Osburn 2300 issues

[Brian K]

I have an Osburn 2300. The one I bought didn't come with a bypass damper, and I had lots of issues with smoke rollout when I opened the door. And yes - I did crack it open for about 10 seconds to allow the air flow to adjust, then open it more to re-fill but it still smoked quite badly. Chimney is a double wall 6" which goes up 20 feet through the roof with a small jog using 2 90 degree elbows. I talked to the local dealer, explained the issue and all of a sudden they had a bypass damper kit which I installed myself. That damper sure helps with the smoke rollout.

Another issue I had, was that it seemed that the stove was starved for air during a normal burn, and lighting it was a challenge even with dry wood and heat up took forever. I have an external source of combustion air. So I experimented and found that if I opened the floor cleanout just a bit, the stove came alive as air was able to enter through the cleanout/ash drawer into the base of the fire. So then I decided to add a second damper under the cleanout by welding some angle iron on the bottom of the firebox in the cleanout drawer area and used a 1/2" thick square piece of steel which was welded to a 1/4" rod and a cute little spiral handle to match the other one that comes out the front of the stove. Now I can open this damper (about a 2"x2" opening) and vary it from fully open to fully closed - like when the cleanout plug is in. Now it lights and heats up like it should and I can make it roar a bit as the flame takes off. It's like the stove has come alive and lights and burns nicely now. I live in Alberta Canada and wonder if altitude (3428 ft) and less dense air has much effect of the breathing of the stove. It was designed in Quebec which is at sea level. Less dense air could mean the stove is starved for air using the OEM intake system.
Any comments on the altitude effect on the stove breathing properly?

 

[begreen]

It might be a factor because of the 2-90 turns in the flue path. Softening this by using 45º elbows with a short offset connector if necessary would help offset the altitude and make the connector easier to clean. That said, it's more likely the main cause is that the house is tight enough to be restricting combustion air a bit.

 

[Brian K]

Thanks for the response. My 2 90's are 'soft' angles (I should have mentioned that) and probably the transition piece is more on a 45 than a 90. Also - if the house was that airtight, then adding the extra damper on the cleanout wouldn't have had any effect because the house would already be at a somewhat negative pressure and I do have a 4" fresh air intake connected to the back of the woodstove. I also have an 8"x12" grate in the floor next to the woodstove to the basement where there is a 6" cold air inlet as well. Opening a window didn't make a difference either so I think the thought that the house being airtight is kind of ruled out. The place was built in the mid 70's so airtight was only a dream then. Prior to this Osburn stove, I had a 'cheapy' woodstove with only a baffle separating the firebox from the flue and it burned better than the Osburn - although my damper modification has dramatically improved the combustion because, to me, it breathes better. I tried a GPT Chat question about altitude affecting performance and Mr. Chat indicated that it probably was a factor in poor performance sue to lower air density and therefore less oxygen. I tried contacting Osburn and the silence was deafening (but not surprising - they wouldn't want to admit a design issue).
I wonder if anyone else at a higher altitude has experienced what I have with this stove. On a side note - prior to this 2300 stove, I did buy a beautiful Osburn 1800 with a gold door. Looked awesome, but we got cold watching the fire burn and again poor combustion, so the place I bought the stove from exchanged it for the 2300.

 

[begreen]

If the negative pressure is strong then opening a window a little sometimes may not compensate, especially if a cause of the negative pressure is closer to the window. We have a new fireplace thread where opening a window 15 ft away does not help, but one 5 ft away does. It's an odd problem. Current speculation is that it's an imbalances ERV.