too big a fire or just right?

Hello. Been burning good clean dry hardwood in this old ACME stove. I get a bit freaked out when the flames start licking up into the cast iron elbow out back of the stove that sends fumes up the flue. When I get a good fire going I'll often see the flames through the seam in the elbow licking up into the flu. Should I be worried about a flue fire? Don't know what I'm doing but haven't burnt the shop down yet in a winter and a half of heating.

Keep your chimney clean. If there is no creosote there wont be a chimney fire.

Looking at your pics I cant tell if you have the stove pipe screwed to the elbow or not. You want 3 screws in each connection, as equally spaced as your eyeballs can figure out.

And if it was me, I'd want some wire wrapped around that cast iron elbow in a couple places just to feel safer, or a large furnace pipe strap or two would be better. Maybe just me but that elbow looks like an accident waiting to happen.

And do you have a manual pipe damper in the stove pipe? That would help lessen your over firing (flames going up the pipe)

If you let some ash build up on the grate it will slow down your fire some too. There are other things that involve more work I wont mention.

I would remove that section of pipe that connects to the cast elbow and cut off the male end (crimped end ) an slide that over the elbow. That connection you have there doesn’t look too secure

No screws in that stovepipe?

I agree with the others about making that pipe and elbow connection safer. As Merc said, trim the bottom edge of the pipe to fit over the edge of the elbow, then seal it in place with furnace cement and screws.

Plus, looking at the inside of the barrel it appears that there is a sheet metal liner that a lot of has rotted away just above the top of the firepot. What is the purpose of that metal liner ? Is it part of a double heater flue ???? If so, all that missing sheet metal could be a dangerous condition.

Paul

Sunny Boy wrote: ↑

Mon. Nov. 26, 2018 8:16 am

I agree with the others about making that pipe and elbow connection safer. As Merc said, trim the bottom edge of the pipe to fit over the edge of the elbow, then seal it in place with furnace cement and screws.

Plus, looking at the inside of the barrel it appears that there is a sheet metal liner that a lot of has rotted away just above the top of the firepot. What is the purpose of that metal liner ? Is it part of a double heater flue ???? If so, all that missing sheet metal could be a dangerous condition.

Paul

I agree about that connection not looking safe. Paul, could what appears to look like a rotted out liner actually just be ash build up? On light up I get a similar film from the newspaper and wood used.

tcalo wrote: ↑

Mon. Nov. 26, 2018 8:37 am

I agree about that connection not looking safe. Paul, could what appears to look like a rotted out liner actually just be ash build up? On light up I get a similar film from the newspaper and wood used.

Tom,
By dragging and dropping the picture to my desktop to be able to enlarge it, it doesn't look like typical ash "shapes". It looks very much like the patterns of rusted through sheet metal to me. But maybe that's because of a mental picture habit from all those old cars I work on ?

Paul

Haha...good point Paul. Just spit balling there! Hoping for the best for the old chap.

What is the clearance between that stovepipe-full-of-flames, and the nice dry wood wall of your shop?

Please fix your stove pipe connection.

If you are seeing fire in the two part seam of the cast elbow. Take out the one long screw that holds it together and put furnace cement in the seam.

Your inner barrel looks rotted away leaving just the outer barrel. Not safe.

Your stove has 2 barrels. The inside one beside the fire, should be 18 inch round. The second barrel should be 21 inch round. That space between the barrels runs your double heater option.

You do have an MPD, a good thing.

Side note, that is not the correct finial.

Thanks for all the great cautionary replies. I had this the professional hearth/fireplace outfit install the flue on this stove and he basically forced the round pipe into the cast oval elbow on the stove. I like the ideas about adding the screws, changing the fit and sealing the gap. The interior metal of the stove does appear to be all rusted up and full of holes like an old rusty car fender. It seems like somebody somewhere along the way must have backed it with a new piece of steel. This stove does does have an inner and outer steel "jacket" that appears to be intact. I've been heating my shop with it for two years and the wood wall behind it has never got hot enough where I couldn't touch it. The closest point of the hot flue pipe to the wall is 2 feet. I've had a couple of wood stove professional installers at the house and made them look at it and both blessed it. Said it's terribly inefficient but nothing wrong with it. The whole unit is kind of scary to me but I love using it.

[quote=[email protected] post_id=685426 time=1543270054 user_id=258 Said it's terribly inefficient but nothing wrong with it. The whole unit is kind of scary to me but I love using it.
[/quote]

Terrible inefficient, that is mostly on the operators end.

" I had this the professional hearth/fireplace outfit install the flue on this stove and he basically forced the round pipe into the cast oval elbow on the stove"

I'm sorry but that doesn't look very professional to me. I was wondering if the entire chimney is installed with the male part at the bottoms of the pipes. I was always taught the male part goes to the top and into the female . Could it be the whole chimney pipe is upside down? If that's the case then it all needs to be turned around, then that pipe at the bottom would easily fit right over the cast elbow.

jubileejerry wrote: ↑

Tue. Nov. 27, 2018 8:24 am

I was wondering if the entire chimney is installed with the male part at the bottoms of the pipes. I was always taught the male part goes to the top and into the female . Could it be the whole chimney pipe is upside down? If that's the case then it all needs to be turned around, then that pipe at the bottom would easily fit right over the cast elbow.

I have to disagree with this thinking. I've read the correct flue installation for coal applications is male end up. Technically it does not matter which way the flue connections are made. The flue should always be pulling a negative draft, yes? So no matter which way the connection is made the gases SHOULD not be escaping from the flue. The only difference I can see (and have experienced) with male end up is on heavy rains there may be some rain water dripping down the pipe and out of the connections. Looks quite unsightly!

There have been a lot of discussion on the forum about pipe direction and I guess both ways will work. I quit worrying about which direction I put mine accept the piece that attaches to the stove, (whichever way fits better I use) but given the choice I will go male end down because of the rain and soot dripping issues as I do burn some wood. Better constructed pipes fit well together anyway. Its those cheap pipes we often use that dont fit well.

In this instance it does look like the pipe should go the other way or at least screwed to the outlet at a minimum. Could even use one of those pieces they sell with a clamp that goes around them, the ones to adapt odd pieces together. But whatever works I guess.