mid 80's stove - rumbles when running, blackens the glass, but doesn't smoke outside - Normal?

[oconnor]

I have a (sorry, but don't have a brand or model, just a WH label) mid 80's stove with a stainless firebox, top front reburner tube, fresh air intake below. Flu gases exit the chamber forward of the reburn tube and aft of the fresh air, which vents along the top of the door. I find very little difference in burn when the air intake is adjusted, and if the stove mounted flu damper is adjusted, the stove makes a low rumble (I hear it in the main floor of a concrete house thru a concrete floor with the stove in the basement). The stove seems to burn its flame mostly in the upper front, where the reburn tube tube and fresh air intake are situated.

As well, the door glass will blacken 2/3 the way up at the start of a burn, even if the flu is hot (500 degree single wall flu surface temp on magnet thermometer)

Do any of you with 80's wood burn stove memories recall this as an issue on this type of design. I picked up the stove for $200 Canadian so I could see the fire when sitting relaxing (replaced my old Lakewood airtight with cast doors) so I'm not at a huge loss if this is a constant issue.

Brent

 

[webbie]

The rumbling is probably just some kind of weird harmonic between the stove and pipe, and the glass issue would probably be somewhat typical of stoves of earlier design...and, in fact, even some stoves of today.

It is a balancing act to try to have clean glass and also air control, etc.


Earlier someone posted with a Oliver MacLeod Canopus, one early stove with ss firebox. This was Canadian and as I remember had no bottom air control, just the damper.

Another stove with a ss firebox was Country Comfort, but I think that was about 1990 or after.

Craig

 

[Todd]

Check the door and glass gaskets. They may need replacing.

 

[BrotherBart]

My first suspect Brent would be that the stove has a baffle above the reburner tubes that is vibrating. Most of the stoves in the eighties had removbale baffle plates and when turbulance is created by closing the damper with a healthy burn going some of them would vibrate.

 

[elkimmeg]

The glass getting dirty was not addressed till the 90's with plates mounted to direct heat and air called air wash systems
Another poster indicated gasket prroblems, posibly check them if they had not been replaced since the 80's chances are they need to be. Honestly dirty glass is typical of 80's stoves.

 

[Dozerjim]

Most of the early stoves seem to have a problem with the glass staying clean. Look in the Q&A section for some good hints to clean the glass.