Getting behind pellest stove insert?

[DemonGT]

thanks for the compliments!!

here are some pics, good news is the wire in the wall IS for a thermostat...bad news is its not hooked up to the stove and i still
cant get behind it. i can see in the last pic the "hook" that pulls the inlet and when i pull on it and watch that "rod" it dose not move

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e90/DemonGT410/IMG_4858.jpg
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e90/DemonGT410/IMG_4853.jpg
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e90/DemonGT410/IMG_4859.jpg
http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e90/DemonGT410/IMG_4843.jpg

 

[tjnamtiw]

That looks like an old manual choke cable Are sure that isn't some kind of a release to allow the stove to be pulled out? It sure doesn't look professional enough to be designed into the stove............ well......

Or it could be a shut off for the OAK so cold air doesn't come in when the stove's not on. My son's prefab fireplace has something similar.

 

[flynfrfun]

Based on the amount of dust bunnies in the pic, I'd say you will for sure want to pull that thing out and do a thorough cleaning. :bug:

 

[Bkins]

I'll stop asking about the side panels once you take one off Its just 2 screws. ) It doesn't make sense to me that the surround is motared into place if it needs to be removed. I don't think it needs removing to get the insert out.

 

[tjnamtiw]

I'll stop asking about the side panels once you take one off Its just 2 screws. ) It doesn't make sense to me that the surround is motared into place if it needs to be removed. I don't think it needs removing to get the insert out.

Yea, take out the two screws on each side panel close to the surround, give that 'choke' a really good yank, and pull that sucker out!

 

[Bkins]

Actually that "choke" you refer to is the damper so it will do notta thing to get it out.

 

[smoke show]

I'll stop asking about the side panels once you take one off Its just 2 screws. ) It doesn't make sense to me that the surround is motared into place if it needs to be removed. I don't think it needs removing to get the insert out.

Yea, take out the two screws on each side panel close to the surround, give that 'choke' a really good yank, and pull that sucker out!

If he wasn't over 3 hours away I'd go rip that sun a beech out!

 

[DemonGT]

i did remove the two screws, it makes the side cover "loose" but it will not come off? the cable damper is what is suppose to control how open the inlet is?

as for the damper pulling out, when i pull on it it feels like its pulled all the way out but when i push it in nothing happens. but you want it open dont you
to help carry more of the exhaust out?

 

[tjnamtiw]

Actually that "choke" you refer to is the damper so it will do notta thing to get it out.

Considering the Rube Goldberg appearance of the bent wire, the crappy weld holding the attachment point on, and the 'beef' of the rod, it sure didn't look like it came with the stove! But I don't have one of those stoves so I wouldn't know for sure.

 

[tjnamtiw]

i did remove the two screws, it makes the side cover "loose" but it will not come off? the cable damper is what is suppose to control how open the inlet is?

as for the damper pulling out, when i pull on it it feels like its pulled all the way out but when i push it in nothing happens. but you want it open dont you
to help carry more of the exhaust out?

Maybe someone else can chime in here, but does ANY manufacturer offer a setup to restrict the EXHAUST side??? (referring to the last comment) Yes, I believe some allow you to adjust intake air volume to control the burn quality but not the exhaust.

When you take the two screws out on both sides, you still can't slide the stove out? I still think at that point that it's time to start chipping away mortar.

 

[Bkins]

On the current crop of Pel-Pro stoves that knob controls the intake damper. This is a adjustability feature and really should be working. This will control how much air your stove gets/sends through the burn-pot and hence the quality of the burn.

Have you trying tugging on the side panels after the screws are out? On mine it takes a pretty solid tug. I can't believe the insert is designed to be mortared in and out each time this thing needs service. There also has to be a way to adjust the stove for level and side to side. I could not tell from your video if the stove has a separate frame back there. Can you see what looks to be a frame, as in something other then the main body of the insert? I looked for a while on line and there isn't much about about installing one of these other then the normal cautions, but that doesn't surprise me as my Harman insert doesn't have any directions about mounting the frame for the stove either.

So you have no thermostat hooked up, and the damper control system appears to be frozen up and who knows the last time the exhaust system was cleaned and motors lubed. It would drive me nuts not having a baseline to start with. Are you a general hands on guy or do these type of things tend to scare you off. If you feel like your in over your head doing this then you would be better off spending some time looking for a stove tech.

How often are you burning this creature at present?

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

i did remove the two screws, it makes the side cover "loose" but it will not come off? the cable damper is what is suppose to control how open the inlet is?

as for the damper pulling out, when i pull on it it feels like its pulled all the way out but when i push it in nothing happens. but you want it open dont you
to help carry more of the exhaust out?

Actually you want that damper closer to being closed than to being fully open.

You adjust the damper based upon the action and color of the flame along with the activity of the pellets in the burn pot. Most old time wood burners have to make adjustments in their ways.

The goal is to have a hot active but not overactive fire along with a little pellet movement in the pot (the pellet dance) this will produce a very fine light gray ash and eject a very large fraction of the produced ash (but not the pellets) into the ash pan.

 

[Bkins]

Can you reach your hand in the hole and move the rod by hand? Take note of where it is before doing this.

 

[tjnamtiw]

All good suggestions/comments. I was also wondering if he could snake his arm in there to move the rod. Actually I CAN believe that the whole thing was mortared in place since most builders who install prefab fireplaces in new homes do that very thing since they are almost exclusively the prefab wood burning appliances that never have to be pulled out. They probably just stuck it in there like every other home they build, not giving any thought or knowing that it has to be pulled out regularly.
I would do what ever it takes to get it out and then put some backerboard or angle iron around the inside of the opening and extend the mortar over it. Then when you slide the stove back in, you push it up against this new flat mortar surface and seal.

 

[DemonGT]

i might beable to get my hand in there, i can not unscrew both screws for the controls or they will fall back behind and i will not be able to get them back

i can move the stove side to side slightly

i just bought the house last spring so i have not used the stove much, just a few times when we moved in and it seemed to work fine

as for the mortar, it looks like they did not go over intentionally. its only over by a small amount so removing some isnt a big deal
just didnt want to have to if it was not necessary. some of the mortar/grout fell off when i was messing with it and it takes the black
off the surround.

 

[tjnamtiw]

No, we aren't talking about the other screws for the control. I see a hex head (I think) screw down in the lower corner of the surround that most likely is screwed into the metal work of the fireplace framework. I imagine there is a similar screw on the other side. With those taken out and the mortar 'trimmed' back, the whole thing should slide out. Some flat black paint should take care of the missing paint under the mortar, or you could trim it out with the gold trim strip that PelPro sells as an option for the stove.

 

[DemonGT]

Finally got behind the stove

is the exhaust normally hook up this way? how the heck am i going to get it hooked back up when i push the stove back?
i thought the exhaust should have more of a air tight seal?

the silver hose is the OAK, should the exhaust and OAK be disconnected and capped for summer?

 

[DemonGT]

opinions?