Shutting Down your Crown Royal Stove Outdoor Wood Furnace for the Season

Spring is here and even though it may not quite feel that way yet, it’s time to start thinking about shutting off the heat for the season. Or maybe you have already done so, depending on the climate in your area. Either way, preparing for the end of heating season is not as easy as pushing a button or turning a switch for those of us who use an outdoor wood furnace to heat our homes. Shutting down your outdoor wood furnace for the season is simple; however “Spring Cleaning” for your outdoor wood furnace is beneficial for many reasons including the longevity of your stove. It also gives you a great chance to clean, inspect and make any necessary adjustments or repairs needed to the system before cold weather hits again. Follow the checklist below to complete annual maintenance and ensure that your stove is ready to go for the next heating season!

If you have a Crown Royal Stove with shaker grates, like the Shaker Grate Series, Indoor Series, Multi Pass Series or Biomass Series, follow the instructions below once you shut down your stove for the season.

• Once the fire is burned out, you will want to clean all ash and debris from the fire chamber and ash pan. Make sure the ash pan is completely empty.
• From the back of the stove, pull the back door off and detach the rear combustion tube from the bottom where it connects to the ash pan chamber. Use a vacuum to remove all ash from the tube. Reconnect the elbow and replace the back door.
• If you own a Multi Pass Series stove, pull the damper rod out and open the heat exchanger door. Scrape all ash forward out of the heat exchanger. Watch our demonstration video here.
• Open the firebox door and douse the shaker grates with a mixture of diesel fuel and oil. This will lubricate the moving parts of the shaker grate system. Let the fuel mixture work its way down into the ash pan. Use a spray bottle to coat the firebox and ash pan with the same mixture as well.
• Circulation pumps can be turned off or you can keep one pump running to keep water from becoming stagnant.
• Top water off and send a water sample in to be tested. If test results come back unsatisfactory, carry out the recommendations and send in another sample. If you end up needing to add more Control Chemical water treatment to your system, make sure you keep a circulation pump running for a few days to evenly distribute the chemical throughout the system.
• If you do not have a chimney cap on your chimney, purchase a chimney cap or place a bucket on top of the chimney. A stainless steel chimney cap is ideal since it allows for air circulation while still protecting the chimney from precipitation.

If your outdoor wood stove is an EPA Certified unit, like the Crown Royal Stove Pristine Series, the cleaning process is even easier.

• If your outdoor wood stove is not self cleaning, thoroughly brush the heat exchanger tubes. For self cleaning stoves, all you need to do is pull the cleaning rod several times so ash falls into the secondary burn chamber.
• Circulation pumps can be turned off or you can keep one pump running to keep water from becoming stagnant.
• Top water off and send a water sample in to be tested. If test results come back unsatisfactory, carry out the recommendations and send in another sample. If you end up needing to add more Control Chemical water treatment to your system, make sure you keep a circulation pump running for a few days to evenly distribute the chemical throughout the system.
• If you do not have a chimney cap on your chimney, purchase a chimney cap or place a bucket on top of the chimney. A stainless steel chimney cap is ideal since it allows for air circulation while still protecting the chimney from precipitation.

Following these recommendations only takes a little bit of your time. Getting it done when you shut your outdoor wood furnace down for the summer saves time and headache before the next heating season catches you off guard!

If you have any questions about maintaining your outdoor wood stove, feel free to call us at (866) 361-7355 or check our blog where we will continue to add tips and information!