I have burned wood for 40 years. Barrel stoves, older style Earth stoves, Ashleys and such. Now I have a beautifully burning Morso stove that is doing great. It is a large stove with a 6" flu that quickly adapts to an 8" pipe and is connected to an 8" clay chimney. The Chimney is tall and goes above the ridge of this ranch style house. It draws very well, no problems there. I burn dry hard wood and have great, clean and very hot fires. I always see the gasses burning through the jets across the top of the fire box and the glass stays very clean all the time. Sometimes the firebox is full of beautiful flame as I often have the air supply open 50% or a little better to heat this large house. I wonder if I should have a damper on this stove? I have never had a stove installed that didn't use a damper. This burns so clean and hot, but I would like to get it hotter of course without sending all the heat up the chimney!. I have no idea about this kind of stove with the secondary burning and all. I see many stoves like this without dampers. But I have this great draw and all. I look forward to the recommendations.
To damp or not
- Thread starter moosestew
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Sounds like you are doing fine without the damper. I don't have one on my stove. It seems that the only reason most people put dampers on their newer stoves is because their draft is too strong and they are trying to reduce that some. If you are not having overdraft problems, I don't see it helping you much.
Just my $.02 worth.
Just my $.02 worth.
LLigetfa
Minister of Fire
Putting in a key damper is easy. If the stove doesn't perform as expected with it, just leave the damper open.
I was told by several folks in the biz when I purchased my Jotul that EPA stoves were not to be dampered. I dunno - I've got a very tall, strong-drafting chimney and had a flue damper on my old dragon which worked well. I can't say that I have noticed a need for one with my Jotul, but maybe that's because I haven't tried it.
Moose,
My determination is whether or not I can load the stove fully before I go to bed, sleep a full night, and have enough coals in the morning to restart the fire. The fabled "overnight burn". If you can do this, you don't need a damper. If you can't, a damper might be helpful.
My determination is whether or not I can load the stove fully before I go to bed, sleep a full night, and have enough coals in the morning to restart the fire. The fabled "overnight burn". If you can do this, you don't need a damper. If you can't, a damper might be helpful.
Backwoods Savage
Minister of Fire
moosestew said:
Moose, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
With most of our stoves we've had dampers. With our last 2 we have not. The stoves work great without dampers.
You said you are running the draft open 50% or more. So if you are running with the draft open that far, why would you need a damper? A damper would be needed only if your draft was too great and you were getting super hot fires. It sounds to me like you are good just the way you are.
Thanks Dennis,
I was thinking that dampening the draft may save 'loss of heat'. That is the way it works on an older style stove. No better way to keep a barrel stove hot than to get a hot fire going and then dampen it down a bit with the air still on. I'm just not sure if I am wasting wood. it is nice that it burns so clean and i would not want to compromise that with a damper . . . but if it would help and still burn clean. I found the comment from the Jotul guy interesting, "Not recommended by the manufacturer to damp. I guess it is just in my blood. Thanks! Thanks to everyone for their comments.
I was thinking that dampening the draft may save 'loss of heat'. That is the way it works on an older style stove. No better way to keep a barrel stove hot than to get a hot fire going and then dampen it down a bit with the air still on. I'm just not sure if I am wasting wood. it is nice that it burns so clean and i would not want to compromise that with a damper . . . but if it would help and still burn clean. I found the comment from the Jotul guy interesting, "Not recommended by the manufacturer to damp. I guess it is just in my blood. Thanks! Thanks to everyone for their comments.
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