Woodstove maintenance.

[Toepopper]

October 16th, its getting cold at night and the rain has started here in Oregon so its safe to have a fire in the woodstove. I have swabbed out the masonry chimney and removed the steel chimney inside the house and cleaned it. After re-assembly I started the first fire of the season, but something is wrong. When I turn down the temperature, the fire goes out. Have to open the thermostat all the way and also open the flu to keep the fire going. The stove was using up wood at a record pace and not generating much heat. After further inspection I discovered that the catalytic combustor was plugged up with soot and ash. I removed the iron protector plate and lightly brushed the surface of the combustor with a toothbrush and then used a shop vac to clean out the ash. Now the stove is once again working as it should, producing more heat and giving a longer burn time. This was a cheap fix as a new catalytic combustor costs around $500. I have 8 cords of madrone, the woodshed is full, and we have a pile next to the shed with a tarp over it to keep it dry. I usually use 5 to 6 cords of hardwood to heat my house and shop but its always good to have some extra wood on hand.