Flue Damper Worth Every Penny (and then some)!

Well said! My stove maker doesn't allow a flue damper though. No real place to put one either since the class A goes right onto the stove. I'm guessing some others might not allow a flue damper as well.

Would there be any benefit to installing a damper say 3 feet up in the single wall rather than 6"up? I would assume you would basically create a hotter exposed chimney that way but I'm not sure?

Jason

Thanks Pen, I'll keep in in mind for my own install. I agree that it seems like good insurance.

Would another benefit be installing it at your wall/ceiling thimble, so that it could be closed when the stove is not in use, providing a bit of extra insulation from the cold air at the top of the chimney?

I run one on each of my stoves. As was stated earlier, it is nice to have the control factor. With 20 per cent or less wood, I can get a 8 to 10 hour burn out of my older Regencey R-3's and have a deep bed of coals to reload and carry on. This time of the year, I run 24-7 on three reloads a day. Wouldn't be without them.

It has been many, many moons since we had a damper. No, I do not intend to install one either because I do not feel one is needed. I bought the 6-pack instead.

We have one for one stove which, for some reason, can emit smoke indoors when it is gusty or very windy. I engage the damper part way in those winds and it solves the problem. I paid about four bucks for it twenty-some yr. ago and it has paid for itself.

Note: we have frequent windy/gusty conditions here in the long winter months. Not uncommon to have it blowing well past 60 mph, and that is when we need the damper slightly engaged.

On year 3 with many different conditions from sub-zero temps to 50 degree outdoor temps . . . no wind to well right now blizzard-like conditions with 40+ mph winds . . . and I still see no change in my woodstove . . . house is warm . . . fire is behaving normally . . . unfortunately I don't drink (that often) so I'm not sure what to spend my money on since I will not be buying a 6-pack . . . maybe I'll put it down towards a new truck.

+ 1 Pen - I've said this before on some other threads. I use mine a lot and, unless as others posted and the system can't have one, I can't see why everyone (mainly) wouldn't have one in the pipe just in case. Cheers!

I plan on putting one in soon too. Sometimes, while waiting for my stovetop to hit 400 so I can start dialing it down, the draft will really take off and the single wall pipe will be in excess of *800. The smoke alarm goes off because the paint is burning off the pipe. I've got a damper in the garage from my old stove, just need to find the ambition. As I recall, it was the price of a good six pack...or as I was inclined to get when I used to drink, a cheap 15 pack (Stroh's Light). You only rent beer for a short while. Never saw the need to pay high rent. ; )

I tried to put one in using the official appliance adapter for my double wall pipe. No luck since the adapter was too loose. It is tougher to install a damper into double wall. We see no wind related overdraft but we do see overdraft in cold weather and with certain fuel loads.

The only negative is that you can't run a brush through a pipe with a damper in it. Some of us are lucky enough to have vertical flues that can be swept from the roof right into the firebox.

Highbeam said:

Some of us are lucky enough to have vertical flues that can be swept from the roof right into the firebox.

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Ja, I just have to remove the baffle. Top down, no mess, no fuss.

Devils advocate-or questions I would ask myself - or other hearth.com users prior to installing a damper:
1. Does it make cleaning the pipe more difficult or tedious?
2. Could it restrict airflow when you do not want it restricted, ie opps, brainfart, i left it closed, or, defective handle.
3. Could it be a fire hazard? Could the turbulent flow around the device flap cause an accumulation of creasote?

madison said:

Devils advocate-

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2 - I used to hang a weight from the handle to ensure it didn't turn and close unexpectedly. I also purchased the next size up, i.e. one made for a 7" flue to use in a 6" flue, so it was too big to turn all the way around. That way I always knew the position of the damper was in relation to the position of the handle and I could move the weight to the other side to keep it closed.

I would have burned a quarter cord last night if not for my damper. Wind was sucking air through my stove like a dang Dyson. My stove came with one already install in the collar. When we replace this stove I will most definitely be putting a damper in the pipe.

I do not have one, nor have I ever felt the need to have one.

If your stoves damper is not closing well enough to control the burn, maybe look into why not.

I live on the coast of Cook Inlet, and when the wind get howling, 40/50/60/70 mph, that little damper is piece mind.
Hi my name is Roger...and I to put a damper in an EPA stove..

Mcbride said:

I do not have one, nor have I ever felt the need to have one.

If your stoves damper is not closing well enough to control the burn, maybe look into why not.

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Hey McBride,

On a cat stove, like yours, I completely agree.

The issue I've seen posted over and over is folks with non-cat EPA stoves, which, for EPA compliance, have primary air that cannot be shut off completely. Folks with very strong drafting flues with those stoves report fast burns and runaways, and can't control the stoves like they want to until they damper down the flue.

Just a FYIFWIW.

I burn a Mansfield with a 30' interior chimney.
I can close the air and the damper down with most burns just to keep the stove top around 600.
Secondaries work great no smoke out side. I burn lots of construction cut off that are nice and dry.
Hopefully I am not wrecking the stove as this is the top temperature allowed. This is my second year burning.
I hope using a damper makes the burn longer and more efficient?
Geoff

Geoff John-West said:

I burn a Mansfield with a 30' interior chimney.
I can close the air and the damper down with most burns just to keep the stove top around 600.
Secondaries work great no smoke out side. I burn lots of construction cut off that are nice and dry.
Hopefully I am not wrecking the stove as this is the top temperature allowed. This is my second year burning.
I hope using a damper makes the burn longer and more efficient?
Geoff

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Hi Geoff, and welcome.

I am not an expert, but I believe you are a prime candidate for a flue damper. It would allow you to try damping your flue in hopes of reducing your burn rate and stove temp, and extending your burn time. You sound like you know what a clean burn is, and would know how to be on the lookout for damping down too far, which puts out your secondaries and belches unburned smoke out your stack.

I don't think slower burns would increase the efficiency of your stove itself, but would cut your wood consumption. Is that what you're asking? And yeah, I'd think it would be easier on your stove to not run it so hot all the time.

HTH. What do experienced people say?

So gents, I'd love your input.

I had a damper put in with my install because I have never lived w/a woodstove (pre-EPA, dating all the way back to barrel stoves) that didn't have a damper on the stove pipe. Not to have a damper just seems . . . well, you know those dreams where you're back in school and it gradually dawns on you that you're the only one there wearing pajamas? It just seemed kinda not right. So I asked for and got a damper installed in the single-wall run. The damper came in its own stovepipe section (and was a little more than beer money) and I had it installed immediately above the collar.

Mentioned that to my woodstove-store-guru (who was out having surgery when I *finally* had my install), and he said, "Nah, not a good idea, just a place for creosote to build up, think about getting it taken out." I kicked myself for buying something I didn't need, but your discussion is making me reconsider.

I've not noticed that fiddling with the damper has much impact on a regularly-burning fire, at least not to the extent I've seen it matter in the past. I've lived with stoves where you could just about put the fire out by shutting down the air supply--the stove I have now (Hearthstone Heritage) lacks that `I'm really, really shut now' quality. It hasn't been a problem in any way, but you know those dreams where . . . oh, never mind. My install is just about text-book: straight shot up in the center of the house, no offsets, two stories interior, climbs through an R60 attic and clears the ridge of the house by about 2-3', a couple-four feet off the ridge, and about parallel with the top of the hill that we're built into, on the south side with prevailing winds from the north. Generally not stormy here, just gets cold in the winter. Sometimes a little windy. Haven't had anything less (or more) than a good draft.

I figured it's not going to build up much creosote there because it's in the hottest part of the stove pipe, or so logic would suggest, and I've had no evidence of creosote build-up. I'd really appreciate any words of wisdom, including how much of an obstacle this will present for cleaning.