Cracked !

[fry61]

Cleaned & prepared the wood burner for the coming cold weather yesterday, found a crack in the top plate about 30mm long. It's only a hair-line crack, so what to do?

 

Leave alone -- drill out at end to stop it running further -- & then what -- plug with something or leave open.

 

Collective wisdom of our members required, please.

[tractor]

Gun gum

[tractor]

is that a I will get my coat comment

[richardm6994]

Hi bob, I'd be tempted to drill it at the end and then tap it and put a threaded plug in.

[fry61]

Chris, go to the back of the class, Richard thanks; hadn't thought of tapping the drilled hole.

[Guest 2b cruising]

If it's,a,steel one and not a classic cast iron one, a good weld would do it.

Or perhaps if it can be done when lit and at full temp, a cast electrode would be good enough?

Closing the curtains now Bob.

[fry61]

Sylvia lets me do pretty much what-ever I wish ------------ but cast iron welding ------------ in the sitting room ----------- maybe not.

[Steve49er]

Hi Bob

hope you and Mo are good ?

If you ever replace your Wood Burner take a look at ECCOSTOVE produced and made by LandyVent we have an ECCOSTOVE they are made out of Silicon Carbide sadly they are not cheap but do produce a very nice heat. Since we had it fitted ( into our 3rd year now ) have not used our central heating at all !

 

www.eccostove.com

 

If you do decide to contact them ever please mention my name to the guy who runs it Dave Ashmore, a very pleasant helpful innovative man. The stoves produce minimal amount of Emissions and retains heat in the Stove shell for up to 12 hours and when we had our chimney swept for the first time after a winters use the Sweep showed us he only managed to get just on half a teacup of soot from the flue.

 

Good Luck with Plugging the Stove.

 

Kindest regards to you both.

 

Steve

[Dave R]

Sylvia lets me do pretty much what-ever I wish ------------ but cast iron welding ------------ in the sitting room ----------- maybe not.

just do it while she is out shopping

[sj-bradley]

If you do drill and plug it, make sure that the expansion coefficient of the metal you use for the plug is not greater than the cast iron or else it will be like ice cracking rocks open

 

And if it expands less than the hole it will creep and drop through unless you only half tap the hole.

 

(but I think Grandma and eggs comes to mind somehow ... )

 

Simon.

[Guest peter2b2002]

I would just drill a small hole each end of the crack thats what I use to do on air craft years ago on bucineers

Peter2b

[fry61]

Thanks Pete, considered the different rates of expansion & have drilled & tapped 2BA & fitted a cap head set screw from the inside. If it comes loose don't think it will be a problem as suction (draw) from the flue will always be greater than air in at grate -- could possibly be a little lost smoke at first light-up, but that's all.

[Guest 2b cruising]

Hi again Bob.

If they still make, sell the same or similar stove. Could you buy a new lid?

[fry61]

Not made any-more, it's 20 year old ( maybe older -we've been here 27 years ) & it's the entire top of the wood burner -- around 24" x 20" .

 

We could buy new, but where's the fun in that.

[Guest 2b cruising]

Yes I thought you might have looked into a new lid.

Old stuff always seems that bit higher in quality and more nostalgic looking.

Do not like the throw away a attitude.

I remember when I first joined up. At some of the older training camps we had the old pot bellied stoves.

We used to have them glowing red hot in severe conditions.

Edited October 11, 2015 by 2b cruising