What is wrong with this Englander stove?

[newatthis]

This is a basement stove of a house built in 1955. It is an Englander. Can anyone comment about how well this stove works, and further- I'd like to know what you think of the hearth (why are there bricks scattered about) and the pipe into the wall (are those creosote stains, and does that mean there is a leak that needs to be sealed? Why is there a second pipe on top, and what are those four dial-like things?

 

[bholler]

This is a basement stove of a house built in 1955. It is an Englander. Can anyone comment about how well this stove works, and further- I'd like to know what you think of the hearth (why are there bricks scattered about) and the pipe into the wall (are those creosote stains, and does that mean there is a leak that needs to be sealed? Why is there a second pipe on top, and what are those four dial-like things?

Pics would help

 

[newatthis]

Pics would help

thanks!

 

[bholler]

Pics would help

Oh now I see one sorry

 

[bholler]

Busy at the moment but I will look it over a bit later

 

[begreen]

It looks like the floor was pulled up and someone removed the finished walls too. The bricks probably belonged to the hearth. The four "dials" on the stove are actually ports for hot air to come out when the blower is running. We can't tell how the stove was run. There may be creosote dripping from the wall thimble. It's easy to smolder wood in these old stoves. The entire system should be inspected by a certified sweep to determine if it's usable and safe to burn in.

The wiring is a mess here. It might have been inside the walls that were removed. The white pipe at the ceiling looks like a drain pipe.

 

[blades]

addition info from pic, basement may have been partly finished , that stuff removed , the must have been a water issue as from the pic the floor at the wall junction has been removed and drain system installed hence the new cement area. What that means, a likely ground water issue and the possibility that the perimeter drain tile on the outside of the block wall at the footing might be silted full and blocked up. also the comon practice around my parts is to dig out the ground around the basement walls and back fill with new gravel.after first resealing the out side of the block walls ( if done corretly).

 

[bholler]

From what little we can see in the pic the stove looks ok just old and inefficient. But it can work fine. What we don't know is the condition of the chimney you really need to have that inspected by a chimney professional

 

[stoveliker]

The stains going UP from the pipe on the wall suggest a big leak and very insufficient draft in the chimney. (Not tall enough or blocked by creosote in the pipe or cap.)