stove flue damper?

[leoibb]

hello all. i have a wood stove and i can reguate it so no air enters it, so pretty much airtight if i close it down totally.
now a friend of mine says i still need a damper??
i cant see how there would be any benefit from fitting a damper. my assumption was the damper is good if the stove cant be closed and regulated, one can use the damper to do this..
so do i or dont i need a damper?

 

[shawneyboy]

Leoibb,

First of welcome to the forum. In general, for newer woodstoves, a flue damper is NOT needed unless you are dealing with some over-draft isssues. I have one on my flue and do NOT use it at all. To me it is just for some insurance against the rare over-draft situation I may run into but it was not needed.

That being said, even when the flue damper is open it does have some effect on the draft. Because of how it sits in the flue it does actually slow the flue gasses even when it is open.

On many older stoves, it was indeed needed because of the lack of control of air intake, but not the case for many/most newer stoves.

Shawn

 

[leoibb]

thankyou for the reply

 

[snowleopard]

But if it can be regulated so as to almost put out the fire, would it then not be a non-EPA stove?

I have a damper in my stovepipe, firsrt joint above the stove. In my case, it's very helpful because I can get the stove to put out more heat, and make fires last longer. However, I live in a somewhat extreme climate zone where I need to maximize performance. YMMV, and probably will.

 

[Fsappo]

The OP has a made in China stove. I would consult the owners manual for the stove, or contact the manufacturer directly in regards to using a damper. How is your Manderin?

 

[brianbeech]

But if it can be regulated so as to almost put out the fire, would it then not be a non-EPA stove?

I have a damper in my stovepipe, firsrt joint above the stove. In my case, it's very helpful because I can get the stove to put out more heat, and make fires last longer. However, I live in a somewhat extreme climate zone where I need to maximize performance. YMMV, and probably will.

I have a non-EPA stove and I can regulate my fire to almost go out by closing the air; I have no flue damper. I'm still on the fence about whether to get one or not, just in case.

 

[xjcamaro89]

I have a non EPA stove that does not have any type of intake regulation. I do have a flue damper that is mounted in the collar on top of the stove. Because of this the flue damper can never be completely closed, only about 66% of the way. I did read reviews on my stove, Century Heating Whistler, that a buyer installed a second flue damper about a foot above the factory one. The second damper would be able to be closed the whole way.

I was thinking about this the other day and wondered what you guys would think about a second damper in addition to the factory one that only closed 66% of the way. Since i cant control my intake. I would like to extend my burn times if possible. Any thoughts?

 

[leoibb]

the stove i have is non EPA , so EPA stoves cannot be closed down fully then?

 

[oldspark]

the stove i have is non EPA , so EPA stoves cannot be closed down fully then?

No they have pass the emissions test some how.

 

[SteveKG]

We have four stoves. One needs a damper, not because the manual says so, but because it does. It won't operate well at all without one. The other stoves simply do not need a stovepipe damper.

Our other stoves do not need nor do they have one.

You will know if you need one. Sounds to me as if you do not. So it isn't worth the bother of installing one.

The person telling you to get one may have a stove that does need it. Many of the older stoves I've used over the yr. did need one, and they were quite commonly used in former times. So perhaps this person is so accustomed to using them, he still thinks stoves won't work properly without one.

Not true for most stoves these days.

Like I said before, you will know, either way. Don't bother if your stove is working fine and you have good control.

 

[fran35]

I have an Englander 30 NC and about 30 feet of double walled chimney on the exterior of my house. I cannot shut my fire down if I try and I think I have a ridiculous draft that may need a damper installed. How will I know this for certain and has anyone ever done this on these stoves with a similar install?