VC Resolute Not Burning Great

[withak]

Hi folks,

Last year I picked up a cast iron resolute with the 1979 stamp. I seem to remember it burning really well last year and being extremely happy with its performance. This year it has been difficult to get going and doesn't seem to want to draft well with smoke seeping out of the griddle and where the t connects to the back of the stove. I burn ash that is really dry and it has me a bit baffled. Last night I took my shop vac and tried to vacuum the round hole on the side of the stove, the holes in the back of the stove and up under the sides of the firebox. It sounded like I get some chunks of ash out but it still seems to be burning poorly. Perhaps I need to get an air compressor and blast it out instead of vacuuming it out.
I'll try to get on the roof to check the chimney, but I just cleaned it a few weeks ago and packed around the pipe with fiberglass insulation. When I pack with fiberglass I do cover the pipe with newspaper so no insulation goes into the pipe, but I make sure I punch a hole in it when I am done. I would have to imagine that the newspaper has burned away from the heat but I guess I should double check.
I have a new three week old son which makes the smoke in the house that much more frustrating!

Anything else I should inspect on the stove?

 

[homebrewz]

Cleaning the passageways with compressed air would probably improve the performance. Just make sure you do that outside.

I don't think regular pink fiberglass is approved for use in wood stove installations. Is this insulated pipe? Perhaps someone could comment.
In any event, you should remove the newspaper when you're done working. You may have answered your own question there.

If you're still having problems, update your post with some information about your chimney.

Good luck.

 

[withak]

Yeah, I figured it out. This year I used a piece of paper grocery bag instead of newspaper and it seems that it didn't burn off and basically recovered the top of the pipe after being punched out.
I've used the pink fiberglass for a long time and my father even longer (although now he has a SS insert). Perhaps I should be using a different type of insulation. I would just buy a SS insert but this is a rental property that I live in. I've never noticed any melting or burning of the insulation after removing when cleaning the chimney.

 

[homebrewz]

Apparently regular pink fiberglass is not approved for wood stove use, but some people use it anyway. If you do some searching, you can find more discussion on this, like in this thread.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/block-off-plate-at-top-fiberglass-below.142575/#post-1923243

You should probably stick with whatever is code in your area in case there are any future problems.

 

[bmwloco]

I get the Sunday NY Times delivered; read it, then use to light my Resolute. A few pages and one Super Cedar strategically placed always gets a fire started boom quick. YMMV.