Is your stove out of control?
It’s important to do some general maintenance on your stove, one of which is checking your door seals. ‘Door seals are like the tyres on a car’ explains Simon from Kernow Fires ‘and will need checking and replacing every couple of years depending on usage.’ If your fire is drawing more quickly than it has previously it may be a good idea to run this simple test to check the seal.
When the fire is cold place a piece of paper between the door and the body of the stove. Close the door tight, the paper should be held tightly in place, if you can pull the paper out easily then the seal needs some adjusting. If you have a stove like the popular Clearview you may be able to give the handle and hinges an extra turn, making the seal tighter. Otherwise you may need to change the seal which is a relatively simple process.
Rope seal can be brought from your local stove supplier, Kernow Fires in Wadebridge and Redruth have a large array of rope available. Make sure you know the make and model (or picture) of your stove before you go to your stove shop as they will be able to look up which rope you need. It is normally sold by the meter. For some stoves you will need to order a rope kit from the manufacturer, which your stove shop will be able to do for you. Your stove shop will also sell rope glue and give you some rope tape for the ends.
How To: Where possible remove the door and lay flat on a flat surface. Remove the current rope and clean out any remaining glue or debris. Cut and tape up the first end with the fire tape provided, this makes for a neater finish and stops any fraying ends. Squeeze a small amount of rope glue all the way around the rope well and spread evenly, don’t over apply, allow 30 seconds for the glue to go tacky. Starting at one end, press the rope firmly into the rope well. As you near the end, cut to length and tape the end so it fits snugly to the starting end. When replacing the door rope also replace the rope to the ash door.
Other things to check if your fire is burning too quickly.
Ensure that the ash pan and ash pan door are closed and sealed properly. Additional air can be drawn into the fire from this area causing the fire to burn much more quickly than would be desired.
Check your fuel.
Soft wood will burn faster than hard wood. You will still get a good amount of heat from soft wood but it will burn faster.
Check that all your vents are closed/shut down once the fire is burning fully. This will slow the burning process.
Check that the baffle or throat plate are located in the correct place and have not fallen loose or deformed.
