Mid-Winter Woodstove Maintenance

Nice educational post on the Woodstock blog today:

Thursday, January 23, 2014
Mid-Winter Woodstove Maintenance


Have you cleaned your combustor lately? Or checked the protective inconel screens at the ceiling of the firebox?

This winter has been particularly eventful with drastic changes in the weather. Making sure that your combustor and its protective screen are clear of ash build up will help ensure that your stove will provide warmth and comfort regardless of the weather. A simple vacuuming or brushing off of the combustor and screen is often sufficient to keep the stove functioning well.

Cleaning the combustor every 4-6 weeks should become routine maintenance. Every combustor has two sides a "face side" and an "exhaust side" the face side where the smoke initially passes through is more prone to clogging (as shown above). Make sure both sides of the combustor are checked and cleaned.


The inconel screen provides protection for the combustor and will accumulate fly ash. If the build up is not cleaned severe clogging will occur (clogged Fireview inconel screen shown above) and the stove performance will drastically diminish.

If you have a newer stainless foil combustor, you can do a thorough cleaning with a 50/50 solution of white vinegar and distilled water. Put the solution in a spray bottle and give both sides a good spritzing and let drain over paper towels, and/or foil pan. The vinegar solution is also great for removing any hard deposits on the inconel screens. Rinse with distilled water (ordinary tap water may contain minerals and chemicals that may have adverse effects on your combustor). After rinsing, let dry and put back in your stove.

Click below to see a slideshow on cleaning your combustor:

Progress Hybrid Combustor Cleaning, Fireview Combustor Cleaning, Keystone/Palladian Combustor Cleaning.

Your catalytic combustor (stainless or ceramic honeycomb materials) will work for 12,000 to 14,000 burn hours. That typically translates into a 3-6 year time span, depending on how long your winters are, wood quality, and stove operation.

One of the most common questions we hear from our stove owners is: How will I know when your combustor is worn out? There are three symptoms that will indicate that the catalyst in your stove may not be working:

First, your stove will generate noticeably less heat than it will when the catalyst is working.
Second, you will notice an increase in the amount of soot and/or creosote in you stovepipe or chimney.
Third, the color of the smoke produced when the combustor is engaged will change. Smoke will appear brownish, instead of clear heat waves or white vapor. If you suspect your combustor is not working, let the stove cool down, remove and clean the combustor and screen and try again.

Please feel free to call us toll free at, 1-800-866-4344, if you have any question about your catalytic combustor.

Mid-winter is also the time to give your chimney and chimney cap a check, particularly if there is a screen around or under your cap. Build up of soot at this vulnerable point can inhibit draft flow, resulting in back puffing or reduced performance.

A clogged chimney cap will restrict air flow

And remember- it’s never a bad time to be thinking about getting next year’s wood supply ordered, cut, split and seasoning!

 

It looks like you took a pic of my cap from last year. Good reminders, thanks.

 

Thanks. I noticed they didn't say to flip the combuster around on the PH to even out wear. I thought the PH combuster could go in any way but this sounds like there is an "in" and "out"......"Every combustor has two sides a "face side" and an "exhaust side" the face side where the smoke initially passes through is more prone to clogging (as shown above). Make sure both sides of the combustor are checked and cleaned.

I just installed a new CC in my PH and there was no indication of which way it should go in. It does have the indents on the side so I put those facing out so you could use a scrwdriver to pry it out if it was stuck.

This is from the manual:
3. Rotate the combustor 180 degrees from its original orientation (this will help extend its life). Slide the combustor back
into position. Be sure it is seated firmly against the gasket behind it. Tuck the narrow gasket between the combustor
and the cast iron hood that surrounds it to ensure a tight fit.

 

I don't have a cat, but should I be aware of my burn tubes in the middle of a season?

 

KSC ,

The cats are reversible. Woodstock told me to rotate 180 degrees on each cleaning. They are just explaining about up and down side so you won't take a visual on the cat and assume it is OK because the side you see is clear. It is the down side that will clog on the surface from fly ash.

I've heard the newest cat is a much tighter fit and may not need a gasket. What is your experience re that?

I'm using a very thick gasket on my (older) cat.

 

Not sure about the "newest cats" as I bought my stove in Sept 2013. The original cat had a slight warp in it so Woodstock sent me a new one last month. It still needs the 2 gaskets. The original one had the 3 vertical bars on both sides, the newer one only has the bars on one side. So I guess you could rotate it 180 degrees both ways so the input would now be the output side, and the left side would now be the right side.

 

Yes, make sure your tubes haven't sagged and/or fallen out from frequent overfiring.