Kent Tile Fire (and Sherwood) stoves

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As I wrote when I did mine, I think the holes could maybe be 1/2" or so higher but not more than that.

It's great you found the original add-on piece. I think your warpage was caused by insulating the sides of the firebox too much. So much heat concentrated in a smaller area, the only places for it to go are out the front door and up into the baffle. Try splitting the side bricks into half thickness to gain back the lost firebox volume and it will radiate more heat out the sides as well.

I thought a lot about insulating the bottom of the baffle, but decided against it. IMO, it would change the operating nature of the stove drastically. The consequence of adding more insulation is increased rate of gasification of the wood load. The air system of the stove is not sophisticated enough to handle it, let alone control it. There's no air in the back of the firebox. Insulated on the bottom and sides with splits, the stove still retains its well-balanced character. Read the post early on where I used the Quadrafire stove to mimic the firing and air conditions of the Kent.

Tweaking a firebox is a balancing act.

If you watch the stove burn, you'll see the flames are always licking up against the front 4"-5" of the baffle. That's where you want the insulation. Until the steel becomes super-heated, flame in contact with steel will always kill the flame. The whole point of the mods is to move those flames forward, in front of the baffle holes, which is insulated and where the bleed air is waiting for them. It's a pre-arranged collision of all the ingredients needed.

Have fun and keep us posted.
 
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Precaud...I cannot thank you enough for this wealth of information! I myself just got a Kent Tile Fire and had it installed today! I am gathering the necessary materials to modify it as you specified in this thread. One question comes to mind though that was not addressed. Should I put the logs on a fireplace grate, or should I just put them directly on the bottom fire bricks? I should be burning my first load this weekend if all goes well.

Thanks and have a happy Thanksgiving!

- Phil
 
Logs directly on the firebrick. No grate should be used.
 
Thanks Phil. Congrats on your stove, and I'm glad you found the info useful. I'm hoping to put together a video showing the mods in better detail, will post a link if/when I get it done.

If you haven't already, you might want to download the operating manual:
https://www.hearth.com/images/uploads/kentmansm.pdf

Page 3 says "Do not use a grate or elevate fire. Build fire directly on hearth."

Something to pay particular attention to, especially if you burn hardwoods, is from a separate booklet titled "Knowing your Kent Woodstove" (published later than the manual), under the section "Normal Operations after Fire is Established":

"Place logs close to the front of the stove (about an inch or two away from the glass)."

In many respects, this has the same effect as elevating the fire a bit, because it burns away the hot coals under the logs quickly, and "under-fire air" tends to accelerate the burn.

Enjoy your Tile Fire!
 
Wow...the operating manual!!! Awesome and thank you again! Any idea where to find the "Knowing your Kent Woodstove" booklet you mentioned?
 
No, I don't. It mostly duplicates the manual. One other piece of relevant operational advice in it has to do with the setting of the air control:

"5. Set air slide for desired heat output. The lowest setting recommended for conditions when wood is not completely charred, is near midpoint of slide."

That's what I find as well. During the flaming part of the cycle, the air control on mine is 1/2 to 2/3 open.
 
Thanks for all your knowledge and experience, precaud. Great ad from 1983. I put a Kent Tile Fire in my relative's house. I love the stove - easy to run and long burn times. Here it is on this Thanksgiving morning kentTileFire3.jpg .
 
Yes, precaud...relatives wanted an insert but didn't want to pay for one. I bartered for Tile Fire. So, a freestander in masonry FP/chimney with insulated liner. IT draws well at just 14' height. Would be so much better out in the room but with our temperate climate (even this past week - teens for lows), it does an admiral job keeping heat pump off.
 
doug Is there a damper sealing, block-off plate in the chimney?
 
Yes, BG...I made fitted sheet metal block off plate with 2 layers of ceramic blanket insulation overlying plate. Roxul would have been thicker and MAYBE better. Also put 2 ceramic blanket layers at top chimney plate.
 
Sounds like you are set and on the path to a beautiful friendship. Enjoy that stove.It's a legend.
 
Just gave my KTF a thorough pre-ignition cleaning and noticed that I have a metal cover bolted to my baffle. Sandwiched between the cover and the bottom of the baffle is some type of white fluffy insulation. I believe this is the spot where precaud installed 1" Kaowool M Board, and I purchased some as well not knowing the insulation was present. So...can someone please comment if they think the cover/insulation will suffice for the purpose of creating double swirl flow or should I remove those pieces and replace with the Kaowool I purchased? Thanks!
 

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Here's a homemade blower for the Kent Tile Fire. I like to adapt what's lying around. Built lots of computers over the years. You have many 120mm fans left over when power supplies blow. 5 of those in a sheet metal bracket - L brackets attach to lower rear shroud of Kent Tile Fire. 1 amp 12vDC adapter powers. Air flow is the same as convection currents. The verdict - air flow is maybe 25% more than the strong convection currents. Not worth it. LOL.
If anyone with a Tile Fire wants to play with it - pay for shipping and you can have it. PM me.Blower - Kent Tile Fire.jpg
 
I am new to the forum, Thanks to all who have shared the great advice.

Have what appears to be an early model KTF. Always good stove. My parents did some research when they bought it...

Learning the fine points of loading and which settings give longer burn and such, while discussing the stove with Dad. Two points of interest.

He said they were advised to put sand in the bottom to increase the longevity. Now after reading this I think I am going to find a different insulator

Second, my dad said they wished they always had purchased the original optional fan. He even had the original sales brochure. Fan is mentioned, no part numbers or pictures of the fan though.

Anyone that could possibly share a photo or specifications on one ?
 
Here is a website for Kent. Really good website they have. It gives the history of Kent and other cool info.There are part #'s for all the new and old stoves. Look under " Information Downloads". My KTF is going strong. Temps here in GA have gone below 0 with wind chill. I just found a different website that sells some spare parts for Kent. Check it out.

"I don't always burn wood, but when I do.... I use a Kent. Stay warm my Friends"

Welcome to a Warm Home - Wood Fires | Gas Fires | Heat Pump Space Heaters

http://www.direct2you.co.nz/147-kent-spare-parts
 
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Great thread, great forum. Based on the reviews here, I'm going to (hopefully, assuming it passes my inspection) pick up a Kent TF on Thursday. $200 with some pipe and as much wood as I can load into my 2004 Silverado 2500HD (sadly, six foot bed only).
 
Great thread, great forum. Based on the reviews here, I'm going to (hopefully, assuming it passes my inspection) pick up a Kent TF on Thursday. $200 with some pipe and as much wood as I can load into my 2004 Silverado 2500HD (sadly, six foot bed only).
If you get it post some pics....good luck
 
I'm actually now questioning whether it's actually a Tile Fire. I don't have it, and this was the only pic in the advertisement. Can anyone positively identify which Kent this stove is?
 

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That is a KTF alright....a Nordic Bronze one in fact.
 
Here are a couple pics of mine.Kent_171406.jpgKent1_171905.jpg
 
Why the Magic Heat? The stove is already fairly efficient.
 
It just makes it that much more efficient....I have a lot of space to heat and Magic Heat helps greatly.
 
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How often are you clean it? How often for the chimney?