Long time member but not been here in a few years. Had a fire at our old house (not from wood stove) and just installed smaller stove at our new place. Excuse the length of the post but gonna try to cover everything.
So to start with, I bought the stove brand new this past summer from an individual who bought it on clearance, then moved and never installed. It was still in the box and strapped to the crate. It is a Pleasant Hearth WS-2417 and from what I can tell, was made sometime around 2016 or 17. Stove is much smaller than our old Magnolia, but we aren't heating as large of an area. I did remove the DuraVent chimney system from the old place and put it in here. Installed it about 3 months ago and problems started about 2 weeks ago. Firewood was all from neighbor's farm and is oak that has been on ground for over 3 years. We cut, split, and stacked it in a covered woodshed about 8 months ago. According to moisture meter, it is running around 15% moisture so should be fine.
According to stove specs, it requires a minimum of 15' from floor at stove to outlet of pipe above roof. We have a cathedral ceiling with 8' from floor to ceiling, then Duravent pipe adapter is made into box and is in placed in ceiling space. Total distance from adapter to top of pipe is 9' so this is a total of 17' and exceeds their 15' requirement. Pipe also extend over 6' higher than any other roof surface within 20'.
So stove works fine for over 2 months, gasses and puts out good heat. Over about a 10 day period of time, stove seemed to burn slower and cooler each day. Toward the end of this time, the only way to keep a fire going was to leave door cracked until temps went up around 500 degrees on single wall pipe 6" from stove. No damper installed between stove and Duravent adapter. When temps would get up to this range, I would close the door. Within 15 seconds of doing so, flames would go out and would only be left with coals. Wait about 1 minute, crack door open and flames would start roaring again within 15 seconds. Basically same deal each time door is opened or shut. Overall, stove was putting out less than 50% of heat it had been a month ago. To me, it was starving for air.
My first thoughts was that something may have gotten into the intake air system which is simply a triangular slide box on the bottom of the stove with the handle that moves a flat piece of steel over triangular cutout to regulate amount of air. Since stove was already over 5 years old and bought from individual instead of store, warranty would already be out. Decided to check and see if I could find any obstructions. Cleaned all ashes, removed all firebrick, secondary burn tubes, and baffle above burn tubes. I first took a shop vac, put hose on blow side and blew thru secondary pick up port on bottom of stove. I verified proper air moving thru rectangular tubing where secondary tubes go into rectangular tubing. Ended up removing primary air adjusting box on bottom of stove so I could make sure nothing was in box restricting it and get straight access to rectangular tubing in stove. This primary air tubing is approx 3/4" by 2" rectangular steel that forms a square "I__I" inside the stove. The bottom part of it has a slot cut thru the bottom of the stove to allow air from adjusting box into tubing. This bottom part runs to the corners where it turns and goes up the sides on the inside front. The tubing is then cut open on the top sides facing the firebox and behind a steel "curtain" that directs the air back down for the door "wash" effect to keep the glass clean. I connected the shop vac hose on the bottom of the primary air rectangular tubing where the adjuster would be and blew air thru it. Everything worked as it should with air coming out both sides. I also checked to see if air was supplied into the firebox anywhere else and it is not. The door wash is the only place where primary air is supplied to the firebox. It simply comes out of both sides of the top and diverts down the door to meet with the front bottom of the firebox. After not finding a restriction (and cussing for wasting time), I put it all back together and tried a fire. No difference.
The next day, I decided it had to be a draft problem, so I let the fire die and pipes cool. Disassembled the single pipes above the stove, taped garbage bag to square part of pipe adapter that hangs down inside room. I used my brush and extensions to clean pipe from inside of house. I taped small hole in bottom of trash bag to reinforce it in area where my brush extension went thru and held that area with 1 hand to keep junk from falling out in floor. I have done this before in winter and it works to get 80% of pipe clean when too cold outside. I took the 2 single wall pieces of pipe outside and ran brush thru them to make sure they were clean. Honestly, may have gotten a handfull of junk from above ceiling and maybe another from both pipes below ceiling so I didn't think it was enough to cause problem. Reassembled and refired stove. Still, no improvement in firing qualities.
As I was reinstalling single pipes just above stove, I noticed a small gap where the 2 pipes slid together and had the joints staggered (where the flat stovepipe is curled and locked together in a circle). Also noticed that as I stood above cast iron ring at top of stove accepts pipe, I could see a flame in the crack as the door was being closed and flame shooting up into top of stove. Scratch my head time again. Had screws fastening all connections in this ring and at joint where both pipes connected. After thinking for awhile, I went to autoparts store and bought a roll of header tape that was 2" wide and made from fiberglass cloth and impregnated with crushed lava. It is very pliable and is rated for 1500 degrees. I then made 2 wraps around joint at bottom pipe to stove ring, 2 wraps around joint of 2 single pipes, and 2 wraps at very top where pipe went into ceiling box. I then took 6" stainless steel hose clamps and tightened over the wrap to compress and seal each of the joints. Prior to doing this, I verified it was sucking air by using smoke from cigarette around each of these joints and watching smoke disappear into pipes. Once again, fired stove and appeared to help somewhat but still not like stove was doing 2 weeks earlier.
The next day, it was warmer so decided to get on roof, disassemble, inspect, and clean all pipes again. I have (3) 3' pipes from ceiling box to very top of bonnet. As I disassembled each one and cleaned downward, found very little buildup on inside of pipes. I also checked pipes for any evidence of smoke leaking from exhaust area toward insulated area at sealing ends. Everything appeared to be good and no signs as you would see similar to a leaking head gasket for the auto guru's here. The only thing I did find was that 1 of the pipes was slightly loose. We had some good wind recently and that could have been what loosened it. I do have a bracket around the center pipe with 2 braces connected and running to the roof at 60 degree angles. The only pipe I did not take loose is the very bottom pipe that attaches into the ceiling box. With the flashing attached to the roof the way it is, it would take over half a day to remove this flashing to be able to see in there, clean the adhesive weatherstripping I have on it (attached to metal roof) and put it back in.
I beg of any of you if you have any suggestions, please send them my way. Money is an issue so I can't just go out and buy a new stove or new chimney system. I just don't know what else to try. I have even got another load of dry wood and tried it, but same results with flames going out 15 seconds after closing door. If I get it hot enough, it will continue to heat with door closed but any signs of gassing are few and far between. Thanks for reading my long winded post and again, I apologize but just wanted to be thorough in description of the entire system.
So to start with, I bought the stove brand new this past summer from an individual who bought it on clearance, then moved and never installed. It was still in the box and strapped to the crate. It is a Pleasant Hearth WS-2417 and from what I can tell, was made sometime around 2016 or 17. Stove is much smaller than our old Magnolia, but we aren't heating as large of an area. I did remove the DuraVent chimney system from the old place and put it in here. Installed it about 3 months ago and problems started about 2 weeks ago. Firewood was all from neighbor's farm and is oak that has been on ground for over 3 years. We cut, split, and stacked it in a covered woodshed about 8 months ago. According to moisture meter, it is running around 15% moisture so should be fine.
According to stove specs, it requires a minimum of 15' from floor at stove to outlet of pipe above roof. We have a cathedral ceiling with 8' from floor to ceiling, then Duravent pipe adapter is made into box and is in placed in ceiling space. Total distance from adapter to top of pipe is 9' so this is a total of 17' and exceeds their 15' requirement. Pipe also extend over 6' higher than any other roof surface within 20'.
So stove works fine for over 2 months, gasses and puts out good heat. Over about a 10 day period of time, stove seemed to burn slower and cooler each day. Toward the end of this time, the only way to keep a fire going was to leave door cracked until temps went up around 500 degrees on single wall pipe 6" from stove. No damper installed between stove and Duravent adapter. When temps would get up to this range, I would close the door. Within 15 seconds of doing so, flames would go out and would only be left with coals. Wait about 1 minute, crack door open and flames would start roaring again within 15 seconds. Basically same deal each time door is opened or shut. Overall, stove was putting out less than 50% of heat it had been a month ago. To me, it was starving for air.
My first thoughts was that something may have gotten into the intake air system which is simply a triangular slide box on the bottom of the stove with the handle that moves a flat piece of steel over triangular cutout to regulate amount of air. Since stove was already over 5 years old and bought from individual instead of store, warranty would already be out. Decided to check and see if I could find any obstructions. Cleaned all ashes, removed all firebrick, secondary burn tubes, and baffle above burn tubes. I first took a shop vac, put hose on blow side and blew thru secondary pick up port on bottom of stove. I verified proper air moving thru rectangular tubing where secondary tubes go into rectangular tubing. Ended up removing primary air adjusting box on bottom of stove so I could make sure nothing was in box restricting it and get straight access to rectangular tubing in stove. This primary air tubing is approx 3/4" by 2" rectangular steel that forms a square "I__I" inside the stove. The bottom part of it has a slot cut thru the bottom of the stove to allow air from adjusting box into tubing. This bottom part runs to the corners where it turns and goes up the sides on the inside front. The tubing is then cut open on the top sides facing the firebox and behind a steel "curtain" that directs the air back down for the door "wash" effect to keep the glass clean. I connected the shop vac hose on the bottom of the primary air rectangular tubing where the adjuster would be and blew air thru it. Everything worked as it should with air coming out both sides. I also checked to see if air was supplied into the firebox anywhere else and it is not. The door wash is the only place where primary air is supplied to the firebox. It simply comes out of both sides of the top and diverts down the door to meet with the front bottom of the firebox. After not finding a restriction (and cussing for wasting time), I put it all back together and tried a fire. No difference.
The next day, I decided it had to be a draft problem, so I let the fire die and pipes cool. Disassembled the single pipes above the stove, taped garbage bag to square part of pipe adapter that hangs down inside room. I used my brush and extensions to clean pipe from inside of house. I taped small hole in bottom of trash bag to reinforce it in area where my brush extension went thru and held that area with 1 hand to keep junk from falling out in floor. I have done this before in winter and it works to get 80% of pipe clean when too cold outside. I took the 2 single wall pieces of pipe outside and ran brush thru them to make sure they were clean. Honestly, may have gotten a handfull of junk from above ceiling and maybe another from both pipes below ceiling so I didn't think it was enough to cause problem. Reassembled and refired stove. Still, no improvement in firing qualities.
As I was reinstalling single pipes just above stove, I noticed a small gap where the 2 pipes slid together and had the joints staggered (where the flat stovepipe is curled and locked together in a circle). Also noticed that as I stood above cast iron ring at top of stove accepts pipe, I could see a flame in the crack as the door was being closed and flame shooting up into top of stove. Scratch my head time again. Had screws fastening all connections in this ring and at joint where both pipes connected. After thinking for awhile, I went to autoparts store and bought a roll of header tape that was 2" wide and made from fiberglass cloth and impregnated with crushed lava. It is very pliable and is rated for 1500 degrees. I then made 2 wraps around joint at bottom pipe to stove ring, 2 wraps around joint of 2 single pipes, and 2 wraps at very top where pipe went into ceiling box. I then took 6" stainless steel hose clamps and tightened over the wrap to compress and seal each of the joints. Prior to doing this, I verified it was sucking air by using smoke from cigarette around each of these joints and watching smoke disappear into pipes. Once again, fired stove and appeared to help somewhat but still not like stove was doing 2 weeks earlier.
The next day, it was warmer so decided to get on roof, disassemble, inspect, and clean all pipes again. I have (3) 3' pipes from ceiling box to very top of bonnet. As I disassembled each one and cleaned downward, found very little buildup on inside of pipes. I also checked pipes for any evidence of smoke leaking from exhaust area toward insulated area at sealing ends. Everything appeared to be good and no signs as you would see similar to a leaking head gasket for the auto guru's here. The only thing I did find was that 1 of the pipes was slightly loose. We had some good wind recently and that could have been what loosened it. I do have a bracket around the center pipe with 2 braces connected and running to the roof at 60 degree angles. The only pipe I did not take loose is the very bottom pipe that attaches into the ceiling box. With the flashing attached to the roof the way it is, it would take over half a day to remove this flashing to be able to see in there, clean the adhesive weatherstripping I have on it (attached to metal roof) and put it back in.
I beg of any of you if you have any suggestions, please send them my way. Money is an issue so I can't just go out and buy a new stove or new chimney system. I just don't know what else to try. I have even got another load of dry wood and tried it, but same results with flames going out 15 seconds after closing door. If I get it hot enough, it will continue to heat with door closed but any signs of gassing are few and far between. Thanks for reading my long winded post and again, I apologize but just wanted to be thorough in description of the entire system.
