Stove Not Heating Home Like It Used to...

Hi, we have had the same Harman coal stove for about 5 years and have not had any issues with it until now. We use hard nut coal. The stove itself appears to be working fine, with decent heat being produced. However, our house is not as warm as it has been in the past. Typically, the stove keeps our house between 72-80 degrees. This year we are around 62 degrees and we are not into the bitter outdoor temps yet. Nothing has changed in our house that would make me think this drastic of a change should be happening. The only difference in our house is that we took out carpet and replaced with hardwood. Could that make that much of a difference? Any ideas on how to address this issue would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Welcome to the FORUM my friend. That's a strange one T. My only thought would be, do you have a basement that is throwing cold up through the hardwood floor that the carpet would of not allowed.

Do you have a thermometer on the stove to be sure it's producing the same heat as before? 'Feels like' is actually a relative term when trying to remember from 6 or 8 months ago. Which Harman do you have, and can you describe your house. Can you post pictures of your stove, flue pipe, chimney?

coaledsweat wrote:Check your draft, could have a basketball stuck in the chimney. I've seen it!

Carpet helps insulate but I doubt removing it could make a 10 degree difference.

A stove that won't put out heat like it did is usually caused by, an obstruction in the pipe/chimney system like CS mentions, or ash built up in stove flues where it's tough to get to clean, or air leaks after the firebed that are cooling off the hot flue gases and degrading the draft strength.

An air leak into the stove, stove pipe, or chimney, after the firebed will cause the draft to weaken by diluting the hot flue gases with cooler air. Check the stove for door gaskets, or joints, that might be leaking by passing a piece of smoldering string over all the joints/seams. Look for loose pipe joints, or rust holes in the stove pipe. Bad seal at the pipe to a chimney. Check to make sure the chimney is clear. Then check to see if there is a clean-out opening of the chimney not sealing.

Paul

If Im not mistaken, some Harman's have a heat baffle inside that rusts out or warps badly. That could cut down its output too.

Get a large rug or two and cover the floor. That will help rule that out.

Welcome to the forum....a couple questions and we can try to help. Is this a Mark I, II or III? What are the temps on the sides and above the door? What is the temp of your exhaust about 12" up the flue pipe? Any manometer readings you can share?

The Mark stoves have a baffle over the firebox that can get ash bound and cut way down on the heat transfer to the air tubes that the distribution fan blows through. There is also a 'pocket' at the exhaust port on those stoves that can accumulate ash and cut way down on draft.

Another welcome. Also, just to throw it out there, any difference in brand, size, or supplier of coal, compared to years gone bye?

Welcome.

I would inspect the chimney and the stove.

Just curious how this turned out. I was going to add that he should investigate coal dust getting behind baffles. Just a thought, as my DS stove requires an annual check and removal if any coal dust.

Get yourself a rubber mallet and apply robust thumps for a prolonged length of time over any area that you cannot inspect visually from inside stove. This will show you what you've been missing all those years when you thought you did a good job cleaning your stove.
And have a hepa filter or drywall filter bag equipped vacuum handy.

Even better, how about letting us know what's goin on after all these suggestions?

He can't......... He hasn't been back since asking for all of Your help.......

Ah yess...one of them "1 post" members. Got yer ears on Ellen?