Where's the heat?

Hello everyone. I am new to the forum and appreciate reading the threads.

I am having a bit of trouble getting heat from my Hyfire II. I had it installed a year and a half ago. I love this stove...Kudos to Leisure Line. It has a heat jacket and connected to the duct work of my oil furnace and exhausts with a power vent. I replaced the exhaust pipes this year and I think I messed up the baro and and rehostat of the power vent. It just doesn't seem to be producing much heat.

Just to provide some useless background...I live in a very cold mountaintop region of NEPA and I have a block, uninsulated house...yeah I know...

Anyway, the best I can get my house is 68* (one burner now). I think I am having a draft and/or combustion problem. I don't know where to set the baro and/or the power vent. I don't have a manometer to check air flow. I can pretty much put my hand on the stove/heat jacket for a few moments before it gets too warm. Last year, I would have never been able to touch it with getting burned. I know I made a bad adjustment when I cleaned the stove; but I don't know how to fix it. Any suggestions? Thanks.

ComancheKeen

Put your hand on the stovepipe. If it is as hot or hotter than your stove, your heat is going bye-bye. Try backing the baro weight down until you get some action from the baro and see if it helps. Then get a manometer or draft gauge, life is too short to be cold.

It shouldn't be too far out of whack. Is the Baro open or close most of the time? Does it swing freely? Where;s the weight set at?
What control system? Rheostats or coaltrol? Have you cleaned under the burner plates, oiled the motors good.
What type of setup? Heat Jacket? tied into current furnance, or ducted upstairs?

Give some details of your setup, then we can tell you what to suggest.

It shouldn't be too far out of whack. Is the Baro open or close most of the time? Does it swing freely? Where;s the weight set at?

Currently the Baro is open most of the time by about 1/2". It doesn't swing as freely as it once did. However, it is getting pretty rusty. I have the weight set near 4.

What control system? Rheostats or coaltrol?

I have the Coal-Troll system with a power vent. I can adjust the Power Vent to exhaust slow (light) through fast (heavy). Currenlty I have it set about 1/4 speed. Last year I had it set about 1/2 speed. When I had this setting this year, my black stove pipe was warmer than my stove as "coaledsweat" mentioned. So I backed it off thinking I was sucking all of my heat out of the stove.

Have you cleaned under the burner plates, oiled the motors good.

I cleaned and oiled the entire system about a month ago. That is when I changed all of the exhaust pipes. The burnerplates should be clean and clear.

What type of setup? Heat Jacket? tied into current furnance, or ducted upstairs?

I have a heat jacket over my Hyfire II that is connected to my oil-forced air furnace. It is tied into the plenum of the furnace with 14" duct. About half way from the Hyfire to the plenum I have a large vent fan that helps circulate the heat throughout the house. It typically works pretty well...except this year...but I can't blame the equipment...just the user.

When I replaced the exhaust pipes; I lost the setting for the Baro. It must have vibrated loose or something because the weight moved. The problem is, I don't know where it was set to begin with. It was a set-it and forget-it type of deal.

Thanks for any advice you have to offer. I appreciate it...

~ComancheKeen

Great! Good explaination.

If you have a lot of build up or rust on your baro, the setting (.04) on it is only a general setting, you should check it with a draft gauge and adjust accordingly.

Sounds like you have done everything correctly, and everything is working, just needs to be setup accurately with a draft gauge.

On the coaltrol what is your MAX setting, you may have to bump it up a bit to get more heat out of the stove. I think I have mine at 46 or 48.

That's good to hear....

My max setting is 40. I'll adjust it to 48 and see what happens.

Where do I get a draft gauge? When I get one, how do I use it?

DOn't go crazy with it. Raise it up about 2 points at a time and check it after 30 mins or so, and make sure you are not pushing hot coals off the end of the grate when fully burning, if you are pushing hot coals, back it back 1-2 points and check it. Each stove is slightly different, so trial and error method works.

Look in the Controls section of this site for the MANOMETER (Draft Gauge) Install or Manometer Loaner program.
Read on how we use it and hook it up. There are numerous places to get them online for like $30 or so.

Thanks again.

I'll let you know how I make out...