Question about a baffle plate in an air tight stove

[flowergirl]

I have an air tight stove that has a baffle plate. My question is where do I need to place that plate? Should it be tight aganist the back of the stove to make the stove air tight?

This is the second plate I've gone through, they end up getting warped. I really need to come up with a better design for the next one seems that the plate is always made a fraction of an inch too small and it never stays on the ledge inside the stove.

 

[KP Matt]

What kind of stove?

If I am visualizing what you are saying (an old Jotul 118), it's a shelf that divides the stove into top and bottom.

The back end of the baffle is right up against the back of the stove, there is a space just inside and above the door.

So the smoke has to follow a circuituous route to get to the stovepipe.

 

[begreen]

Welcome FG. You are correct, usually it needs to be snug and tight to the back and sides of the stove.

What stove is this??, the mystery is killing me.

 

[jtp10181]

If it keeps warping, the stove is probably being over-fired.

 

[flowergirl]

Here is a picture of the stove. I don't know the make of the stove, it would be great if someone did then I might be able to order the correct plate.

I think I'm calling the plate that goes inside correctly as a baffle plate. The second picture is the edge of the plate. I should have taken the picture before I put it back inside the stove. When I had this replacement plate made he welded 2 pieces of rebar across the plate to help stop it from warping. Yes, I guess my fires are buring too hot.

It sits on a small ledge that is about and inch down from the top inside the stove.

 

[Jimbob]

I have an air tight stove that has a baffle plate. My question is where do I need to place that plate? Should it be tight aganist the back of the stove to make the stove air tight?

This is the second plate I've gone through, they end up getting warped. I really need to come up with a better design for the next one seems that the plate is always made a fraction of an inch too small and it never stays on the ledge inside the stove.

The baffle has to be made a bit smaller, to allow for expansion, and it should be slid back as far as it can go.
Have the next one made of 1/4" stainless steel, that should last a while.

If you end up deciding to get another stove, these ones are pretty reasonable, and are available locally @ Home Hardware:

http://www.flame-intl.com/product.aspx?CategoId=1&Id=394

They are made with a warp-proof firebrick baffle, and will burn less wood than your current stove.
And they have a window so you can check on the fire without having the door.

 

[begreen]

The stove doesn't show visual signs of overfiring, but it sure looks like a substantial beastie. A new, properly sized, stove might be a better bet. It should burn longer with less wood and be easier to maintain. You might want to look into stoves by Drolet, Pacific Energy and/or Englander for a long term solution.

 

[flowergirl]

Thanks for the replies. I know I'm going to have to get a new stove soon, it is 20 years old but my car took all my money this summer so a new stove will have to wait.

I do have another question. My chimney is inside my house and I see that there are cracks in the mortar between some of the bricks. Am I looking at an expensive repair job?

 

[begreen]

Are these hairline cracks or big ones? Does the chimney have a tile liner? If it does, and these are hairline cracks, this might be less serious.

Did you have the chimney cleaned this year? If yes, ask the sweep what condition the flue was. If unsure, the chimney should be inspected asap. It could be a lot more than an expensive repair job if this causes a fire. If the chimney is not lined, you should not be burning in it at all.

Do you know how old the chimney is? Post some shots of the whole chimney and the cracks if you need some other eyes to look at them. But what is most important is what the chimney looks like on the inside.

The fix may be pretty straight forward. A stainless liner is often the solution. It goes in within a couple hours usually.

 

[flowergirl]

My chimney does have a tile liner and it is in good shape. I have very little creosote build-up. My clean out door is about 10 inches tall and usually it is up to about 8 inches with creosote to remove and there is nothing in the liner.

The cracks in the chimney are around where the flue goes into the chimney picture #1 and around the side of the chimney picture #2. I have a call in to a chimney man to come out and have a look and I'll also get him to put on a chimney cap. I'm sure I'll need new a new piece of pipe for the stove too.

 

[begreen]

That looks like a pretty current chimney. I suspect you are fine, but good to get a local pro's eyes looking at it.