Morso Squirrel 1410 Mod

[Henry Cross]

I installed a Morso Squirell 1410 and have been mostly happy with it. But trying to get the secondary burn to last more than a few minutes was a challenge. We would leave the stove door open a crack to create a bellows effect and when we closed it the fire would usually die out. We could get a good fire with the door closed about 40% of the time and only after building a nice bed of coals.

A friend of mine from Wales has the same stove and we were discussing technique when he described adjusting both the top and bottom air dials to get the perfect fire. I stopped him right there.

You see, the model that they sell in the States only allows you to adjust the top dial and the manual clearly states that the bottom dial is “for ornamental purposes and cannot be adjusted”.

I took a close look at the inside of the bottom dial and noticed that it had similar hardware as the top dial yet had a weld spot keeping it permanently fixed. Using a Dremel rotary tool with a cut off wheel, I grinded the weld spot and “liberated” the bottom dial.

There is a bolt threaded into the dial to the stove and what I discovered is unlike the top dial, the hole through the stove door is not machined. So that means you can’t adjust by screwing in and out like the top dial. I thought this was going to be a problem but it turns out not to matter.

Just having the dial open ½”, which is near the end of the bolt, makes all the difference in the world.
We just leave it open and our fires burn very efficiently because we can now fine tune the secondary combustion with the top dial.

I am curious as to why the stove was limited in this manner and can only assume that it had something to do with the EPA rating. The Morso literature claims that the Nordic EcoLabel Swan rating is much stricter.
Thought I would share this so that others may liberate their Squirell!

 

[begreen]

Bad idea. The problem is here is not with the stove, probably it's the fuel. The wood is not dry enough if you have to leave the door ajar to burn. Unfortunately, opening up the bottom dial may very well damage your stove. You are forcing air under the grate, like a coal stove. The stove was not designed for this forge-like blast of air under the grate. This is akin to leaving the ash pan door ajar while burning. It indicates a problem elsewhere. Most likely with poorly seasoned wood.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

+1

It looks like you have some creosote on the inside of the stove also. I don't think your fire is getting hot enough.

Matt

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Welcome to the forum though!

Matt

 

[begreen]

+2, welcome. Note there appears to be no secondary burn either.

 

[Henry Cross]

Thanks for the helpful responses. This forum has been a Godsend for a newbie like myself.

The 1410 is a multi-fuel stove and is made to burn either wood or coal so I am not worried about overheating the bottom grate.

When I first purchased this model the knuckleheads at the store mistakenly sold me a coal burning stove which I subsequently returned after much hassle. (After a mad 200 mile RT dash I got the right stove before the chimney installers showed up the next morning.)
I only found out because they forgot to include the flue collar and put me in touch with Morso USA. They explained that the difference between the multi-fuel and the coal burner is the steel baffles for the secondary burn. They assured me that it was okay to burn either wood or coal.There is even a shake handle for the grate.

BTW the air coming from the bottom dial is gentle and does not crank up the coals like a forge. Just enough to give me control with the top dial.


As for the wood, I have been lucky to find kiln dried oak and hickory so I'm pretty sure its not wet or green. The pic is of a new fire. I will try and post a pic of a beautiful gaseous secondary later.

Cheers

 

[EatenByLimestone]

How tall is your chimney and what diameter is it? You still shouldn't have creosote inside the stove.

Matt

 

[stihl_kicking]

View attachment 95729View attachment 95730 View attachment 95728

I installed a Morso Squirell 1410 and have been mostly happy with it. But trying to get the secondary burn to last more than a few minutes was a challenge. We would leave the stove door open a crack to create a bellows effect and when we closed it the fire would usually die out. We could get a good fire with the door closed about 40% of the time and only after building a nice bed of coals.

A friend of mine from Wales has the same stove and we were discussing technique when he described adjusting both the top and bottom air dials to get the perfect fire. I stopped him right there.

You see, the model that they sell in the States only allows you to adjust the top dial and the manual clearly states that the bottom dial is “for ornamental purposes and cannot be adjusted”.

I took a close look at the inside of the bottom dial and noticed that it had similar hardware as the top dial yet had a weld spot keeping it permanently fixed. Using a Dremel rotary tool with a cut off wheel, I grinded the weld spot and “liberated” the bottom dial.

There is a bolt threaded into the dial to the stove and what I discovered is unlike the top dial, the hole through the stove door is not machined. So that means you can’t adjust by screwing in and out like the top dial. I thought this was going to be a problem but it turns out not to matter.

Just having the dial open ½”, which is near the end of the bolt, makes all the difference in the world.
We just leave it open and our fires burn very efficiently because we can now fine tune the secondary combustion with the top dial.

I am curious as to why the stove was limited in this manner and can only assume that it had something to do with the EPA rating. The Morso literature claims that the Nordic EcoLabel Swan rating is much stricter.
Thought I would share this so that others may liberate their Squirell!

View attachment 95729View attachment 95730 View attachment 95728

I installed a Morso Squirell 1410 and have been mostly happy with it. But trying to get the secondary burn to last more than a few minutes was a challenge. We would leave the stove door open a crack to create a bellows effect and when we closed it the fire would usually die out. We could get a good fire with the door closed about 40% of the time and only after building a nice bed of coals.

A friend of mine from Wales has the same stove and we were discussing technique when he described adjusting both the top and bottom air dials to get the perfect fire. I stopped him right there.

You see, the model that they sell in the States only allows you to adjust the top dial and the manual clearly states that the bottom dial is “for ornamental purposes and cannot be adjusted”.

I took a close look at the inside of the bottom dial and noticed that it had similar hardware as the top dial yet had a weld spot keeping it permanently fixed. Using a Dremel rotary tool with a cut off wheel, I grinded the weld spot and “liberated” the bottom dial.

There is a bolt threaded into the dial to the stove and what I discovered is unlike the top dial, the hole through the stove door is not machined. So that means you can’t adjust by screwing in and out like the top dial. I thought this was going to be a problem but it turns out not to matter.

Just having the dial open ½”, which is near the end of the bolt, makes all the difference in the world.
We just leave it open and our fires burn very efficiently because we can now fine tune the secondary combustion with the top dial.

I am curious as to why the stove was limited in this manner and can only assume that it had something to do with the EPA rating. The Morso literature claims that the Nordic EcoLabel Swan rating is much stricter.
Thought I would share this so that others may liberate their Squirell!

 

[stihl_kicking]

We installed the 1410 (in NJ) in an art studio above a garage. The chimney is about 14' high and smoke can come out of the door on a refuel, unless care is taken that the fuel not be too close to the door. I also ground away the weld and welded a 5/16" nut to the back of the door and threaded in a longer 1.25" bolt into the adjustor. This USA 1410 has a single door, not a double as the multifuel one has. With the bottom draft used only, one can burn coal.
We also use the bottom open to start a fire, and leave it open during most of a top down fire burn. Under grate drafts makes all of the wood try to burn, where wood fires should burn from one end to the other to be efficient.

 

[Dunragit]

I am getting secondaries for an hour or so. Your fuel is not ready. The door is the same one used on the multifuel/coal model, the bottom vent should stay closed.

 

[stihl_kicking]

I am getting secondaries for an hour or so. Your fuel is not ready. The door is the same one used on the multifuel/coal model, the bottom vent should stay closed.

Actually, the multifuel model has 2 doors. Seen on stoves I saw in England. Their site for european market shows this. I don't know if they have secondary burn tubes. IF they are bothering to make a single door intended here just for USA, why put in a bottom vent and then weld it shut? That makes it impossible for coal, and may be related to secondary tubes which would maybe affect a coal burn? The secondary inlet is a small square on the back and easy to block.
We open the bottom draft only to start a fire, not run it. For a topdown fire, the air must wash to the top, and we leave it open until it burns down about 2/3.

 

[Dunragit]

Well, good luck. Let us know how things work out.