Getting Discouraged With My Mark III

samler17 · Post by **samler17** » Sat. Dec. 12, 2009 5:49 pm

This is my third time shutting the stove down with CO in the house.

It's the second time I caught it around 37 PPM and rising. I've just replaced the stove pipe and put in a new barometric damper and it ran fine for 3 days. I just don't know what to do any more.

WNY · Post by **WNY** » Sat. Dec. 12, 2009 6:07 pm

Have you checked your draft with a Manometer? How tall is your chimney? Good Door gaskets,etc....

samler17 · Post by **samler17** » Sat. Dec. 12, 2009 6:36 pm

I haven't checked my draft yet. I have a PM in to Matthaus to see if I can borrow one but I haven't heard anything. The door gaskets appear to be fairly new, the chimney is all masonry and approx 15ft tall and extends 2ft over the peek of the roof.

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acesover · Post by **acesover** » Sat. Dec. 12, 2009 7:06 pm

Did you have the clothes drier on, cooking with the outside vent on, or anything that would draw air in running?

oliver power · Post by **oliver power** » Sat. Dec. 12, 2009 7:47 pm

is your chimney cap plugged, or obstructing draft? If useing a chimney cap, take everything out of the cap. Leave only the roof of cap.

samler17 · Post by **samler17** » Sat. Dec. 12, 2009 7:50 pm

No, the cap is not plugged I just had the chimney cleaned last week when the Co Alarm went off at 5:00 am. The dryer my have been on but that's upstairs and on the other side of the house.

jpete · Post by **jpete** » Sat. Dec. 12, 2009 8:10 pm

How "tight" is your house? I had my Mk I in my old house that was leakier than the Titanic and never had an issue.

I brought it to this house, which I didn't *THINK* was any better but the first few times I ran it, the CO detector would go off.

Now I just leave the window next to the stove open a thumb width and haven't had an issue.

You may just be using up all the O2 in the room. Falling O2 levels look similar to rising CO levels to a detector.

samler17 · Post by **samler17** » Sat. Dec. 12, 2009 8:16 pm

My house is 17yrs old. So it's probably pretty tight. I am running the fan on my heatpump so the humidifer is running. I don't know if that will do anything.

bksaun · Post by **bksaun** » Sat. Dec. 12, 2009 8:28 pm

Buy a monometer, they are cheap, hook it up and get things going, then turn on your dryer, bathroom vent, ect and see what a difference they make, until then leave a window cracked.

Also I noticed reduced draft when my chimney cap was installed that had screen around it like yours.

Bk

plumb-r · Post by **plumb-r** » Sat. Dec. 12, 2009 8:47 pm

I would get a meter to check the draft. I can actually see the flame diffrence on my stoker when I turn on the blower on the house furnace to circulate the air. It really sucks the flame down. After noticing this I crack the window when I turn the blower on. I'm in the process of running a fresh air intake. I'd check the draft, maybe crack a window intill you get things worked out. Make sure your CO detector is working. Be safe!

Duengeon master · Post by **Duengeon master** » Sat. Dec. 12, 2009 8:51 pm

Are you running the stove hot enough? There may not be enough heat to cause a draft. Try running it a little hotter.

jeromemsn · Post by **jeromemsn** » Sat. Dec. 12, 2009 9:01 pm

Hope you don't mind but, how much do you open the bottom damper when your up and running. From the picture it sure does seem like it's either closed or almost closed. Also have you cleaned your Harman up top, the baffle area if you feel inside you will feel an opening and a metal plate and then you will feel the very top of the stove. Fly ash can collect in this baffle area and close off the exit for the exhaust gasses. I use a fuller brush to clean mine out it's a bit tough to get to.

jpete · Post by **jpete** » Sat. Dec. 12, 2009 9:18 pm

jeromemsn wrote: Fly ash can collect in this baffle area and close off the exit for the exhaust gasses.

x2 on this. Also, on either side of the outlet for the chimney, you will get "snow drifts" which limit the ability of the stove to breath.

I usually just use a scrap of wood like a shingle or something to reach up on that baffle and scrape it down.

I don't really do that until after the season is over.

samler17 · Post by **samler17** » Sat. Dec. 12, 2009 10:27 pm

I have been running the air damper 1 full turn during the dayand after I shake it down at night I open it up to 1 1/2 turns. It's suppost to be warm tom so I'm going to let it off until tom night or the next day. Another question I have is the chimney sweep told me that the crimped end of the pipe should run toward the stove but being an HVAC installer that doesn't make any sense. What do you guys think? Also my CO detectors are brand new I just bought them this year. Also what type of Manometer shouldI be looking for?

jeromemsn · Post by **jeromemsn** » Sun. Dec. 13, 2009 12:11 am

When you load fresh coal do you open the draft up for about 15 minuts to let the stove temp come up (coal bed will get red) then load some coal let it get red again and then load more coal and one more time and it should be loaded with a fresh load then let the damper stay open another fifteen or so min. and then turn the damper back down to running mode ?
Sometimes when I reload there will be enough fumes escape for that few minuts that I have the door open to load that the co detector will sound, but heck when I lived out in the Pa. the garage was attached to the house and if I started my John Deere in the garage the co detector would go off.
Keep looking and you will find the problem.