This post is a follow up to my ongoing Damper Settings Dilemma.
I've been tweaking the settings for a few weeks, trying to wring every last btu out of our Napoleon NPS40.
Last year I decided on feed 4, damper setting 2 out of damper scale Lo 1 2 3 4 5.
This year I decided to try lower (more closed) damper settings to see if we could dump more of our btu's into the house rather than out of the exhaust pipe.
I tried burning the stove on damper 1, feed 4 and the burn pot filled up with ash too quickly.
Damper 1.5, feed 4 did better but we still had a lot of ash in the burn pot.
I tried lowering the feed to 3 with damper Lo, because the flame changes from lazy and sooty to white and bright at Lo. That burned OK, just OK, for 24 hours. We got OK heat but not great out of it. That makes sense- it corresponds to a low burn.
I commented yesterday that no matter how open the damper, what rate the feed, our pellets just don't dance. I see everybody chattinga away about their dancing pellets, and I didn't get it. My pellets don't dance. Ever.
This morning when I shut down to clean after the feed 3, damper Lo experiment I found a sooty stove. (No big surprise there.) I vacuumed it well and decided to open the damper to burn with lots of combustion air for a bit, to burn off any remaining soot.
So I set it on feed 4, damper 3 and went on about my day.
I went in to check on the stove several hours later- about the time that I noticed that the house was feeling surprisingly warm despite cold temps outside, and the gas furnace hadn't cut in.
The stove was putting out quite a bit of heat.
I stuck our deep fat fryer/candy thermometer in the heat exchange exhaust. 250'F! I don't think we've ever gotten an output reading that high.
Most importantly- my pellets were dancing!
And I didn't think my pellets could dance.
So, it appears that the Magic Damper Setting is 3, and 3 Shall Be The Magic Damper Setting.
Gaugh. I'm done thinking about damper settings- even though I know that's not true, I like to tell myself that.
I've been tweaking the settings for a few weeks, trying to wring every last btu out of our Napoleon NPS40.
Last year I decided on feed 4, damper setting 2 out of damper scale Lo 1 2 3 4 5.
This year I decided to try lower (more closed) damper settings to see if we could dump more of our btu's into the house rather than out of the exhaust pipe.
I tried burning the stove on damper 1, feed 4 and the burn pot filled up with ash too quickly.
Damper 1.5, feed 4 did better but we still had a lot of ash in the burn pot.
I tried lowering the feed to 3 with damper Lo, because the flame changes from lazy and sooty to white and bright at Lo. That burned OK, just OK, for 24 hours. We got OK heat but not great out of it. That makes sense- it corresponds to a low burn.
I commented yesterday that no matter how open the damper, what rate the feed, our pellets just don't dance. I see everybody chattinga away about their dancing pellets, and I didn't get it. My pellets don't dance. Ever.
This morning when I shut down to clean after the feed 3, damper Lo experiment I found a sooty stove. (No big surprise there.) I vacuumed it well and decided to open the damper to burn with lots of combustion air for a bit, to burn off any remaining soot.
So I set it on feed 4, damper 3 and went on about my day.
I went in to check on the stove several hours later- about the time that I noticed that the house was feeling surprisingly warm despite cold temps outside, and the gas furnace hadn't cut in.
The stove was putting out quite a bit of heat.
I stuck our deep fat fryer/candy thermometer in the heat exchange exhaust. 250'F! I don't think we've ever gotten an output reading that high.
Most importantly- my pellets were dancing!
And I didn't think my pellets could dance.
So, it appears that the Magic Damper Setting is 3, and 3 Shall Be The Magic Damper Setting.
Gaugh. I'm done thinking about damper settings- even though I know that's not true, I like to tell myself that.