having trouble with Pacific Energy wood stove

Sparticle · #1 01/08/12, 07:29 PM

We have a 20 year old Pacific Energy wood stove. It hasn't been working as well as it used to. Seems the fire is not getting enough air. Its the kind of stove that is a box inside a box. Cast iron with a thin wall steel shell. Its got insulation on top of the stove in the space between each wall. Does this stove have one of those catalytic whatnots? The stove seems stopped up or something. This stove has a ash drawer underneath with a small door that empties the ash from the firebox to the drawer. We open this small door to give the fire air. It helps but slows down a lot when it is closed. Anybody know anything about this? Thanks and Happy New Year.

rniare · #2 01/08/12, 07:44 PM

You may need to have your chimney cleaned. Its a job to do yourself. If your near a town there are pros that do it. You may have a bird nest in there blocking the air and could cause a fire.

Sparticle · #3 01/09/12, 07:55 AM

Nope, its not that. What else you got?

Alice In TX/MO · #4 01/09/12, 07:56 AM

Call a professional.

**Cabin Fever** · #5 01/09/12, 08:56 AM

I'm not sure if your 20yo stove is the same as the new Pacific Energy stoves, but the new ones use a baffle system to supply combustion air. In my short review of their website, it appears that this baffle can become plugged and may occassionally need cleaning. The on-line owner manuals descrbe how to remove the baffle for cleaning.

http://www.pacificenergy.net/pacific...eestanding.php

Sparticle · #6 01/09/12, 07:42 PM

All right. I know all about baffles now. I'll work on it tomorrow. Thanks!

oregon woodsmok · #7 01/10/12, 04:06 PM

2 possibilities: either the re-combustion chamber has gotten clogged with ash or creosote. Or else the air intake, underneath the stove has gotten clogged.

Or one other thing: have you recently made the house air tight? If so, you might have to run a small air supply tube from outside (probably underneath the house) to the air intake under the stove.