Liberty air intake clogged with ash?

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shootnstar

New Member
Jun 24, 2014
2
california
This is my first post. Have a Lopi Liberty woodstove with the air tubes for secondary combustion. Stove works great, but the air intake is slowly getting clogged (from ash?) Air intake goes to bottom front or tubes at top of stove (adjustable) How do I clean this out? Air compressor and shop vac? What is best way to do this? Do I need to take anything apart (remove air tubes, ect)?
 
I really doubt the air supply is clogged from ash. Have you cleaned the area above the baffle and the entire flue?
What's the stove doing that makes you think it's clogged?
 
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If I open the front door just a bit, I get good draw, but with door closed it dies down. I live up in the mountains and have relied on the wood stove for heat for several years so it gets lots of use. Flue gets cleaned every two years, but could be area above baffle also clogged up. How do I clean this? I can enclose entire stove area with plastic sheet... not afraid to make a mess... just want to do a thorough cleaning of entire stove before this winter. Have shop vac and can borrow air compressor. Tubes are secondaries, but also get air from same place as bottom air intake (adjustable by pushing/pulling bar)
 
Do you pull the stove pipe off when you clean the chimney?
What type of chimney is it hooked to?
To clean above the baffle you will need to remove a few bricks from the baffle. Just go slow and remember how it all came out. Don't take the bricks in the back out though, they support the bypass assembly, it can be tricky to get back in there.
You can get to some of it from the flue collar, they rest you should be able to get from the front if you remove a few bricks.
 
Whatever you do, DON'T try clean the air intake with a vacuum. I tried that, and the result was needing to disassemble the intake to clean the ash that I'd drawn out of the firebox...

Dust from the room will be drawn into the air inlet and slowly make the action gritty, but I doubt that it would ever clog the air pipes unless you have dozens of hairy pets.
If you are trying to burn in summer, you will never get the same draft as in winter, perhaps your problem is just mild weather, not blocked air?

My Lopi freedom air inlet is not difficult to disassemble, just remove the blower (2 bolts), then remove two bolts on the side of the air intake that prevent the slider from falling out. Take a photo of the assembly as soon as you remove it, there are several ways to reassemble, only one is correct!

TE
 
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