My first 2 months with a Manchester with a custom setup

[Eric plourde]

Hi everyone,

I bought the Manchester and installed it at the end of november 2020 in my basement. I installed it on my old PSG external cheminey (7´´). I had to use a 6 to 7 inch fitting to plug it. Moreover i have a 7 feet horizontal line plus a 24 inch check before getting to the external chimney.

That being said, ill try to explain the custom setup i did. i have a total of 4500 sq foot on 3 level in the house with a central ventilation system. the Manchester is installed under the garage (in a kind of bunker) where i put two 6 ‘’ blowers that are connected to the central venting system. Moreover, i have a wifi thermostat that is connected to the blower which i can control with my phone to choose when the blowers start. ( i have installed an external gaz generator with a transfer switch that actually make the blowers and all other essentials work in case of blackout.)

Of course the « bunker » get hot when slow burn is engaged to heat the house up. (Up to 26-27 C*). the « bunker » is 400 sq foot. fully concrete, anti fire eurethane with shaft walls on the perimeter (anti fire walls) I use to work in drywall industrie)

So far here are the result after 2 months:

1- we used it non stop since late november except in the last week (we had mild temp north of montreal) ( i did use it 1 day out of 2)

2-since the house
somewhat big, the air at the upper level or even mid level that get out of the venting holes isnt that hot.
However, when slowburn is engaged 45 or 60 min the whole house is feeling extremly confortable on all level. its like that the ciculation of air is getting uniform and confortable after a short moment everywhere execept in the « bunker » where it can reach 26-27*C

3- a few weeks ago i had to clean the catalysts. They were jammed by creosote (black stuff all over the honeycombs). The Manchester has 2 Catalyst (rectangle) The symptom was that i couldnt use the slow burn anymore: the glass got all black and the fire just vanished.

Now its fully functional

4- I bought 4 cords of wood late summer. I had to store it all in my garage (it was wet) As of today, after 2 months, i still have almost 1 left...

5- it is my first experience with a wood stove, so far I am extremely satisfied with it.

Feel free if you have questions or comments.

 

[begreen]

It's a beautiful stove and a competent heater. I hope you already have next winter's firewood stacked and seasoning. Dry wood makes a huge difference.

Do you cook on the stove a lot?

 

[Woody Stover]

Good-looking stove, especially in enamel. Even if you don't see it as much as other owners might.
Yeah, you don't want to send a lot of smoke through the cat unless the stove is up to temp and hot enough for the cat to start working fairly quickly after you close the bypass. Wet wood can be an issue as well, preventing the cat from burning even if the stove is up to temp. Unburned smoke through the cat will clog it eventually.
How did you clean the combustor after it gunked up? I know you have to be careful if you stick anything through the cells, as the catalyst coating can be damaged. The only way I've ever cleaned my cats is with the 50-50 distilled vinegar/distilled water simmering bath, but I never had wet, black creo on mine. I think it would work, judging by how a 50-50 solution cleans creo off the glass.
I couldn't find the manual. Does the stove have a cat probe thermometer, so that you can tell if it's burning, and tell you when to close the bypass? It looks like the cat is far back in the stove, so I don't think you could see it glowing through the window..? Doubtful it has glowed so far anyway, with wet wood. It's possible you could place a stove top meter above the cat, to be able to tell if it's burning. When the cat begins to burn smoke, you should see a somewhat quick rise in stove top temp above the cat. Or if you have an infrared thermometer, maybe you can shoot the stove top through the holes in the cast iron.
How does the ash-handling system work, if you are using it? I can't recall but I think the older Manchester that I saw had a grate in the bottom of the firebox. That's what I have now, and I like it.
Not sure what species of wood you have access to but surely there is fast-drying stuff available. It won't burn as long as the heavier, more dense woods but dry wood is the most important thing. You'll be amazed how much more heat you get with dry wood, but the stove may want to burn faster as well so you may have to adjust your technique; Lower air settings, less burn-in time on a new load, etc.
If you're buying wood you may want to separate the species as you stack it, saving the Oak and other dense woods for future years, and having light, dry stuff available for next fall. I have a longer drying season down here, and I can get soft Maple fairly dry over one summer. Hard (Sugar) Maple really needs two summers, and I like three for Oak. The smaller you split, the faster the wood will dry, but you may need larger splits to keep your stove under control depending on how hard your chimney drafts. For the fastest drying, stack single rows, top-covered, where the prevailing wind can blow through the sides.

 

[Eric plourde]

It's a beautiful stove and a competent heater. I hope you already have next winter's firewood stacked and seasoning. Dry wood makes a huge difference.

Do you cook on the stove a lot?

Thanks,

ill be ordering my wood a lot sooner for next winter for sure.

We did not use it for cooking yet execpt two times just for reheat purpose (some rice and vegetables)

I was warned that using it for cooking my scratch or damage the enemel and becareful.

From what i understand, is that the enemel particles dont like a drastic change of temperature.

We always put pots of water on top just to humidify the air with some essential oils. So i always poor hot water in the bol before putting it back on the stove to avoid some kind of « shock » and damage the finish.

Funny thing is that when we bought it at first we had in mind just to use it occasionaly and as an emergency heat source in case of blackout.

just before winter I changed gear and ordered the 4 cords of wood and decided to give it a try as the main heat source. (That explain the wet wood that was only available from the lumberjacks)

I dont regret it a second. We are now more familliar with using it (bypass for the catalysts) and all the tasks that come with it.

It is Really a good thing.

 

[Eric plourde]

Good-looking stove, especially in enamel. Even if you don't see it as much as other owners might.
Yeah, you don't want to send a lot of smoke through the cat unless the stove is up to temp and hot enough for the cat to start working fairly quickly after you close the bypass. Wet wood can be an issue as well, preventing the cat from burning even if the stove is up to temp. Unburned smoke through the cat will clog it eventually.
How did you clean the combustor after it gunked up? I know you have to be careful if you stick anything through the cells, as the catalyst coating can be damaged. The only way I've ever cleaned my cats is with the 50-50 distilled vinegar/distilled water simmering bath, but I never had wet, black creo on mine. I think it would work, judging by how a 50-50 solution cleans creo off the glass.
I couldn't find the manual. Does the stove have a cat probe thermometer, so that you can tell if it's burning, and tell you when to close the bypass? It looks like the cat is far back in the stove, so I don't think you could see it glowing through the window..? Doubtful it has glowed so far anyway, with wet wood. It's possible you could place a stove top meter above the cat, to be able to tell if it's burning. When the cat begins to burn smoke, you should see a somewhat quick rise in stove top temp above the cat. Or if you have an infrared thermometer, maybe you can shoot the stove top through the holes in the cast iron.
How does the ash-handling system work, if you are using it? I can't recall but I think the older Manchester that I saw had a grate in the bottom of the firebox. That's what I have now, and I like it.
Not sure what species of wood you have access to but surely there is fast-drying stuff available. It won't burn as long as the heavier, more dense woods but dry wood is the most important thing. You'll be amazed how much more heat you get with dry wood, but the stove may want to burn faster as well so you may have to adjust your technique; Lower air settings, less burn-in time on a new load, etc.
If you're buying wood you may want to separate the species as you stack it, saving the Oak and other dense woods for future years, and having light, dry stuff available for next fall. I have a longer drying season down here, and I can get soft Maple fairly dry over one summer. Hard (Sugar) Maple really needs two summers, and I like three for Oak. The smaller you split, the faster the wood will dry, but you may need larger splits to keep your stove under control depending on how hard your chimney drafts. For the fastest drying, stack single rows, top-covered, where the prevailing wind can blow through the sides.

Thanks for the reply,

I did clean both cat without any tools and just plain cold water. The thing is that there is ceramic wool all around the cats (some kind of gasket) that went off when I removed them. I had some difficulties to put it back especially for one of the cats. Its kind of thight and i had to use a flat screw driver to push the wool all around the cat in the slot.

You are right about the vinegar/distilled water solution. It is 1 part vinegar for 4 part water that is recomended in the manual. I suppose a 50/50 wouldnt mind either.

There is a Cat probe on the right of the stove next to the bypass handle that monitors the temperature of the catalyst.

1-inactive
2-catalyst active
3-too hot

The first 2 weeks were a bit confusing. I started fire with the bypass open... didnt fully understand the catalyst function. Misunderstood the bypass handle (open vs close)

this might have contributed to my catalysts being clogged faster

i dont really use the ash pan honestly. Maybe i should more?

The thing is that there is no ash the get into the ash pan.

when I clean the stove, either i just take the little shovel and get all the ash out from the main door or i open the ash crate door and start moving back and forth the steel grill so the ash can fall in the ash pan.

it makes no sens for me at the moment to use it since i will have to clean the rest of the stove with the little broom and shovel anyway.

maybe there is something i dont know?


I stacked the 4 cords in my garage at least When i received late in the fall.

ill try to make some research to know how to identify logs or at least when i order it next season to know what kind of wood they are mainly selling here in Quebec.

have a good day.