My wood smoldering stove

[ddug]

Hi all! New member here and I was hoping you could help a greenhorn who knows nothing about wood stoves with a problem.

I am building a 600 sq. ft. home with loft and cathedral ceiling (20 ft. high). It is dried in but as yet uninsulated. I recently acquired a Vermont Castings aspen wood stove and have just finished installing it and can not get it to burn with the door closed. I have taken it apart and inspected and cleaned it. Everything looks good but as I said I'm new at this so I'm not exactly sure what to look for.

I am using a well seasoned mix of mostly juniper, and the rest pinion pine and scrub oak. Not the most prime fuel I realize but its what I have and I am not buying any. I can get a real hot fire going but if I close the door it slowly dies. Even after burning for several hours and developing a nice bed of coals (a struggle!) I can add wood and if I close the door it will not light and more or less just smolder. If I open the door it will light and start to produce heat. With the door cracked just a hair it becomes a raging inferno and I have experimented with getting a lot of good fuel really going until everything is hot and then closing the door and same thing- fire goes out and coals turn from red to black. Heat goes down.

The stove vents through 16 foot of single wall pipe connected to 6 ft. class A chimney, which exits near the peak of the roof. After installing I read you should only have 8 ft. of single wall above the stove so I will at some time fix that but I don't think that has to do with my problem.

So the fire is not getting air, that is apparent. I thought the air vents were clear but I will check them again, maybe try and blow compressed air through them..

After getting the stove, which seemed like a good deal (no cash involved), I have learned that that particular model is somewhat of a dog and a bit undersized for what I need anyway. I will be on the lookout for another but for now I thought if I could get this one running properly it could at least take the edge off the cold while I work through the winter.

Sorry for the long winded approach to what is most likely a simple problem. Appreciate any and all help.

 

[HotCoals]

I read somewhere that your stove has thermostat controlled intake...might want to make sure it is not stuck.
Here are some reviews on your stove.

Overall Performance: Rating star Rating star

Efficiency: Rating star Rating star

Ease of Use: Rating star Rating star Rating star
Like many others here I am extremely disappointed in this stove. The draft is horrible. I also have to leave the door open to get this thing to stay lit. My pipe is 18 feet tall, and goes straight up, no elbows. Hate to think how poor the draft would be if it had a few bends in it.
I use it to heat my front room (12' X 20') and it is adequate for that - no doubt the claim it will heat ...


http://www.wiseheat.com/wood-stoves/Vermont_Castings_Aspen_1920

 

[HotCoals]

Here is where it talks about the thermostat in the specs.
Hope this helps...because something is wrong.
http://www.vermontcastings.com/products.asp?model=aspen

 

[Dakotas Dad]

Saw one of those once.. has an automatic air control of some kind if I remember, that is probably sticking or disconected...

 

[ddug]

I read somewhere that your stove has thermostat controlled intake…might want to make sure it is not stuck.

I wasn't sure if that was working right so I just propped it wide open to see what that would do. No effect.

 

[HotCoals]

I read somewhere that your stove has thermostat controlled intake…might want to make sure it is not stuck.

I wasn't sure if that was working right so I just propped it wide open to see what that would do. No effect.

Was there a cover you took off to see if it actually is opening?
They can plug up also I read.
Does the control make any diff at all?

 

[Stephen in SoKY]

IIRC, Aspen's are famous for getting ash plugs at the intake at the front of the stove. I looked at Aspen, Jotul & Morso and I'm 99% certain the people who had learned to clean the intake periodically were actually quite pleased with their Aspen. Those who did not clean them regularly largely hated the Aspen.

 

[ddug]

Does the control make any diff at all?

It didn't, but it does now.

Stephen I think you are right. My 11 year old son and I had a good time today taking the thing apart and figuring out how it operates. I think those front air intakes are susceptible to clogging. We cleaned them out real good and now it is a whole new stove. Burning great and nice and hot.

I'll keep an eye on the vents and clean them out periodically. Thanks for all the help, I hope to keep learning.

 

[Dakotas Dad]

Glad you got it sorted out, and it's burning right. Don't be a stranger now, stick around and be ready for the next Aspen owner who needs help. Everybody in this thread was going by hearsay and memory, you are now the SME on that stove. More so that you not only burn one, but have pretty much taken it apart and now know it's workings, and apperantly, it's Achilles heal..

 

[ddug]

Glad you got it sorted out, and it’s burning right. Don’t be a stranger now

Thanks DD, I won't. Like a lot of folks I am a natural born pyro so owning my first wood stove is somewhat of a dream come true. I'll have more questions coming up, some of them safety related. Up to this point I have enjoyed most of my fires outdoors and am still adjusting to having a 500 degree piece of metal in the middle of my (wood!) home, especially since I built it.

While doing a little research trying to figure out what was going wrong I became a bit disheartened after reading that many people experienced the same problems with their aspen and I was worried that I might not be able to get mine to work. It was rewarding getting to know the stove better, and my son and I both learned a lot about what makes a wood stove tick. I now feel that for what it is this little stove is a good performer and for now I am very happy with it. Naturally I'll have to stoke it more often than a bigger one but it was plenty hot this morning after an all night burn to easily light and was putting out great heat in no time. We'll see though, time will tell.

Looking forward to tapping all of your collective wisdom.

 

[HotCoals]

I put that link to reviews to show that some where having the same probs as you but yet others were not.
Sometimes it can be operator error or wet wood ..other times it could be a plugged air inlet or who knows what.
Glad you found your prob and happy and safe burning to you!