Very interesting, Would. So that's what the infamous stainless piece looked like... thanks for posting it! You may have the only two known to currently exist 
Kent Tile Fire (and Sherwood) stoves
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precaud said:Very interesting, Would. So that's what the infamous stainless piece looked like... thanks for posting it! You may have the only two known to currently exist
My Kent has the same baffle bolted onto the air chamber. I stuck my finger in the end and felt insulation inside.
Cool, Gio. I'm wondering if those "bolt-on's" were field retrofits, as they're different from what was described by a former user and one published paper. Those had the stainless baffle piece held in place by two stainless pieces mounted on either side in front of the baffle. Those pieces had insulation under them as well. My mods have been fashioned after that setup.
Yeah, obviously it`s either a factory mod or dealer retrofit. I think near the end of the model cycle or import cycle since it isn`t common to all models.
I doubt very much it was available as an "option" since it appears to have a significant impact on the burn.
I doubt very much it was available as an "option" since it appears to have a significant impact on the burn.
Last season was the first complete heating season using the modified Tile Fire. I just did my annual chimney cleaning, so I thought I'd post an update in this thread, and compare it to what I used to get with the Quad 2100M.
Creosote cleaned from the pipe was 7.9 ounces (about 1/2 a plastic grocery bag). Wood burned in it last season was 0.95, or just under a cord.
In 2008, I burned the Quad for the whole year: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/annual-chimney-cleaning-results.16638/#post-16638
It also produced 1/2 a bag and 7.7 ounces, almost identical... except that was for 1.75 cords.
So the modified Kent makes a little less than twice the creosote per cord as the Quad, 8.3 vs 4.4 oz. (The Quad is rated at 2.1gm/hr emissions...)
Not bad for an old smoke dragon...
Creosote cleaned from the pipe was 7.9 ounces (about 1/2 a plastic grocery bag). Wood burned in it last season was 0.95, or just under a cord.
In 2008, I burned the Quad for the whole year: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/annual-chimney-cleaning-results.16638/#post-16638
It also produced 1/2 a bag and 7.7 ounces, almost identical... except that was for 1.75 cords.
So the modified Kent makes a little less than twice the creosote per cord as the Quad, 8.3 vs 4.4 oz. (The Quad is rated at 2.1gm/hr emissions...)
Not bad for an old smoke dragon...
I've become Interested in this King found on C.L.: (broken link removed to http://up.craigslist.org/mat/3282727969.html) What would be a fair price for this package? Some pics of the firebox and "puck" sent to me look good; no apparent warpage even though no firebrick. I missed out on an Elm stove for $200 bucks recently so don't wan to miss this if a good stove. Otherwise it's off to Menards for a $500 Vogelzang Defender, but they just seem so cheaply built! Only looking to heat my 400 sq.ft. deer camp that is poorly insulated, but still want the best quality I can swing for around $500.
Thanks.
Thanks.
That's a Sherwood, radiant model. Looks like they took good care of it. A LOT of stove for 400 sq ft, I'd say! I wonder how much value they're giving to the pipe. I'm not a big fan of the air-insulated pipe. The Kents run hot in that first few feet of pipe so I'd definitely use single wall up to the ceiling connector. If you don't need the pipe, see if they'll sell without it for 350-ish.
400 sq.ft of 6"x6" stacked timbers for walls - nothing else in terms of insulation so the heat pretty much pours out of the cabin. Plus, it's about as far north as you can get in the U.P. of Michigan so cold outside temps. I've got a large Vogelzang boxwood stove and it can't heat the place up in the winter unless you feed it every hour or two + I'm heating from dead cold starts only on the weekends so looking for quick heat. I'm to the point where I'd rather overheat the space so as long a burn time as possible is desired as I'd rather open a window or two as needed rather than feed the fire.
I could use the stovepipe on a future wood-fired sauna for the camp that I plan to build this summer so it would be useful. Was thinking of offering $400 for the package since the posting is over a month old and I'd have to drive about 1 1/2 hours to get it - take it or leave it.
Thanks.
Sounds like a plan - good luck with it.
The Sherwood certainly heats up fast, compared to anything else its size - you'll absolutely love that!
The Sherwood certainly heats up fast, compared to anything else its size - you'll absolutely love that!
Thanks! And thanks for the entire thread regarding mods - will incorporate them if I score the stove.
tlc1976
Minister of Fire
Thanks for the very interesting thread. Am still trying to digest it all. It might be interesting to try some mods on mine. I never really knew much about mine but I am familar with that upper chamber and how it fills up with crud. I clean it by a piece of flat bar I bent that will get in there from the chimney area and I can pull the material out for the most part.
I always liked the looks of the Tile Fire. At times I have thought about removing the screen from the heat shields of the Sherwood and adding bars and ceramic tiles to turn it mostly into a Tile Fire.
I always liked the looks of the Tile Fire. At times I have thought about removing the screen from the heat shields of the Sherwood and adding bars and ceramic tiles to turn it mostly into a Tile Fire.
tic, I like your idea about the bar shaped for the cleanout. Post a pic of yours when you have a chance.
Don't know what you have, but your Sherwood will do better than a Tile Fire in a big, open room with high ceilings.
Don't know what you have, but your Sherwood will do better than a Tile Fire in a big, open room with high ceilings.
tlc1976
Minister of Fire
My stove was put in for the easiest installation and shortest pipe. It is in probably the worst location for heating the house. The upstairs only goes halfway, the rest is a cathedral ceiling. Way in the back downstairs are the bedrooms. The stove is in the far corner of the living room, which is a little low ceiling addition totally opposite the bedrooms. There is a shelf behind the stove pipe and I have to keep a fan on HI pushing the heat out or the corner will overheat and the rest of the downstairs will stay cold. Even with that and an additional fan, it is tough to get the heat to the back bedrooms. But if it was in the wide open area, it would require 20+ feet of pipe which would probably need side supports and would require a scaffold to replace. Right now it is easy because I just slide the stove to the side and remove the house pipe, then run my brush up to clean the rest of it.
I only was thinking of adding the tiles to make it look like a Tile Fire. I haven't processed the operating differences of them yet.
I'll try to get a pic but it's really nothing fancy. Just a piece of 1/8 x 5/8 flat bar that we often have laying around at work. It is stiff enough to work but flexible enough to get in there. I have wanted to do a better job. I have actually thought of using an air nozzle to blow the crap out from the front after loosening it with the bar. Or making a small flexible attachment so the shop vac can get in there.
I only was thinking of adding the tiles to make it look like a Tile Fire. I haven't processed the operating differences of them yet.
I'll try to get a pic but it's really nothing fancy. Just a piece of 1/8 x 5/8 flat bar that we often have laying around at work. It is stiff enough to work but flexible enough to get in there. I have wanted to do a better job. I have actually thought of using an air nozzle to blow the crap out from the front after loosening it with the bar. Or making a small flexible attachment so the shop vac can get in there.
I realize this thread hasn't been touched in a few months. I'm a rank beginner and I just purchased a house with 2 wood stoves and a fireplace. One of the stoves is the Kent Sherwood. I cleaned it up and got it lit (with some help from an eagle scout friend of mine). It started up ok, but I found with the door closed, there seems to be some smoke leakage from the front where the air intake is. In checking the chimney, there is some white smoke coming out. Have any of you had problems like this? The cover for the front air intake is loose and can be removed quite easily. Not sure if there is some adjustment I should make, etc. Any of your input is greatly appreciated.
tlc1976
Minister of Fire
#1 make sure the chimney is clean if you haven't done so already.
If the inside and outside temps are similar you might have a tough time getting an updraft started and the smoke will come out the front. It doesn't happen to me too much but it does happen. In which case I try to get some heat going to create an updraft as fast as possible with newspaper, cardboard, etc. Also if the wind is blowing hard enough in the right direction and the fire is not going strong I will get a puff of smoke too. Not much you can do besides burn hotter (which is a better idea anyway whenever you can because it burns a lot cleaner). Whenever possible, I find it much better to burn a small fire wide open rather than choke down a big fire.
Yes the little cover over the air intake is just a loose slip fit. No biggie.
If the inside and outside temps are similar you might have a tough time getting an updraft started and the smoke will come out the front. It doesn't happen to me too much but it does happen. In which case I try to get some heat going to create an updraft as fast as possible with newspaper, cardboard, etc. Also if the wind is blowing hard enough in the right direction and the fire is not going strong I will get a puff of smoke too. Not much you can do besides burn hotter (which is a better idea anyway whenever you can because it burns a lot cleaner). Whenever possible, I find it much better to burn a small fire wide open rather than choke down a big fire.
Yes the little cover over the air intake is just a loose slip fit. No biggie.
tagboy
Member
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This old thread and pictures were a great help to me with my Kent Tile Stove. As mentioned in these threads, my damper rod was binding with a hot stove. In my case the plate does appear to be warped. The puck is able to float over the warp but not the puck pin. With the damper closed I was able to prop the puck up off the end of the pin (rod) and from inside the stove, grind the pin slightly shorter. This has solved the binding rod problem (so far).
I haven't been in the forum much lately, I hope everyone here is well. It's really nice having stoves that are sized right and a pleasure to use. I never thought I'd say it, but new stove lust has all but disappeared. (Although, if anyone wants to offer a TwinFire to me at a great price, said lust could be rekindled quickly ) I thought I'd post my annual report on creosote production after cleaning the chimneys.
I don't have weight on the Nestor Martin's creosote because the residue falls right into the fire chamber while brushing (very convenient...), but I didn't see any quantitative difference from prior years. It continues to be an excellent, trouble-free, enjoyable, clean-burning stove.
The Kent, however, was much worse this year .Last October I reported 7.9 oz for .95 cord burned for 2011-2012. Just now I weighed 16.5 oz for .75 cord burned for 2012-2013. That's almost 2.4x the creosote production per volume of wood used. The increase was easily visible in the chimney pipe - 2' above the stove, the i.d. of the pipe was easily an inch smaller because of it. So what caused this? Several things.
1. Last winter was a bit warmer than prior years, so I ran the stove less often and less hot.
2. Burning more "single-load" fires. As I get better at managing the production of the passive solar heaters, the stove ends up being used for fewer long burns. And most creosote is produced while the stove is warming up.
3. Burning high-pitch pinon for a couple weeks. Last fall I was invited to take some free wood that had been sitting in a pile for 10+ years. As I cut and split it, I could see that what kept it rot-free was it's higher pitch content. Some pinons are like that, especially near the base of the tree. And I could see that this stuff definitely didn't burn as cleanly, and was hard to control. Despite seeing the signs to stop, I ignored them - it was free wood and I was intent on using it! That was a stupid mistake on my part.
4. In the never-ending quest for increased efficiency, I tried running the Kent leaner last season, reducing the air control to lengthen the burn and lower the output. On a stove with no secondary air source, that too was a mistake.
Other than that, the Tile Fire continues to be a near-perfect heater for the main floor, a joy to use and an excellent convector.
Adjustments this year: No pitchy logs in the pile. And I sized the wood a bit larger than last year to slow down the burn. And it remains to be seen what this winter will bring temp-wise, but the signs suggest that it will be longer, colder, and wetter than normal. I'm seeing it already and that's what I've prepared for.
Happy burning!
) I thought I'd post my annual report on creosote production after cleaning the chimneys.I don't have weight on the Nestor Martin's creosote because the residue falls right into the fire chamber while brushing (very convenient...), but I didn't see any quantitative difference from prior years. It continues to be an excellent, trouble-free, enjoyable, clean-burning stove.
The Kent, however, was much worse this year .Last October I reported 7.9 oz for .95 cord burned for 2011-2012. Just now I weighed 16.5 oz for .75 cord burned for 2012-2013. That's almost 2.4x the creosote production per volume of wood used. The increase was easily visible in the chimney pipe - 2' above the stove, the i.d. of the pipe was easily an inch smaller because of it. So what caused this? Several things.
1. Last winter was a bit warmer than prior years, so I ran the stove less often and less hot.
2. Burning more "single-load" fires. As I get better at managing the production of the passive solar heaters, the stove ends up being used for fewer long burns. And most creosote is produced while the stove is warming up.
3. Burning high-pitch pinon for a couple weeks. Last fall I was invited to take some free wood that had been sitting in a pile for 10+ years. As I cut and split it, I could see that what kept it rot-free was it's higher pitch content. Some pinons are like that, especially near the base of the tree. And I could see that this stuff definitely didn't burn as cleanly, and was hard to control. Despite seeing the signs to stop, I ignored them - it was free wood and I was intent on using it! That was a stupid mistake on my part.
4. In the never-ending quest for increased efficiency, I tried running the Kent leaner last season, reducing the air control to lengthen the burn and lower the output. On a stove with no secondary air source, that too was a mistake.
Other than that, the Tile Fire continues to be a near-perfect heater for the main floor, a joy to use and an excellent convector.
Adjustments this year: No pitchy logs in the pile. And I sized the wood a bit larger than last year to slow down the burn. And it remains to be seen what this winter will bring temp-wise, but the signs suggest that it will be longer, colder, and wetter than normal. I'm seeing it already and that's what I've prepared for.
Happy burning!
Nice to hear from you, precaud!
From what I've seen on the BTU charts, that Pinon is some really high-test fuel. I guess the pitch contributes to that. I'd imagine that the species you have to pick from a somewhat more limited than what we have here in the central states. My Sis and BIL live in Socorro and I saw a good number of trees there, around the Rio Grande. I wasn't a wood nut last time I was there, so didn't ID 'em. Next time....
As far as I know, they burn a good amount of Pine; Don't know if they get much Pinion or not.
Glad the stoves are working out well; It's nice to hear about some less well-known stoves, and how they run.
From what I've seen on the BTU charts, that Pinon is some really high-test fuel. I guess the pitch contributes to that. I'd imagine that the species you have to pick from a somewhat more limited than what we have here in the central states. My Sis and BIL live in Socorro and I saw a good number of trees there, around the Rio Grande. I wasn't a wood nut last time I was there, so didn't ID 'em. Next time....
As far as I know, they burn a good amount of Pine; Don't know if they get much Pinion or not.Glad the stoves are working out well; It's nice to hear about some less well-known stoves, and how they run.
Thanks Woody, I hope all is well with you. Yes, pinon on average has a higher pitch content than most pines. I burn mostly pinon but the stuff I was describing is really more like fatwood. It was a rookie mistake to burn it!
I would guess that species growing along a river in Socorro would be SIberian Elms, cottonwoods, and the like... nice looking trees but not what you'd want to burn if you had other choices...
I just noticed this thread has over 12,800 views... wow! I guess there's a lot more interest in the Kents than normal post topics on this site would suggest...
I would guess that species growing along a river in Socorro would be SIberian Elms, cottonwoods, and the like... nice looking trees but not what you'd want to burn if you had other choices...
I just noticed this thread has over 12,800 views... wow! I guess there's a lot more interest in the Kents than normal post topics on this site would suggest...
The name 'Kent Tile Fire' mystifies and intrigues....all are compelled to click on it in an effort to find out more.
Hi, Ive been following this thread for awhile. I too own an example of the lost tribe of Kent. I have been burning this stove for 20 years. At first I hated it as it was a dirty burner and not very stylish with its base. About 12 years ago I took some steps to change our relationship and they worked. I lined the inside with full sized fire white fire brick from a glass kiln. Next I drilled another 1/2# hole into the air intake. The brick made the stove so hot that the previously always dirty glass cleaned right up and the heat out the front is impressive. The extra air helped to clean up the smoke during the initial warm up burn. I also burn sappy pine and the extra air really helps to burn the excess black smoke. Was it my mods(totally worth it) or just age that has caused my baffle plate to warp and crack? Maybe both. Funny thing is that with a very broken baffle the stove burns cleaner than it ever has, but seems to be using more wood. I found another Kent in the garbage of our local woostove store and am getting it ready for a trade off as it is in good shape. I am going fire brick it and drill the holes in the airwash shield. I might leave the intake stock this time. My question is do you think that adding some steel round bars on the bottom of the baffle plate(for strength against warpage) would mess with the flow of smoke in a negative way? Also on the front edge of the baffle do you believe that I need insulation or could a simple defector work?Thanks Woody, I hope all is well with you. Yes, pinon on average has a higher pitch content than most pines. I burn mostly pinon but the stuff I was describing is really more like fatwood. It was a rookie mistake to burn it!
I would guess that species growing along a river in Socorro would be SIberian Elms, cottonwoods, and the like... nice looking trees but not what you'd want to burn if you had other choices...
I just noticed this thread has over 12,800 views... wow! I guess there's a lot more interest in the Kents than normal post topics on this site would suggest...
aqua, it sounds like your reasoning has led you in similar directions as mine. I'm puzzled on the extra intake air hole, and wondering about your chimney. Do you have good, strong draft?
Sorry to hear about the baffle warping. The steel bars on the bottom wouldn't be a biggy for "smoke flow", but they would likely warp unless welded in place. The insulator across the first 4.5" of the baffle has less to do with directing the smoke and more to do with insulating that area to keep temps high in the region where the bleed air is introduced. A deflector won't do that.
Sorry to hear about the baffle warping. The steel bars on the bottom wouldn't be a biggy for "smoke flow", but they would likely warp unless welded in place. The insulator across the first 4.5" of the baffle has less to do with directing the smoke and more to do with insulating that area to keep temps high in the region where the bleed air is introduced. A deflector won't do that.
The bars I spoke of would be welded. The extra air intake was added with the thought that more air would make a faster burn on initial start up=less smoke. My other stove is a Fisher and has a lot more intake volume and less start up smoke. Since I added the bricks and the air hole at the same time I am not sure if it made a big difference. The hole is drilled right in the center of the intake slider and is only open under full throttle, and closed at about 3/4 open on the slider. I can say for sure that it boosts the fire. What I cant say for sure is if the boost overheats the stove and warped the baffle or if the new intensity of the much smaller and hotter bricked box did it. My stove came with the add on front baffle insulator other posters have shown. It looked like a cheesy add on and was promptly ripped off in my foolish earlier days.(not to be confused with foolish present days) Sorry if I overlooked but what was the material you used for your insulator? Do you feel that is durable? Would a piece of thin fire brick work or would that be more reflective than insulating? My chimney is 17 ft. triple wall and draws well. I was getting ready to trash this stove and buy a new EPA clone when I decided to do a search and found this thread, justifying my earlier mods and adding more. I now look at this stove more fondly, loving that window and still hating the base. thanks for posting your work
Ok after cleaning and looking at the stove for a good part of the day, I have more questions. What do you think about locating the air wash bleed holes up higher? It would be possible to drill them through the rectangular intake ports. In your opinion would there be any advantage to having them up higher and closer to the baffle holes? I also found the front baffle add on piece that I tore off, complete with insulation. Looking at more modern stoves I have seen some with fire brick instead of steel for baffle material. What do you think of insulating the whole underside of the plate with Kaowool or thin sliced brick? I really dont want the new stove to warp. It seems to me if it were insulated the steel wouldnt get hot enough to burn off the gasses. Is my thinking off? I always assumed the burn off was happening above the plate in the secondary chamber.But if it is burning off the gasses in the fire box then brick lining the plate would make sense????? I used full 2 1/2" bricks on the sides and bottom,with split bricks for the back wall. As I said before the box is smaller and the heat is intense. Intense enough to be the probable cause of the warped baffle plate. I would sacrifice some more space if bricks on top would reflect more heat, burn more unburnt gasses and stop the warp. Whatcha think? I have tools and a fresh stove laying in the shop and am willing to consider any ideas you might have and didnt do to your own.
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