We burned the poor thing 24/7 all winter. Towards the end when opening to restoke a flash of fire came out, like when "someone" primes a propane barbeque too long and then lights...... The inside of the door is shiny like oil, Is that creosote? The last few cords we burned were not seasoned to my taste but it was all that we could get. How do I fix this? Another board earlier this summer mentioned draft problems, but I dont think thats the issue. The chimney has been cleaned and inspected...... I ordered a new cat and in the process of identifying new door gasket.... Thank You for Any Suggestions and telling me what to get done
1. Are you opening the air intake before opening the door? Open any dampers/levers and wait a bit... then, crack open the door (slowly) and allow the firebox to stabilize. With some stoves (when a rip-roaring fire is going) you have to shut the door again if it starts to backdraft out of the firebox. My experience with this is with an old Blaze King (non cat), a Grandpa Fisher, and a Timberline (all pre-EPA stoves with no cats). It may be a draft issue. Does this happen every time you open the stove? Or only when you've got a good fire goin? 2. Any shiny, black particulate is probably creosote formation. It may be indicative of wet wood or just not getting the firebox hot enough. It could also be an issue with the cat. The door gasket is a good start, I'd also check all the firebricks for cracks and inspect your door for anything funky (warping, not latching, etc.) Keep an eye on your chimney for sure...
Thank You BuckthornBonnie!! I am sorry I cannot tell you if it has a cat, but the owners manual I found says it does. I have not studied inside the stove but there are alot more things in there than woodstoves I have used in the past. At the moment its buried behind things due to a home remodel so I cannot look inside. I would love to take pics!! And see if the cat is cracked!!! This home previously was a rental so who know what this ol stove endured!? The manual discusses combustion and catalyst..... It better have a cat because I ordered one for it tonight lol. I am the one that has lost eyebrows from over primed lp bbq in the past , but it is dear husband that got the back draft flashes in the Blaze King in our new home. I can't say if he opened the damper before but he has forgotten many times before so I assume those times he forgot to open damper as well. He is used to plain ol' woodburning stoves... Also, he likes to prop the door open to get the fire rip-roaring. I remember to open the damper first and did not get a flash but I did notice the shiny door. And yes, the wood we used in late spring was not as dry as the stuff dh uses to rotate every year at my longtime home we recently sold, it was MUCH heavier. The chimney is 1952 cement block/mortar and the Blaze King Insert is an add on I assume bought used in 1980-2000. I hope the chimney has a liner but I honestly do not know. I am grateful it kept me warm last winter since it was -27* for a few weeks and I have special higher heating needs but I am also considering to scrap the entire unit and get a new one, with chimney liner and etc. Actually I am considering a woodstove insert that does not require electricity because of long power outages where I live. Any thoughts? If we do keep the the Blaze King KEI, do you know how to clean the creosote so my family is safe? Thanks a Bunch
I have to agree with BB, sounds like the stove is burning cold due to the creosote buildup, most likely caused from the unseasoned wood. And the flash seems to be created by a slow burning stove, starving for air and when the door is suddenly opened for a reload, it gulps the air coming in and travels out to get it. Simular to your story with the propane tank being on before getting lit. Opening a damper and increasing the air flow are two suggestions prior to opening the door, even slowly opening the door might be a new safe habit to get into. I like my eyebrows.
Oddly enough, creosote in the stove itself isn't the big issue. It is a symptom of fuel problems, not having the stove hot enough, or not getting proper cat (or secondary for the new stoves) engagement. If you got your chimney cleaned and inspected, then it should be a fresh start for this heating season. I would definitely keep an eye on your chimney throughout the season. Most stove manufacturers recommend checking it twice monthly. I'd check more frequently. If you get a chance, read through that manual a couple times. Get the hubby to check it out, too. If your stove is a KEI 1300, then you must have been running it without proper cat function all last year. It's a 30 year old stove but very well-built in my opinion.
Despite being "swept and inspected" last year, there is no liner in the chimney. Decades of shiny creosote. I guess the pipe on top of the chimney fooled the realtors home inspecter and the chimney sweep We had trouble replacing the cat and found there is no pipe or adapter, I found the term slammer on the internet. The old cat might have been original, fried beyond recognition and crumbled... Thank you for all your kind responses, we will try to remove the 30 years of build up and see where we can go from there. Hoping to get the creosote out, reline, and get a newer stove, but we shall see I already had a new cat shipped here in hand. I knew the wood last spring was not as dry as my husbands piles at our old home, but honestly, is wasnt THAT wet, it was just the ignorance of new cat stove owners that had only burned plain ol fireboxes in the past. Yes BB, we did run it hard for over 6 months last winter. Something was looking over us, it was dangerous chimney fire waiting to happen. I posted a pic of it on #16 in this thread: http://firewoodhoardersclub.com/forums/threads/limping-old-blaze-king-thru-1-more-winter.5749/
