New Guy Needs Help.Please.

[new2burn]

Hello, Been looking around the forum and i love it. Found Lots of info here. Im kinda of new and need help with a few things. First let me explain what kind of sttove im using. I have an old russo/wood insert. I have stainless steel flex pipe that connect to the back and runs all the way to the top of the chimney. I belive i have a good draft and i am burning 2 year old dry oak. I never have a problem starting or mantaining the the fire, and have now smoke coming in the house or anything like that. Ok my 1st problem is the glass gets caked with black soot, i have to clean it with a razor after every fire. i would not mind if i could just wash it off but i have to really scrub it use razor blades and what not. i dont know if this is normal or not but its very anoying. i know they have newer stoves wtih air wash systems and i am thinking about buying one but i would hate to get rid of this old stove because it heats my place so well. It get really black when i dampen down so i try to keep the air open so the fire stays nice and hot but i still have problems with the glass. And it seems when i first start it up if the flame hits the glass it gets black. Any help with that would be great. my second problem is there is an air baffle on the side of the stove that is piped to the flue. i have now idea what it does so i have it compleatly shut. its a round baffle air intake thing that goes from metal plate that surround the stove and goes drectly to the back of the flue. any help would be greatly appreciated . i also replaced the glass a year ago when i got the stove. i got the glass from a glass dealer and he said it was ceramic glass for stove.

sorry one more thing. i have to very small hair line crack on both sides of the stove. they run from where the air blows out of the stove to the side of the stove. it does not apear that the crack go compleatly through the stove. i dont know if this is normal wear and tare or what cause the stove is pretty old.

 

[RedRanger]

Out with the old and in with the new!! Don`t spend a nickel on that old piece of junk. Get something else for next winter. You already have the liner so you are half way there.

 

[new2burn]

Yeah i guess your right. It was a good starter stove and i saved alot of money this year. just got a log splitter up and running so this is something i want to keep doing. next year i want to burn from like 3 in the afternoon to the morning. what stove do you recommend i got kinda a smaller fireplace and about 2500sq foot home. and what kind of burn times do you get out of the new stoves?

 

[swestall]

If you house lends itself to wood heat and you build that hearth out a bit, you can put a stand alone stove in there that will heat the whole house. It will use a lot less wood and 24/7 will not be any more effort than 3-whenever....
It will depend on your personal preferences which stove you use as there are good ones available in steel, cast and soapstone.
First you have to go there with a decision to do it; then the research will be fun.