We have just moved in to a house with a Consolidated Dutch West wood stove. We are trying to use it to heat our house, and the former owner of the house used it successfully.

Our problem is getting it lit. We've filled the house with smoke 2 times now. We're sure the damper is open. What could we be doing wrong? Anyone have a time-tested way of getting the stove started?

-- Todd Heinz (todd@infohouse.com), January 06, 2001

Answers

Todd: Check if you have a spark arrester and make sure that its clean. The screen at the top of the outside pipe. The lazy way to start a fire is lay down a flat piece of dry wood in the stove. Cut off a small piece of a "store fire log" and lay it on the flat wood. Light it and lay kindling around the fire log piece and it will take right off. As for the smoke, if the air is cold in the stove pipe the stove will smoke so light a small torch of paper and hold it inside so the fire is going up the pipe. In warm weather your stove will not smoke....Kirk

-- Kirk Davis (kirkay@yahoo.com), January 07, 2001.

I also had a bird that somehow got wedged in my outside pipe once! But other than that its usually gummed up screen or very cold air in the pipe....Kirk

-- Kirk Davis (kirkay@yahoo.com), January 07, 2001.

I have that brand of stove, and it sounds like Kirk may be right. I smoked up my house a little, too, at first. Make sure the stovepipe is clean all the way up, that the joints in the stovepipe are tight, that the spark arrester on top is clear, make sure the damper is all the way open, the air intake on the front of the stove is open all the way, check all the door gaskets, and then burn a few wads of newspaper in the stove to heat the stovepipe. This will make it draw. Then build a small fire and when it gets going good, add bigger logs and if your stove has a catalyst, wait till the fire is going well then engage the catalyst. If your stove has a catalyst and it's working properly, the temperature should come up pretty quickly. If it doesn't and the fire continues to act like it doesn't want to burn, the catalyst may need to be replaced. Does your stove have a catalyst?

-- Hannah Maria Holly (hannahholly@hotmail.com), January 07, 2001.

Thanks for the advice. We'll definitely try the store logs and heat the pipe up first. Not sure what a catalyst is, or if we have one, since this is our first wood stove. Where should we look?

-- Todd Heinz (Todd@infohouse.com), January 07, 2001.

Todd I had a Consolidated Dutchwest stove that I loved! But I had to paint my living room after the first winter of use. I didn't know about a damper on the left side (same as your side door) up towards the top back of the stove.Is there one hiding on your stove? Your cat. combustor is probably in the top of the stove under a cooktop sort of thing. Careful with it, it's probably ceramic (fragile), but can be taken out and cleaned to get ashes out. Good luck, I bet you'll love it!

-- Cathey (uptain@familyconnect.com), January 07, 2001.

If your stove has a catalyst, it will have a knob on the side of the stove in addition to the damper lever and the air intake lever. This knob, usually round in that model, is what controlls the amount of air, smoke, and heat that goes thru the catalyst. The quickest way to tell if your stove has a catalyst is to open the front door of the stove and look up into the top or 'ceiling' of the stove. If there's a thing there that looks like a thick, round waffle, made of ceramic, then you have a catalyst. This is what allows the stove to burn hot and clean. When using my stove, once the temp gets up to about 800 degrees, the smoke coming out of the stack disappears. Also, is there a thermometer mounted anywhere on the stove, maybe on the top surface? If so, it indicates the temperature inside the catalyst. According to the manual, you should never exceed 1700F or the stove will overheat. I run mine at about 1200--1400F. The heat of the burn can be controlled with the catalyst and air intake--open the catalyst knob 1 turn and the air intake about 1/3 way open for a slow fire, catalyst 1 1/2--2 turns and air intake about 1/2--3/4 way open for a medium hot burn, and the catalyst open 2 turns and the air intake all the way open for a hot burn. Each load of wood burns differently, too, so it will take some observation and experimentation to see what settings the stove needs to optimize the use of wood.

Lehman's has a manual you can order for that stove, I believe it's about $5. Or any good fireplace/woodstove store can help you with problems.

-- Hannah Maria Holly (hannahholly@hotmail.com), January 07, 2001.

It goes like this: Open the damper (lever on left side, top) Open the round thing three turns (located under the damper) Open the intake (front, bottom, left side) Open the ash door (not necessary but makes a great pull. Do NOT leave this door unattended. Keep this ash pan empty for better working) Make the starting fire, lighting that rolled paper in the flue to start a draft. I use pine scraps from the lumberyard (free) It burns fast and hot. Once the fire starts rolling, close the ash door. Put smaller logs on at the start until you have a nice ember bed going (about 6 inches deep). Close the round thing once it hits 600 degrees (I've never done it the way Hannah does but it makes sense) Close the damper at 800 degrees, not before or it will make smoke. The intake in the front is for temperature control.

If you do not have a thermometer on your stove but have a hole in the middle of the top, you can purchase one at a fireplace store. It is well worth it instead of guessing. My husband vacuums the catalitic so it doesn't become damaged by taking it out. Good Luck

PS you could probably write the company and ask for instruction manuel. They helped me in the beginning too

-- Dee (gdgtur@goes.com), January 07, 2001.

Thanks so much to all of you for your help, we have made a lot of progress with the stove today. I am still having a hard time getting to run continuously above 800 degrees, but I have managed to keep smoke out of the house. Ours does have a catalyst and a thermometer. One other question, our oven is equipped with an eclectic fan with a 2 speed control that blows hot air out the front of the unit. Is it a good idea to keep it running all the time, or should it be left off until the oven reaches a certain temp?

-- Todd Heinz (todd@infohouse.com), January 07, 2001.

Now THAT, I don't know. I opted not to get the fan with mine. Call or email the manufacturer, I'd say. Most manufactureres are good about emailing you back with an answer.

One thought about not getting the temp up over 800--are you burning good seasoned hardwood like oak? I mention this because last year I got a pickup truck load of dry, seasoned pecan, and that stuff never did go much over 900 degrees, no matter how I had the stove adjusted. I was glad to see the last of that!!! Maybe your wood is a little green or damp or a variety that doesn't have much btu value. Or, again, the catalyst may need cleaned or replaced. Let us know how it works out!

-- Hannah Maria Holly (hannahholly@hotmail.com), January 08, 2001.

Todd, I forgot that we had trouble with our stove in the beginning. It turned out that we were putting wet wood in the stove (got rained or snowed on) and it had to work overtime to dry the wood first. Now, we dry it in front of the stove before we put it in. We even remove the bark because it stays wet there longer.

-- Dee (gdgtur@goes.com), January 09, 2001.