Aspen C3 Baffle Replacement

[EddyB]

Could anybody update on their repairs, in particularly the replacement of the blanket and the gasket around the plates that hold up the baffle board? The gasket mentioned in the manual is a self adhesive one. So I’m wondering if it is put around the plate then lined up with the channel before screwing out back on? Or does it go around the channel then the plate simply goes on over it and tightened. Also, I noticed the gap with the gasket as well, but I thought that was because it snapped from all the expansion, etc. The ends were very frayed. Thanks!

 

[switepine]

Hi, Everybody,
My girlfriend bought the new Aspen C3 last summer,. By December she had broken the baffle and chopped up the refractory blanket. I immediately searched for replacements, but everything was sold out. I figured this must be a common problem. I spoke with her chimney sweep who told me what a big project replacement is.
He advised me not to attempt to install the new refractory blanket.
I decided to not attempt the blanket unless we had some untoward results. The stove had worked fine the previous season without most of it.
On each side holding in the firebricks are what the parts schematic calls side covers. These are stainless steel and each is held in with 12 mm bolts. The baffle sits on top of these. The blanket sits above this. I removed the two front bolts on each side and loosened the back bolts on each side. The covers pivoted downward far enough to insert the baffle through the door. As the baffle reached the end of its inward travel, it was necessary the rotate the assembly upward to allow the baffle to clear the top.
It was a fifteen minute job.

Lol. When I got my stove I scratched my head after trying to pull up the white fabric crap I thought at first was packing material only to think hmm “this seems more important than packing material”. Gee THANKS VC for not having a note pinned to it saying “Hello. we created a really stupid design make sure not to remove or damage this!” Nothing anywhere regarding this crap. I
being not too stupid immediately thought well this is gonna get gunked up REAL Fast.

 

[EddyB]

Lol. When I got my stove I scratched my head after trying to pull up the white fabric crap I thought at first was packing material only to think hmm “this seems more important than packing material”. Gee THANKS VC for not having a note pinned to it saying “Hello. we created a really stupid design make sure not to remove or damage this!” Nothing anywhere regarding this crap. I
being not too stupid immediately thought well this is gonna get gunked up REAL Fast.

Nothing new being said here…Having said that, later this week, I am going to post a comprehensive feedback about my experiences with the Aspen since I had it a year ago, and my recent maintenance to it for this season’s burn. In the meantime, yes, the blanket is important and will not be a problem if you’re burning dry wood. Absolutely critical for this little stove compared to the robustness of larger typical stoves. Also, although some people have loaded up this stove to the max area it can take, I do not recommend it. Lots of idiosyncrasies that I will get into when I make my post. However, slow and steady is the key, monitor flu temps for the first few hours and do not push it. Once you have a solid bed of coals and things have stabilized, you’ll realize this little cast iron stove has a very nice heat and simple (again, once you have a solid bed of coals).

Keep in mind, this stove is not the same as typical larger stoves . If you have the same expectations in terms of operating it, it would be the wrong approach to take. Regarding the blanket, yes, VC should be putting a warning label right on the stove when you get it and educating dealers to inform customers. In the meantime, you’ll have to get it replaced. If it’s new, and you’re not comfortable with it, get the dealer to do it. But make sure they know what they’re doing! My dealer pulled the blanket out of a floor model and through the flu hole at the top. That’s a no-no. The brackets inside holding up the baffle and the blanket must be removed, and gently the blanket can be taken out. So, tell your dealer to order in a new one if you’re willing to wait.
Finally, read other posts on this forum, check out a free YouTube videos (even though many of them are from the previous version of Aspens). You’ll still learn something from them.

 

[switepine]

Nothing new being said here…Having said that, later this week, I am going to post a comprehensive feedback about my experiences with the Aspen since I had it a year ago, and my recent maintenance to it for this season’s burn. In the meantime, yes, the blanket is important and will not be a problem if you’re burning dry wood. Absolutely critical for this little stove compared to the robustness of larger typical stoves. Also, although some people have loaded up this stove to the max area it can take, I do not recommend it. Lots of idiosyncrasies that I will get into when I make my post. However, slow and steady is the key, monitor flu temps for the first few hours and do not push it. Once you have a solid bed of coals and things have stabilized, you’ll realize this little cast iron stove has a very nice heat and simple (again, once you have a solid bed of coals).
Keep in mind, this stove is not the same as typical larger stoves . If you have the same expectations in terms of operating it, it would be the wrong approach to take. Regarding the blanket, yes, VC should be putting a warning label right on the stove when you get it and educating dealers to inform customers. In the meantime, you’ll have to get it replaced. If it’s new, and you’re not comfortable with it, get the dealer to do it. But make sure they know what they’re doing! My dealer pulled the blanket out of a floor model and through the flu hole at the top. That’s a no-no. The brackets inside holding up the baffle and the blanket must be removed, and gently the blanket can be taken out. So, tell your dealer to order in a new one if you’re willing to wait.
Finally, read other posts on this forum, check out a free YouTube videos (even though many of them are from the previous version of Aspens). You’ll still learn something from them.

Well do not think I damaged it but who knows what that magical “VC man behind the curtain” demands of it. My dealer is 1200 miles away lol. That will not be happening. I burn 🦕 bone dead down dry oak that shows a moisture content of 0000.000000 to 0000.000001 % moisture content but do mix it w some 4-8% MC wood. Hard to keep wood moist in SW New Mexico.
My biggest groan (and my GFriends!!) is you have to be absolutely precise as to when we open stove to restoke. Smoke just pours out. I have burned with wood my whole life but could never afford a “high end stove” lol. Now this is the most challenging.
I’ve We are vented into a 6”SS liner inside a 14yr old ceramic liner inside a massive 5x5’ at base adobe fireplace to a 24” sq adobe at top. No cold temps ever really penetrate it top to bottom. The weak link might be the old damper area above that was sealed as well as we could ( ceramic insulation and galvanized steel)but not airtight. Def
airtight at top. I have pondered filling gaps above the stove with industrial grade fireproof foam but not sure. No going back after that

 

[begreen]

I have pondered filling gaps above the stove with industrial grade fireproof foam but not sure

Don't do that. No foam is fireproof. Use silicone rtv.

 

[EddyB]

Well do not think I damaged it but who knows what that magical “VC man behind the curtain” demands of it. My dealer is 1200 miles away lol. That will not be happening. I burn 🦕 bone dead down dry oak that shows a moisture content of 0000.000000 to 0000.000001 % moisture content but do mix it w some 4-8% MC wood. Hard to keep wood moist in SW New Mexico.
My biggest groan (and my GFriends!!) is you have to be absolutely precise as to when we open stove to restoke. Smoke just pours out. I have burned with wood my whole life but could never afford a “high end stove” lol. Now this is the most challenging.
I’ve We are vented into a 6”SS liner inside a 14yr old ceramic liner inside a massive 5x5’ at base adobe fireplace to a 24” sq adobe at top. No cold temps ever really penetrate it top to bottom. The weak link might be the old damper area above that was sealed as well as we could ( ceramic insulation and galvanized steel)but not airtight. Def
airtight at top. I have pondered filling gaps above the stove with industrial grade fireproof foam but not sure. No going back after that

If you have bone dry wood, then your draft could be an issue. I have plenty of draft. Having said that, it’s cold up here already (10’F at night). So once you warm up the chimney, it performs very well. But draft is critical.
What is your elevation above sea level?
You may need to disconnect the flu from the stove and look down into the hole. Also, take a camera/cell phone and with the door open, position it up above the baffles and take some pictures with the flash. There should be an inch out two gap between the blanket and the roof of the stove. It has to be a clear passage above it leading to the flu opening. I’ve included what it looks like without the baffle installed and what it looks like above the blanket. If you don’t see all the way to the back nice and clear, then that should be addressed.

 

[30WCF]

I’m imagining a 2” piece of bar stock wedged over the blanket tucked into the groves on the sides???

 

[EddyB]

I’m imagining a 2” piece of bar stock wedged over the blanket tucked into the groves on the sides???View attachment 303491

That might do the trick. Should be similar metal so there’s no reaction between the two. Still need to account for anything else like draft… was there too much?

 

[30WCF]

That might do the trick. Should be similar metal so there’s no reaction between the two. Still need to account for anything else like draft… was there too much?

That was in reply to someone having the blanket sucked up into the chimney. I just wasn’t clear on that. I can’t imagine it affecting draft much if it’s thin and flat against the blanket. I believe the exhaust goes around the blanket and not through it, so other than catching some build up, I would think it would hold the blanket down and give a bump stop when sweeping.

 

[jimnv_100]

So, a few days ago, my Aspen 3c was smoking very badly. Had creosote dripping through the seams in the 6 inch pipe to the thimble. Locked everything down to cool. Naturally I checked the pipe, cleaned it. Went on the roof to check the cap. Figured the sideways snow we had the previous couple days may have caused some soggy soot build up. Looked good. Tried a restart and it was difficult to get newspaper to light. Slow & lazy sooty flame. Got into it today and found my baffle broke in half and the front part shoved over the top of the back part. Pushed the super wool up close to the flue. Looked like my wife or I must have stuck a log in the stove and hit it, breaking the baffle in two, crowding the draft apparently. So, I am picking up some new super wool tomorrow and will be ordering some new refractory board. Found this on Amazon for 44.00. Amazon product ASIN B0859MVYT8 I will need to trim off about an inch, but otherwise it should fit. I looked up some other prices for the VC Aspen 3c baffle and am seeing anywhere from 150 to 300.00!

Not real happy with this stove. It is hard to get going and it has to be burning pretty hot to open the door or the smoke comes rolling out. Once it gets going it's not too bad. Question for you that know a bit more about this stove than I. Would it be prudent to just keep that thermostatically controlled damper in back open somehow? Kind of keep a constant amount of air flowing in.

 

[30WCF]

Id be interested to know how that baffle works out.
I can imagine six different ways to convert that damper to work with a linkage rod that runs to the front of the stove. No one is going to advise that, and the insurance co will probably hang you out to dry.
If you get the blanket laid down flat and a new baffle, maybe it will run fine. It’s possible your blanket was restricting your flow all along if you didn’t have enough draft. I have no problems with draft. Is the issue just needing to crack a window a 1/4”?

 

[jimnv_100]

@30WCF. Well, certainly got an education on that repair. That new baffle won't be in for another couple of weeks so I stitched the old one together with Ultra Copper RTV. My son actually works for a stove installation company in my town and installed this one for us. I am going to pass on some lessons learned for sure. Bought some superwool to replace the old and tattered one. Noticed when I removed it that the temp probe was "under" the wool. I didn't even know it was there till I took it out. Read on here to insure you put that wool under the probe. I think what some of our problem was that. I can only think that the probe was heating up at low temperatures and closing the input damper. Plus that broken baffle was pushing that wool up to the flue opening.

Got the fire going with the Top-down method and am blown away how much more efficient that method is. My wife was giving me the wall-eye when I told what I was doing. She is a convert now...lol.

That baffle was kind of pain to put in. My stove is on the floor, and I don't bend that well. putting those side brackets back on with the baffle gave me a pause. What I did was slide it over the top of the rear airvent and under the superwool. Propped that up with a piece of wood to hold it there. Worked pretty slick that way. I read earlier someone had tilted the front of the brackets down and slipped the baffle in over that. No bueno for me.

When I get that new baffle, I will try and post an update. If that repair on the current one works, I may just let it ride till spring when I can get the stove out to my shop and on the bench where I can get at it easier.

Thanks to everyone posting on here. Some really good info being passed along. Much appreciated.

 

[30WCF]

Yep. My probe is visible from the flue collar.

Top down is the bee’s knees. Light the fire, 5-10 minutes later close the door, and reload when it’s burned down.

 

[Sara.S]

Hi, Everybody,
My girlfriend bought the new Aspen C3 last summer,. By December she had broken the baffle and chopped up the refractory blanket. I immediately searched for replacements, but everything was sold out. I figured this must be a common problem. I spoke with her chimney sweep who told me what a big project replacement is.
He advised me not to attempt to install the new refractory blanket.
I decided to not attempt the blanket unless we had some untoward results. The stove had worked fine the previous season without most of it.
On each side holding in the firebricks are what the parts schematic calls side covers. These are stainless steel and each is held in with 12 mm bolts. The baffle sits on top of these. The blanket sits above this. I removed the two front bolts on each side and loosened the back bolts on each side. The covers pivoted downward far enough to insert the baffle through the door. As the baffle reached the end of its inward travel, it was necessary the rotate the assembly upward to allow the baffle to clear the top.
It was a fifteen minute job.

Hi, Everybody,
My girlfriend bought the new Aspen C3 last summer,. By December she had broken the baffle and chopped up the refractory blanket. I immediately searched for replacements, but everything was sold out. I figured this must be a common problem. I spoke with her chimney sweep who told me what a big project replacement is.
He advised me not to attempt to install the new refractory blanket.
I decided to not attempt the blanket unless we had some untoward results. The stove had worked fine the previous season without most of it.
On each side holding in the firebricks are what the parts schematic calls side covers. These are stainless steel and each is held in with 12 mm bolts. The baffle sits on top of these. The blanket sits above this. I removed the two front bolts on each side and loosened the back bolts on each side. The covers pivoted downward far enough to insert the baffle through the door. As the baffle reached the end of its inward travel, it was necessary the rotate the assembly upward to allow the baffle to clear the top.
It was a fifteen minute job.

Hello everyone I have been reading about this issue and it seems that I am not the only one to have this issue with the c3.. Thank you for posting this information for I will have to change out my baffle also but am not sure now about changing out the wool blanket part of it is missing or rather thinner where the broken baffle area is. I will have to change this out and I am 60 and no one around to help me with this (my husband is very ill and I need this repaired quickly) It is as simple as you are saying ? Thank you

 

[30WCF]

I’ve not had to do it, maybe someone will come along. As I understand it, you just need to make sure the edges are tucked in, and the temp probe is not obstructed.

 

[Johnsonep08]

Firstly, let me thank all of you that posted relevant information about your experiences. This was very helpful! I felt obligated to return the favor in-kind.

This past October I installed an Aspen C3 in my home. The setup is 2' vertical to an elbow, approx 18" horizontal into a 6" stainless steel liner in a CMU chimney with clay tiles on interior. House is only 1,000 sqft and pretty leaky. Due to the way things panned out, I've been burning daily as the main source of heat using less than ideal wood. Even considering that winter this year in rural southern New Hampshire has been pretty mild, I've been running this little stove hard to overcome the wet wood. I had never used a stove without manual air controls or a composite baffle so I've learned the hard way what a lot of you folks mentioned here.

Anyways, I had been getting really bad draft around Christmas and figured it was time to clean things out. Everything was pretty filthy due to the bad wood, so glad I didn't wait any longer (photos attached of entry into chimney and the pile of crap that shook out when I took pipe off as warning to others)! However, draft was no better with clean pipes. Finally I stuck my head into the stove with a flashlight and to my surprise, I had annihilated the refractory baffle (see pics). I pulled many small shards of material out, but suspect i had been burning for a couple weeks with a compromised baffle. I immediately stopped burning and ordered a new OEM baffle for around $150 online.

I did notice that the heat coming through the hole in the baffle had bubbled the wool blanket a bit right under the flue pipe (slightly visible in the photo), but I was able to press it down a bit after getting the old baffle out.probably need to replace in a few seasons, but it was in-tact, so i left it. I was not able to get the brackets to tip down as one user noted and had to remove them completely, but my damaged baffle broke in 2 after I dropped the rails so that made removal pretty easy. After some gentle wiggling I was able to slip the new baffle in under the wool blanket and get it all the way to the back of the stove. My rope gaskets behind the rails seemed to be in-tact, but reinstalling the rails was a bit tricky. I suggest starting with the middle screw on both rails first just to keep things in place, then worry about aligning the other holes.

Had my first fire last night with much drier and smaller split wood. Still a little smoke when I open the doors, but not as alarming as it was and definitely tolerable if door is only opened to refill every couple hours. I suspect most of my issues are with wood quality, but I do feel this stove doesn't pull great draft by design. Measuring with an infrared gun, even if i can get the stove 700*+, the flue pipe is almost never over 300* where it meets the chimney. Hoping for some improvement on that next season with better fuel.

All in all, this is a decent stove for the price, but the dealers, and manufacturer for that matter, should be much more candid about some of the features of this unit. Split your wood a little smaller, clean more frequently, and take some time to learn how it functions in your unique installation setup before committing to using it as a primary heat source (like this big dumb idiot did).

Thank you again to all of you who shared your troubles/insight. It brought be back from the edge as I spent Christmas break without heat or electricity due to a snowstorm. Safe, happy, & warm new year to you all!

 

[30WCF]

Wow. You have some wet wood.

Glad you cleaned things out before it got ugly.

Mine drafts fine when it’s mildly cold out. The damper on mine does stay closed too long if I’m running hard, and causes excessive coaling. I’m going to try some pine before I convert it semi manual. Oops. I didn’t mean that.

 

[30WCF]

That box is burned clean though, so now you have me thinking. You have a hot fire. But you have a nasty pipe. Those two should not coincide with this set up unless you are manipulating the air intake.

 

[30WCF]

How is the seal around the flue collar? Are you sucking a lot of air into the chimney?

 

[yote]

So I too had the wool blanket suck up into the stack pipe on my Aspen C3, made a perfect dome shape up into the pipe and plugged it. The stove wouldn't stay lite and was just all smoke. This happened about half way through winter, no idea why it sucked up or if it was always like that.
So I dropped the top baffle and got the blanket back in place as best I could. After that the stove worked fine.
After the burn season this spring I cleaned the box out and dropped the baffle out again. Then I had the chimney sweep dude come and sweep, he used an air whip from the bottom (stove box) up. Seemed to do a fine job of cleaning and I had ordered a replacement blanket and got that installed on reassembly.
I am a little concerned now though after reading this thread that the temp prob is ok. I have double walled stack pipe and there is a probe in that about a foot or so up from the top of the stove. I do not recall seeing a probe down in the stove just above the wool blanket and I dont see a probe listed on the parts list for the stove. I am hoping if its there in my stove that I got the blanket below it..... or that it didnt get broke when it was cleaned.
Do all the Aspen C3 have the probe like in the pic wjohn posted? I got mine installed September 2022 so its only been used one winter.
The stove seems to "start" harder this year, but maybe because of the new blanket, once I get it going it seems to function normally.
Thanks in advance for any replies and help!

I should add that the new blanket I installed had a notch cut in it, I am guessing that would be for the probe......
If the probe was broken, how hard is it to replace?

 

[wjohn]

yote, I'd defer to someone with a newer stove than mine in case they made a design change, but the parts list on the website still shows it in the same location: https://downloads.hearthnhome.com/serviceParts/Aspen_C3.pdf

 

[begreen]

The probe controls the secondary air. It definitely should be there. Maybe pull the back cover and see if it got pushed out somehow?

 

[begreen]

I think I would put a weight on the blanket to prevent this from happening again. The weight could be a 4" square of 1/8" steel.

 

[yote]

Thanks for the replies! And upon further inspection of the parts list it turns out wjohn is spot on, I missed the probe part when I looked at the list.
So I have been having a startup issue with my stove, having to leave the door cracked, smoke and soot buildup on the glass, etc.... and thought maybe the temp probe is damaged or broke as I didnt realize it was there when the chimmney sweep occured.
Last night I removed the back plate (4 screws which were very tight, used a vise grips on them to avoid rounding out the phillips head).
Behind the plate is the probe and chain assembly to the lower damper.
The probe is held in place with a screw, removed that and pulled the probe out (I marked the chain to the lower damper that attaches to the probe assembly just in case it came off the probe assembly, it didnt come off though)
To my surprise the probe was just fine, no damage from the chimmney sweep, it was basically untouched.
It was extremely dirty and "gunked" up with soot and debris though. I cleaned the probe with some clean rags and scotch brite, got it all shined up and reinstalled and reassembled everything.
I lit off a load of wood and man what a difference in performance.
I only left the door cracked open for a few minutes, the stove heated up quickly and the fire/flame was perfect.
I had no soot or smoke buildup on the glass and it just burned wonderful. It seemed like it was now getting proper air in the fire box!
I think inspecting and cleaning the probe fixed my issue, will confirm with more burns but it all makes sense to me.
So if you are having issues with startup flame/fire/temp and soot and smoke buildup on your door glass, try cleaning the probe!

Ive included a few pics of when the blanket got sucked up into the stack, it was "domed" up into stack and caused big problem, could not get the stove to lite off!

 

[begreen]

Good to hear that it's working well again. How tall is the flue system on this stove? If the draft is that strong, maybe a key damper would help tame it. For certain I would place a weight on the blanket to prevent this from happening again.