I'm no expert on wood burning stoves but I have run a few different ones at different times in my life and I hang out with some people who are long time burners. One of those people sometimes reminisces about a Vermont Castings Vigilant(?) he once owned that was set up to gradually open the damper as the stove temp dropped later in the burn. So if that works, and it apparently did for Andy, why don't more manufacturers design and sell stoves with such damper systems installed?
Automatic Dampers- Where's the challenge?
- Thread starter valuman
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One reason I heard was that they can be a bit tricky in the certification test. Its harder for a manufacturer to control the burn well enough during the EPA certification testing which makes it a disincentive to include the feature, even though they work pretty well in real world. This is second hand and I'm sure lots of guys will have better answers for you. Good question.
bobdog2o02
Minister of Fire
ALL of BlazeKing's stoves have these. The US Wonderluxe circulator has one. Many wood furnaces use them too.
The thermostatic damper was the main selling point for me on the BK.
The thermostatic damper was the main selling point for me on the BK.
There have also been very many bad ones out there to that made the stove hard to burn properly. There are also some very good ones but honestly i have seem more bad ones than good ones
You bought a stove without a thermostatic air control? I'm enjoying the steady heat from my thermostatic stove right now. Boring as heck. We're all just warm.
Yes, and we can drive a stick and took the training wheels off our bikes years ago.
Just messin' with ya, man. 
Having the stove adjust the air would be handy, especially with this weather. I have to play with the air to keep the Dutchwest crankin' out max heat; Closed at the beginning of the load, then opening the air a couple times as the burn proceeds, and more to burn down coals. I need to get the Keystone back online; It was more hands-off. Will the BK thermostat burn down coals, or doesn't it have that much throw? Even better would be what the geeks have done with thermocouples and servo motors. I might have to go that route. For sure, the blower is going back on the Dutchwest, then riding the razor's edge of max output won't be as necessary when it gets this nasty cold out.
I was just wondering the same thing yesterday. Although in my third year of burning I can almost tell by sight and sound, I get a flashlight to check the temperature on the thermometer i put on the top shelf of my insert. Then I adjust the air flow if necessary. Usually the fan is on low but I sometimes turn it off after a reload to help get the temp up faster, and sometimes I crank it on high when the temp gets really hot with the air almost cut off.
With all the technology today you would think that having a microchip somewhere to control these things would be standard. I feel like i'm in the 1800's adjusting my air flow and using a flashlight. Someday I would like to buy a stove that:
1. tells me what the temperature is in the stove/insert
2. adjusts the air to maintain most efficient temperature (secondary burn).
3. if air is open all the way and temperature is not reached within 5 mins, it shuts the fan off. (ie, end of a load).
4. if the stove air is all the way down and temperature gets over a certain level, the fan goes on high until at optimal temp.
5. press a button for "reload" which shuts off fan untli optimal temp is reached.
6. Have three settings: 1. get as much heat out as possible (air open, fan on high), 2. maintain optimal stove temp (above), and 3. i'm hot (no air, fan on low or off).
I'm going to be perturbed if i'm sitting in a driverless car some day and getting out to adjust the air on my stove.
Edit: I have an insert so the fan is essential. This post might not make sense if you have a stand alone stove without a fan.
With all the technology today you would think that having a microchip somewhere to control these things would be standard. I feel like i'm in the 1800's adjusting my air flow and using a flashlight. Someday I would like to buy a stove that:
1. tells me what the temperature is in the stove/insert
2. adjusts the air to maintain most efficient temperature (secondary burn).
3. if air is open all the way and temperature is not reached within 5 mins, it shuts the fan off. (ie, end of a load).
4. if the stove air is all the way down and temperature gets over a certain level, the fan goes on high until at optimal temp.
5. press a button for "reload" which shuts off fan untli optimal temp is reached.
6. Have three settings: 1. get as much heat out as possible (air open, fan on high), 2. maintain optimal stove temp (above), and 3. i'm hot (no air, fan on low or off).
I'm going to be perturbed if i'm sitting in a driverless car some day and getting out to adjust the air on my stove.
Edit: I have an insert so the fan is essential. This post might not make sense if you have a stand alone stove without a fan.
Huntindog1
Minister of Fire
The Wood Stock Ideal Steel uses such a device that will let more air right to the cat at times it needs more air. As they found the cat starves for air at certain times. So they got more efficiency out of the stove by using a device that as the heat increases near the cat it gives it a little more air. Then here is the tricky part but a positive part that since the main driving force of a stove is the flue draw pulling air thru the stove , what happens is when you let more air in at the top of firebox right near the cat then less air is being pulled in at the bottom down by the main wood load. So the main wood load burns slower but the cat burns more efficient. So like a win win situation. Longer burn time while getting a cleaner burn.
bobdog2o02
Minister of Fire
I'm finding that it depends on the wood, i'm burning alot of walnut and maple right now.... not ideal with these temps but it is leaving me with a lot of coals that arent putting off much heat on the lower stat settings. So i would say the answer is sometimes, if you want lots of heat its less efficient at burning down the coals. but as stated i'm burning some wood that is notorious for coaling. I have been just raking it all to the front then manually throwing the stat wide open with the bypass open to increase draft. So far its working....
The stat works off of firebox temperature. I don't think it has very much throw, it's not like the stove goes to full throttle when the temp drops a little bit. I don't think I would want that anyway. The stat is most useful for regulating the output of a full load of fuel from startup to that period where the stove has insufficient fuel to make any heat.
Something about the stove, maybe the slow, flameless, cigar type slow burn tends to consume the wood from solid to ash without a coaling stage like the non-cats. Since my BK is properly sized in my relatively mild climate I only need to run at medium or low settings and maybe that has something to do with the lack of coal buildup.
I can watch the fire grow and shrink as the stat opens and closes during a burn. It really does work.
Wow, that's pretty cool.
My cat stoves burn E-W and will have a lot of coals late in the burn. With the Dutchwest I can open the air and get 400 stove top for a couple hrs, then temp tapers off. That's usually enough to hold room temp. But even in the Buck, which burns N-S, I will have some coals when the stove top gets down to 250. That's OK if I want to reload at that point, because I can pull the coals up and open the air to get stove temp back up for the reload, instead of having to burn up much of the load getting back to light-off temp. At 200 there's not a big coal bed left.
Wow, that's pretty cool.
I might have blamed the wood species for the lack of coaling in my BK but I am simultaneously burning the same wood in a big non-cat and can easily accomplish a huge coal buildup so I know what kind of problems it can cause for folks.
I would have liked a stat on the Castine as it's radiant design had notable temp swings each burn cycle. But mass seems to level out that issue. You would swear our stove is thermostatically regulated by the evenly comfortable temps in the house.
Ashful
Minister of Fire
bobdog2o02
Minister of Fire
Ha! The folks here convinced me to go cat. I took their advice.
My subtle attempts at humor aren't very good. I know that most folks don't have stats on their stoves. Heck, only 50% of my current stoves are BK. What if I had bought a second BK?
Ashful
Minister of Fire
Ashful
Minister of Fire
You wouldn't know what to do with all that time you'd be saving on moving an air control lever.
The 30-NC would be a natural for some kind of automated control. Just needs a temp controlled flap over the round hole where the primary air comes in.
Who?
Do you think they will coming over the pond? Sounds perfect for my wife. Set and forget!
Huntindog1
Minister of Fire
Does the micro control bring much more performance?
Or is it mainly ease of operation, that they are getting?
Or is it mainly ease of operation, that they are getting?
Keeping in mind that today marks the end of only the third week of me burning my stove, it occurs to me that having a cat stove complicates the automatic damper option. I'm seeing higher stove top temps when I close the damper down on a hot, loaded firebox. So without having a microchip to regulate based upon multiple parameters it seems that when the temp drops the damper opening might cause it to drop further, causing the damper to open wider. What am I missing?
Huntindog1
Minister of Fire
I see what your saying and I thought of this also:
Unless your needing to burn coals down quick like during a real frigid spell, then some people during coal stage will close the input air completely as during coal stage there is very little gases left in the wood. So the idea is to make those coals last longer as during mild parts of the winter the coals can still help the house to stay warm. Especially if you have a good insulated house.
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