Servicing an old stove

Need some advice on the proper service of my 23 year old Consolidate Dutchwest stove I just purchased. Knowing that coal will soon burn in it, I want without hesitation to know that it is airtight.

Seems the previous owner may have overheated it. I took it by a stove shop who told me to reseal the top with fresh stove cement. How easy is old stove cement to remove?

After all parts are reassembled and cemented, would starting a fire in it outside be the best way of knowing if there are any leaks? or should I simply take it to a stove shop for an overhaul. The price was right, so another hundred for servicing would still be well within my budget.

BTW, it does not appear to ever have burned coal, since the coal basket along with other accessories sit in a box with not even a little rust. They appear brand new. It seemed that the stove was used for wood only, and the catalytic converter is in place, though the side bar for locking it into place is rusted shut.

Also, the side door for loading wood appears rusted shut. Once I get it into my office, I'll douse it with some liquid wrench and maybe consider a propane torch to heat it up.

Looking for your recommendations.

Thanks!

Hello John, for freeing-up that door, heat it first then add the penetrating oil. As the door hinges cool, the oil will be drawn into the rusty joint. If you add the oil first then the torch will just burn off the oil. And make lots of smoke, maybe flames.

The furnace cement I've used is like a putty. You could just wire-brush the areas and use a putty knife to reapply the sealer. Since I have no idea about the type or shape or condition of the area to be sealed, it's pretty difficult to be more specific. If the top can come off, and the fasteners are free. Then remove, clean with wire brush, scraper, or whatever tool appears to do the best job and reseal.

I'm pretty sure you don't have to remove the old sealant completely. If it is stuck on tight, then just add the new over the old.

Hope this helps, Greg L
.

Thanks!

I imagine it then a good idea to work on the stove outside having doused the stuck part over and over yesterday. Since it rained the last 24 hours t stove is still in the back of my hatchback. Hopefully later today I can lower it onto a dolly and get it into my office where I can begin to get the top off.

The service guy at the stove shop said it would be easier to access other non moving parts from within, if I had the top off. Since it appears to have just a slight wave where it meets the top edge of the stove, I figured it was best to remove and reseal anyway.

Just got off the phone with Lehman in Ohio, and am considering the purchase of a Hitzer gravity fed next year. Really like the idea of a no electricity hopper fed unit that can burn for quite some time before needing refilling.

But for now, it is my little Consolidated that will get me introduced to coal burning. Once I ease into it, I can figure out if I want to go with a hand fired, or stoker model.

Thanks again!

John

Hello John, if the top of the stove is warped, it probably was overheated at one time. If the top won't come off easily, you could just turn the stove upside down, clean the area where the warping created a gap and fill with the putty-like furnace cement.

If the gap is really wide, like over 1/4" then you may want to consider getting a piece of door gasket, it is fiberglass I think, not asbestos anymore. Cut a piece to a size that you can stuff into the gap with a putty knife or screwdriver. Remove the piece of gasket, thouroughly saturate the gasket material with furnace cement. I would put he piece of gasket on a surface and using a putty knife, coat the gasket with cement and pushing down on the knife on the gasket force the putty into the fabric of the gasket. Once saturated, stuff into the gap with additional furnace cement.

The reason for the gasket is that the cement can be hard and brittle when dry, and may not fill the gap really well. The hard putty also won't flex if the gap grows and shrinks with heat in the stove.

If you have a good draft, the only issue that the gap presents is added air getting into the stove above the fire. This should not be a problem. However if you try heating on a warm day, with variable winds, and have a poor or reversing draft, you may get some combustion fumes and gasses being pushed out of the firebox into your office.

If you were burning wood, the gap allowing air in above the fire could be an issue, but with coal, it is sort of like a fixed-gap damper, allowing room air up the chimney.

If you have problems, and can send me a digital photo I'll help 'brainstorm' the solution.

Hope this helps. Greg L

Greg,

Thanks for the additional information. A friend recommended PB Blast, which I picked up on the way home yesterday. After lowering the stove and placing it on my dolly, I brought it down to the patio behind my office, where I completely saturated all the nuts, bolts and other mechanisms.

With a larger wrench, the door was able to be opened, and I was also able to remove the top. It didn't appear to have a 1/4" gap, though with the cement now out, I'll take a better measurement. On the other hand, whoever the former owner was, it is apparent that they did overheat the unit, as the inside damper will not move.

Maybe it's because it's rusted, and if that is the case, then this PB stuff may or may not work on it. Looks like the damper is in a half opened position. I believe when you want to burn wood, you close it down to force the smoke through the catalytic, thereby getting a second burn.

Not sure how that will be affected when I want to burn coal however. I would of course remove the cat converter when using coal, but hoping that the reduction of direct flow would not be a problem. I have an email to the Service Center in Vermont that knows everything there is to know about the Consolidated Stove.

I will take some photos so that I can email them and get your additional thoughts. May not be until Monday, since I'll be out of town over the weekend. But I will see if I can before I go.

Thanks again!

John

Jersey John wrote:
I will take some photos so that I can email them and get your additional thoughts.

You can post them right here if you want. Clcik the add attachment button, it's above and to the left of submit.

Does anyone have any information on a coal stove that i have? It has a small cast iron waterjacket on top and it has devco wrote in the cast along with mfg for paul j. devitt. series f.f. and max pressure 125. its about 14 inches round and 24 inches high. iIcannot seem to find any info on it. Thanks Ron

Post a pix & you'll get some ideas. Welcome to the FORUM my friend.

Id guess its a bucket a day stove, its actualy a water heater.

Im not sure how a thread about one subject can lead to a totally different subject regarding make and model of a stove?

Ill stick to the subject of the main thread starter and answer his question...

I will say that a Consolidate Dutchwest was not known for their quality or function but i dont want to discourage you so i want get into all that, here are some facts....

A cast iron stove that is glued and screwed will never remain 100% airtite, you would need a solid welded steel stove for that dream. having said that its not so much an issue if your install and draft are good! seal er' up as good as you can with new glass or gaskets, etc. but spend your time and money on making sure your install and draft is great (this will ensure your happiness for many years of warmth, comfort and clean smells).