Magnum Stoker Dust From Duct Vent

I have been using a Harman magnum stoker vented to chimney for about 5yrs

My questions are I need to find another way to block the front vent that vents from the stove so that most all heat goes up through the 6" duct to my upstairs - in the past I used fiberglass and just stuffed opening but found over time the heat degraded the fiberglass and caused some to go up through duct. I now wrap pieces of fibgerglass (insulation without the paper) in tinfoil but it doesnt block the heat from the front completely.

I also am wondering if dust from inside the stove has anyway of coming out from the duct vent?? I ask becasue I use the sharper image air cleaners and they are getting a film of white dirt\dust on them just a day after cleaning>>

When I scoop out the ashes from the pan I just pull the pan out half way and use an old spacke knife to push all ash material to back of pan then take a 56oz scoop to scoop a pile of ash and then deposit then into a 5 gal bucket\w lid - this works well as far as ash outside of stove but I know that as I scrape ashes toward back of stove their is a lot of fine dust that I thought just stays inside the stove and am now wondering if it comes up the back wall of the stove and somehow is getting in the where the blower vents the heat from the stove.

hope I explained my two questions well enough to get somm good insight\answers.

Thanks

btw I found my bucket ash dump seems to be the best method after several years trying different methods to remove ashes with the least amount of ash escaping into the living space

Why don't you take the pan all the way out, take it outside, dump it and put it back in?

Think you answered your own question on the dust. Of course dust is gonna escape "scooping" it in your home. Take it out and dump it outside!!
Not sure how big the air gap is in the front/vent. Ive used rope stove gasket with no problems.

The dust you can't see is migrating upstairs via a couple ways:
1) Use aluminum tape around the vent pipes joints going up to the 2nd floor.
2) Use the same tape to seal the flue pipes as well.
3) The blower or blowers moving the heated air should have some type of filtration material surrounding it, the air from the stove location is loaded with fine particles.
4) If you can put an air filter in the stove room.
Hope these suggestions help.

Stoker6268 wrote:Think you answered your own question on the dust. Of course dust is gonna escape "scooping" it in your home. Take it out and dump it outside!!
Not sure how big the air gap is in the front/vent. Ive used rope stove gasket with no problems.

I received a length of 1-1/2" Rope Gasket to stuff into that opening on the Magnum.

I guess I wasnt as clear in my post - I want to know if there is any possibility that fine dust inside the stove can seep into the chamber (from inside the stove) that heats the air that is sent through the front of stove or to a duct. My empting ash into 5 gal bucket with scoop is virtually dust free that way I do it and I am not be able to take the pan outside for 2 reasons - my trash company will not pick up loose ash - it must be bagged and it is always a mess even if outside trying to dump an open container especially on a windy day.

The duct to my living room is sealed to the stove so there is no way the dust is coming from my ash removal.

I am mainly concerned if there is a way on a Harman Magnum that fine ash can get inside the chamber that supplies the heated air for the front vent\duct? I don't open the main glass door at all and only the bottom door to pull the ash pan out half way and slide a scoop toward the back and then transfer that quickly to 5 gal bucket with lid that traps the dust from escaping

Or is is possible the blower fan is catching some of the fine dust I am not seeing with my eyes while emptying the ash pan and that is what is getting sucked in the intake and back out the heated air portion of the stove? its not a lot but enough to be concerned as I am then breathing it in. The sharper image duct collectors catch a lot of fine dirt\dust you don't see

Hope this clear up my question a little more

There's no way.

Does Sharper Image run when no fire is lit?
What does it collect different at that time?
You are way good to do ashes as you describe and still beleive it is perfectly dust-free.

Like was mention...think you have answered your own question.

so you are saying there is not way for coal dust to get inside the chamber that supplies the heated air for the stove?

the air cleaner I use from sharperimage usually can go weeks without cleaining in non heating season and the dirt is back dirt - what it has been catching is a fine light colored dust and the blades get coated just after a day requiring me to clean them.

I will turn the blowers off when I scoop to see if that make a difference but either way not sure how the dust is getting to my living space since the stove is in the lower level and there is no open floor grate - the duct is tight to stove to duct

jimbo970 wrote:so you are saying there is not way for coal dust to get inside the chamber that supplies the heated air for the stove?...............

That is correct, your stove has an air jacket around the stove. If your stove leaked dust through to the air jacket it would also leak C.O. and your detectors would be singing.

Take a look at my basement stove, it blows air into vents from my furnace. Look at the blower fan behind the stove, that white stuff on and in the blower is dust, there is more in the squirrel cage that you can not see. I also wondered where the dust upstairs was coming from and viola! I have since put air filter material on both sides of the blower. If you have coal dust anywhere the smallest air current will make it air born...the wind from a house fly will stir it up.

p.s. I didn't have any dust in my basement until I put a HEPA filter bag in my shop vac and sucked up a pound!

McGiever wrote:

Stoker6268 wrote:Think you answered your own question on the dust. Of course dust is gonna escape "scooping" it in your home. Take it out and dump it outside!!
Not sure how big the air gap is in the front/vent. Ive used rope stove gasket with no problems.

I received a length of 1-1/2" Rope Gasket to stuff into that opening on the Magnum.

Hi McGieve,

where did you get the 1 and 1\2 rope? is this the correct size to fit the slit inside front of harmon. I hadan old piece of 3\4 but it is too thin

In case you missed it on your other post;

On my Mag Stoker, I wired 3 pieces of 3/4" round rope seal together and layed it inside, then pushed it up against the front. That should last forever.

-Don

jimbo970 wrote:

McGiever wrote:
I received a length of 1-1/2" Rope Gasket to stuff into that opening on the Magnum.

Hi McGieve,

where did you get the 1 and 1\2 rope? is this the correct size to fit the slit inside front of harmon. I hadan old piece of 3\4 but it is too thin

Here's a place:
http://www.boiler-gaskets.com/cat-33-1-112/fiberg ... s_rope.htm