Should I replace this door?

[mgmancz]

Hi all, I’m fairly new to wood stoves and moved into a house last year with an Avalon Rainier wood stove insert. It wasn’t in the greatest condition but we cleaned it up, replaced the baffles and air tubes, new glue liner, etc. and got it working pretty well. The only issue is that it sometimes overfires even with the air intake closed down all the way. The gasket is in pretty good shape and I did the dollar bill test, which it passes.

I found this small crack on the side of the door, and it appears to be a crack in the cast iron. Is this the source of my issue? Wondering if it would be better to just get a new wood stove since I’m not sure how old this one is or how the previous owner operated it. Or is this salvageable?

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I can’t see a crack in the pics, so it seems like there might be other issues besides the crack. Common culprits that contribute to overfiring are the height of the chimney, and how long the air is left open before closing it down.

 

[mgmancz]

I can’t see a crack in the pics, so it seems like there might be other issues besides the crack. Common culprits that contribute to overfiring are the height of the chimney, and how long the air is left open before closing it down.

It’s small, but I can definitely see the light of the fire through it. I don’t weld, but I have read that there are some epoxies to fill cast iron cracks. Any experience with mending small cracks?

 

[1kzwoman]

View attachment 305507

It’s small, but I can definitely see the light of the fire through it. I don’t weld, but I have read that there are some epoxies to fill cast iron cracks. Any experience with mending small cracks?

I see the light coming from the fire too. I second EatenbyLimestone’s advice
How tall is the chimney? Provide more information about the stove please. So other members can help you

 

[mgmancz]

I see the light coming from the fire too. I second EatenbyLimestone’s advice
How tall is the chimney? Provide more information about the stove please. So other members can help you

I see the light coming from the fire too. I second EatenbyLimestone’s advice
How tall is the chimney? Provide more information about the stove please. So other members can help you

Thanks! My stove is in the lower level of a split level home, the chimney’s probably 20 feet give or take. We replaced the flue liner when we bought the house so it extends up to the top of the chimney, the old liner was only a few feet tall.
We burn primarily seasoned ash and oak from the yard, using a moisture meter with readings typically 10-14%. I don’t have trouble drafting or getting the fire started and usually close down the air as soon as the wood catches from the coals. Even with the air intake closed down, we eat through wood pretty quickly.
Stovetop temp never really gets above 600-650F or so, so I’m not sure that I’m actually over firing but the flames still seem aggressive to me. And I can only get maybe 3 hours of burn time with a good amount of wood in the box. That’s why I’m thinking there’s too much air getting in, possibly via that crack in the door.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Ok, changed to a larger screen. I'll take your word on the crack, lol. I see a speck of off color. Must be the fire through it, lol. Yeah, thats not good. You can try a high temp epoxy. Its probably not a long term fix though. The door is going to expand and contract with heat cycles too much. But it will let you know if that is your issue. 600-650 is normal operating temperature. You should be getting more than 3 hours burn out of it.

 

[1kzwoman]

Thanks! My stove is in the lower level of a split level home, the chimney’s probably 20 feet give or take. We replaced the flue liner when we bought the house so it extends up to the top of the chimney, the old liner was only a few feet tall.
We burn primarily seasoned ash and oak from the yard, using a moisture meter with readings typically 10-14%. I don’t have trouble drafting or getting the fire started and usually close down the air as soon as the wood catches from the coals. Even with the air intake closed down, we eat through wood pretty quickly.
Stovetop temp never really gets above 600-650F or so, so I’m not sure that I’m actually over firing but the flames still seem aggressive to me. And I can only get maybe 3 hours of burn time with a good amount of wood in the box. That’s why I’m thinking there’s too much air getting in, possibly via that crack in the door.

Great information for other members to use in helping you. A welder with a truck should be able to snake his welding leads in the house to weld the crack you found . At least that is what I would ask them to attempt, so you may not have to move the stove.
Welcome to the forum, other members will check in with more advice Soon!
Use search to find posts on overfire, until they do.

 

[webby3650]

It’s steel, not cast iron. Important info to have when you call in a welder to make the repair. Anything short of welding will simply be throwing money away.

 

[mgmancz]

Ok, changed to a larger screen. I'll take your word on the crack, lol. I see a speck of off color. Must be the fire through it, lol. Yeah, thats not good. You can try a high temp epoxy. Its probably not a long term fix though. The door is going to expand and contract with heat cycles too much. But it will let you know if that is your issue. 600-650 is normal operating temperature. You should be getting more than 3 hours burn out of it.

Thanks! I’ll give it a shot. Good point, even if it’s not a permanent solution it will tell me if that’s what my problem is.

 

[mgmancz]

It’s steel, not cast iron. Important info to have when you call in a welder to make the repair. Anything short of welding will simply be throwing money away.

Great information for other members to use in helping you. A welder with a truck should be able to snake his welding leads in the house to weld the crack you found . At least that is what I would ask them to attempt, so you may not have to move the stove.
Welcome to the forum, other members will check in with more advice Soon!
Use search to find posts on overfire, until they do.

Thank you!

 

[Tar12]

Like Webby said its steel and thats a easy fix..BUT you voiced concerns about the stoves history and after I took a closer look at this stove I have the same concerns...steel only lasts so long..I can not be certain but it appears that crack originated from pitting...did you notice any rust pitting when you cleaned it up? I am leaning towards suggesting that you replace it..

 

[1kzwoman]

More pictures would be useful please

 

[mgmancz]

I haven’t seen any rusting/pitting but before I replaced the baffles, they were warped and flaking. It seemed like it had a history of being overfired. I’ll see if I have any more pictures of it when it’s not lit

 

[begreen]

View attachment 305507

It’s small, but I can definitely see the light of the fire through it. I don’t weld, but I have read that there are some epoxies to fill cast iron cracks. Any experience with mending small cracks?

Is the crack on the door or the knife edge frame on the stove body? If it is on the steel, it can be welded safely.

The Rainier was a decent stove, but like all modern stoves, the air can not be completely closed off. Overfiring can be due to loose loading of the wood, too small wood pieces, too strong draft, or turning down the air too slowly.

How tall is the flue system on the stove?

 

[mgmancz]

Is the crack on the door or the knife edge frame on the stove body? If it is on the steel, it can be welded safely.

The Rainier was a decent stove, but like all modern stoves, the air can not be completely closed off. Overfiring can be due to loose loading of the wood, too small wood pieces, too strong draft, or turning down the air too slowly.

How tall is the flue system on the stove?

I think the way I’ve been loading the wood may have contributed. It seems counterintuitive but I probably have to pack it tighter to get a slower/longer burn. And could definitely try bigger splits. The flue is around 20, maybe 22 feet. It’s in the lower level of a split level.

As for the crack, I think it’s on the body of the stove itself

 

[begreen]

I think the way I’ve been loading the wood may have contributed. It seems counterintuitive but I probably have to pack it tighter to get a slower/longer burn. And could definitely try bigger splits. The flue is around 20, maybe 22 feet. It’s in the lower level of a split level.

As for the crack, I think it’s on the body of the stove itself

Sounds good, this should be fixable with a weld. The flue is not too tall, so work on packing the stove a bit tigher with larger splits and turn down the air as soon as possible, without totally snuffing out the flames.

 

[mgmancz]

Sounds good, this should be fixable with a weld. The flue is not too tall, so work on packing the stove a bit tigher with larger splits and turn down the air as soon as possible, without totally snuffing out the flames.

Thank you! Will get that done asap and work on getting my method down.

 

[begreen]

When the stove has cooled down, examine the crack closely and find where it ends. If you drill a small, 3/32" hole at the end of the crack that can stop its spread.

 

[Highbeam]

Noncat stoves like this have lots of huge holes that are not able to be closed. By design. That little crack should be fixed but I would not expect that to fix your overfire issue.