Ashford 30.1 smoke smell
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Inspected my gasket some more. I can see where there is some silicone in the corners of the gasket channel corners.
Dieselhead
Minister of Fire
There is a picture posted in here. I'm not 100% sure but I think it's a wrap on the gasket where the ends meet.
Dieselhead
Minister of Fire
The other thread trying to nail down possible cures for Ashford smoke coming from the hinge area is closed, so I will continue here. Currently, I am working with my stove vendor, Dave at A-1 Stoves in Grass Valley, Ca. Dave will be getting with Chris at BK and then he will get back to me as to possible resolves on Monday. In reading various threads, replacing the bolts on the window frame clamp with button head bolts and increasing the flue height have been fixes for some units. My gasket looks good. New stove with 5 days on it. 18' of straight chimny. The draw =-.05" @ 300F. Any other possible fixes I missed?
Thanks for the update.
Has anyone else tried putting the silicone around the outside of the gasket channel with any luck?
drz1050
Minister of Fire
This stuff is rated to 2000 deg:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000V..._UL100_SR100,100_&refRID=1092CD1XKTC8G9RXKWNX
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000V..._UL100_SR100,100_&refRID=1092CD1XKTC8G9RXKWNX
I saw some silicone at the stove shop
that was 1100, I think. I've heard Mill-pac mentioned here also...
drz1050
Minister of Fire
This stuff is rated to 1100 peak, 900 continuous:
http://www.amazon.com/MEECOS-RED-DEVIL-615-Sealant/dp/B002CTWHOY
http://www.amazon.com/MEECOS-RED-DEVIL-615-Sealant/dp/B002CTWHOY
Just be careful. Some RTV sets up like stone under high heat. It can be very hard to remove once baked. This doesn't seem to be the case with all RTVs, but you might want to do a test before committing to a new product or use what the stove mfg. recommends.
Not yet, but I will post as soon as I get any information. So far fixes have been: 1. Increasing the flue height. This does not always work and is costly. Mine is 18' and the draw pressure is within spec. 2. Replacing the window fasteners with ones that don't protrude as much and then regasketing. My stove, being newer, has the button head bolts. 3. Sealing under the gasket with silicone. I don't know if this is a permanent solution because of the heat involved. It does give credence to the "door air wash blowing smoke under the gasket" theory. Did I miss any fixes?
Yeah, it's similar to the Buck, judging from blueguy's pic on page 3. Obviously the gasket has to hit around the outside of the hole in front of the stove, so the gasket and door frame are protected from direct flame/radiation by the front of the stove. I never saw silicone "burned to ash and crumbled off." Maybe you had bad cement or silicone, if yours crumbled out?
"Sealing under the gasket with silicone." ?? Isn't there a continuous bead of adhesive all the way around, under the gasket? That's what I normally see, with silicone or cement. As I said, the silicone should hold up.
I just had a conversation with Chris (BKVP) about the smoke smell issue. I conducted some tests and determined that it is possible to have smoke move sideways through the gasket. This strongly supports the "air wash blowing smoke through the gasket" theory. Still only theory at this time, but time will tell. Chris is going to provide me with a more dense gasket in an attempt to stop the lateral movement of smoke. A word of caution - do not remove the door to work on it as it is quite difficult to reattach in good alignment. Hold off on using silicone compounds, the long term effect on the cat is unknown.
Hmmm-I just had a real cool conversation with the VP! These people really do care about us end users.
Hmmm-I just had a real cool conversation with the VP! These people really do care about us end users.
Heftiger
Feeling the Heat
Good to hear. I'm sad to say I believe I'm experiencing the same issue, same smoke smell just above the top door hinge. Thanks for the updates, keep us posted.
Great to hear. Hopefully this will solve the issue. I might have to do the same thing. Are you doing it yourself or having your dealer do the work?
What tests did you do?
How does the door mount? The doors I've seen (limited number) have all had hinges...nothing to mis-align.
If silicone hurt cats, why are BK and other makers using it on their cat stoves? I would think once it dries, any additional off-gassing would be infinitesimal. But what do I know...
It seems like this stove needs a lot of draft to contain the smoke. If you have a marginal chimney, or live in CA where average daily temps never get below 50, you may have to choose in the end weather to add stack, live with the smell (which I do with the Dutchwest since I haven't bothered to track it down yet,) or get a stove that breathes easier.
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Out of the many thousands of these stoves that are sold only a very few have this "smoke smell" problem. Magnehelic readings indicate the chimney is not the culprit. Just a matter of time and we will have this issue resolved. It will be something simple but elusive. I am working directly with the BKVP on this. How cool is that?! I worked in HVAC for many years and feel very confident about a forthcoming fix.
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