I completed the install about 10 days ago and everything has been great until yesterday. My stove sits on my fireplace hearth and I have a 6" liner up my 28' interior chimney. Fires have been easy to start and I have been burning the stove mostly at 400-500 deg. burning red oak that is a mix of seasoned and partially seasoned splits. Yesterday I had a bed of coals and I shut down the air and left it to sit all afternoon. I came home last night and I could not bring the temp up no matter what I tried. Except opening the ash door. The fire would blaze like crazy if the ash door was open. Shut that and the flames would almost completely go out. I went to bed with the air control open all the way and let it burn out. This morning I cleaned out all the ash and tried to start a new fire. I cant get a fire going even with my tourch. Ash door open, starter air vent open and air control all open but It will not stay lit. Something has changed. What could it be? Everything was perfect and running great for the last week or so. Now I am stumped..............Anyone have any suggestions.............
Problems with my F3CB
- Thread starter billdad1
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You've got to figure out why this stove is not getting air. That's obviously what it happening. It seems to me that something heated up and either broke or feel into the path of the incoming air. Check all around the air control and look inside the stove where the air comes in if you can. Perhaps the linkage that goes from the control to the shutter itself is broken. It's possible that some ash maybe causing the problem too, choking an air inlet. Try a thorough cleaning with a shop vac and see if that helps. Is the stove brand new? The only other possibility is that something drastic happened to your overall draft in the house. Is the house old or new? Did you recently tighten up the house like with plastic on the windows or caulk or something to prevent air infiltration? If you choke off the air entering your house it will affect your draft.
Nate
Nate
How about you crawl up on the roof and take a look at the chimney cap, maybe it's clogged shut? If you're afraid of heights, go out and look at it through binoculars, see if it's clogged with soot/ash/creosote?
That's where I'd start.
That's where I'd start.
Agreed, this is a simple air intake on this stove and no outside air kit. Either you've just hit some unseasoned wood, or are starting plug up the cap/flue, or both.
Modern EPA stoves don't like unseasoned wood. As you've read in your manual, there is a small starter intake on the front of the stove. The ashpan door is not to be used to start or run the stove. Overtime this may warp the grate and voids the warranty. If the fire needs a bit more air to start, leave the door slightly ajar until it's burning well.
Modern EPA stoves don't like unseasoned wood. As you've read in your manual, there is a small starter intake on the front of the stove. The ashpan door is not to be used to start or run the stove. Overtime this may warp the grate and voids the warranty. If the fire needs a bit more air to start, leave the door slightly ajar until it's burning well.
I have an F3 that I've had apart and the air control is pretty much fail safe simple cast iron sliding plate. I second taking a look at the venting system to see if any piping is clogged or detached somehow. Is there any chance of having a load of wet wood?
Thanks for the replies!
I finally got a fire started a few min. ago. I was only opening the ash door as a last resort. The draft is working great! no smoke ever escapes the stove into the room. Even when I lit a piece of newspaper, all smoke goes up the chimney. I think I had a negative house pressure because when I went to try again a few min. ago, I noticed the fresh air intake in my fireplace was shut. I opened it and presto, the fire took right off. Heating up now and burning fine. I didn't think I built the house so tight but that is why I installed the fresh air intake in the first place. Stupid me. And I am the one who shut the intake but forgot about it.
Thanks again for the help
I feel like a idiot now.
This is a great stove but I should have gotten the Oslo 500. This one is too small. Live and learn.
By the way, I wanted to ask, How do you know when you are getting a secondary burn?
I finally got a fire started a few min. ago. I was only opening the ash door as a last resort. The draft is working great! no smoke ever escapes the stove into the room. Even when I lit a piece of newspaper, all smoke goes up the chimney. I think I had a negative house pressure because when I went to try again a few min. ago, I noticed the fresh air intake in my fireplace was shut. I opened it and presto, the fire took right off. Heating up now and burning fine. I didn't think I built the house so tight but that is why I installed the fresh air intake in the first place. Stupid me. And I am the one who shut the intake but forgot about it.
Thanks again for the help
I feel like a idiot now.This is a great stove but I should have gotten the Oslo 500. This one is too small. Live and learn.
By the way, I wanted to ask, How do you know when you are getting a secondary burn?
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