A little off topic, but in that same area of the boil as the tube, does your boiler have a cavity between the fire box and the outer plate that the fan housing bolts to? On my 200 if I remove the fan and stick my arm in the hole the fan came out of, there is a maybe 3" deep cavity. Last fall this was probably a 1/4 full of creosote. Am wondering if holding ash/creosote in this area could rust it out quicker? I don't see any easy way to clean it out, it was such a bad angle trying to bend my arm in the right direction to stick it in there and a get a scoop of creosote, plus some of it was hard so had a chunk of wood or screw driver trying to chisel it out, wasn't a fun project.
I was looking at 400 tonight and I had 200 also . This only one more guess on all your creosote by fan . I may be wrong but . if the ashes were full and hole going from fan to ash pan was plugged it make lots of creosote . and if it was dripping down in to ash pan in front . the creosote would follow down and find that hole and run right back in the fan hole . ( it does this when fast off )
My old 200 only did it once when I left ashes build up to much in warmer weather . Myself I have found out yes the hard way . if your burning any kind of wetter wood you need keep stove ashes cleaned out , it takes all the draft stove has to burn off the steam . and yes in the perfect world wood all dry to 20 % In the real world your going to need to burn a bit of wet wood when your out of dry sometimes . at less this rule apply s to my 200css Im only on my 2nd week on 400 dcss But Its acting the same
I put in a piece of wetter oak in tonight steam 10 mins and back just little smoke . another thing I do is my ashes never get up to the level of fan inlet hole in ash box . this really isn't stressed enough in Manuel. I check that hole every time I take ashes out .
you get down there with head lamp you can see it easy . ( 150 lum head lamp 12.97 walmart ) keeping that fan hole clear is the difference between a serious heating monster . and a creosote mess . and yes clean stove you'll burn more wood
Ok I guess I carried on about that enough
Hope info helps . I was heating 6600 sq ft with my old 200 css I was running it as fine tuned heating machine
A.K.A: Dragon 1
Heat550
On the splitting wood note yes I split all my wood and wetter smaller dryer bigger . hour meter on splitter just clicked to 600 hours
it was put in action in about 2003 .