Warped heat shield

[Andy S.]

A picture is worth a thousand words. This condition started last year and has gotten noticeably worse. Once the secondaries get rolling it is like a blow torch. This piece always glows. The pic is with the air turned down about 30 min into a fresh load. Should I be worried or is this just that piece of metal doing its job?

 

[begreen]

This shows up in a few stove makes. The thin metal deflector gets very hot. It wouldn't hurt to ask your dealer about it. Do you know what temp the insert was running at?

 

[Andy S.]

Do you know what temp the insert was running at?

It is tough to get a good temp with my flush mount insert. I take readings on depressed decorative areas at the top of the door. Left and right panels were in the high 500's and the center pegged my IR (max is 610*) when this pic was taken.

 

[Woody Stover]

I wouldn't worry too much; The cat shield on the Buck is warped as well. If you can take it out, I'd just pound it flat with a rubber hammer and roll with it.

 

[begreen]

Yes, the operating temp doesn't sound unusual. I'd mention it to the dealer just in case it fails and becomes a warranty issue. After that I'd just watch it and roll with it.

 

[Highbeam]

Can't tell if that is a welded in air wash plate or some sort of thin removable piece of baffle. I had a similar sag on my welded in englander airwash plate and just bent it back with large leverage tools. Won't do that again since I suspect it will create a crack someday. Is yours the airwash plate?

 

[WoodpileOCD]

I wouldn't worry about it either. The plate on my Buck is warped all to hell too.

 

[skysong]

Buck now sells replacement boards for the "warping baffle"...check out your stove manufacturer, they may have gone that route also.

 

[Woody Stover]

Buck now sells replacement boards for the "warping baffle"...check out your stove manufacturer, they may have gone that route also.

Can you put your stove in your sig?
Is that the "lower heat shield" on the 91, or a baffle for a non-cat? When I first got the 91 looked at buckstove.com and saw they had an "improved" version with 3 L-channel reinforcements on the bottom of the shield (you can see 'em in my avatar.) Well, that one eventually warped as badly as the first one was. That was before I'd heard of the "pound it flat" solution. I'll probably flatten out the original one and put it back in next time it warms up; Those L-channels get in the way sometimes when I'm loading...

 

[skysong]

Woody, I have a buck 81...it's a non-cat. I had the steel baffle and it warped...got it to straighten a bit by pounding on it, but I think it just re-warps. I ended up calling the number at buckstove.com and ordered it over the phone. Their site is not user friendly...couldn't find the baffle I had seen elsewhere. They had it and sent it...fits perfectly no space on sides like the steel one. Give them a call...maybe they have something new for the 91.