Important Magnum Baby CountrySide behind the firebox cleanout?

[GMadd]

And possibly prevent jams by giving the motor some play?

 

[GMadd]

Hi

I just drilled a hole and then filled it with a nice Stainless Steel self tapping screw. Easy than a root canal to do also! LOL

So I found a 3/8" Zinc Hole Plug in Lowes. Do you think that will withstand the heat on the side of the Stove to plug the blow out hole? Or should I look for something labeled Stainless?

 

[Bioburner]

Mike, do they even make these any more? Is AES still in business? With all the bad press they get, I can't see anyone buying them....and now that I think of it, where would you buy one? HD and Lowes doesn't sell them any more.

AES is still in business. They now want to charge $40 for phone help. They really had problems when they tried having china build some stoves. CL in MN is flooded with their stoves.

 

[GMadd]

They give free help via email. I have contacted them a few times in the last month. They got back right away and gave helpful recommendations.

 

[Bioburner]

They give free help via email. I have contacted them a few times in the last month. They got back right away and gave helpful recommendations.

Good to hear. Not like they have done any product development for a couple decades to pay for.

 

[GMadd]

Hole drilled, blown, out tapped and plugged. Stove is working better than ever!! Thanks again!

 

[ChandlerR]

Good job GMadd! The zinc plug is fine as it's only zinc plated.

 

[UNhappyMagnumOwner]

Hello

I am working on a couple stoves that do not have enough vacuum to keep the vacuum switch closed. The stoves are clean and no visible signs of what is wrong.

I just learned that Magnum in their product improvements have drilled holes in the back of the firebox behind the ash pan and inserted metal snap in hole caps in newer stoves similar to these.
(broken link removed)

So what about the older BabyCountrySide stoves that are now plugged up after the 3-4 years it takes to plug that area up? Just got some pics of the newer stove with the cleanout cap!

Magnum's new Baby CountrySide manual page 25

BACK ASH CHAMBER AREA: Every 2-4 weeks
Periodically inspect the back ash chambers to make sure that they have not
plugged. Contact your local dealer for the proper cleaning tools. Clean out
any obstruction that would cause the ash to not drop out of the chamber.
There is a clean out plug behind the ash pan that needs to be inspected once
a month.

My stove has this knock out but I am unsure what to do with it. Just pop the top and vacuum? What I was reading about was drilling a hole on the right side of the stove just below the top of the horseshoe to insert a high pressure air line.

 

[Lake Girl]

Spring the knock out plug out and vacuum. Some of us have set up an attachment on a shop vac (drywall bag) that a hose can be attached to. Feed in the hole to pull out the ash...

 

[ChandlerR]

The plug behind the ash pan is the entrance of the combustion air from the outside air hose. (If you have one) I have never seen any ash in there.

The two most important things to clean on the Baby are the two slots at each corner next to the heat exchanger tubes, and, most important of all, drill and tap the hole as explained early in this thread and used compressed air to blow out the top of the horseshoe. It is a no mess job if you leave the door shut and hit the start button. The exhaust fan sucks the dust out. After that either do the leaf blower trick or remove the cleanout on the exhaust T and give the piping a quick brush.

I still have this stove and I do this cleaning procedure twice a season. I have had it since 2009 and other than a bad snap switch, I've had zero issues. It takes work and regular maintenance but I must be doing something right. I've said this many times before. This is a poorly designed stove. Fortunately mine was built properly (in the USA) with good welds and little silicone, but whoever designed the exhaust path didn't think about what was in the exhaust stream (soot and ash).

I have a digital temp gauge to monitor the air coming from the heat exchangers and a Magnehelic to watch my vacuum and I know what numbers to watch for to make sure the stove is working properly. I burn Vermonts and so far they have been outstanding. My stove runs 24/7 in the winter on a thermostat in my living room.

 

[UNhappyMagnumOwner]

The plug behind the ash pan is the entrance of the combustion air from the outside air hose. (If you have one) I have never seen any ash in there.

The two most important things to clean on the Baby are the two slots at each corner next to the heat exchanger tubes, and, most important of all, drill and tap the hole as explained early in this thread and used compressed air to blow out the top of the horseshoe. It is a no mess job if you leave the door shut and hit the start button. The exhaust fan sucks the dust out. After that either do the leaf blower trick or remove the cleanout on the exhaust T and give the piping a quick brush.

I still have this stove and I do this cleaning procedure twice a season. I have had it since 2009 and other than a bad snap switch, I've had zero issues. It takes work and regular maintenance but I must be doing something right. I've said this many times before. This is a poorly designed stove. Fortunately mine was built properly (in the USA) with good welds and little silicone, but whoever designed the exhaust path didn't think about what was in the exhaust stream (soot and ash).

I have a digital temp gauge to monitor the air coming from the heat exchangers and a Magnehelic to watch my vacuum and I know what numbers to watch for to make sure the stove is working properly. I burn Vermonts and so far they have been outstanding. My stove runs 24/7 in the winter on a thermostat in my living room.

I asked the factory rep about drilling holes and replacing the bushing with a bearing and he said "you worked on your stove modified it is no longer certified".

We bought from, what we thought at the time, to be a great company , a wet certified company, a company what looks after its clients, and supplies great products.

I was fool enough to be sold this appliance, have no budget to replace it, and no desire to toss it to landfill and I CAN LIVE WITH THIS.

Chandler The local dealer told us the thermostat was why the igniter's were only lasting a month so we have been running in manual mode. Do you have a solution for to fix igniter problems on the Baby Magnum Countryside when we get home it is sometimes tropical.

 

[ChandlerR]

I asked the factory rep about drilling holes and replacing the bushing with a bearing and he said "you worked on your stove modified it is no longer certified".

We bought from, what we thought at the time, to be a great company , a wet certified company, a company what looks after its clients, and supplies great products.

I was fool enough to be sold this appliance, have no budget to replace it, and no desire to toss it to landfill and I CAN LIVE WITH THIS.

Chandler The local dealer told us the thermostat was why the igniter's were only lasting a month so we have been running in manual mode. Do you have a solution for to fix igniter problems on the Baby Magnum Countryside when we get home it is sometimes tropical.

I have the manual stove. No ignitor. I run it in Hi/Lo. It stays running on low until the Tstat calls then it goes up to whatever you have the heat setting at. In my case, I have never had to go higher than 4. 320 degree heat coming from the exchanger is more than enough. Most stoves come with an ignitor and most run off a thermostat. Ignitors last for years sometimes. AES doesn't make their own ignitors. They have to be using standard ones that everyone else uses. I wonder why they only last a month?

 

[UNhappyMagnumOwner]

I have the manual stove. No ignitor. I run it in Hi/Lo. It stays running on low until the Tstat calls then it goes up to whatever you have the heat setting at. In my case, I have never had to go higher than 4. 320 degree heat coming from the exchanger is more than enough. Most stoves come with an ignitor and most run off a thermostat. Ignitors last for years sometimes. AES doesn't make their own ignitors. They have to be using standard ones that everyone else uses. I wonder why they only last a month?

After having this Baby Magnum Countryside apart and finding leaks everywhere, miss-aligned components, improperly installed motors, painted electric safety devices and missing parts. A few emails to the Factory Technician and parts department, a couple lengthy phone calls to the parts department, and and way to much research time on-line.The Dealer or his people painted electronic and electric safety devices, not very professional, and very dangerous.

The Auger Bearing upgrade we have done I was informed the stove is longer certificated so I cannot recommend you do this, but it sure smooths out the auger noise and seems not to jam.

Running time 18 hours 40 lbs of softwood pellets the window is still clean!

 

[ChandlerR]

After having this Baby Magnum Countryside apart and finding leaks everywhere, miss-aligned components, improperly installed motors, painted electric safety devices and missing parts. A few emails to the Factory Technician and parts department, a couple lengthy phone calls to the parts department, and and way to much research time on-line.The Dealer or his people painted electronic and electric safety devices, not very professional, and very dangerous.

The Auger Bearing upgrade we have done I was informed the stove is longer certificated so I cannot recommend you do this, but it sure smooths out the auger noise and seems not to jam.

Running time 18 hours 40 lbs of softwood pellets the window is still clean!

I have heard so many people with all sorts of issues with their Baby's. I understand that originally they were made in the USA but at some point manufacturing was done in China. I've had mine for so long that I've had it apart to clean it down to the frame. A couple of years ago, I had the bright idea to remove it from the house and completely disassemble it in my shop. It wasn't all that dirty. It proved that the blow out hole I drilled to blow out the horseshoe works really well. I am sorry you've had so many issues with yours. I guess the up side is you will know your stove intimately and hopefully it will be a good reliable little stove. I may touch base with you at some point if I decide to upgrade my auger bearing. Mine is still pretty tight after 9 years, but if I did what you did, it will never need replacing!

 

[Tails1]

I asked the factory rep about drilling holes and replacing the bushing with a bearing and he said "you worked on your stove modified it is no longer certified".

We bought from, what we thought at the time, to be a great company , a wet certified company, a company what looks after its clients, and supplies great products.

I was fool enough to be sold this appliance, have no budget to replace it, and no desire to toss it to landfill and I CAN LIVE WITH THIS.

Chandler The local dealer told us the thermostat was why the igniter's were only lasting a month so we have been running in manual mode. Do you have a solution for to fix igniter problems on the Baby Magnum Countryside when we get home it is sometimes tropical.

You could check that whatever is powering the igniter might be sending too much voltage to it. Are these 120v igniters? Also if not enough air is getting past the igniter due to poor design or a dirty stove this will also cause it to run too hot and shorten it life. Also the length of time it stays on during startup will also impact its lifespan. If there is a fault with the logic circuit (controller) that controls the igniter and it stays on too long after the stove is running it will overheat. These kind of resistive heat elements would have a limited duty cycle. The stove plugged into a killawatt meter will allow you to see the current draw and determine when the igniter is powered, how much current (minus the motor loads) it is using and allow you to see how long it runs.

Also check the igniter circuit isn't having resistive issues due to intermittent shorts (bad wiring) or corroded connections.

 

[Tails1]

[QUOTE="UNhappyMagnumOwner, post: 2164839, member: 55375"<snip>

Chandler The local dealer told us the thermostat was why the igniter's were only lasting a month so we have been running in manual mode. Do you have a solution for to fix igniter problems on the Baby Magnum Countryside when we get home it is sometimes tropical.[/QUOTE]


That was a stupid response, if the stove is meant to operate with a thermostat it shouldn't be causing the igniter to fail in only a month. I grant that with using a thermostat would shorten the life of the igniter due to increasing its operating hours, but not after a month.

 

[UNhappyMagnumOwner]

I have heard so many people with all sorts of issues with their Baby's. I understand that originally they were made in the USA but at some point manufacturing was done in China. I've had mine for so long that I've had it apart to clean it down to the frame. A couple of years ago, I had the bright idea to remove it from the house and completely disassemble it in my shop. It wasn't all that dirty. It proved that the blow out hole I drilled to blow out the horseshoe works really well. I am sorry you've had so many issues with yours. I guess the up side is you will know your stove intimately and hopefully it will be a good reliable little stove. I may touch base with you at some point if I decide to upgrade my auger bearing. Mine is still pretty tight after 9 years, but if I did what you did, it will never need replacing!

What I knowested

[QUOTE="UNhappyMagnumOwner, post: 2164839, member: 55375"<snip>

Chandler The local dealer told us the thermostat was why the igniter's were only lasting a month so we have been running in manual mode. Do you have a solution for to fix igniter problems on the Baby Magnum Countryside when we get home it is sometimes tropical.

That was a stupid response, if the stove is meant to operate with a thermostat it shouldn't be causing the igniter to fail in only a month. I grant that with using a thermostat would shorten the life of the igniter due to increasing its operating hours, but not after a month.[/QUOTE]
It is burning better than we can remember it ever worked. The way the components are valued and with current exchange rates there is no way we could invest in the repair to take the unit back to certification. The people we had fit the components and source the parts are just great people so we got away with a very inexpensive solution. The baby has been burning now for about 48 hours there is no build up in the fire pot and the unit is running quieter.

I am not sure if this unit was outsourced or not but am very grateful we did not have to replace it.

 

[Don2222]

Hello
Did u know there is an upgraded exhaust blower for the Baby Magnum? The original has 2 wires and the upgraded one has more amps, a taller fan blade that is 105 CFM vs the original 85 CFM exhaust blower.
The new blower motor can also be easily removed and cleaned because there is a 6" mounting plate with 6 nuts for easy removal. The new upgraded exhaust blower is magnum part # RP2030 and has 3 wires for easy identification. One wire is not used.
The new blower burns wood pellet better, I have installed many of them.

 

[ChandlerR]

I agree. The ignitor is probably a 120 volt one and the only thing I can think of that would possibly shorten it's life would be insufficient airflow. Adding the upgraded blower may help if that's the case. I would think that they are designed to last even if there is no airflow, but I just don't know.

 

[UNhappyMagnumOwner]

I agree. The ignitor is probably a 120 volt one and the only thing I can think of that would possibly shorten it's life would be insufficient airflow. Adding the upgraded blower may help if that's the case. I would think that they are designed to last even if there is no airflow, but I just don't know.

As the dealer painter over the Motors information plate I am unable to determine if there is a standard or upgraded combustion fan installed. When I open the air intake full the pellets will blow right out of the burn pot so I am not sure I need that upgrade. The Baby is on day 3 and the glass is still clean and is providing enough heat on the 2nd setting to keep up with the winter cold. I din't have a digital Manometer but have a Blood Pressure Manometer just wondering what the gauge should say if I hook it up?

Thank all of you who have posted your experiences in this form if it was not for you and your input my Baby would be scrap.

Am I blowing all my heat out the chimney?

 

[rafmt]

Sounds like you are getting your stove dialed in. I probably push more heat out my exhaust than I need to but I like keeping the ash down in my burn pot. Went 22 bags of straight burning without even opening the door. Could have went to 25 bags but we had a cold snap blowing in. Had to replace my igniter 2 years ago. Works great still. 4 years on this stove ( bought used ). Flawless operation. I love my Baby !

 

[UNhappyMagnumOwner]

Sounds like you are getting your stove dialed in. I probably push more heat out my exhaust than I need to but I like keeping the ash down in my burn pot. Went 22 bags of straight burning without even opening the door. Could have went to 25 bags but we had a cold snap blowing in. Had to replace my igniter 2 years ago. Works great still. 4 years on this stove ( bought used ). Flawless operation. I love my Baby !

During a resent power outage this very crude setup ran this Baby for 6 hours before a friend stopped in with a generator large enough for the whole house. We are looking into how much solar would be required to power this baby, the lighting to maintain it, and the fridge to keep the beer cold!

 

[ChandlerR]

As the dealer painter over the Motors information plate I am unable to determine if there is a standard or upgraded combustion fan installed. When I open the air intake full the pellets will blow right out of the burn pot so I am not sure I need that upgrade. The Baby is on day 3 and the glass is still clean and is providing enough heat on the 2nd setting to keep up with the winter cold. I din't have a digital Manometer but have a Blood Pressure Manometer just wondering what the gauge should say if I hook it up?

Thank all of you who have posted your experiences in this form if it was not for you and your input my Baby would be scrap.

Am I blowing all my heat out the chimney?
View attachment 195947

I still have the standard combustion blower on mine. 8 years and still going strong. I want to replace it with the higher output one but I want to wait until I need to replace this one. There is no way I have enough airflow to move my pellets, but I get 300 to 325 out of my heat exchanger on heat setting 3 so I'm not complaining. I can go maybe 10 bags before I have to dump the burn pot. I am so happy that you're getting the stove working right. Good job!

 

[UNhappyMagnumOwner]

Hello

Well I drilled a small screw hole in the right side. By putting a SS screw in when done, it is just an extra screw in the chassis!
Results are staggering! Before I did anything, I hooked up the digital manometer to the vacuum port on the back of the firewall. Then I hooked up the AC test cord to the new high speed (105 CFM exhaust blower) the reading was -0.40 wg.
After blowing the top plenum out and blocked it up, I hooked up the manometer. It read -1.60 wg. FOUR times greater ! ! !

See video

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Click on pics to enlarge:

I have a manual manometer from a blood pressure sleeve would this do the trick and what numbers should I be looking for?

 

[UNhappyMagnumOwner]

I still have the standard combustion blower on mine. 8 years and still going strong. I want to replace it with the higher output one but I want to wait until I need to replace this one. There is no way I have enough airflow to move my pellets, but I get 300 to 325 out of my heat exchanger on heat setting 3 so I'm not complaining. I can go maybe 10 bags before I have to dump the burn pot. I am so happy that you're getting the stove working right. Good job!

I am not getting that amount of heat out of my baby because she heats this place very well on the 2nd setting. She has been running very well in thermostat mode for several days now. I know I will have to take her apart again this summer to deal with resurfacing the hopper, solving the clearances problem on the auger shields installing a cleaning port for the horseshoe and maybe powder coat the top.