4300 ACC Air Design

[farmer_luke]

I'm frustrated with the startup air design on my 4300 ACC. Right now there's a log stuck between the startup air metal and the front secondary burn tube. Is there a good reason to have this large rectangular metal surrounding the startup air? The stove I had before this 4300 was a 3100 millenium and I think it could actually take larger diameter logs because the metal around the startup air was a much smaller triangle shape. I'm tempted to cut the rectangular obstruction out. The startup automated timer doesn't currently work (it's new) and we tend to have plenty of draft and haven't been using the startup or rear air. Most of the time those two are completely closed and the main air control is almost all the way shut down as well. I think I need to get a flue damper, but that's a subject for another post. My point being that I don't use the startup air currently so what would be wrong with modifying it, even if that hindered it's use?

 

[farmer_luke]

After a few minutes of burning I was able to get it un-wedged. I think the firebox size of the 4300 is bigger than the 3100, and it's deeper from the bottom of the door lip to the firebrick floor but with the large startup air housing it's hard to use this larger space, at least with big pieces of wood.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I think cutting parts of the stove out would void the warranty. It probably voids the UL listing too as it was tested with those pieces. That could come into play if the insurance company ever has to pay a claim.

 

[farmer_luke]

Fair point. I think if I do it I'll cut out a triangle piece from each side so it slopes down but is still in there. Maybe add a little hole toward the high point so air has an easy way out as ashes build up. I assume that's the point of it? To keep ashes from filling it which could restrict air flow?

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Im sure that’s part of it. It seems like they could have used a number of different methods if all they wanted to do was control ash. I’d bet that they did a bit of testing and modeling to see how different shapes changed how the burn progresses. Some stoves shoot a jet of hot air through a dog house in the front. The rest of the stove will slowly be cooking down the load except for a quarter sized hole that’s being burnt through the log in front of it.

The designers have their reasons for making the stove the way they did. And it might be as simple as that design was 3 cents cheaper than the other one. Who knows… your modification might make the stove better fit your needs. There may be unintended consequences with it though.

 

[farmer_luke]

I see what you're saying but we're not really using the ACC/startup air anyway. On our last windy day the stove almost got too hot with all the air controls closed as much as possible and on startup we only open the main air control some for a little extra air then shut it back down. I guess I did notice a tiny hole next to the main air hole on the side of the stove when I had the cover off. I assumed that did always let a tiny bit of air in even if the startup air control was closed down so I suppose completely restricting the startup air inside the stove wouldn't be advised (but I wasn't planning on doing that anyway). Anyway, I appreciate your thoughts.

 

[farmer_luke]

I had this picture open, about to be posted a few days ago before something came up and I never got the chance. There appears to be a small hole next to the main startup air hole. So there are three sources of fresh air on this stove you can not control/completely shut the
air off to.