I didn’t realize Woodstock was still having a supply issues on such a critical and consumable part.
Can’t get Woodstock Fireview above 400
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I just checked Woodstock's website and it looks like all the combustors for the different stoves are are available for purchase.
That's OK, it apparently would've been time for you to un-realize it anyway.
Even when I wanted one, and they were out of stock, I didn't get too bent outta shape about it. The cat doesn't wear out all at once, so I just waited. But yeah, I'd have thought they would have gotten it sorted much quicker than they did..it went on for years. I never followed the story, if there was one..
This is where I got mine. It requires 2 and interim gasket.
Well I’ve been having pretty good luck getting the stove up to 550. I’m afraid another issue has crept up so I’ll ask here before starting another thread.
In the last 3 or 4 days I’ve been getting a pretty bad smoke smell in the house. It seems to start after I engage the cat.
It isn’t setting off the smoke alarm but it is annoying. I can’t see any smoke. I’ve even looked at night with a flashlight and don’t see it. I put my head over the stove and smell it. Is this common for this stove?
In the last 3 or 4 days I’ve been getting a pretty bad smoke smell in the house. It seems to start after I engage the cat.
It isn’t setting off the smoke alarm but it is annoying. I can’t see any smoke. I’ve even looked at night with a flashlight and don’t see it. I put my head over the stove and smell it. Is this common for this stove?
I don't think it's common, but I've noticed that sometimes after I close the bypass on the Ks, I can smell some burning creosote smoke outside. I think the cat heats up an area of the stove that has some residual creo on it from the tail end of the last burn, and that burns off.
Is it a wood smoke smell, or more of a burning creo smell?
I'd get the gasket kit and replace the lid gasket, if you can determine that it's where the smell is coming from. It's not coming from where the connector pipe goes into the flue collar, right?
Is it a wood smoke smell, or more of a burning creo smell?
I'd get the gasket kit and replace the lid gasket, if you can determine that it's where the smell is coming from. It's not coming from where the connector pipe goes into the flue collar, right?
This complaint has come up sevral times with various cat stoves. The cause varies a lot. Sometimes it's a problem with draft or the installation and other times it gets much more difficult to solve.
I have really good draft. I had to put a damper in and use it to help slow it down.
Im considering putting in another. I’m running with the stove at Zero with the mpd closed and still bouncing between .15 and .20 on windy days. .08 on calm days.
I’ll get a gasket kit and see if that helps.
The season is near end. Looking at upper 60-70’s all next week. Kind of odd because it’s 28 right now.
Im considering putting in another. I’m running with the stove at Zero with the mpd closed and still bouncing between .15 and .20 on windy days. .08 on calm days.
I’ll get a gasket kit and see if that helps.
The season is near end. Looking at upper 60-70’s all next week. Kind of odd because it’s 28 right now.
Can you tell where it's coming from..lid gasket, load door? With that strong a draft, I wouldn't think anything would be getting out where the elbow goes into the flue collar. I wouldn't think the stove would back-puff either..you haven't seen any "flash-over" type ignition in the box after you close the bypass, have you?
No flash over. I can’t say where it’s coming from. Nothing visible. I do notice it more with my head over the stove so I suspect it’s the lid gasket or something under that
The draft pulls harder the more I close the dampers so maybe I’m choking it and it’s causing a high draft reading. I seem to need to close it down that far in order to slow the flame. Maybe I should just let it go and see what happens.
The draft pulls harder the more I close the dampers so maybe I’m choking it and it’s causing a high draft reading. I seem to need to close it down that far in order to slow the flame. Maybe I should just let it go and see what happens.
kennyp2339
Minister of Fire
Although I own a BK, I'm in the high draft club myself, I installed (2) dampers (1) on the flu collar - duravent kit and (1) about 3ft above the stove itself (I use this one as my primary) On colder or windy days when I just use my primary damper I will get a whistle at the flue collar, if I turn the primary all the way close then adjust the t-stat air control to a lower setting, after about 20min the whistle will subside, if I need extra heat from real cold and windy then I'll just fully close the main damper and adjust the secondary flue collar damper, seems to work pretty good, you just have to know your stoves behavior in relation to your chimney draft, no one system is the same.
Uh oh. Since your draft gets stronger as you close the key damper I have to ask... where are you measuring draft? Is it above or below the key damper?
You want to be able to cut the air to the point where you can run with no flame in the box, especially when you don't need a lot of heat, to stretch out your loads and conserve wood.
Check the air duct gasket, too. It can work its way loose with expansion and contraction. That would allow unburned smoke to get into the area below the lid, instead of routing it through the combustor.
There's a pic at the end of the gasket instructions. (broken link removed to https://woodstove.com/images/editorial_support/FireviewPDF-Instructions/fireview%20205%20maintenance%20kit.pdf)
Well I kind of found a leak. I didn’t load for about 16 hours and needed to start a fire. I stirred the ashes and there was still live coals in there. I threw in a bunch of kindling and it didn’t take off right away. It smoldered very heavy for several minutes. I opened the door and smoke started coming out the far rear corner. It appears to be coming about midway up the corner in the middle. Must have a bad joint there.
I bet it’s a real chore to break this thing down and reseal it.
I bet it’s a real chore to break this thing down and reseal it.
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So if you were looking at the back of the stove, smoke was coming from the right vertical seam? What do you see inside the box? Any cement cracked along that seam on the inside? Do you see any light-colored lines along the edges of the cement in that seam? If so, air has leaked in there and burned the darker creo away, and that is where the leak is.
You can probably remove any loose seam cement and just do a touch-up..there may be no need to tear down the stove. Like begreen said, call them after you look at what I mentioned, and they will probably have a good plan with how to proceed. The furnace cement they make seems really stringy and tacky..just what you want.
My Ks had a leak along the front vertical seam from day 1. When conditions were right in the box (stove fairly hot, with a lot of smoke in the box,) oxygen entering the seam would ignite the smoke and shoot flame out. I could see the light-colored strip along side the cement, where the creo had burned off. I took the front windows out (keep them in the same orientation.) That allowed me better access to the seam. I patched it with the Ws cement, and it fixed it pretty well. I can tell there is still a very slight amount of air coming in there, now that I know what to look for, but not much at all. If I had it to do again, I might try cleaning the seam up better before applying the cement, and I might run some the runny Meeco stuff into the seam for better penetration and sealing. before going over the top with the cement. You don't want to scrape on the stone, though, it's pretty soft.
![[Hearth.com] Can’t get Woodstock Fireview above 400](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/259/259534-3b204a096814b5d84508e8043c546541.jpg?hash=hB1zYlpcxt "[Hearth.com] Can’t get Woodstock Fireview above 400")
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I struggle to understand this stove. Yesterday I was trying to get it to really throw the heat and could barely break 400. Today is warmer so I wanted it to idle at 350-400 and it’s at 620 and doesn’t look like it wants to slow down anytime soon. I have the stove damper nearly shut and the mpd fully shut. What a strange beast.
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The sure way to get a super hot reading on the top of a cat stove is to choke back on the air supply. When the draft is choked back you are feeding the cat pure smoke which is its fuel. I know that seems backwards but its true. Usually when you are getting super hot stovetop temps there is no flame in the box and the stove is actually throwing less overall heat.
If you open the draft it will cause the firebox to ignite and the smoke gets burned in the stove. The overall temp in the room goes up more when there is flame in the box and the stovetop temp will then drop.
When people worry that the stovetop temp is getting to high (at least on a WS stove), the cure is to open up the draft a bit.
I'd be willing to bet you have an air leak there..flame is a dead give-away.
There are a lot of variable..what kind of wood, how wet it is, how the load is packed, and how the load ignites, etc.
But you should always be able to slow the burn by cutting the primary air, unless you have air leaking.
Replace all the gaskets, and then see where you're at..
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