# How can I get this wood stove out?



## HorribleFixer (Mar 6, 2015)

Hello,

Here is my current project that I am taking on. It is an old Kodiak wood stove that I am attempting to refinish and use. This place was horribly mistreated by the previous owner and it flooded now there is all kinds of damage and I am slowly fixing it. I started this task late one night and realized that it cleans up pretty well. I only did the left door and it took me 3 hours to do inside and out. I still need to do a few touch ups on the door in the little spots but for the main portion I am using a wire wheel on a drill and then I will be refinishing it with high heat paint after it is fully cleaned. I also did the top left corner just to see how it would clean up as well as a few small spots in other areas.I know that it will need a new seal for the doors because the old one was in horrible shape so I just peeled it off. I just cannot figure out how to get the thing out. As you can tell, it is very rusty and if I am going to refinish it, I want to do it correct, so I wanted to pull the whole thing out and refinish the whole thing and not just what I can reach. There is a picture of the flue and it is very rusty as well as the top of the stove itself but it cannot be reached without removing the whole thing so I can get to the top/sides/bottom/and back. I know the thing weights a lot but I shoved a piece of steel under it and stood on it and bounced and the stove didn't move at all. I looked under it and it either looks to be welded to 2 vertical pieces of steel that run from front to back or those 2 pieces are the feet so that it doesn't sit on the ground. I couldn't tell. Also, the flue lever is the only thing holding the metal shield back on the wall but I cannot even figure how to remove that. It is almost like I would have to straighten the flue lever and rebend it after I remove the shield, clean it up, then put it  back on, or it(the flue lever) somehow unbolts from the inside? The next idea was to put a floor jack under the thing and try to jack it up to see if it moves but I wanted to just check here in case anyone has dealt with something like this before so that I don't have to try anything drastic just yet.
















If anyone has experience with this or has any advice, please let me know. Thanks.


(I do not know if this thread is in the correct section but it seemed like a good place for it. If it isn't please move it.)


----------



## JoeD (Mar 6, 2015)

The surrounding metal plate needs to come off first. My guess would be that it is attached by hooks. Lift up on it might get it off. It could be tight and might take some effort.


----------



## nealtw (Mar 6, 2015)

Does the damper handle unscrew?


----------



## HorribleFixer (Mar 6, 2015)

JoeD said:


> The surrounding metal plate needs to come off first. My guess would be that it is attached by hooks. Lift up on it might get it off. It could be tight and might take some effort.



As you can tell from the picture, the flue door handle is what is holding it on. It has bolt holes but those are obviously gone and either rusted off or weren't there. I pulled that metal plate(what I call heat shield) away from the wall as far as I could with the flue door handle all the way out, and it still wouldn't move.


----------



## HorribleFixer (Mar 6, 2015)

nealtw said:


> Does the damper handle unscrew?



Wow, why didn't I think of this? Ok, so, I had attempted unscrewing it by hand before but it after all, it is quite rusted. I took a straight bar and put it through there and started unscrewing it and it broke loose. So, now I have the heat shield off of it and it is only the woodstove left. I definitely have to lift it about an inch somehow like a floor jack or a couple friends and then start sliding it forward? That is what it looks like to me at least. The 2nd picture is of the corner where there is a lip that I could have to lift it up about an inch  then slide it forward.


----------



## nealtw (Mar 6, 2015)

HorribleFixer said:


> As you can tell from the picture, the flue door handle is what is holding it on. It has bolt holes but those are obviously gone and either rusted off or weren't there. I pulled that metal plate(what I call heat shield) away from the wall as far as I could with the flue door handle all the way out, and it still wouldn't move.



Cut the handle, it can be repaired or replaced when you have the unit out.


----------



## nealtw (Mar 6, 2015)

The hearth looks like fresh concrete pehaps that was added after the stove install.


----------



## HorribleFixer (Mar 6, 2015)

nealtw said:


> The hearth looks like fresh concrete pehaps that was added after the stove install.



As you can tell, your last comment was right at the time I posted that I got it off thanks to the help from you about unscrewing it. Simple nonsense. I thought it had to bolt to something.

It did look like that to me at first but then, I saw that the concrete was chipped right at the edges where the feet sit lower like when they were sliding the woodstove back and dropping it into place, the concrete chipped off. Plus, there is enough room above the metal edging at the brick, about 3 inches, that it can be lifted up and slid out. It is just a matter of actually finding a way to lift it. I was thinking floor jack but I do not think I have anything that will fit under it. I might be buying a case or 2 of beer for a little help from the friends.:beer:


----------



## nealtw (Mar 6, 2015)

dont forget the pipe, it may need some attention befor you can moive the stove.
leverage. a couple 2x4s about 8ft long stuck inside and stretched over a fulcrum 2 ft out from the stove. One hundred pounds down pressure will light eight hundred pounds. Have a helper slide wedges under the feet so it can climb out as you pull it or if you can full spacers to bring it up to the height of the floor.


----------



## HorribleFixer (Mar 6, 2015)

nealtw said:


> dont forget the pipe, it may need some attention befor you can moive the stove.
> leverage. a couple 2x4s about 8ft long stuck inside and stretched over a fulcrum 2 ft out from the stove. One hundred pounds down pressure will light eight hundred pounds. Have a helper slide wedges under the feet so it can climb out as you pull it or if you can full spacers to bring it up to the height of the floor.



I already looked at the pipe and it is detached. It goes up an old chimney and it looks like it will have the clearance to make it out as well.

Yeah, it is just a matter of actually getting the time and correct schedule with a hand or 2 to get the thing out. Thanks for the help.


----------



## nealtw (Mar 6, 2015)

Correction, I said 800 lbs, that should 400


----------



## HorribleFixer (Mar 6, 2015)

nealtw said:


> Correction, I said 800 lbs, that should 400



Not a problem. It is just going to take a couple people. I don't have a hoist or anything to help lift here. Thanks for the tips.


----------



## JoeD (Mar 6, 2015)

Take the doors off first. That will reduce the weight considerably.


----------



## HorribleFixer (Mar 6, 2015)

JoeD said:


> Take the doors off first. That will reduce the weight considerably.



The doors are fairly well pinned in there. I do not think that there is enough room to get the bottom pins out without an air hammer and I do not have one on hand or know anyone that does.


----------



## JoeD (Mar 7, 2015)

HorribleFixer said:


> The doors are fairly well pinned in there. I do not think that there is enough room to get the bottom pins out without an air hammer and I do not have one on hand or know anyone that does.



Really? They look like they should just lift off when open.


----------



## slownsteady (Mar 7, 2015)

Don't forget to protect your floor. A sheet of plywood is a good investment here. I had a freestanding stove that I had to move. I built a dolly from 3/4 ply and four sturdy wheels from the big box store. Lifted one end and slipped the dolly underneath, then worked it forward. You have the complication of the fireplace and hearth, but the point is use your head more than your muscles.


----------



## slownsteady (Mar 7, 2015)

use just enough beer to lubricate it


----------



## bud16415 (Mar 7, 2015)

When we bought the house to rebuild the first thing I bought was a harbor freight dolly rated at 400 lbs for about 35 bucks with big 10 inch air tires. I didn&#8217;t know it at the time but I used that thing 1000 times lifting and prying and moving things. I&#8217;m not sure how I would use it on your stove but I bet I would end up using it somehow.


----------



## HorribleFixer (Mar 7, 2015)

JoeD said:


> Really? They look like they should just lift off when open.



Nope, that was what I tried first because it is difficult to get between the doors and stove to get the rust off. The pins are pretty firm in there. I could most likely back them out with a hammer and a little time but the bottoms would still be an issue.


----------



## HorribleFixer (Mar 7, 2015)

slownsteady said:


> Don't forget to protect your floor. A sheet of plywood is a good investment here. I had a freestanding stove that I had to move. I built a dolly from 3/4 ply and four sturdy wheels from the big box store. Lifted one end and slipped the dolly underneath, then worked it forward. You have the complication of the fireplace and hearth, but the point is use your head more than your muscles.



Thanks for the advice. I am actually not too worried about the floor. It is full concrete and it needs to be redone anyways. However, I did think about how I am going to get it all the way out without having to drop it to the floor. I have a 4 wheel heavy duty metal dolly that I will probably build up high enough with some 2x4's or 4x4's and land it on that then just work off of that and put it back. I am only moving it out of that space so that I can refinish the whole thing then I will be using it next winter.


----------



## HorribleFixer (Mar 7, 2015)

slownsteady said:


> use just enough beer to lubricate it



Enough beer? Is there such a thing? :beer:


----------



## HorribleFixer (Mar 7, 2015)

bud16415 said:


> When we bought the house to rebuild the first thing I bought was a harbor freight dolly rated at 400 lbs for about 35 bucks with big 10 inch air tires. I didnt know it at the time but I used that thing 1000 times lifting and prying and moving things. Im not sure how I would use it on your stove but I bet I would end up using it somehow.



Yeah, I got a nice metal frame dolly that is rated for weights up there but it still only has the plastic tires and not air ones. I use mine all the time for stuff. It will be a help rather than dropping the stove a foot and a half onto the floor I will just slide it onto the dolly.


----------



## slownsteady (Mar 7, 2015)

HorribleFixer said:


> Enough beer? Is there such a thing? :beer:



The key word there is "just". You don't anyone trying to use beer muscles.


----------



## HorribleFixer (Mar 8, 2015)

slownsteady said:


> The key word there is "just". You don't anyone trying to use beer muscles.



Just spent 4 hours cleaning the front half(what I could get to without pulling it out). It is cleaning up nicely. Just took the major stuff off tonight but I have to decide how deep I want to go with this wire wheel brush as to get all of the rust off of it.


----------

