What stove is this?

[fdgraham54]

The plate on the side says Fisher made in 1986. it has double glass doors; top plate is 20" wide; depth is 25" including ash tray on the front; log length is 18"

Also the baffle is supported in the back in the very middle and both sides of it have dropped down. Looks like a sad mouth. Is that why it smokes when I open the left door

Thank You!

Graham

 

[coaly]

Can you post a picture? Does it have 4 legs or a pedestal? Removable legs? Lots of options, color, nickel , brass, leg style. The shape and design of the ash fender (shelf on front) can identify the model in some cases too. Honey has a flat plate with no edge trim and a hole in each corner at the front.

The tag will have the model name. There are different models with glass, a III and IV. Glass models include a few Inserts, Honey Bear, and Grandma.
Some Honey Bears and Inserts had tags on the side. I’ll place a bet on Honey Bear, but it could be a convertible model with removable pedestal. That will have a pull rod to adjust air front and center.

At the bottom is Attach files tab. If you can put a picture file there it will post on the thread.

 

[fdgraham54]

Good Morning Coaly

I think I got a message off to you but I don't know how to pull it back up so this may be repetitive. I'm trying to figure out how to send photos.

The metal tag is on the right hand side while facing the front of the stove. It says "mobile home pedestal" in one place and in another ".Fresh air kit" also "Fisher Century" and "8/21/85" scratched on the plate.

The air control is a sliding rod in the middle under the fender. The ash tray (fender) has no trim but the edge is turned up a little and it has small holes in the front corners. Doors have chrome-like trim and it is on a pedestal. I don't know what the fresh air kit looks like. The baffle is supported dead center by a narrow piece of angle iron on the back wall and it is supported towards the front by angle iron pieces welded on the sides. It looks like the baffle may have gotten too hot at some time so the sides droop down a little in the back.

For some reason It smokes some when I open the doors, but I just swept the chimney top down to the damper, the damper and air supply are wide open and I can see it's clear from the bottom up to the damper. So why does it smoke? even when the whole stove is hot? Do you know? Air supply clogged? A lot of smoke is coming from the top of the pipe out side; glass turns black quickly too.

Thank You!

Frank


















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[coaly]

Honey Bear Convertible with nickel doors. (Part of the Honey Bear Series, they use Honey Bear doors, Honey firebox, and are mobile home certified) The bottom should have nuts welded on the 4 corners for legs and a bolt on pedestal making it the Convertible model.

If the outside air intake is installed it will have a duct attached to the bottom leading outside with a rodent screen over it. This is for manufactured housing where the duct normally goes straight down through the floor under home. When used in conventional construction, the outside air intake does not need to be added. The pedestal is open on the back and you can see the sliding plate controlled by the pull rod to adjust incoming air. Make sure that sliding plate is opening fully with pull rod. Make sure the air box under stove that houses the sliding air plate is open. A fish wire or metal coat hanger bent to fit into air intake should remove any ash or debris on top of slider plate. Air enters the firebox across the entire front through the slot below doors. There are normally 3 slotted holes allowing air towards fire as well. This slot serves as air wash to keep smoke particles off glass. Without the right draft, or ash clogging the intake, the air will not be forceful enough to keep glass clean or burn correctly. If the intake is clear, the vent system is not creating the correct draft or you have excess moisture in wood.
Since you just cleaned chimney, make sure there is no pile of debris on top of the baffle plate blocking outlet. Sounds like you removed it to see up the outlet. The most common cause is a plugged spark scree at the top. The next common cause is elbows or horizontal pipe with fly ash or creosote from cleaning, blocking the exhaust.

Is the vent system straight up with insulated chimney pipe?

The test to see if the intake is clogged would be to crack doors enough for air to rush in and kick up fire. If it burns fine with doors open slightly, but dies when closed, there is not enough air entering stove through intake. If it does not burn hard and basically smoke free with doors open, there is a blockage in exhaust or something in the home is not letting air enter the stove.

https://www.hearth.com/images/uploads/Honey_Bear_Convertible_Manual.pdf

 

[coaly]

If you think the baffle plate being warped may be the problem, simply remove it and beat it flat with a large hammer and hearing protection. They are not as heavy duty as the full size stoves and bend relatively easily. Notice the entire stove is not 1/4 inch thick steel plate with 5/16 thick top like other Fisher products. They are the lightest stove Fisher built. A few fabricators made a single door model as well. Most of them are brass. I have the only nickel plated door I've ever seen with a single door. Don't know how many exist.

 

[fdgraham54]

If you think the baffle plate being warped may be the problem, simply remove it and beat it flat with a large hammer and hearing protection. They are not as heavy duty as the full size stoves and bend relatively easily. Notice the entire stove is not 1/4 inch thick steel plate with 5/16 thick top like other Fisher products. They are the lightest stove Fisher built. A few fabricators made a single door model as well. Most of them are brass. I have the only nickel plated door I've ever seen with a single door. Don't know how many exist.

Thank you I'll try that.

 

[fdgraham54]

Thank you I'll try that.

 

[fdgraham54]

The plate on the side says Fisher made in 1986. it has double glass doors; top plate is 20" wide; depth is 25" including ash tray on the front; log length is 18"

Also the baffle is supported in the back in the very middle and both sides of it have dropped down. Looks like a sad mouth. Is that why it smokes when I open the left door

Thank You!

Graham

 

[fdgraham54]

You are right. I found the

Honey Bear Convertible with nickel doors. (Part of the Honey Bear Series, they use Honey Bear doors, Honey firebox, and are mobile home certified) The bottom should have nuts welded on the 4 corners for legs and a bolt on pedestal making it the Convertible model.

If the outside air intake is installed it will have a duct attached to the bottom leading outside with a rodent screen over it. This is for manufactured housing where the duct normally goes straight down through the floor under home. When used in conventional construction, the outside air intake does not need to be added. The pedestal is open on the back and you can see the sliding plate controlled by the pull rod to adjust incoming air. Make sure that sliding plate is opening fully with pull rod. Make sure the air box under stove that houses the sliding air plate is open. A fish wire or metal coat hanger bent to fit into air intake should remove any ash or debris on top of slider plate. Air enters the firebox across the entire front through the slot below doors. There are normally 3 slotted holes allowing air towards fire as well. This slot serves as air wash to keep smoke particles off glass. Without the right draft, or ash clogging the intake, the air will not be forceful enough to keep glass clean or burn correctly. If the intake is clear, the vent system is not creating the correct draft or you have excess moisture in wood.
Since you just cleaned chimney, make sure there is no pile of debris on top of the baffle plate blocking outlet. Sounds like you removed it to see up the outlet. The most common cause is a plugged spark scree at the top. The next common cause is elbows or horizontal pipe with fly ash or creosote from cleaning, blocking the exhaust.

Is the vent system straight up with insulated chimney pipe?

The test to see if the intake is clogged would be to crack doors enough for air to rush in and kick up fire. If it burns fine with doors open slightly, but dies when closed, there is not enough air entering stove through intake. If it does not burn hard and basically smoke free with doors open, there is a blockage in exhaust or something in the home is not letting air enter the stove.

https://www.hearth.com/images/uploads/Honey_Bear_Convertible_Manual.pdf

 

[fdgraham54]

I found the nuts on the corners and the pedestal so it must be a convertible with no fresh air kit. I will get back to you directly.

 

[fdgraham54]

I found the nuts on the corners and the pedestal so it must be a convertible with no fresh air kit. I will get back to you directly.

 

[coaly]

Yes, they are part of the Honey Bear Series. I have never found a manual, brochure, or advertising literature calling them a Mobile Home Pedestal, but I know that is the only thing on the tag. That model in my collection is a single door since they are quite rare. Maybe someday a manual will show up with that as the actual name on the cover. I have no internal correspondence about the model or shop notes, etc. with build details or cut sheet measurements. The Honey Bear is the only pedestal model with the angled edges on the base at front and rear, stamped ash fender with holes, and that size firebox. The first Honey Bears have a flat base, no smoke shelf baffle (they have a flat plate across outlet that hangs down an inch for exhaust to exit around the plate) And a very small printed sticker on pedestal. The pedestal was welded on firebox bottom and not removable. They used sliders for air intake above and below doors with a small poker lie tool supplied. Then came the Mobile Home Certified Convertible with pull rod under ash fender. There are 3 styles of legs available for your model. Standard, Furniture, and Bear Leg.

The only other pedestal models are the Goldilocks and Teddy Bear. They both have flat pedestal base, channel iron trim on ash fender, larger firebox and built with 1/4 steel plate with 5/16 thick top. They have double shields on the back for close clearance down to 12 inches. No blower was available for those models.
Camfan on this site should have a few blowers left over for Honey Bear in brown and black. They hang on the bottom of rear shield and blow out the curled lip facing forward over the top. They are variable speed and well worth the increase in BTU output.



Here is the look of yours, reconditioned with nickel and standard legs.


There were also solid doors available that were used from the Polar Bear Insert.

Non-convertible does not have under-firebox air intake. The same stove body was used with added air intakes for glass doors;

Honey without bottom air; This sliding bar is pulled outward in the open position. The hole on the end is for the bent small "poker" tool to open and close. The same slider was below doors.

Your is the last model after all these evolution details.

 

[fdgraham54]

Your knowledge of these stoves is amazing !! That picture is exactly right. I will try to find one of those blowers. Thanks

Right now my stove should be called "devil Bear"

This morning the fire is burning very slowly. When I open the door the fire picks up a little but it does not roar to life and smoke comes out.

Thank You!

 

[coaly]

How long have you ran this stove with no problems?

Do you have a thermometer on the single wall pipe?

Is the front baffle edge below top of door opening? Did you try it without baffle?

Ceiling height of single wall pipe? Straight up?

Chimney type; 6 inch metal? Double or triple wall, straight up? And how high?

Damper plates can come loose from the rotating shaft. Make sure it is tight on the shaft and faces the correct direction. Flat plate matches handle.

Lastly, do have a moisture meter to check wood moisture content?

 

[fdgraham54]

Coaly - I can't find that camfan on this sight. Is spelling right?

maybe not looking in the right place

 

[fdgraham54]

Responding:
Stove worked fine for 20 years, was here when I bought the house.
No Don't have a thermometer or moisture meter. I do have a few old, light weight, really really dry pieces.
Chimney is 6 " metal, Straight up, don't know if I have double or triple pipe
Baffle front is above door opening (sits on 3 steel pieces welded inside the stove from the factory so I think it's right), no rotating shaft, I can move the back of it further down a couple of inches by sitting it on the back middle brick holder
Should I try it without baffle?
The ceiling is 8 feet, pipe top is about 6' above the roof

Sorry this is so difficult

Thanks

Frank

 

[Seasoned Oak]

My brother had one of those ,also had lots of chimney fires.

 

[coaly]

CamFan is the member name from the Georgia fabricator. He was a welder at the largest Fisher fabricator in the country that married the step daughter of the business owner. He and his wife are now the owners of the Hearth business at the same location in Watkinsville Georgia, with some new old stock still on the shelf they have saved. If you type @ before a member name it will list the members to click on and give them a message like this; @fdgraham54

OK, since the chimney and connector pipe has worked fine, There has to be a blockage in the intake or exhaust. I would look for a blockage in the intake of the stove. Slide the intake adjuster open and make sure the sliding plate opens fully. Try a piece of wire, coat hanger, anything that will go into the intake and try pulling anything out. As bits of wood and ash pop off logs they can bounce off the door into the slot. I call the box on firebox bottom the intake air box that houses slider plate. That may be blocked. Stoves in storage get mouse nests and acorns, you name it. Not the case if this has been in a rodent free home.

Top of air box on firebox bottom. Intake slot across front shown. An ash vac would be best, unless you have an old vacuum you don't care about. I have a simple plastic bucket you fill with water that is for vacuuming spackle dust that blows the fine ash into the water saving the vacuum. It was cheap and works well when vacuuming a firebox to re-brick. Straws or a piece of vinyl tubing or hose taped to vacuum pulls lots of stuff out slot and intake air opening.

The Goldilocks pedestal has a trap door under the ash fender that swings open and needs to be cleaned at least yearly. I've had mine fill up, but never to the point of blocking the air intake. Goldilocks is the only model that has it since the air opening is a much larger opening with a screen over it across the front. Ash drops into that easily.

If the flue damper feels normal, that is the only thing to block the exhaust after cleaning. (other than not cleaning the spark screen if equipped at top) The flue damper plate can rust away or rotate on the shaft allowing it to rotate on the shaft instead of being secured to the shaft. You think it's open, but it's not. The spring on the outside of handle keeps it in place. Hitting the damper with a brush can knock the plate loose on the shaft, but you can feel it as it is rotated since it's not connected solid to the handle anymore.

Inexperienced wood burners will have problems with wet wood since it doesn't create enough heat to get the chimney hot enough for the proper draft and the combination of putting out more smoke causes the same symptoms as you describe.

I'm not sure if this stove should ever be flue dampered down. The flue damper is a chimney control that slows an over drafting chimney. Did you only close it slightly overnight? Overuse will cause creosote. A flue damper slows velocity of rising gasses which slows the incoming air, affecting the stove by slowing the burn. This affects how much air wash over glass as well. Normally it is left open, and control fire with intake air setting. Using a flue damper this way I was able to clean before and after the burning season. Using the flue damper I would have to clean mid season. The flue damper is required on the Fireplace Series stove with solid doors when using a spark screen.

A stove built for open door burning is brought up to temp, open doors with screen in place and start closing the flue damper slowly until smoke rolls in at top. Open slightly to allow smoke to evacuate, but slowing the airflow as much as possible through stove and up stack to retain heat. This becomes the only air control with doors open. It's good to have on any stove as an emergency brake, but shouldn't need to be used heavily under normal conditions with most Fisher stoves.

Without baffle more heat will be left up chimney creating a stronger draft and the stove will not get as hot. This reduces the resistance through stove, creating a lower air pressure in the stove allowing more air to push in. It may burn better showing there is a blockage not allowing enough air in with the pressure the chimney is creating with baffle in place.

These stoves aren't that heavy if you have a hand truck to take it outside and blast out the intake with compressed air, wearing a respirator if you have one or good mask and safety glasses. I think you may find a ton of crap in that intake box after 20 years. Do you have animals that lay around the stove to get pet hair in it?

 

[fdgraham54]

Hi Coaly I vacuumed the air intake; started a fire and thanks to you it went up to 275 & further to 330 pretty quick and burns good with doors closed; plus no smoke when I open them. So if it continues like this maybe I can wait for warmer weather to remove that pipe for cleaning.

 

[coaly]

Give the pipe the thump test by clapping on it. You can tell how much is in it with practice. When you get good at it, you can do it with gloves on even while hot. If your grandson cleaned above the damper it will be a hollow sound and feel like the pipe will dent easily. Where it wasn't cleaned will be a dull thump, sounding and feeling more like a pipe full of sand. If it's really bad, you'll hear debris falling off inside. This will lay on top of the baffle plate.

When you have a telescope section at the top it's very easy to remove indoor pipe.
I take the connector pipe outside to brush and look up chimney flue with a flashlight.
I clean from the bottom with a helper. I pierce a small hole at the bottom center of a plastic bag that will fit over pipe. Put the brush on one cleaning rod and insert rod through bag until brush is down to the bag. Have helper hold bag over pipe inserting brush into pipe. Brush chimney and debris falls into bag. Just hold your hand on the bag where the rod goes through to prevent much creosote from falling out. I've done it this way for years. The only thing you need to go on the roof for is cleaning the screen if there is one.

The other way from the bottom is leaving everything connected to the stove. Remove baffle plate and use a chimney whip in a drill. The common one is a Soot Eater. They are a ball on the end of a flexible rod with heavy trimmer line string that spins, and is a more aggressive cleaning than brush. You stop the rotating to go past the flue damper with it open, and the rod spins along side the damper cleaning from stove to top. Everything falls into stove. Shovel out when done. I've found when there is a heavy accumulation, the creosote drops into stove without becoming airborne. A very light accumulation makes dust and is a problem.

 

[fdgraham54]

Give the pipe the thump test by clapping on it. You can tell how much is in it with practice. When you get good at it, you can do it with gloves on even while hot. If your grandson cleaned above the damper it will be a hollow sound and feel like the pipe will dent easily. Where it wasn't cleaned will be a dull thump, sounding and feeling more like a pipe full of sand. If it's really bad, you'll hear debris falling off inside. This will lay on top of the baffle plate.

When you have a telescope section at the top it's very easy to remove indoor pipe.
I take the connector pipe outside to brush and look up chimney flue with a flashlight.
I clean from the bottom with a helper. I pierce a small hole at the bottom center of a plastic bag that will fit over pipe. Put the brush on one cleaning rod and insert rod through bag until brush is down to the bag. Have helper hold bag over pipe inserting brush into pipe. Brush chimney and debris falls into bag. Just hold your hand on the bag where the rod goes through to prevent much creosote from falling out. I've done it this way for years. The only thing you need to go on the roof for is cleaning the screen if there is one.

The other way from the bottom is leaving everything connected to the stove. Remove baffle plate and use a chimney whip in a drill. The common one is a Soot Eater. They are a ball on the end of a flexible rod with heavy trimmer line string that spins, and is a more aggressive cleaning than brush. You stop the rotating to go past the flue damper with it open, and the rod spins along side the damper cleaning from stove to top. Everything falls into stove. Shovel out when done. I've found when there is a heavy accumulation, the creosote drops into stove without becoming airborne. A very light accumulation makes dust and is a problem.

 

[fdgraham54]

Thank You Coaly. You are a great help. I have surgery coming on Monday for a nerve problem in my foot. Once that heals I can work on the stove. Once it gets hot it draws ok and doesn't smoke so I'm getting by. Thanks again. I'll get back to you soon.