Ove Glove or Welder's Glove?

[becasunshine]

Hello, Wise Ones!

*This year* I'm going to try to be slightly less compulsive about cleaning my stove. Sometimes the deep burn pot on the Napoleon simply needs to be dumped through the baffles into the ash pan. Doing so would enable us to get a clean burn without cutting the stove off for several hours just to empty the burn pot. We would shut the stove down, let it cool completely and vacuum it out well every 2-3 days. We are expecting a cold winter this year by various accounts. I would like to be able to keep the stove up and running 24/7 for a few days at a time during particularly cold spells.

The deep burn pot in the Napoleon is not overly tolerant of ashy pellets. We've noticed that it burns even different shipments of the same brand of pellets differently from time to time- and yes the stove is kept whistle clean. Most often we vacuum out the firebox, dump the burn pot, vacuum underneath the burn pot, vacuum off the heat exchanger tubes and dump the ash pan every day or every other day, depending on how much ash the particular pellets are producing. STOP LAUGHING AND POINTING I ADMITTED THAT I AM COMPULSIVE ABOUT THE STOVE (and mebbe a few other things as well...) We have a direct vent (good ground clearance) that is vacuumed out by extending the extra long Shop Vac hose all the way up into the stove from outside of the house at least once a week. The stove is completely broken down and cleaned and maintained (gaskets replaced as necessary) after each ton burned. I say all of this to allay concerns that a dirty stove is yielding burn pot issues.

If I wanted to open the stove and dump the burn pot, what would you recommend? Is an Ove Glove adequate or would I need a welder's glove? Or is this just a bad idea?

 

[bbfarm]

I keep welders gloves handy in case I need to get in there when its hot

For example a few times the baffle fell into the fire

I would think they cover more of your forearm.

 

[Dgopetactical]

I used the ove glove worked well did not feel heat unless you held on to hot metal way too long, the wife ended that since I made her glove black. You can say I really got burned on that one. Using my welding gloves now.
Denny

 

[DBCOOPER]

Since you have outdoor air I'll share a trick I use to cool the stove down quickly. I turn the thermostat off ,wait of the shut down sequence, and once it shuts down unplug the stove than plug it back in. It then goes into a purge mode as if there had been a power failure and draws in cold outside air. If I do this twice the stove cools down enough to touch any part with my bare hand usually in less than twenty minutes. This only works when its real cold outside. Not sure if all stoves work this way but mine does and this process works for me.

 

[SwineFlue]

Since you have outdoor air I'll share a trick I use to cool the stove down quickly. I turn the thermostat off ,wait of the shut down sequence, and once it shuts down unplug the stove than plug it back in. It then goes into a purge mode as if there had been a power failure and draws in cold outside air. If I do this twice the stove cools down enough to touch any part with my bare hand usually in less than twenty minutes. This only works when its real cold outside. Not sure if all stoves work this way but mine does and this process works for me.

You can also momentarily turn the t-stat on then off to do the same thing (on the Quad). I still use the old mechanical t-stat, so it's as easy as flipping a switch.

For gloves, a grill glove would also work.

 

[becasunshine]

SwineFlue and DBCooper, the Napoleon is far more basic than your stoves. It's either "on" or "off" and it doesn't have a "purge" cycle. Napoleon incorporated a purge cycle in the model that came out immediately after ours. =/

I *wish* ours had a purge cycle; I wouldn't be fiddling with the burn pot as much.

It's probably a good idea to have welder's gloves in the house since we are using a wood burning appliance for heat. My husband suggested welder's gloves as opposed to the Ove Glove. I went to the Ove Glove because several of our camping buddies use them religiously to deal with campfires, cooking fires, Dutch ovens, etc.

Anyway, I may have solved a good bit of the problem (albeit more expensively) just a few minutes ago by breaking down and ordering a Powersmith ash vacuum. NOTE: I DO REALIZE THAT THIS IS NOT A HOT ASH VACUUM.

Part of our dilemma involved being stuck in between the Napoleon's deep, round burn pot, which likes to make clinkers out of ash and also likes to collect ash if the pellets burn ashy at all, and wanting to keep the stove running as much as possible during the really cold part of the year, and the need to let the stove cool down to a safe level to use the Shop Vac to clean it. Also, my compulsive stove cleaning tendencies.

I figured that if I had to shut the stove down to cool it down enough for me to handle the burn pot to dump it, I might as well let it cool down a bit longer and *clean it while I'm in there.* Problem is, that's a matter of hours with a Shop Vac. A good ash vacuum will shorten that time.

I think we'll still pick up a pair of welder's gloves so we can dump the burn pot if necessary without having to cool the stove down far enough to vacuum it, even with an ash vacuum.

 

[ChandlerR]

Beca, I am anal about my stove too...(what a weird term!) and I will empty the burn pot daily during the heavy use season. I am so good at doing this, I can hit the stop button, wait a minute for the flame to die out, open the door, pull out the pot, empty it outside in my fire pit and put it back in before my room air blower shuts off. I bought a pair of short cuff welding gloves from my local welding supply company (Arc Source). I think I paid $20 for them...maybe less. They have short cuff gloves for MIG welding but they are not as well insulated because you need dexterity for MIG welding. I have had these gloves for 5 or 6 years and they are just getting broken in. I think the Ov Glove would wear out in short order.
Here's the link to the manufacturer...made in China, of course
http://www.alibaba.com/showroom/short-welding-glove.html

 

[becasunshine]

Beca, I am anal about my stove too...(what a weird term!) and I will empty the burn pot daily during the heavy use season. I am so good at doing this, I can hit the stop button, wait a minute for the flame to die out, open the door, pull out the pot, empty it outside in my fire pit and put it back in before my room air blower shuts off. I bought a pair of short cuff welding gloves from my local welding supply company (Arc Source). I think I paid $20 for them...maybe less. They have short cuff gloves for MIG welding but they are not as well insulated because you need dexterity for MIG welding. I have had these gloves for 5 or 6 years and they are just getting broken in. I think the Ov Glove would wear out in short order.
Here's the link to the manufacturer...made in China, of course
http://www.alibaba.com/showroom/short-welding-glove.html

LOL, but I don't want 300 pairs! (I know, that's the manufacturer's web site, I need to look for a retail outlet.)

That's some fast moving, ChandlerR! I was thinking of just dumping the burn pot through the baffles into the ash pan... is there a reason why I shouldn't do that? I'm asking sincerely because sometimes I can come up with "solutions" that are anything but.

Yeah, a good pair of welding gloves would do the trick. Maybe Lowes or Northern Tool or Tractor Supply carry them??

 

[ChandlerR]

Thanks! Because of the weird design of my stove, it's awkward to tip the pot so it dumps in the ash pan. They gave me a tool that I can use to "rake" the ask out but I would rather pull the pot, dump it and bang on it with my gloved hand so I know the holes are cleared. If you can dump the pot easily, then that's the way to go. I just can't.
I don't think you'll find short cuffed welding gloves at a retail store like TSC. I just thought of something...EBay. I'll bet someone bought one of those 300 glove lots and is now selling them on EBay for $19.95 a pair.

You've got to have a welding shop nearby, no?

 

[P38X2]

All of the above should carry them. Your local hardware store, if it's a decent sized one, should have em as well. Got mine for $12 a couple years ago.
ETA- An auto parts store will also likely have them.

 

[ChandlerR]

Just checked EBay. They have some shorty's under $9 a pair. P38, I was talking about the short cuff ones. They stop at the wrist. Harder to find because most welders want forearm protection.

 

[P38X2]

I see. You'll be all set with inexpensive insulated leather work gloves then. Not those fancy buttery soft sheep skin ones, just the cheap thick stiff leather ones. You could probably find a 3 pack for under $10. Give the extra pairs to your hubby and tell him to get raking

 

[becasunshine]

Just checked EBay. They have some shorty's under $9 a pair. P38, I was talking about the short cuff ones. They stop at the wrist. Harder to find because most welders want forearm protection.

We'll check eBay, thank you! I'm sure there's a welder's supply store nearby somewhere. The Husband is a well-versed DIY handyman but we don't do much (any, really) welding here. We are on our third and fourth homes- two of the four have been renovation projects with a whole lot of DIY. Two have been brand new, never before occupied houses and those present their own challenges. Everything that we took for granted as "always in a house," based on living in our parents' homes, visiting/frequenting friends' (parents') homes, and even living in our first home, one of the pre-owned renovation projects- well, you find out quickly what builders *do not* install in houses. =/ =/ Honestly, in some ways new construction houses are more challenging than pre-owned reno's, depending on how extensive the renovations are.

We also buy used whenever possible and we aren't afraid to get our hands dirty. That being said- I've never been to a welding supply shop- that would be a new one for me!

Sorry, way off-topic in terms of Ove Gloves vs. Welding gloves.

<--- Husband and I are sitting here browsing the AMFM Energy site, thinking about a pellet stove for the river house. This could possibly lead us to a self-install. I'll be picking everybody's brain about *that,* presently.

Thank you for the head's up about welders gloves as well as pointing to eBay as a source.

 

[becasunshine]

P38X2, if that's all that's needed, we probably already have a few pairs.

Those leather work gloves would be enough protection to pick up a hot burn pot in a stove that was turned off just long enough to dump the burn pot???

(I have visions of me, wearing Husband's thick leather work gloves, doing my version of the "Kung Fu" self-branding scene in the opening sequence, only involuntarily and with a Napoleon burn pot. "SNATCH THIS BURN POT FROM MY HANDS! NO REALLY TAKE THIS *$*#(&$ BURN POT! AAAUGGGH!")

 

[becasunshine]

P.S. We both *love* your avatar, ChandlerR!
<----- See spoiled rotten fur child in my avatar.
And yes, we can fully believe a Retriever sitting patiently with his/her kid and reading a book.

 

[ChandlerR]

As P38 said, it wouldn't hurt to check TSC too. I know all about DIY too. Bought my first house when I turned 21 for $20,000 and went up from there. I had to learn how to do everything because I needed to maximize my profits Any time you can do something yourself, safely and properly, you are ahead of the game.

 

[P38X2]

I'm not sure what the burn pot is like on your stove, but if it has a lot of mass to it, you may have an issue. I can tell you the welders gloves I have offer, at most, the same heat transfer protection as work gloves. I think you'd have to hold on to it for a while to have an issue. Try em out.

 

[ChandlerR]

P.S. We both *love* your avatar, ChandlerR!
<----- See spoiled rotten fur child in my avatar.
And yes, we can fully believe a Retriever sitting patiently with his/her kid and reading a book.

Love your avatar too! There is nothing like a dog and a kid. My two love our granddaughter so much. They turn themselves inside out when they see her, yet they are as gentle as can be when they are together

 

[becasunshine]

I'm not sure what the burn pot is like on your stove, but if it has a lot of mass to it, you may have an issue. I can tell you the welders gloves I have offer, at most, the same heat transfer protection as work gloves. I think you'd have to hold on to it for a while to have an issue. Try em out.

It's a cast iron burn pot. Scroll down on this page and you can see a picture of it in the "options and accessories" section.

http://www.napoleonfireplaces.com/products/nps45-pellet-stove/

You know, this is interesting: we have the NPS40. IIRC the NPS 45 is the next iteration of our stove. I could have sworn that the NPS45 had a "purge" cycle, a "fan boost" that occurs at start up and once an hour, which helps blow ash out of the burn pot. I was having some "next iteration envy" when this modification/improvement was introduced, because by that point I realized that one by product of our burn pot is the tendency to turn ash into clinkers if the pellets burn ashy.

Don't see the purge cycle mentioned in this description.

The burn pot is fine- it's sturdy and substantial, and I don't know when (if ever) we'll have to replace it.

That being said- it *is* sturdy and substantial. Now I'm nervous about trying to pick it up when it's very hot!

ChandlerR, that's a *great* picture. Gotta love Retrievers because they love their families!

 

[P38X2]

You gotta just try it I think. We just talking lifting it out, inverting and tapping it out, and replacing it?...as in 2-3 seconds? If you have to let go of it, does it just fall into the ash pan? If so, you could probably grab it with BBQ tongs. Might even be able to just use the tongs for everything.

 

[becasunshine]

You gotta just try it I think. We just talking lifting it out, inverting and tapping it out, and replacing it?...as in 2-3 seconds? If you have to let go of it, does it just fall into the ash pan? If so, you could probably grab it with BBQ tongs. Might even be able to just use the tongs for everything.

Just lifting it out, turning it upside down over the baffles (right next to the little "nest" in which the burn pot sits) to dump the ash into the ash pan underneath the baffles, and putting it back.

It's pretty heavy, for a little burn pot. I'm not sure that I could maneuver it well with BBQ tongs but it's worth a try. I think I'll try it first with the stove cold.

Last year I tried using a small trowel, even a spoon, a couple of times, to scrape/lift the ash out of the pot. If there was already a clinker that worked OK. If it was just ash on its way to being a clinker, not so much. For as much ash as I scraped out of the pot, I scraped an equal amount of ash through the air holes in the bottom of the pot into the little "nest" (box? platform?) in which the burn pot sits. We always lift the burn pot out and vacuum under it, so there was never enough ash under there to significantly impede air flow, but the idea of knocking the ash under the burn pot sort of annoyed me- like I wasn't really eliminating a problem as much as moving the problem from one area to another.

I know I know but I said at the beginning of the thread that I'm a little compulsive about stove cleaning!

Anyway, perhaps I can give it a go with the BBQ tongs. We already own tongs- it's worth a shot! Good idea!

 

[P38X2]

If you try the work gloves and they're too thin, you'll have plenty of warning time to let go of the pot before you singe your digits. If you have heavy duty tongs, those should work well, at the least, for grabbing the pot if you drop it.