Anyone tweek their system at all for this year?

[ikessky]

I just got done repairing my chimney crown and think it will probably last me another year or so before I have to think about it again. Got me thinking about if any of you guys modified or tinkered with your systems before you started burning this year.

In addition to fixing the crown, I took 7/8" stove gasketing and wrapped it around the top few inches of the liner and filled the area just below the top plate. Then I laid a couple large beads of high temp silicon around the top of the crown and put a few bricks on the top plate to make sure it stayed in place. After that, I ran more silicon around the outside edges of the top plate.
On the inside, I shoved some fiberglass insulation inside the original clean out door on my chimney so that no basement air is entering.
Also, I completely coated the stove pipe connections in furnace cement before putting them together. Once I had them hooked to the stove and liner snout, I pushed more cement into any gaps that I could even remotely see.

I guess I should also say that I'm using a lot better wood this year also. That in itself is probably my biggest modification!

 

[PapaDave]

Cleaned the flue, although not really needed. Oh, and replaced the storm collar. Old one wasn't doing the job.

Dave

 

[katwillny]

Changed the gaskets on my Consolidated, changed the glass panes. Lined the interior or the stove with new fire bricks. Cleaned out the Combustor. I have a guy scheduled to come and clean my chimney, DO NOT LIKE HEIGHTS.

 

[Fsappo]

With the new baby, the wife doesnt want me to use the wood stove this year. I guess it's time to put a natural gas insert in the fireplace. I need something to remind me of work when I'm home

 

[SmokingAndPoking]

By tweeking the system, does switching stoves count? Tired of pellets, tired of noncatalytic wood stoves. I'm switching to a cast iron catalytic stove this year.

 

[LLigetfa]

Put a positive shutoff on the OAK. Checked the air filter, washed the prefilter. Washed the filters and the heat exchanger on the HRV. Split some kin'lin. I'm all set.

 

[LLigetfa]

With the new baby, the wife doesnt want me to use the wood stove this year.

Air quality concern or burn risk? My wife is concerned about air quality so I have to improve upon my ash removal technique.

 

[Archie]

Had to replace a few firebricks, and last year, put a fresh coat of paint on. Door gasket could stand to be replaced, but that can wait.

 

[SolarAndWood]

Replaced a big piece of cast iron with a big piece of steel. Ah, much better. And put the storm collar on that got missed during the truss/roof project last winter, thanks fossil.

 

[Highbeam]

I had big plans after being shot down on a fireview purchase. I bought a double wall appliance adapter with a damper and also a condar flue probe meter. The damper was a bust since the part doesn't fit Hearthstones but the flue meter is great, what a fun gadget. I can even see it from the couch.

 

[budman]

Cleaned chimney and wire brushed the inside of stove,new coat of
paint,blew out blower motors and good to go.

 

[savageactor7]

Besides the normal routine maintenance on stove and blower I repaired some damaged brick with refractory cement and added an inline flue damper...just for emergency use only.

 

[BrotherBart]

Finally bought and installed those two overpriced chimney caps/top plates that I have wanted for years.

 

[fossil]

Cleaned the windows on the stoves and lit 'em up. Rick

 

[ccwhite]

Finally bought and installed those two overpriced chimney caps/top plates that I have wanted for years.

Photos???? :-/ :cheese:

 

[firefighterjake]

Just regular getting-ready-to-burn clean out this year . . . well maybe I did a few other things.

-- I applied some stove cement to some of the inside corners of the firebox . . . one side looked like some cement had come off . . . it may have just been some excess, but applying the cement is quick and easy and it gave me a bit of peace of mind. I also slathered some on to the top where the baffle board nestles up to the back . . . again it looked like there may have been some there at one time. Performance was fine, but I figured this might improve things a bit.

-- I finally got around to opening the Oslo's doghouse and applied graphite to the air control lever . . . and then kicked myself for not doing this a lot sooner. What an improvement . . . the air control now glides back and forth like a Redneck on Rollerskates for the first time.

-- It's not in yet, but I finally took the plunge and ordered up a soapstone top for the Oslo. Figured I would give it a try. Best case: I gain a wee bit of thermal retention. Not so great case: No thermal retention, but it looks good on the stove top. Worse case: No thermal retention and I don't like the look of the stone on the stove so I take it off and place it in front of the stove as a nice warming stone for wet gloves, hats, cats, etc.

 

[branchburner]

Cleaned combustion package, adjusted damper and door latch, and replaced gaskets... and yes, better wood and more of it!

Just a note on below: air will flow through fiberglass insulation. Maybe try caulking or weather sealing the door?

I shoved some fiberglass insulation inside the original clean out door on my chimney so that no basement air is entering.

 

[ikessky]

Just a note on below: air will flow through fiberglass insulation. Maybe try caulking or weather sealing the door?

I think there was very little air going through that clean out door anyway. You are probably right though. I really should drop some caulk around that door. It's not like I need it and if I ever do, the caulk can be easily cut away.

 

[Wet1]

Last year I tossed the oil boilers and replaced them with NG boilers, plus installed a new pellet stove. I'm doing a little tweaking this year... Repointed the hearth (wall), built a completely new hearth base and attached wood storage area, repointing chimney, installing a new multi flue cap, relining the flue, insulating the flue, added an OAK, and changing (wood) stoves. I'll probably redo the garage and/or 2nd floor hearth next year.

 

[madrone]

With the new baby, the wife doesnt want me to use the wood stove this year. I guess it's time to put a natural gas insert in the fireplace. I need something to remind me of work when I'm home

When my son was just 3 months old, our oil furnace cracked its exchanger and started leaking CO into the ducts. We used the wood stove as our only source of heat for a month until the new NG furnace could be installed.

 

[ikessky]

My youngest was 7 monthes old the first year we started heating with wood. Then again, the furnace is in a separate room in the basement, so if he was in there by the stove we had some serious problems! However, with the exception of the week we stayed in the hospital from my daughter's accident, wood heat was the only thing we used.

 

[rustynut]

this ones for papadave
did you seal that storm colar with that high temp sillycone ?
got that info from H.com
thanks boys
took care of my leak
rn