Outside damper?

[CabinJayne]

We have a Harman wood stove in our cabin. Last week, we had very high winds in the area. When trying to heat the cabin this past weekend, the fire burned too hot with a lot of flame. (There was little to no wind at this time.) The damper inside is part of the stove itself, with a sliding handle that adjusts the intake from the back of the stove. It’s fine. There is no damper on the inside portion of the stack. Is there something that could have been damaged on the outside portion of the stack that we cannot see from the ground?

 

[DAKSY]

What is "too hot?"
What did your stack thermostat say the
pipe temperature was at the time?
What kind of wood are you burning?
Is the door gasket in good shape?

 

[Ludlow]

Is the cap missing outside? Only thing I can think of. When you turned the air down you mean it had no effect on the fire? Sounds like your door wasnt latched completely to me.

 

[kennyp2339]

The single wall black pipe doesn't look very discolored (it would fade white) if it was burning very hot.

 

[Ludlow]

The single wall black pipe doesn't look very discolored (it would fade white) if it was burning very hot.

I saw that too. The pipe color is consistent.

 

[begreen]

I'm guessing this is a Harman TL2.6. It has a bypass damper (lever on the left side) and an air control on the front. Was the bypass damper left open when it had high flame? It should have been closed if the stove was getting hot. The stove may be fine, we need more information. You could add a key damper inside the stove pipe for a bit better regulation.

 

[kennyp2339]

Wall shield doesn't look like it has air gaps in it for venting, single wall pipe needs 18" from combustibles, a proper wall shield will have 1" spacing from the combustible wall, 1" from the bottom, cant see the bottom but it looks like the top of the brick was capped with a piece of trim making it null as a shield since airflow is blocked behind it.

 

[CabinJayne]

What is "too hot?"
What did your stack thermostat say the
pipe temperature was at the time?
What kind of wood are you burning?
Is the door gasket in good shape?

The fire was running upwards of 500 degrees. The temp was a change, and was difficult to regulate. We primarily burn aspen, and some pine. Door gasket is in good shape. Thanks for your help!

 

[CabinJayne]

Is the cap missing outside? Only thing I can think of. When you turned the air down you mean it had no effect on the fire? Sounds like your door wasnt latched completely to me.

The cap is still there. When we turned down the dampers, the flame seemed to be unaffected. You may be right about the door. I have since opened and closed it and didn’t notice it was open, but it’s possible. Thanks for your help!

 

[CabinJayne]

I'm guessing this is a Harman TL2.6. It has a bypass damper (lever on the left side) and an air control on the front. Was the bypass damper left open when it had high flame? It should have been closed if the stove was getting hot. The stove may be fine, we need more information. You could add a key damper inside the stove pipe for a bit better regulation.

You are correct about the location of the side damper and the air control. (Impressive...you know your stove stuff!) We closed the side bypass damper and the air control and it didn’t seem to make a difference. In the past, the damper and bypass did the trick. It seemed like there was air coming from somewhere. We could add a key damper, but this was a change since the wind storm.

 

[CabinJayne]

I'm guessing this is a Harman TL2.6. It has a bypass damper (lever on the left side) and an air control on the front. Was the bypass damper left open when it had high flame? It should have been closed if the stove was getting hot. The stove may be fine, we need more information. You could add a key damper inside the stove pipe for a bit better regulation.

Here is a pick of the outdoor stack. May help.

 

[begreen]

The fire was running upwards of 500 degrees.

Was that reading on the stovepipe or on the stove top?

We closed the side bypass damper and the air control and it didn’t seem to make a difference. In the past, the damper and bypass did the trick.

It could be that the wood was extra dry and the bypass and air were turned down a bit too late. Have you burned since then in the stove?

 

[Ludlow]

I have some ash that is so dry it feels light like balsa wood.

 

[CabinJayne]

Was that reading on the stovepipe or on the stove top?

It could be that the wood was extra dry and the bypass and air were turned down a bit too late. Have you burned since then in the stove?

The reading was on the stove pipe. I don’t think it was the wood. It’s the same wood we always burn, and stored in the same area (garage). Haven’t burned since the issue, but we burned two separate times and both were the same.

 

[begreen]

500 degrees on the stove pipe is too hot. Try closing the bypass and turning down the air sooner.

 

[bholler]

Yes 500 on the pipe is too hot but not by much. What condition is the combustion chamber in?

 

[CabinJayne]

500 degrees on the stove pipe is too hot. Try closing the bypass and turning down the air sooner.

This is the original problem. We closed the dampers right away, but it didn’t seem to affect air flow. Something was still feeding the fire. Either our door wasn’t completely closed, or something is wrong with the outside stack. I’m hoping it was the door. We won’t know for a while - can’t get back to our cabin for a bit.

 

[CabinJayne]

Yes 500 on the pipe is too hot but not by much. What condition is the combustion chamber in?

Good condition, I believe. We had it replaced in 2014. How do we know if it needs attention?

 

[bholler]

Good condition, I believe. We had it replaced in 2014. How do we know if it needs attention?

Take the stove apart and inspect it.