would hate to hear that the house burned , due to a chimney fire.

 

[B Smithers]

Thanks Mark-

I agree, it concerns me a lot that is why I am asking. The last thing I want is anything to go wrong, especially a chimney fire! I am a firemen and know how quickly bad can get worse.

 

[mark cline]

I don't think you can make that stove burn clean or at least clean enough to keep using it.

 

[B Smithers]

Understood, and I am sure I know what you mean. The stove is very clean, it's the chimney that is my concern. I instructed her earlier to let it burn out and I am going to call a local heating business that services all models of stoves, chimneys and does inspections to get there thoughts. Thanks again!

 

[F4jock]

Had an airtight long ago. Creosote always a problem. Gotta burn it HOT often and still need to get the chimney done often. Things have progressed lots. Upgrade the stove for safety. I hear heartily agree with Mark above.

 

[mark cline]

Let us know how things go. I replaced a Fisher Grandma Bear , that I had heated my house with for 30 yrs , with a Hearthstone Mansfield. It was an investment , but it puts out at least 30% more heat and uses about 30% less wood. The Fisher was a smoking dragon , too big for my home , so it created a good amount of creosote, which I kept in check. In 2 years , the Manchester is going into my 3000 sq ft. log home as my primary heat source , I think it should do the job .

 

[B Smithers]

Thanks again and I will update. That I believe is part do the problem the house is a 2 story but only totals maybe 1000 sqft at the most, so I don't think she ever burns it good and hot as it gets much to warm.

If the result is the stove has to go, I may talk her into a pellet stove or forced air, she is getting older and lifting the wood is getting to be a chore.

 

[jeff_t]

The single most important thing you can do is get her to burn dry wood. Get a two year supply so that you know it is dry. Wet wood in an EPA stove is no better than wet wood in a smoke dragon. Maybe even worse.

 

[B Smithers]

Thanks Jeff. As I mentioned above I believe the wood to be dry, my in laws have purchased their wood for years from the same family friend. However I am going to be sure and pay much closer attention to it when I visit on Sunday, any things possible.