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Mid-Winter Toyo Check With James Murphy
January 7, 2026
We are now well into winter and have accumulated a bit of snow. That is great news for skiers and snowboarders, but your Toyo Heater may not agree. Top that off with an extended cold snap and a few power outages and there are a number of things that should be checked on your Toyo install. They are kind of like checking your tire pressure and oil levels, easy to do but easy to forget.
Here is a tip to save you money. Toyo stoves have an automatic cleaning cycle that they go through once per day. This burns the carbon out of the combustion chamber and heat exchanger. The catch is, the clock needs to be set for this to occur. A twenty-minute power outage will clear the clock. To check to see if the clock is set, simply push the power button to off. If the time is displayed you are good to go, just turn the power back on. If the display is flashing you need to reset the clock. It is not real intuitive so you might want to refer to your owner’s manual. If the clock is not set, the regular cleaning will not occur and you will have to have your Toyo stove serviced more often.
While you are there, I would like you to check the fan cover for lint, hair, and dust. For some models there is a screen that you will pull up and remove to clean. Otherwise, a dust rag or Swiffer will take the dust off of the fan cover.
Let’s go out to the fuel tank. Here is an important fact. Most fuel tanks have vent and fuel caps on top that can easily be covered and smothered with snow. Believe it or not, this can create an air lock, causing your gravity fed unit to strain for fuel. Fuel won’t flow out of the tank if air can’t get in. During the heating season, clean off any snow from the top of the fuel tank. This is crucial to the performance of your Toyo heater. Plan your winter routine to keep the vent and fuel cap free of snow, debris, or obstacles.
While out at the fuel tank, you should also inspect your fuel system hardware fittings for cracks or leaks. On a side note, have you run out of fuel recently? If so, your fuel filter could have air in the filter assembly and needs to be bled out. Feel free to call The Woodway for the proper steps on bleeding the air out of your fuel filter assembly. Just be sure you are able to describe what your fuel filter looks like.
Be sure to ask for James - 907-452-4002.
From the outside fuel system, take a walk to where your exhaust flue outside is located and make some observations. If your flue is more than a couple years old, it is time to inspect the flue. Is your flue exhausting out at least 8” above anticipated snowline? Do you have a snowbank build up that could be kicking exhaust back toward the fresh air intake of the flue? Regular snow removable needs to be part of your winter routine, as any obstacles inhibiting the flue should be removed. Also observe the eaves above the flue for icicles and hoar frost. Flue inspection should be done 2 to 3 times during each heating season. Inspect the flue outside, make sure that there are no holes at the end of the exhaust pipe wall. This may not make sense, but it happens more often than you think. The flue generally goes bad on the interior part of the flue, (Part A) first. Inspect the flue with the power turned off at the operation panel. Remove the air supply hose and rubber cap from the flue. Look into the intake parts of the flue, you will see the walls of the exhaust pipe. Inspect the exhaust pipe wall for any holes. This exhaust wall should also feel rigid. If the exhaust wall flexes when pressed it may be time to replace the flue.
We also have a good supply of new Toyos in stock in all sizes and colors. The newer models of Toyo Laser heaters are both WiFi and Bluetooth capable and can be monitored by an app on your phone, even if you are on vacation in Hawaii!
Feel free to call The Woodway with questions.
James Murphy (907) 452-4002
Toyo Sales and Service
james@thewoodway.com
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