Blaze King- Build Damper? Stove INsert Seal?

[gijoe985]

Couple newbie questions-

1) Simple- Should there be a as perfect as possible seal around the stove insert? So no air should go around it? I believe so, just confirming. I can fab something up if needed.

2) So, I have 2 wood stoves in my new house. My main floor stove did not seem to perform NEARLY as good as my basement stove. I swapped stoves. The Blaze King is now upstairs. It still makes more heat and uses less wood, but it does not have the damper up top like I assume it should. So, should I look at getting one? I cannot buy parts, but I could always make one? I'm a shop teacher, so fabricating something should not be extremely hard. I figure a metal plate that fits, pins to hold it in, a way to open and close it, and I know that most picture of the ones I have seen have like a hole in the middle to still allow a small amount of air through when filly closed. Or I could just not close it fully...

Thoughts?

 

[bholler]

Do you have a liner hooked to it?

 

[gijoe985]

I'm sorry if my wood stove vocab is still unpolished... Is that the shroud that goes flat up to the wall on the top and sides? If so, yes.

 

[bholler]

Is that the shroud that goes flat up to the wall on the top and sides? If so, yes.

no a stainless stell pipe running from the top of the stove to the top of the chimney. It is usually a flexible liner and should be insulated

 

[gijoe985]

Nope, mine just runs to original chimney. The chimney sweepers didn't seem to see anything wrong with the setup...

 

[mellow]

What inserts are we talking about here, exact models or pictures please.

 

[gijoe985]

Blaze King KFF-403, I believe.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...kbCcBNwZ2jbhE_2nA&sig2=RTHl2WXIfPPKpuXE0vhCjQ

 

[mellow]

Might need to get @BKVP in here, he can at least point you in the correct direction.

 

[bholler]

The chimney sweepers didn't seem to see anything wrong with the setup.

Well they are wrong sorry if it is an insert just slid into the firebox it is unsafe and does not meet minimum code

 

[gijoe985]

So, I need to learn more about my chimney, but if you have a properly tile lined chiney, you would not need a stainless lining as well, correct? Or at least that's what I'm reading.

My first step is I need to establish what I've got.

 

[bholler]

So, I need to learn more about my chimney, but if you have a properly tile lined chiney, you would not need a stainless lining as well, correct? Or at least that's what I'm reading.
My first step is I need to establish what I've got.

If it is an open fireplace technically if there is a good clay liner in it you would only have to run a liner into the bottom of the clay liners but even that is not very good at all you really should have a full liner in it. If it is a freestanding stove that can be piped into a properly sized and good condition clay lined chimney you would be ok with that

 

[gijoe985]

So, I believe it is like you said, it is piped into a clay lined fireplace chimney. It is an insert.

 

[bholler]

Ok if there is a pipe running up into the base of the clay liners and it is sealed between the stainless liner and the clay it meets code. It wont work nearly as well as it could but it is to code. I would strongly recommend lining it top to bottom with an insulated ss liner

 

[gijoe985]

Ok if there is a pipe running up into the base of the clay liners and it is sealed between the stainless liner and the clay it meets code. It wont work nearly as well as it could but it is to code. I would strongly recommend lining it top to bottom with an insulated ss liner

What difference would that make on efficiency? (Not questioning you, more just want to understand how it works)

 

[bholler]

What difference would that make on efficiency? (Not questioning you, more just want to understand how it works)

The old clay liners are almost certainly oversized which means that exhaust gasses will expand and cool. This will reduce draft and cause excessive buildup of creosote. Direct connects like that are also a real pain in the ass to clean properly and the 2 liners can never really be sealed so there is always potential for dirt to fall down past the joint