New Stove Is Too Dirty!

[sunguy]

We own a 1 yr. old Enviro Kodiak secondary-burning stove. We've heated with wood since 1980 and owned 4 other air-tight boxes-all purchased retail. We have never seen a stove produce such a quantity of ash in the house as this new one! It is terrible! I believe there is such a positive pressure inside the burning chamber that it "puffs" out no matter how slow you open the door. It does have an independent 4" fresh-air intake beneath it. I also believe the stove builder in BC is not telling me the entire truth when they say this problem doesn't exist. Can anyone offer any suggestions?

 

[RaisedByWolves]

Yeah, get rid of the fresh air intake.



Or atleast damp it down to about 1/3rd of what it is at now.



.

 

[wildbio]

Yeah, get rid of the fresh air intake.



Or atleast damp it down to about 1/3rd of what it is at now.



.

+1

 

[kd460]

I have the same model, (but is an insert) no fresh air intake. I have no problems like you are describing. Yes, I get a little ash, but similiar to what other wood burners experience. Nothing that has caught my attention like you describe.

Thanks for the info, I was thinking about installing a fresh air intake, but now I probably will not.

If you ever want to "compare notes" just send me a PM. I installed this unit myself 2 seasons ago. While I don't like the looks so much, I am very happy with the unit. KD

 

[ents]

Would someone explain what the problem is with the fresh air intake. I'm at a loss as to why it would cause this problem.

Thanks,

 

[ents]

Thanks TreeCo for the explanation.

 

[sunguy]

New Stove too dirty

I'm really appreciating the input and help. Believe me, the ashes are truly over-whelming! I also believe that the fresh air intake is the problem! The Stove Retailer said that I should put in this 4" intake and I took his advice. After owning many stoves over the past 28 yrs. this is my first experience with an abundance of "household" ashes as well as the first fresh-air intake I've ever installed(probably the last). I'm heading North this weekend to Wallace Lake to cut wood and I will be eliminating the intake and will update all re: my results. Thanx muchly for advice!!

 

[timbrjackrussel]

outside air supply

Check out http://www.woodheat.org/outdoorair/outdoorairmyth.htm
lots of info here

 

[bushinspector]

It seems that I am having the same problem. It just looks like ash is much finer than my other stove. I am running a box fan behind it but does not seem to make any change when it is turned off while the ash is being removed.

 

[sunguy]

Is stove too dirty-update

Went up North this weekend and managed to get 3 cords of pine back to the cabin-thats about 8 cords in total this winter and quite enough.I removed the existing fresh air intake in hopes to eliminate my abundance of ashes throughout the house, and guess what? There is still the same quantity of ashes coming out of the front of this stove as before! I bypassed contacting the retailer that sold me the unit and called the district office in Winnipeg and the owner knocked me out of my socks!! He agrees it may be a design error or perhaps a "lemon" of a stove, he wants the stove back after this weekend and I'm getting a new and improved stove free of charge to haul up to the lake. This is a new stove made by Country Stoves in Washington. Has anyone ever heard of this manufacturer? I'm delighted-anything is an improvemnt!!

 

[kd460]

Good Deal!

Keep us posted, I am gonna do a search on the product line of the new stove just to see what they are offering you. Is this an offer from the dealer or the manufacturer?

PS, check your private messages, KD

 

[FJH]

I personaly don't see how fresh air could make much diffrence to ash content of wood!I have noticed alot of diffence between speicies of wood burned, in my area alder and maple are avalable as hardwoods goes they produce lots of ash.If I burn fir I get very little ash!My stove is a home built and has both systems it made little diffrence in the burn or ash content What I'm Sugesting here is that Maybe its more the type of wood your burning causing the ash build up not the type of air flow.I noticed if my stove was on outside air it produced more heat ,cooler more dence air (more oxygen) a more complete burn is acheived.That was the only benifit I could see to the out side air system.The down side of the outside air is it is hard to, if not impossible to get the fire going on just outside air due to my stoves desgin more than anything I beleive.

Just some other opinions

 

[mayor]

The only time I've ever had this problem with a stove is when the door is opened too fast with a fire going....it works on the same principle as a backdraft.
Try this.....tape over the fresh air intake and then open the door slowly....I'll bet the problem dissappears!.

 

[farmer]

You could put a damper on the fresh air and shut it down when u need to. I can't see why it wouldn't save heat to pull in outside air for combustion.