"Self-sufficiency does not mean 'going back' to the acceptance of a lower standard of living. On the contrary, it is the striving for a higher standard of living, for food that is organically grown and good, for the good life in pleasant surroundings... and for the satisfaction that comes from doing difficult and intricate jobs well and successfully." John Seymour ~ Self Sufficiency 2003

Thursday 7 June 2012

How to operate a Dover stove

I love my Dover stove.


Even if it does create a little smoke inside the house when it is first lit.  That is rectified 1) by opening the neighbouring windows wide, and 2) as soon as the "draw" starts.  (However, in keeping with my warts and all policy, I will admit that we made a mistake when we installed our Dover stove.  The chimney should NOT have been left exposed.  In fact, the Dover stove should have been installed in a recess with a large overhanging chimney area.  That would've obviated the initial smoking issue - for all that smoke would've gone up the recessed chimney.)


And I love my Dover stove even if it's oven section is a little small.  Well, it's big enough to roast a crisp chicken for RMan, and it's big enough to bake a couple of loaves of bread.


None of that matters to me, because the big plus is that I can warm our house (well, at this stage the one large room) and cook at the same time. Using nothing but the wood from alien invasive Australian Black Wattles.


But, in winter especially, I like to place the food I've prepared on warm plates. Which presents a problem, because if I am using the oven, there isn't room for much more.
The side section - for drying
wet tea towels?
When I purchased the Dover stove it came with a side section, which I presume was for drying tea towels or suchlike.  Unfortunately, when the structure was built to house the stove, this addition section was not catered for.  So the towel drying section couldn't be used.  Until now.


Clever RMan.  As I was bemoaning the fact that I can't warm the plates he came up with this brilliant solution.
Would only a man think of this...?
Placing the plates directly on the stove top would result in cracking the plates, because the stove top is far to hot.  But putting the unused side section on top of the stove, and then placing the plates on top of that is perfect.  Not too hot so that it will crack the plates, but hot enough to take the chill off them :)
Perfectly warmed plates :)
Recently, being winter in this country, and with Escom's electricity tariffs ever increasing, people are obviously looking at other ways to cook their evening meals.  Which is probably resulting in a surge of Dover Stove sales.  As the stoves don't come with a manual or instructions on how to operate a Dover stove, I have, therefore, had quite a few hits on my blog with the search phrase "how to use a Dover stove", so I thought I give a brief explanation.


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Firstly, it is advisable to place a water filled pot (or whistling kettle LOL) on top of the stove (directly above the fire section) prior to lighting it.  I have heard that this protects the stove and prevents the cast iron from cracking as it suddenly warms up.
Small lever - pull it forward
Secondly, in the front, above the oven door and just below the cooking surface, there is a small lever.  This must be pulled out (forward) in order to close off the vent to the oven, and to ensure that the initial thicker smoke is directed up the chimney and not towards the oven area.

Then, insert your kindling into the burning section, light it and wait for it to achieve a good burn, and chimney draw, before pushing the lever in again. The good burn will indicate that the chimney is drawing correctly and with the increase in heat and flames, the initial smoke will be decreasing.

Finally, once your wood is merrily burning, and your fuel section is filled with wood, close the door, and slide the vent lever at the bottom of the door to a spot where it is open enough to create a draught to burn your wood, but not too wide to send the heat the fire is creating up the chimney because the wood is burning too quickly.

That is all there is to it.  Very simple :)  Just remember to keep your eye on the wood - in order to maintain your oven temperature, you'll have to keep it stoked.

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Latest news:  The purchaser of our town house has just asked whether the would be able to move in a month earlier - makes sense, because she has school going children, and the school holidays is a perfect time to move a family.  Luckily, I started packing last month, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem to complete that task in time.  But it means that we have to speed up with the transporting of all our stuff.

So - we're off to the farm again tomorrow.  This trip will be devoted to schlepping some of the loads of large garden pot plants (and their pots) - as well as to throw the foundation for the garage...

63 comments:

  1. Shame about not having the chimney recess but really the stove looks great and it seems like you're getting on well with it. The burning area looks quite small as well which implies to me that it must have quite good energy efficiency!

    Good luck with the expedited move :)

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    1. Tanya - Yeah, I've got the Dover figured :)

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  2. HI Dani, Fellow SA here. Love your blog and have signed up as a follower. Plates could be warmed by placing over gently simmering pot on stove top with pot lid ontop of them. Swap around after a few minutes, and wipe off just before dishing up. Laura

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    1. Laura - Welcome :) Thanks for taking the time to comment, and for hitting the follow button. Do you have a blog?

      Yes, good idea. Now I can use both LOL

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  3. I woul give anything for a wood stove but we can't fit it in my kitchen atm. How bizzare that you are burning the same wood that is native to our block! How on earth did it get over there?

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    1. Linda - Wood stoves are an absolute treat :)

      Black Wattle was brought in to control erosion - many years ago. But it's overtaken the indigenous plants and is not classified as "Alien" - and "Unwanted - must be removed" :)

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  4. Thanks for the welcome. No I don't blog sadly, love to read other peoples - and occasionally chip in - if thats okay? I live in a townhouse in Gauteng, trying to be as organic and green on my little patch as I can. So envious of your transition and will follow eagerly for all tips. Laura

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  5. So your Hout Bay home is sold! Congratulations, good news.

    Somewhere, oh yes, the Hell up on the Swartberg pass. We had a Dover stove. We made the fire in the BIG section. Telling the story later, to people who had used the Dover stoves, they roared with laughter. The whole cottage was filled with clouds of acrid smoke. We gave up in despair.

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    1. Diana - Thanks - yeah, exciting times :)

      Love your story of the Dover - it's a mistake which is easy to make because the fire compartment doesn't look big enough, and the oven DOES :)

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  6. Dont feel bad, I routinely smoke myself out of the room with my stove too. I think it is just the nature of the beast:)

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    1. Jane - I'm reassured to hear that - I thought it was only the Dover... :)

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  7. Congratulations, you are officially on your way! Love the stove, I have no knowledge of it but it's fun to learn from others!

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    1. DFW - Thanks - oh, yes, we are :)

      Wood burning stoves are brilliant - once they stop smoking LOL

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  8. PLEASE HELP. WE HAVE A DOVER WELCOM WITH CHIMNEY . THE FIRST TIME WE USED WE WERE SMOKED OUT AND HAD TO REPAINT THE KITCHEN AND LOUNGE...WHAT DID WE DO WRONG
    THANK YOU
    HOUT BAY

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    1. Anonymous - Hi and Welcome to my blog. Could I ask you to please contact me via e-mail (dani at ecofootprint dot co dot za) with your contact number or address. I'm in the same suburb as you and I will phone you / pop round :)

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  9. I don't know what it is, but wood stoves (and the Dover in particular) are just so NEAT looking. Maybe it's the concept of having fire in your kitchen to cook with. Like "real" fire, if that make sense. I would love a wood stove but like someone above said we just don't have room, and we don't have a cold enough winter that it would warrant warming the house. Still, even having said that, I'd LOVE to have one! Yours is beautiful. Nice job!

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    1. 1st Man - Thanks :) Great pity it doesn't get cold enough where you are. Nothing nicer than a log burning stove in winter :)

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  10. Hi. Do you now where i can download a manual for reassembling a Dover Stove No 8? Thank you

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  11. Hi. I have a Dover No 8 and i am reconditioning it by myself. Do you where i can find or download a manual for reassembling it? Thank you

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    1. Savvas - Welcome, and thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. You can find the Dover stove diagram at http://ecofootprintsa.blogspot.com/2013/05/dover-stove-info.html

      Good luck :)

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  12. Hi - It's great to find this blog. I have a Dover Welcome stove in a house I have purchased in the UK (Northumberland). I have no idea of its history but don't seem to be able to find any others in this country. Do you know when / where these were manufactured?

    It seems to work - although it did send a lot of smoke round the kitchen.. I have since read up on this on your blog so next attempt should at least be more human friendly! I think I may have to reseal the stove top plate openings. I'm guessing new stove rope should do the trick.

    Luckily the stove is not essential for heating / cooking, but in a remote part of Northumberland power cuts are not unheard of so it's a great back up.

    Chris

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    1. Chris - Welcome :)

      I also don't know it's history, but my husband reckons that it originated in Dover, England (thus the name) and the cast iron was a British product - probably from the start of the industrial revolution... ?!? There are plenty of them here in South Africa, especially in the old rural farmhouses, and I think that they were the only cooking stoves available in days of yore - apart from open firepits, and open hearths...

      I would suggest that you check your Dover very well - not only the top cooking area, but also the side walls. Make sure all the external corners / back and inside oven joints are sealed, and if there are any cracks, they will need to be sealed also. See if your local fireplace shop has any heat resistant putty - to seal any joint gaps and cracks. That will assist with the draw of the stove, as well as curb the smoke emmission :)

      I am going to give you a link to the Dover stove diagram I posted - just in case you need to pull it apart and put it back together again ;)

      http://ecofootprintsa.blogspot.com/2013/05/dover-stove-info.html

      And here is a link to the fireplace putty:

      http://ecofootprintsa.blogspot.com/2012/08/final-dover-stove-posting.html for info on the fireplace putty.

      Finally, the Dover stove should be kept as rust free as possible - to extend the life of the parts - I don't know if you will be able to find spares in England...

      Scour off any rust with sandpaper, brush away the resultant dust, and, after lighting the stove to warm the cast iron slightly, sparingly oil the exposed stove surfaces, before wiping it dry again with a dry cloth - especially before putting it to bed for summer.

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    2. Thanks for that - it seems in pretty good nick- but great to hear all your advice in case I need it! Happy Christmas

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  13. Thanks for all that advice - much appreciated! Happy Christmas

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  14. I have a Welcome Dover at our property in Mudgee NSW Australia (surrounded by wattle) I love this stove as we have no electrcity, by choice. I am reassured by your blog that I am using it correctly, thank you, as I had no instructions and had to experiment. It cooks the most delicious meals and I love having so much room on the cooktop. I have always had a pot of water on top so that was good information too. do you use anything else on the stove to keep it in good condition or do you just oil it? I use a polish but it is necessary to do it frequently and doesn't take long to rust. I don't get smoked out very often by the way, only just when I start it. I open the door to outside until I shut the flue lever.

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    1. Lynette - welcome - and thank you for taking the time to leave a comment :)

      Lynette, the only care that I can recommend is to keep a sharp eye out for rust. If you see any, please, use fine steel wool or sandpaper to remove any trace of it, and then oil over that spot.

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  15. Thank you for sharing about this topic! Great blog! We just fired up our new old Welcome Dover and it works as a bomb! The stove-paint gave off smoke initially otherwise no smoke at all. After starting it with wood we added coal. Coal fire is not as fast as wood, it goes longer. Thanks again for all the info and diagram! I found everything I was looking for on your blog)).

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    1. Helena B - Welcome and thank you for taking the time to leave a comment and for your blog compliments. I am so glad to hear that the information I posted has been useful. That makes it all worth while :)

      Helena B - just be careful with the coal - a Dover stove is designed to burn wood, and coal may well burn through the wall plates quite quickly as they are not designed to take that heat intensity. ;)

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  16. Just bought a welcome dover in gold coast australia, were off grid and we have erased the need for our wood hungry fireplace and our expensive gas stove. Havent fitted it yet but we think its beautiful.

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    1. Scott - Welcome - and thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. Sounds exciting - you haven't update your bog in a while...

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  17. Hi Dani. We have just upgraded our Dover 6 for a Dover 8 with water heater. We are plumbing it to and from the water supply and geyser with 1" copper pipes and brass couplings. it is starting to look great. I shall post a few pics once I have finished polishing the pipes and done the final fitment. It's already looking rather "Jules Verne cross Steampunk" . You have been quite an inspiration to us. Thank you for all you info and ideas.

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    1. Tobias - Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and for your kind words.

      Your water connection sounds good - one question though - have you allowed for a pressure valve?

      Would love to see a pic - do you have a blog?

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  18. Hi Dani. Yup I shall be fitting a safety pressure valve as well. As soon as I have fitted everything, I shall post some photos and a drawing for the plumbing side of things that shall hopefully help anyone else who is going to couple the stove up to their electrical geyser. Sorry, I am not sufficiently conversant with "puters to try blogging. Regards from Swellendam

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    1. Tobias - Sounds like you have everything covered. Where are you going to "post" drawings and pictures?

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  19. Hi Dani ...Good point, had not thought about it! Where should I post the info?

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    1. Sounds like you may need to start a blog... lol

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  20. Very interesting and informative blog

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  21. Hi you wanted to know where the Dover stove originated,largely in central Scotland , the Falkirk iron works ,and Coburns , Falkirk also produced the poikie koss pots from the smallest to the size you boiled up the missionary in!

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    1. Makora - Welcome, and thanks for taking the time to leave a comment.

      That makes sense - I've seen similar stoves marked Falkirk! Ha! - so it's Falkirk Iron Works fault that missionary's were boiled - had they not supplied the cast iron stoves to the cannibals, they wouldn't have been boiled alive in them - merely roasted alive on the fire... ;)

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  22. dani,
    could you post mr. lochner's pictures?

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    1. Deborah - I have not heard from Mr Lochner, and do not have his pics.

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  23. Hi Dani, lovely blog. A couple of things: 1) please don't suggest sand paper or steel wool. clean rust off with white spirit vinegar. Sand papering means having less stove and steel wool will leave fine bits in all the cracks and they will rust like anything. 2) Your side plate shelf is the top for the side mounted water reservoir but as a plate warmer it looks terrific. If you can come across an old Glenwood (which was a tarted up #8) you will find the back splash plate, top warming drawer and side supports will fit on your stove. These screw through the top and if you run your fingers under the side edges you will find the two 'blanks' where the holes have to be drilled. 3) one of those grey dog blankets you can buy cheaply will cure pre-warm up smoking. Just lay it over the top. A good seal around the hotplates (they are known as 'cups) is not essential but fire putty in the seams IS. 4) A tip from Ouma, to make the cooking top non-stick, wipe a frying pan that has cooked bacon with newspaper and rub it all over once a month. 5) Make your Dover oven smell nice by occasionally painting the inside with fresh canola oil with some cumin seeds sprinkled in it. (this works for potjes too). 6) Speaking of potjes, if you have a 1/2 or 3/4 you can cook with them by removing a cup and just plonking it in. Nice for sauces! Hope this helps any readers. We are the makers of Zebo replacement stove polish now known as 'Zero'. Most co-ops have it these days. TTFN

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    1. Dear Rod, I am contacting you from the Poisons Information Centre at Red Cross Children's Hospital in Cape Town. We have just had a call about a child who ingested some "Zebo stove polish". Please could you contact us urgently on poisonsinformation@uct.ac.za and let us know what ingredients are in this product so that we can advise the caller about potential hazards of exposure to it. Many thanks, Dr Cindy Stephen

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    2. Dr Stephen - I have managed to find the contact details for Rod and have asked him to contact you urgently. His contact details are: 082 629 4952 or zero.stove.restorer@gmail.com He has said he will call you immediately.

      Delete
  24. Rod - Welcome and thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. And what an informative comment :) Thank you for setting this blog post straight - I am just a housewife, trying to share what I have learnt about my old Dover stove. Now, everyone who reads this blog posting will hopefully take note of your advice :) Would you like to leave your contact details in a comment so that anyone who reads this blog post can contact you?

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  25. We have just bought an old Dover stove and have taken it apart and refurbished. Does anyone have the diagram of the plumbing side. We would like to connect to our geyser and would appreciate some ideas.

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    1. Landy - Welcome, and thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. Unfortunately I am unable to assist you with a plumbing diagram - perhaps one of my readers can help?

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  26. Hi,

    I got a old dover 7 in spares, i am trying to assemble again. where could i get photos or pictures how to assemble

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  27. HI, can someone please explain briefly as to how to use the damper when roasting or baking. I recently fitted a damper system which did not come with the stove.

    Regards
    Clive g.

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    1. I'm not an expert, but I have found that when you pull the damper towards you you are opening the vent to allow heat to circulate round the oven. When the damper is closed (as when you first light the fire) the smoke is directed up the chimney, and the heat is concentrated round the top cooking surface. To understand more, remove the cooking plate above the damper, push the lever backwards and forwards and observe how it opens and closes.

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  28. Hi Dani, thanks for your interesting info. We have moved to the Langkloof to a tiny cottage and are purchasing a Dover stove (can't wait), however as we have very limited space I was wondering if you know how far away it has to be placed from windows/glass pane? Thanks!

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    1. Harley Rock - My sincere apologies for the tardy reply to your comment - it somehow got lost in my inbox.

      Harley Rock, welcome to rural Western Cape - there is no better life lol

      All fires get hot (duh) thus I would recommend ensuring that it is no closer than 1/2 a metre to a window. PREFERABLY, try and get some cement board to put up to block the heat as in the first pic on this posting:
      https://ecofootprintsa.blogspot.co.za/2015/08/winter-or-spring.html
      We did that to protect the wall from the heat otherwise there was a chance that the wall would, overtime, crack. There is also a 12cm space between the wall and the back of the stove - to allow the heat to escape.
      2nd reason for the board - if it is painted the same colour as your wall - is that it is easier to repaint it if it should get messy during cooking, than repainting the entire wall ;)

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  29. Hi Dani,

    Thanks for the post, great to see it carry relevance over so many years to so many places.

    I've been fiddling with my mother in law's frankendover ( it's been welded and bolted back together from cracks by previous owners).

    It would appear a great deal of coughing and sore eyes could have been avoided by using the damper above the oven door but this one is missing!

    Any ideas on a spares spot in SA? I'm based in the natal Midlands if that helps!?

    Regards
    Trayton

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    1. Trayton - You're very welcome, and thanks for visiting my blog and taking the time to leave a comment.

      The only place I know which has a vast supply of spares is Dassiesfontein in the Western Cape. Sorry I couldn't be of more help. Perhaps if you contact them they might be willing to send you what you need?

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  30. Hi Dani, I have just bought a small cottage in Suurbraak with a Welcome Dover. It does not look as if the previous owner used it much?? The fire box is very small so I assumed that it would be a coal not a wood stove. Now looking at your photos and reading through your blog, I am very hopeful that it is a wood burning stove as we are surrounded by black wattle just waiting to be harvested. I would appreciate some advice about 1 how to service a Dover before using it after a period of dormancy. and 2 how do I find out what model it is and whether or not it is a wood or coal stove. I have a photo of it I could email. I did google Dover stoves SA and various similar search words in the hope that I would find a `Dover technician’ and I found you. Appreciate your informative blog. Allthebest, Kim

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    1. KimK - Welcome and thank you for taking the time to leave me a comment.

      We live down the road from you 😉

      Please - let me have your e-mail addy via a comment and I will send you a comprehensive reply tomorrow when I am back online (answering you via my phone at the mo') - I will not publish the comment. If you could also send me a pic that would be great 😁

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  31. Hi Dani

    My father bought a plot in Pearlybeach which had an old Welcome Dover stove built in an outside bbq place. He gave it to me seeing it was in a terrible state. Just about the doors are the only parts that still looked okay. I welded up some holes and will fab some more to make it usable. Seeing it is past its glory days, I will use it again as an outside stove.

    The only thing it seems not to have is the damper and damper rod. I have tried to figure out from your diagram how it exactly fits and works but it is difficult just from the pic. Is it possible you can take a pic or two in the open and closed positions from the top? It would be greatly appreciated.

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    1. Hi Cobus - welcome, and thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. Kobus, I no longer have a Dover, so the best I can do is direct you here:

      https://ecofootprintsa.blogspot.co.za/2013/05/dover-stove-info.html If that is not clear enough, I can happily send you the pic by e-mail - would just need your e-mail addy...;)

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  32. I have downloaded the pic and numbers and the latter is very clear so I dont think you sending me a pic will improve much. I've seen many youtube clips - some of them of Dovers but never gets to see that specific part. Quite a few makes of woodstoves to see, some of them just too beautiful. Thanks anyway.

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  33. For those who think space is a problem, my Welome Dover #6 stays outdoors and is a joy to use.

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Thank you for taking the time to comment - it makes my day and removes the "loneliness' of sitting at my screen blogging supposedly to myself ;) I try and reply as quickly as possible so please forgive me if sometimes my response is delayed.