Need help with Encore 2040-C

[gthomas785]

My new gaskets for the doors/glass/griddle will arrive tomorrow. In preparation, I have a question about the front doors.

This is how the stove was, when we moved in. The left door centre upright section has no gasket. The right door has gasket around the whole thing.

To me, it seems as though the left door has a better channel for the gasket to run in the centre.

Is my left door correct?

On the right door, where the glass fasteners are, the channel is very small, much smaller than the 3/8 rope gasket.

Ding ding ding... This is a big problem.
I bet fixing that will give you a lot more control.

By the way, if you're re-setting the glass in the doors, I found it helpful to slightly bend the metal clips, using two pair of pliers, so there's a bit of pre-tension when tightening them back down against the glass.
Mine did not have any cement on the window gaskets, they're just held in by compression. Bit of a pain to keep the gasket perfectly positioned while reinstalling the glass, but it's doable.

 

[Mebenal]

You may need to remove the secondary air hole plugs once you replace the gaskets. I’d do further testing with smaller loads once your new gaskets are in. All of our setups are a little different so there’s no one size fits all. Last season I got a lot of help here to understand my new Encore and how it interacts in my setup. I added a key damper for peace of mind and in tests it has a significant effect should I need it.

How I manage coals, the temps at reload, the pattern of reloading, and the type of wood all matter for me. I have reached the point where I will leave it on when not home but like @Woodsplitter67 said there’s a process. It takes about an hour from reload for me to feel comfortable leaving it.

Thank you, yes agreed about the testing with smaller amounts at first.

The secondary air holes, do you think its maybe possible that the stove will be choked down too much when them plugged? and if yes, what are the potential results of "not enough air"

 

[Mebenal]

Ding ding ding... This is a big problem.
I bet fixing that will give you a lot more control.

By the way, if you're re-setting the glass in the doors, I found it helpful to slightly bend the metal clips, using two pair of pliers, so there's a bit of pre-tension when tightening them back down against the glass.
Mine did not have any cement on the window gaskets, they're just held in by compression. Bit of a pain to keep the gasket perfectly positioned while reinstalling the glass, but it's doable.

ok great, thanks for the tips. I will modify the clips a bit so they provide some tension on the glass when I tighten.

 

[JohnDaileyNH]

I'd say you're leaking air somewhere but I'd also think the cat would go higher. Just catching up on all this I've been swamped with work. I burn the same stove. I get a solid 9-10 hour burn every night. I have been letting the stove go out when I am in my office twice a week. Wednesday night it gets lit and burns 24x7 until Tuesday morning. Cat temps regularly get above 1400 sometimes I'll see low 1500s. I just let it ride. Lowest I close my air down is like 3/4. It's been cold in NH this winter so lot of wide open days but for the most part I'd prefer to cruise at 50% while I'm home. Not unusual to load it make sure it's good and head out for hours with the stove lit. Been common practice since I've had it. I clean my ash pan once a year. Otherwise it stays full and never gets opened. I don't clean the glass just burn it off each morning. One mid season chimney cleaning.

Someone mentioned your splits looking a little small and I'd agree with that. I try and use bigger splits especially for overnight burns. During the day I burn my ugliest pieces

 

[Mebenal]

I'd say you're leaking air somewhere but I'd also think the cat would go higher. Just catching up on all this I've been swamped with work. I burn the same stove. I get a solid 9-10 hour burn every night. I have been letting the stove go out when I am in my office twice a week. Wednesday night it gets lit and burns 24x7 until Tuesday morning. Cat temps regularly get above 1400 sometimes I'll see low 1500s. I just let it ride. Lowest I close my air down is like 3/4. It's been cold in NH this winter so lot of wide open days but for the most part I'd prefer to cruise at 50% while I'm home. Not unusual to load it make sure it's good and head out for hours with the stove lit. Been common practice since I've had it. I clean my ash pan once a year. Otherwise it stays full and never gets opened. I don't clean the glass just burn it off each morning. One mid season chimney cleaning.

Someone mentioned your splits looking a little small and I'd agree with that. I try and use bigger splits especially for overnight burns. During the day I burn my ugliest pieces

Thank you for this.

May I ask what type of wood you burn?

I am wondering if it's mostly my wood is just softwood? (lodgepole pine and fir)
I can currently load the stove 3/4 full, get the STT to 450, flip the bypass closed, let the CAT reach 1000, lower the air to 50%, CAT will maybe get 1100, lower the air to 15% and leave it there. At 4 hours, CAT will be about 500, STT 300, but left with an extremely minimal amount of coals. (almost need kindling to restart)

Would an air leak allow not too high temps, but still burn through the wood super quick?

 

[Turbo89]

I was surprised you weren’t seeing higher cat temps with the leak too, I’m guessing it’s a combo of not stuffing the stove all the way and dry wood.

You’ll probably have a great burning encore once that’s fixed and you load it up more.

 

[JohnDaileyNH]

Thank you for this.

May I ask what type of wood you burn?

I am wondering if it's mostly my wood is just softwood? (lodgepole pine and fir)
I can currently load the stove 3/4 full, get the STT to 450, flip the bypass closed, let the CAT reach 1000, lower the air to 50%, CAT will maybe get 1100, lower the air to 15% and leave it there. At 4 hours, CAT will be about 500, STT 300, but left with an extremely minimal amount of coals. (almost need kindling to restart)

Would an air leak allow not too high temps, but still burn through the wood super quick?

I'd think an air leak would spike cat temps.

I burn all hard wood. Mix of oak, maple, and beech. I pack the stove as tight as I can. Larger splits. All the way to the top.

It sounds like you are getting a good burn so maybe the wood type just isn't burning for longevity. But I don't have any experience burning that. I think most of the people here are burning hard wood. Maybe someone else can chime in who burns more pine and fur

 

[gthomas785]

was surprised you weren’t seeing higher cat temps with the leak too

I'd think an air leak would spike cat temps.

Just as opening the primary air does not necessarily increase cat temps, a leak through the door would do the same. Just an increased burn rate and heat output.

 

[Mebenal]

So, new door/glass/griddle gaskets....

results-

Stove seems to have a bit better control, reacts a bit quicker to adjustments.

Still only 4hour burn time... (no matter how I load it.spread coals evenly, rake coals against back of firebox)

But one noticeable difference. I have always had a lot of back puffing if i close the air 100% off. It's normally consistent around 2 hours into the burn, the back puffing starts. I could see visible smoke coming from some door seals/glass seal, and smell the smoke in the house. If i turned the air just a crack open, it would cease to back puff. (Back puffing would happen whether I slowly turned the air down over the course of the 2 hours, or if I turned the air down within 1 hour of closing bypass, no matter what I did, any time the air was 100% closed, it would back puff)

NOW- the back puffing still occurs at 2 hour mark, but this time all the smoke comes directly out the secondary air inlet at the back of the stove. (quite a large puff of smoke that is very visible)

Any thoughts?

 

[gthomas785]

So, new door/glass/griddle gaskets....

results-

Stove seems to have a bit better control, reacts a bit quicker to adjustments.

Still only 4hour burn time... (no matter how I load it.spread coals evenly, rake coals against back of firebox)

But one noticeable difference. I have always had a lot of back puffing if i close the air 100% off. It's normally consistent around 2 hours into the burn, the back puffing starts. I could see visible smoke coming from some door seals/glass seal, and smell the smoke in the house. If i turned the air just a crack open, it would cease to back puff. (Back puffing would happen whether I slowly turned the air down over the course of the 2 hours, or if I turned the air down within 1 hour of closing bypass, no matter what I did, any time the air was 100% closed, it would back puff)

NOW- the back puffing still occurs at 2 hour mark, but this time all the smoke comes directly out the secondary air inlet at the back of the stove. (quite a large puff of smoke that is very visible)

Any thoughts?

I really think your fuel is the issue for that.. small splits of soft wood that just offgasses rapidly.

So, new door/glass/griddle gaskets....

results-

Stove seems to have a bit better control, reacts a bit quicker to adjustments.

Still only 4hour burn time... (no matter how I load it.spread coals evenly, rake coals against back of firebox)

But one noticeable difference. I have always had a lot of back puffing if i close the air 100% off. It's normally consistent around 2 hours into the burn, the back puffing starts. I could see visible smoke coming from some door seals/glass seal, and smell the smoke in the house. If i turned the air just a crack open, it would cease to back puff. (Back puffing would happen whether I slowly turned the air down over the course of the 2 hours, or if I turned the air down within 1 hour of closing bypass, no matter what I did, any time the air was 100% closed, it would back puff)

NOW- the back puffing still occurs at 2 hour mark, but this time all the smoke comes directly out the secondary air inlet at the back of the stove. (quite a large puff of smoke that is very visible)

Any thoughts?

Do you have even a few larger pieces of wood you can try?

 

[Turbo89]

I agree, I’d be focused on wood. You seem to have fantastic air control, much better than mine but I can get 12hr burns out of it.

Thick cuts and stack it up to the bypass (I’m typically right at it, or in the middle of it).

Another thing, my stove takes a load or two to heat up and build coals. I assume you’re not just lighting it and comparing the initial load of wood? These things are big hunks of iron and take a while to heat up.

 

[Mebenal]

I agree, I’d be focused on wood. You seem to have fantastic air control, much better than mine but I can get 12hr burns out of it.

Thick cuts and stack it up to the bypass (I’m typically right at it, or in the middle of it).

Another thing, my stove takes a load or two to heat up and build coals. I assume you’re not just lighting it and comparing the initial load of wood? These things are big hunks of iron and take a while to heat up.

this was after 5 x 4hr burns back to back..... every new re-load I tried something new(coal placement, loading, etc) same results.... STT always 450f before I engage bypass. (but rarely gets to 550f)

 

[Mebenal]

Do you have even a few larger pieces of wood you can try?

during one of my burns I put my largest splits I had. 1 massive sucker, and 2 others. Put the stove at 3/4ish full. (but there was decent amount of air gaps between them.....

Still 3.5-4hr burn

Im not giving up.... yet

 

[skb31]

Thank you, yes agreed about the testing with smaller amounts at first.

The secondary air holes, do you think its maybe possible that the stove will be choked down too much when them plugged? and if yes, what are the potential results of "not enough air"

I think the stove would still run with a couple secondary holes blocked but if you don’t have to that’s likely better. You want to be able to use the primary air control so if you kept them blocked and the primary air needed to stay wide open you’d be able to tell if it choked down too much. For me, 2 of those secondary air holes blocked with #10 bolts gives the me control I want. I generally end up the primary air lever 80 to 100% closed. I haven’t needed my key damper yet this season.

I burn large splits, all hardwood, and it’s well seasoned. Fuel is a major contributor to how the stove works.

 

[Turbo89]

He has such good control, he can literally stall the stove, before I plugged my secondaries i had no control. But chit, worth a try?

It may be helpful if he could post some pics (front door open, top down) of the reload and coals so we can comment. Also he could split a piece and put a moisture meter in it, that would be good. My stove eats ultra dry wood (sub 8%).

I’m still leaning toward wood and / or stacking method.

 

[skb31]

I have no experience burning softwood as firewood which if I read correctly was being used. That is likely a contributing factor to shorter burn times.

 

[Mebenal]

A few pics. Coals raked up against the back wall. 4 big splits, and 1 extra at the top.

This will get me 4hours

 

[Turbo89]

A few pics. Coals raked up against the back wall. 4 big splits, and 1 extra at the top.

This will get me 4hours



View attachment 336560View attachment 336561View attachment 336562View attachment 336563

Some things I Would do:
- burn coals longer or rake them more vertical and/or to the right (trying to get more wood on the grate, only one side or portion of one side touching hot coals).
- add more wood on top towards the front of the the stove

Honestly, I loaded almost exactly like you your pic yesterday with good hardwood and got about 13-1/2 hours, but stove top temp was at about 240 after that duration burn.

Wood size looks pretty good too.

 

[Mebenal]

Some things I Would do:
- burn coals longer or rake them more vertical and/or to the right (trying to get more wood on the grate, only one side or portion of one side touching hot coals).
- add more wood on top towards the front of the the stove

Honestly, I loaded almost exactly like you your pic yesterday with good hardwood and got about 13-1/2 hours, but stove top temp was at about 240 after that duration burn.

Wood size looks pretty good too.

First pic- this was whats left at 5hours. (STT at 300, CAT at 450ish)
Second pic- After I broke up the coals, and raked them to the back again.

Definitely ok amount of coals to restart a fire easily. but.... still just 5 hours.

 

[Turbo89]

First pic- this was whats left at 5hours. (STT at 300, CAT at 450ish)
Second pic- After I broke up the coals, and raked them to the back again.

Definitely ok amount of coals to restart a fire easily. but.... still just 5 hours.

View attachment 336572View attachment 336573

This is my burn from last night, hardwood and about 13-1/2 hrs, STT about 240 when I checked on it:

I would try more wood (maybe you’re doing that now).