iDRY Vacuum Kilns

Sponsors:

e 2300 might have a leak does this sound like one

Started by jason1977, January 23, 2011, 09:26:17 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

jason1977

i cleaned my entire fire box out and the front two coners had thick creasole in them.  the two front air holes had creasole packed in them.  i took a screwdriver and tried to clean them out the best i could.  i then cleaned everything out.  my water level don't seem to be done but all it does now is smoke all the time when it is burn mode.  i got a good fire going agian and went out to top it off again and i noticed thick stuff coming out of the front left air hole like the fireworks u light on the cement and i think there are called snakes.  do u guys think this might be a leak?  thanks guys jason

Dean186

Jason,

That doesn't sound good.  I remember the snakes at 4th of July and I can visualize what you are describing.  I get creosote build up in the corners of my stove all the time and I assumed everyone did.  So, if it's just that and your water level isn't dropping then maybe ...

However, sounds like it could be a leak - best of luck and keep us posted.

anf

Hi Jason

Doesnt sound like a leak, I know it sounds weird but this development of creosote in the manifolds is normal, clean it out best you can. I had to get the manifolds hot with some red hot coals next to it grab a piece of metal pole, 1/4" thin and you can stick it in there and wiggle anything loose.

Open the door with a good coal bed, manually turn on blower with the little switch at bottom left of door, and get working, make sure you have a good pair of heat resistant gloves on. If you had a leak even a pinhole like I had, you would lose an inch on your water level each day. I'm up to about 7 gallons a day, and I pull out stuff that looks like hot soaked tar and it smells awful. But I'm still getting heat.

Make sure the wood your burning is bone dry, the first year I was burning dry wood, but not sun baked, bone dry stuff like I was year 2 and 3. Doesnt sound like a leak to me, just normal 2300 maintanace. If it was leaking you'd have a water drop within 12 hours trust me. The front 2 corners are the worst for developing creosote, pull hot coals to the front and ignite the tar that develops. One of the joys in life is watching creosote burn like its gunpowder. One guys wrote a section on how to make it run perfect, clean clean clean. Make sure your grates are not plugged on the bottom, there are 3 holes inbetween the 2 bars, one may have a plug from packed ash. If you have a full box of wood, open draft, open RC take a metal pole that has a kink in it and poke up toward the firebox.
you should get some ash fall down, then stand back and close the draft and watch the flame thrower.
Quickly re-insert RC cover and it should be smokeless.

The other thing you can do is
Grab an air compressor, with the blower on, blast out the manifold holes and make sure you RC is clean all the time.

Let us know but it doesnt sound like a leak to me

doctorb

I think the creosote in the front two corners is pretty normal.  I clean it out as best as possible when I empty ash from the firebox.

A leak should show you moisture somewhere, unless it's into the firebox where it would create steam.  Steam looks different than smoke, which lasts a lot longer once it exits the stack. So, if you are seeing smoke, I think that you need to clean the airholes out carefully.  The stove can work well with the front 2 airholes plugged, as I did it most of last year and never knew they were there!

Most smoking problems are maintenance related and not leak related.  Leaks are uncommon.....inefficient burning with smoking is very common.  Make sure you clean the creosote build-up where the by-pass door meets the back pipe of the firebox.  Creosote can hold this door open a crack, leading to airflow directly out the stack rather than through the RC (where the smoke gets burned).

Finally, I would suggest that you load your stove differently.  Don't treat in like an indoor stove, where you add wood as necessary (every hour or so).  Fill it up and then it burn down so that the coals are below the level of the air holes.  Then scrape the sides and back of the stove at the level of the airholes to clear any creosote from the air hole openings.  Then insert some tool into each airhole and swish it around to make sure that the air channel is open.

IMO, the stove works better with this daily maintenance, filled with wood, and left alone.  If you keep adding wood before the level of coals receeds a bit, you'll never be able to clear the air holes.
My father once said, "This is my son who wanted to grow up and become a doctor.  So far, he's only become a doctor."

ecrane99

+1 to the above comments.

also...
I have had good luck using a plumbers snake.   It makes its way through the channels well.  Sometimes i will pull the top solonoid and attach a wet dry vac using ductape to make a good seal to the solenoid tube.  While you use the snake, you can actually see the particles blow out of the air channels.  Of course this method can't be done with wood in the stove,  it is more of a end of burn season thing for me.

Ed
Ed

Thank You Sponsors!