2008 e classic 2300

[dkfearon]

has anyone cut out the old air channels in there 2300 e classic and replaced them with the updated stainless removeable ones if so can you guide me through it  the directions that came with the kit don't say much and are not to helpful. Thanks any help would be welcomed

[doctorb]

 

  

 

We just did this last week.  I have a welder friend who did it for me.  You tend to err with the cuts to leave too much of the original air channel wall (with the air holes).  So you end up grinding down the excess.  He cut this with his torch.  I can't imagine doing this with a saw.  Would take forever.

Note the bolt head near the far end of the newly installed panel.  This screws in and "pushes" the panel toward the firebox.  Small tabs at both ends of the panel slip inside the air chamber to lock it in place.  Easily removed.

So the panel sits inside the old air channel and is held there by the ends of the new panel which sit inside the existing air channel wall at either end.  The bolts push the panel flush with the cut out you've made.  You can not see the tabs on the panels in the pictures, as they are tucked inside the channel.

[dkfearon]

thank you for your pictures and help

[Roger2561]

doctorb - Was there any welding to be done prior to placement of the new panel or was it as simple as cutting away the old welded in place panel but leaving enough of a lip to hold the new in place?  What material is the new panel made of?  Is there a possibility of seeing the clips which you said help hold the new panels in place, before they are put in place and after they are inside the air channel?  The welds on my E-Classic 1400 air channel are coming apart and I'd like to see if I can replicate the fix CB provided for you and see if it will work on the 1400.  Thanks for any information you can provide.  Roger   

[doctorb]

All good questions. 

No welding was done prior to the cutout.  Yes there is a bit of a lip left behind that the new panel contacts as it's pressed outward.  The shape of the new panels is rounded on the upper and lower edges, so this "fit" onto the back side of the "lip" thats left is not too important.  As the bolts are tightened the rounded edge of the panel contacts the edge of the cutout.  If you cutout too conservatively (not enough), then you can't get the new panel into the cutout space of the air channel, and you find yourself cutting or grinding away the excess left on the lip.  You'll do the second side better than the first!

"Clips" is not the right description.  The panels simply flatten and narrow at both ends, like a tab.  (Think about the top of a cereal box and how it recloses once you've opened it.)  These tabs are about an 1.5 inches long and narrow to be about 1" in width at the end.  They simply become the major contact of the panel to the inside of the air chamber.  If I think of it, I can remove one of mine (It's very easy) and take a pic.  It is the contact made by these tabs, and not the contact of the panel with the inside of the cutout lip, that holds the panel in place.

The panels are made of Stainless Steel.  They are fairly light and flexible, compared to the steel used to manufacture the furnace.

I think everybody with these furnaces has cracks appear in the "face" of the air chambers.  There's simply too much of a temp gradient there with the cool air being blown in and the very hot fire on the other side.  Those cracks don't bother me and, if I had not had an airflow problem, I wouldn't have done this refitting.  I did it to make sure my air channels were clear to give even air flow to both sides of my 2300.

[Roger2561]

doctorb - Thank you very much.  That's very useful information.  I look forward to the pictures, although your description painted a nice image in my mind of what they should look like.  I have a plasma cutter that will cut through the mild steel like a hot knife through butter.  So the cutting part doesn't bother me too much to remove the old air channel.  My late dad's milling machine will drill and tap the holes for the bolts.  To protect from corrosion, I would guess the bolts are stainless steel too.  Again the milling machine will handle drilling the air holes too.  Thanks again for answering all of my questions.  Roger       

[doctorb]

Roger-

There is no tap and drill  for this exercise.  The panel is NOT bolted INTO your stove.  This panel stays in place because of a press fit mechanism, which also makes them easy to remove. 

The bolt holes are threaded and part of the panel ONLY.  As you insert (tighten) the bolts into the panel, the length of bolt sticking out the other side and across your original air channel gets longer and longer.  The tip of the bolt merely contacts the inside surface of the air channel and, as you further tighten the bolt, has the effect of pushing the panel away.  The reason the panel doesn't continue to be pushed out into the firebox is 1) the tabs at each end of the panel and 2) the small lip left at the site of your cutout. 

[Logging logginglogging]

How much was this kit and what was the part number?
Thanks

[Logging logginglogging]

You know I just thought with that kit I wouldn't be able to put a grill great in there on nice days with the door open and cook steaks any more....

[Logging logginglogging]

is this part number   p/n 2500136  ?

[JJ]

I would not eat anything out of my e classic.
It really stinks from all the creosote.

        JJ

[doctorb]

yes p/n 2500136  I can not remember the exact cost.  My recollection is in the $50 - $60 range.

[Logging logginglogging]

Thank you!!

[Logging logginglogging]

I would not eat anything out of my e classic.
It really stinks from all the creosote.

        JJ

Mine runs nice and clean and I have nice hardwood coals... much safer and healthier than charcoal..

[doctorb]

Sorry about the delayed update and info....

Here's a pic of the cut-out before inserting the new side panel.



 

Here are some pics of the panel itself prior to insertion.  Note the tab on the end that fits inside the cutout.  The bolt is threaded through the panel, not into your stove.




 



 



 

And, again, with the panel inserted.  Hope that helps.



 

[Roger2561]

doctorb - Thank you very much for posting the pic of the panel away from the channel.  I can see that it will be very easy to replicate something for my E-Classic 1400.  Unfortunately it will have wait until next year due to firing up the OWB early last week.  I'll have all winter long to replicate something for the 1400.  Thanks again.  Roger   

[garret]

About 1 hr. with a drill press, tap, sawsall and a section of 2" channel.  Neatly cutting out the firebox w/o inflicting collateral damage or setting hair on fire seems the more difficult task.

[Roger2561]

My plasma cutter should rid the firebox of the old air channel in my 1400 rather quickly.  My trouble is I don't have that steady of a hand.  I guess if I don't try to hurry the job I should be okay.  I'll take some time this winter to purchase the stainless steel and cut the parts I need.  The one thing I don't have is a metal brake(sp?) so bending the back of the piece is going to be a trick.  Roger     

[doctorb]

Roger-

The panels cost about $50-60.  Never been one to tell others how or when to spend their money, but with cutting and shaping and threading the bolt holes and having to do it for both the left and right sides of the stove, I'd suggest just purchasing these panels.  The real work is the cutout.  Once that's done it's easy.  Just my thoughts.

[charger arms]

Awesome. Thanks for the pics. I have the kit but the instructions were way too confusing for me to start cutting away any material.

I also have the new fusion chamber on the way. Is there any secret to getting out the old refractory panels in the bottom of the firebox? Or do I just hit them with a sledge until they break? I am expecting the instructions for this install to be as awesome as the air channel set.

I did manage to update the door. Its the little things.

[doctorb]

I didn't find that the new fusion chamber refit was tough at all.  10 minutes.  You might have to smack it a few times.

[stratford 50]

Hi DoctorB, did you find any operational improvements with the updated fusion ceramic once installed?

[doctorb]

I do not yet know about the "operation" of the updated fusion module.  I installed mine after last year's heating season was over, during the end-of-the-year maintenance.  I have yet to fire up my 2300 this year.  Usually start between Nov 15 and Thanksgiving.  I was happy to get rid of the metal rods / bars in the old design.  Had to replace them several times over and they often would get knocked out of place during ash clean out from the firebox.

[boilerman101]

Should be able to get under the edge of the refractory with hook end of wonder bar and lift out. Probably broken or cracked anyway. Should come out of firebox easily. Discard all the refractory and grate rods from the firebox. Just drop the new half moon target refractor wide side up down along the air box

[Logging logginglogging]

Wow,
I shall take some measurements... I am sure I can make those parts up no problem

[Roger2561]

Roger-

The panels cost about $50-60.  Never been one to tell others how or when to spend their money, but with cutting and shaping and threading the bolt holes and having to do it for both the left and right sides of the stove, I'd suggest just purchasing these panels.  The real work is the cutout.  Once that's done it's easy.  Just my thoughts.

doctorb - For reasons only known to Central Boiler, they are not making those panels for the E-Classic 1400's.  Thus the reason to manufacture something myself.  But, I agree, if they did offer them for the 1400's, the $50.00/60.00 dollar price tag is reasonable.   

[charger arms]

Just found my replacement air channels. The Part number ends with 65, so I must have the wrong one. No wonder mine didn't look like Doc's.

[doctorb]

Fired up my 2009 2300 two days ago and had my first reads on the new reaction chamber fit.  My impression is that it works better than before.  Had no trouble taking the water temp from 62 degrees to 185 in 3 hours.  Still need a deeper and more "mature" coal bed to check how it runs when under full load, but my initial opinion is that the stove is working very well with this "new" retrofit.

[doctorb]

Just a "learning curve" note.....

My 2300 has been burning fine, and I went out to scrape the sides and keep the airholes open, like I always do, before reloading when the firebox is a bit more empty.  I use a narrow scraper to get right on the face of the air holes.  With the new plates installed, my scraper hit one of the bolt heads that sticks out from the plate (see previous pics), and I jarred the plate from its position.  I let the fire burn down and was able to reinstall the plate, but I think I am going to have to be more cautious when scraping from this point on.....

[garret]

I too have an issue scraping the fouled removable plates on having to avoid bumping the acorn nuts with the hoe provided.  Although my EC2400 doesn't seem to suffer any permanent primary air blockage because the deposits eventually burn off the thin-gauge stainless steel.  The air channel design in the newer model has what I refer to as "reserve capacity" for the refractory residue that tends to accumulate over time and eventually restrict airflow.  When all else fails the removable plates are, well, removable.  Having to let the furnace cool to remove or replace an inadvertently dislodged plate sounds like a pain.

I'm on my second heating season and third month of operation.  Now that the honeymoon is over, I have been less carefully managing the furnace and found that the unit runs quite well under less supervision.  This will be my new approach. 

[charger arms]

Fired up my 2009 2300 two days ago and had my first reads on the new reaction chamber fit.  My impression is that it works better than before.  Had no trouble taking the water temp from 62 degrees to 185 in 3 hours.  Still need a deeper and more "mature" coal bed to check how it runs when under full load, but my initial opinion is that the stove is working very well with this "new" retrofit.

I added the new chamber as well this fall. I am fairly happy with the operation and I also noticed a much faster 55-185 climb. I am thinking that the unit is burning better and using less wood. The cold snap (for Kansas) has given it a good little workout.

[doctorb]

After knocking the installed panel loose with my scraper twice, I have made a small adjustment in its installation.  Im not saying this will work, but may impression is that the panel is held much more tightly than before.

The problem is that the panel is fixed, by bolt pressure, by the tabs at the end of the panel which sit inside the air chamber wall.  This can be easily seen on the pics above.  The tabs fit into the ends of the cutout, and the bolts push the panels to press them against the tabs and the opening that was cut.  Simple enough.

My problem was that by hitting the head of the bolt with my scraper I was driving the panel further into or back into the channel, leaving the tab at the door end of the panel "uncovered".  If this occurs, the door end of the panel shifts back into the firebox and the whole channel configuration is lost.

When I was originally tightening the bolts, they became very tight as if I had tightened them all the way down to the panel.  This is what the previous pics show.  This did not apply much pressure onto the panel as the bolts needed a little more length to "push" harder.  Today, I replaced the 1 1/2 inch 5/16 bolts with 2" bolts.  The fit seems much tighter now and the stove is running like it was brand new.  Yes, these bolt heads stick up even further than the originals, and I am going to have to be careful not to knock them with the scraper.  But, overall, the panel seems well fixed now.  I would suggest this trick to anybody looking for a cheap fix for panel loosening.