Encore 2550 Rebuild Thread

I have a HUGE chimney and ALOT of draft. Im going to see what this new ash pan gasket does for my flame control but it is nice to know I have these holes if the gasket didnt calm it down some. Oh and my probe gets delivered today!!!

 

Wow, great post. You cleaned the hell out of that Encore.

 

Hey BBar, long time no see. Welcome.

 

Final break in fire today to cure the paint. 40f outside, 3 splits of extra extra dry stuff that's been in the indoor Woodbox all year.

Windows open, fan going. Got it up to 500 in under 30 minutes and the cat lit off like a freight train.

Now I have air at minimum and it settled in at 525 stove top, 1250 cat, 300 surface temp just a few inches up the pipe. A lite plume of white steam outside.

Paint fumes have been surprisingly minimal.

 

The thing I don't like is that I'm getting pretty good flame in the boxeven at low air. Usually it would go almost completely dark. All the gaskets seemed to pass the dollar test, and I can see with a mirror the primary is closed completely.

I'm trying to pass a match around looking for leaks, nothing yet.

Add..
More checks. I am seeing the expected change in flame intensity as I open and close the primary. Maybe its just the super dry wood, having the windows open and the fact that the stoves air passages and flue are cleaner than they have ever been since I owned it?


Later this week I'll recheck every gasket again and go around looking at the seams some more.

 

Note in the chimney shot above you are also seeing some high cloud behind the stack. Its not smoke.

 

When shut down and a temp locked in, I usually get slow rolling flame.

 

I would chalk it up to super dry wood. I also get that slow roll I had in that video.

Question Jeremy for over night burns what temp readings do you look for on the cat before calling it a night? I hooked up my probe last night and loaded the firebox to get an idea of how my stove preforms. After my 3 sticks of maple were coals I filled up. In 5 min my cat fired off and was reading 1300 I cut back the air and was cruising at 1000-1100 for an hour. When I was heading to bed I turned the air all the way down and it sat at 900 for the 10min I watched it before I headed up.... normal?

 

Yeah, I agree and I think you and BBar are right. Most likely before with the damper and lots of junk clogging up the inside of the stove it just was never breathing as strong as its supposed to. And that wood was dry, also very light quick burning stuff like birch or silver maple I think.

For overnight before I go to bed I want to have the air fully closed and the cat probe to be somewhere between 1000 and 1600. If its over 1600 I'll sit up and watch it to make sure it doesnt start rising to 1700 & higher, under 1000 early in the burn and Id suspect it stalled.

 

Stalled? But it was cooking at 1200 before turning the air all the way down and then it dropped to 900. This morning windows were clean so no smoldering. I guess I just have to get re-adjusted to all new gaskets and actually reading the cat temps.

 

If you had no smoke you are prob OK. Could be my bad cat last year, I would have smoked out the neighborhood if it dropped that low.

 

I am rebuilding a 2550. My goal is to get it back to functional for a few years. I have eh new refractory and cat and the stove apart. I am trying to figure out what kind of gasket is used for the damper door. It is flat but it fits in a channel, so was it originally round? I was thinking to use 3/8" round fiber. The same question applies to the inside cast side pieces. I would have junked this 17yo stove but for money being short. But given about $500 into the deal and a few days work....wish I would have junked it. I have been drilling out broken bolts and rethreading. So if you could give me insight on the proper gasket, I would appreciate it.

 

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