We bought I home last year with the Keystone in it. Was never used and we were the first to use it last winter, worked wonderful for our home. Went to clean the combustor and not only were the 2 bolts that hold it down stripped and broke but also the bolt that holds the small shield above the combustor. My question, can the stove be run safely without that small shield above the combustor?
Heat shield in Keystone
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That shield,also called a flame shield is there so the flames doesn’t damaged it,and the firewood doesn’t hit the combustor
Sorry I should have been more clear on the shield, it’s on top of the combustor where wood doesn’t have access, the one on the top left. My thoughts are it’s there to hold heat more in the stove instead of the soap stone? It’s basically between the top of the stove and combustor
It’ll protect the stone from the localized hot spot the combustor will cause. It’ll run without the heat shield, but you may find yourself replacing that piece of stone sooner than you’d like. It also might hold enough heat down to allow the combustor to start cooking off faster.
I’d drill and retap the bolts.
I’d drill and retap the bolts.
I can’t remember if those bolts that hold down the combustor are needed or not? They may just be there for shipping purposes. I’d call Woodstock and verify.
You need them with the newer stainless cat and frame (pictured above, with the ears having the bolt holes.) If you're using a ceramic cat in the old cast iron frame, it is heavy enough to seal against the cat gasket and you don't need to use the bolts.
You may be able to drill the center broken bolts for the cat, then use a screw extractor to remove them.You might need to soak them in penetrant for a couple days before attempting it, though.
In the maintenance instructions on the website, they suggest using anti-seize on a lot of the bolts. I haven't generally done that on the Woodstocks I've had, but haven't encountered any really tight bolts yet. But a couple days ago I adjusted the bypass cover bolts on my SIL's Fireview after replacing the gasket, and I had to soak one of them with penetrant to get it loose, so I may start using the anti-seize from now on.
I wouldn't run the stove without the cat heat shield in place. You can easily get the stove top stones up to 550* or over, with the shield in place. I'd imagine you might get the center stone above the recommended max of 700* without that shield in place. Do you have the stainless cat?You might be able to use a piece of wire through the bolt hole in the shield, then wrap the wire around what's left of the bolt, or through the hole in the stainless frame. Can you post a pic so we can see what you have to work with?
Keystone 204 Maintenance Documents
Interior Exploded View Exploded View Diagram (Stone) Frame Exploded View External Exploded View Catalytic Combustor Replacement Combustor Scoop Replacement Bypass Cover Replacement Bypass Frame Replacement Bypass Lift Guide Replacement Door Knob and Latch Replaceme
www.woodstove.com
You need them with the newer stainless cat and frame (pictured above, with the ears having the bolt holes.) If you're using a ceramic cat in the old cast iron frame, it is heavy enough to seal against the cat gasket and you don't need to use the bolts.
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