Question regarding an old cookstove (ca. 1920)

[King Kineo]

Greetings - I had this old beauty restored this past summer and lit the first fire just prior to Thanksgiving. It is a King Kineo made by Noyes & Nutter in the early 20th century just a few miles down the road from my house in Bangor, Maine.

He has had a fire in his belly every day since then and has transformed our home with his warmth and elegance. As I become more familiar with the stove I feel I am better able to operate it to achieve the most efficient burn but there are still some things that I haven't been able to figure out and I hope someone on here might be able to steer me in the right direction.

At the top/rear of the cook surface where the stove pipe connects is a small sliding panel. Playing with it has not produced any big results that I can attribute to its being moved from one position to the other. Frankly, I'm stumped, and I wonder if anyone knows what that panel does.

I'm sure it's something silly and simple, but the only stupid question is the one you don't ask. Thanks for looking.

 

[begreen]

Flue damper? Is there a linkage on the backside?

It's a beautiful looking stove. Are you cooking with it regularly?

 

[bholler]

Is it the bypass to direct more heat to the oven?

 

[begreen]

Is it the bypass to direct more heat to the oven?

Could be. Usually one would notice the effect of moving the bypass right away. It really slows down the fire and will cause the stove to spew smoke if closed before the stove has warmed up. But perhaps the linkage came disconnected?

 

[bholler]

Could be. Usually one would notice the effect of moving the bypass right away. It really slows down the fire and will cause the stove to spew smoke if closed before the stove has warmed up. But perhaps the linkage came disconnected?

It also depends how much is diverted around the oven. Some dont divert that much. But honestly it is just a guess i know nothing about that stove

 

[begreen]

King Kineo can you lift a nearby stove lid and with a mirror and flashlight see what the slider connects with?

 

[2broke2ride]

That is called a check damper. It is used to introduce cool room air into the exhaust stream to help.slow down the draft and control the temperature of the cooktop and oven. It is a unique feature to cookstoves.
As me tioned there should also he a bypass that when open alows exhaust straight out the chimney and when closed forces the heat and exhaust to flow under the cooktop and around the oven before exiting through the chimney.

Cleaning these stoves properly a can be a messy proposition but is necessary as the ash and soot can insulate the oven enough to significantly lower the temperature.

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