I have an indoor center-house chimney (8 in. flue) of about 30 ft., my new Morso 2110 is located in the basement - vented through the top. I've taken apart my stovepipe which was approx. 3 ft. up and then a 90 degree with about a foot of pipe leading into the chimney. I start a new fire each evening when the stove is stone cold and the difficulty getting started without smoke is a pain - I've tried all the usual remedies except a liner and changing my pipe to a different configuration. I am changing the pipe to go up 2 ft. then straight back to the thimble at a 45 degree angle, which requires moving the stove out a few inches - hopefully this will help my start-up draft. The thing is, once I do get the fire started it takes off like a freight train - I'm burning all hardwood seasoned at least 2 years, so I thought of putting a damper in my pipe just for peace of mind. I'd probably rarely use it, and I know they're not usually recommended for newer EPA stoves. Yes? No? This is my first newer stove. Any thoughts appreciated.
Effect of damper/draft issues
- Thread starter hillside
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Hillside,
I can't answer your question, in fact I am kind of wondering the same thing. I've recently upgraded from an old Homestead Wood Circulator, tin box pop-riveted death trap to an older Dovre Heritage 300E airtight stove. The older stove had a chimney damper in place as our chimney is outside the house, about 22' from the inlet to the outlet. Getting a draft with the old stove was a nightmare. It simply wouldn't burn hot enough unless it was stoked full open wide and jumping off the floor. The Dovre I've just installed is remarkably more efficient, but as it was so much smaller and with the draft problems we were experiencing I opted to not install the damper in the new pipe. Now after a few days of experimenting with it I feel as though I should. Stove starts great chimney seems to get real good draft right off, but once the chimney is hot I feel that I should be able to turn the burn rate down lower than I can now. With the stove shut right tight, after re-upping the burn temp I would like to see it burn a little slower. Hopefully one of the experts will chime in and give us a link to the right stickie, or make a few recommendations.
I don't mean to hi-jack your thread, hopefully it just gives it a bump and someone with good knowledge will chime in.
I can't answer your question, in fact I am kind of wondering the same thing. I've recently upgraded from an old Homestead Wood Circulator, tin box pop-riveted death trap to an older Dovre Heritage 300E airtight stove. The older stove had a chimney damper in place as our chimney is outside the house, about 22' from the inlet to the outlet. Getting a draft with the old stove was a nightmare. It simply wouldn't burn hot enough unless it was stoked full open wide and jumping off the floor. The Dovre I've just installed is remarkably more efficient, but as it was so much smaller and with the draft problems we were experiencing I opted to not install the damper in the new pipe. Now after a few days of experimenting with it I feel as though I should. Stove starts great chimney seems to get real good draft right off, but once the chimney is hot I feel that I should be able to turn the burn rate down lower than I can now. With the stove shut right tight, after re-upping the burn temp I would like to see it burn a little slower. Hopefully one of the experts will chime in and give us a link to the right stickie, or make a few recommendations.
I don't mean to hi-jack your thread, hopefully it just gives it a bump and someone with good knowledge will chime in.
firefighterjake
Minister of Fire
Bumping to the top . . . a bit surprised no one answered your questions guys.
I don't have a basement install, but from what I've read getting a draft established can sometimes me a challenge . . . and I'm not surprised to hear that once you get the draft established it really goes since 30 feet is a fairly long run.
Generally I don't think dampers in the stove pipe are really all that great . . . except when folks have an over-draft situation. Of course, one must realize that the EPA stoves are designed to run hot and strong . . . it's what establishes the secondary combustion . . . and so I would say getting a damper might not be a bad idea . . . but knowing what you're getting for stove top temps and flue temps might also give us an idea of whether one is needed or not.
I don't have a basement install, but from what I've read getting a draft established can sometimes me a challenge . . . and I'm not surprised to hear that once you get the draft established it really goes since 30 feet is a fairly long run.
Generally I don't think dampers in the stove pipe are really all that great . . . except when folks have an over-draft situation. Of course, one must realize that the EPA stoves are designed to run hot and strong . . . it's what establishes the secondary combustion . . . and so I would say getting a damper might not be a bad idea . . . but knowing what you're getting for stove top temps and flue temps might also give us an idea of whether one is needed or not.
LLigetfa
Minister of Fire
Well... a key damper in the smoke pipe is a no-brainer. They are cheap to buy, easy to install, and if they don't work as expected, you just leave it wide open. I don't really see a down side.
Will it help with the cold starts? Not unless the flue is reversing and cold air is sucked into the house further cooling the flue. A damper is not a solution to a reversing flue.
Will it help to tame a strong draft? Certainly. Will it keep some heat from being wasted up the flue? Yes.
Will it help with the cold starts? Not unless the flue is reversing and cold air is sucked into the house further cooling the flue. A damper is not a solution to a reversing flue.
Will it help to tame a strong draft? Certainly. Will it keep some heat from being wasted up the flue? Yes.
Thanks Guys,
About a week ago I decided after a particularly fast and hard burning stove full to let the beast burn out. Had a brand new damper plate and spike hanging in the garage, dismantled the pipe after dinner and installed the damper. The stove I'm using isn't (I don't believe,) one of the 'New' EPA models. It's a Dovre Heirloom 300, last manufactured I think in 1998, but a lot more airtight than the one I had been using. What an amazing difference. Now I can let the stove burn good and hot, but at the same time feel confident that I have a good deal of control over it. With everything closed up tight I can all but snuff the stove out, where pre-damper I could only plan my escape from the house and hope for the best. Again, thanks for the input, hope the OP can use the info.
About a week ago I decided after a particularly fast and hard burning stove full to let the beast burn out. Had a brand new damper plate and spike hanging in the garage, dismantled the pipe after dinner and installed the damper. The stove I'm using isn't (I don't believe,) one of the 'New' EPA models. It's a Dovre Heirloom 300, last manufactured I think in 1998, but a lot more airtight than the one I had been using. What an amazing difference. Now I can let the stove burn good and hot, but at the same time feel confident that I have a good deal of control over it. With everything closed up tight I can all but snuff the stove out, where pre-damper I could only plan my escape from the house and hope for the best. Again, thanks for the input, hope the OP can use the info.
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