should I overhaul my woodstove before putting it back in service?

[glenng]

Hello new member, what a wonderful website.

My father handed down to me the old family woodstove , thanks dad. To the best of my knowlege it is a Conolidated Dutchwest circa 1980. It has a brass badge that reads 'Federal Airtight' . The stove saw regular use throughout the 80`s and early 90`s. The stove was used less frequently in the later 90`s and it has been stored in my garage for the last 5 years. The garage is dry and I see no rusting.

I would really like to put it back into service but before I do, I want to hear from the experts what I can do to make sure the stove is safe and working properly. Now seems like a good time to get started since the stove is still out in the the workshop/garage.

Two problems I can see are that the ash door is warped and it is tough to close and that the cast iron baffle that goes in near the flue( up in the top of the stove ) is cracked in half and will need replacement or repair.

If this stove is worth fixing please tell me how you would go about it. If it sounds like more trouble than its worth please let me know aswell .

Hello and Thanks
Glenn

 

[glenng]

Also can parts still be sourced for this stove?

Thanks
Glenn

 

[elkimmeg]

Glenn, I my be wrong here and stand to be corrected if I am, but I believe your stove was a cheap tiawan built stove. The castings were of poor quality
I think you found evidence of that with the cracked flue collar. Personally I have never seen a cracked flue collarr before.
It is possible to rehab that stove,. but at what point is money well spent? I think you would be far better off looking into purchasing a modern good condition stove

 

[seaken]

That stove will be a challenge but it may be worth the effort to rebuild. First, you will need to find a source for the parts. There should be a tag on the back of the stove with a model number. That model number will be critical when ordering parts. Then, it will take lots of elbow grease and patience to perform the rebuild. As a do-it-yourself project it will probably be worth it. If you paid me to rebuild it may cost you over $800. At that rate it may not be worth it. So, it depends on how handy you are and whether you can do the mechanical work yourself.

 

[BrotherBart]

The baffle is split Elk, not the flue collar.

We need more info to answer the question. How do you plan to vent the stove? Those were catalytic stoves and if I remember correctly required eight inch flues. If so that is going to cost you more than the six inchers on the non-cat newer stoves. You also need to find out the condition of the cat and the chamber around it.

On the castings issue that Elk brings up I would be willing to bet that what ain't cracked after that much use ain't gonna crack now with responsible use. Finding a new baffle plate may be next to impossible though. At the very least the stove is going to have to be taken apart and all of the joints re-cemented and new gaskets installed. You are probably looking a three hundred or so dollar replacement cat combuster for it.

The additional chimney cost and combuster costs along with the price of the baffle, if you can find it, are probably going to kick the cost of the rebuild and installation over the price range of many new stoves that would do the job for you.

I would suggest getting a handle on exactly what the problem is with that ash pan door before proceeding with the decision to rebuild it.

 

[glenng]

Thanks guys,

, the flue collar is ok, the broken part is a long flat curved baffle that is susspended above the burning logs. it spans the width of the stove. BTW I broke the baffle by dropping it on a concrete floor it did not break in service. But now that I think about it I can make a set of curved stainless steel plates and sandwhich it all together. I think I have some 301 ss around hear somewhere. I think I have some stainless hardware too. I`m very handy, I do metal fab and repair in the aerospace field(day job) I`m also a self employed arborist and have a lot of wood piling up . The stove holds a lot of good childhood memories but I`m not so sentimental that I feel the need to dump money into a taiwaneese woodstove. Maybe I`ll set it up in the workshop and purchase somthing modern, safe and reliable for the house. My wife is paticular about mess and strange smells( 2 things I`m good at ) so a modern wood stove might be a good investment. Since this is also a hello I`m new thread I figure I`ll attatch a photo and say hello.

Glenn

 

[glenng]

Hello again

 

[Corie]

I have this stove. Had it installed and had to do some extensive rebuilding when the stove was first purchased. There is no part that cannot be bought from discountstove.com.


I have dealt with them extensively for replacement vermont castings parts and they are top notch. I can point you in the direction of the parts you need, if you so choose. Get the model number and finding the parts is a snap. Although this is a stove that was made in taiwan and some parts may be prone to failure, for the most part, if installed correctly, there is no reason you can't get years of safe operation out of this unit.

I would be more than happy to talk you through the rebuild procedure and what will be necessary to get the stove safe and back to operating condition.

Also, a replacement cat combustor can be bought from stovecombustors.com for about 80 dollars. The flue is 6 inch, as were all the older dutchwest stoves, I believe.

 

[BrotherBart]

That's great Corie. Parts, experienced advice and a stove to rebuild.

When is that Dutchwest gonna be fired back up tree cutting man?!!

 

[glenng]

Corie ,

I`m speechless , a million thanks. I`m looking foward to this project. Your info and encouraging words have givin me the kick I needed to do this project with enthusiasm. Should I take a befor and after picture?

Thanks
Glenn

 

[glenng]

Welcome to the group. Where are you located?? Howz your wood supply??

Regarding the Federal, are you sure the ash DOOR is warped, and that the problem isn't a hinge. I have difficulty comprehending that that component would have seen all that much heat.

Did you get a chance to shoulder any of the responsibility for stove operation before it was taken outta service?? What are you recollections of its performance??

My wood supply is good, I operate a small tree company in western pa. I do a lot of pruning and a few removals if the client twists my arm. I end up with about 5 cords a year and give the rest away.

I used to build hot fires in the old stove when the parents were not home. Just to hear the fire roar.

The tree in the pictures is Ginkgo Biloba . The buds really stink and the wood has the BTU output of a Nerf football. I don`t care for to many of the non-native trees. But it was a fun removal.

Glenn