Blaze King Key Damper for High Temp Smoke Smell

[Calentarse]

Hey, all. I may have missed this in the BK thread after reading it for an hour the other night, but did @BKVP ever give an official ruling on @aaronk25 ’s solution for the high heat Smoke Smell issue? I think my manometer readings would be good for the stove on low as there is little to no smell, but I’m thinking I will put a key damper in to see if it helps with the smell when I need to turn the stove up on those cold nights. Feels so weird to now be fighting the same battle but on the other end of the draft problem, for those of you who know my situation. Advice welcome. Will probably order a duravent double wall piece of pipe that has damper in it. Do I just undo my telescoping pipe from the stove adapter and fit this on it? Burning Season is fast approaching! Thanks guys.

 

[begreen]

Yes, the damper is in a 6" section of DVL. Slide up the telescoping pipe and insert.

 

[aaronk25]

Ya I ended up using 2 key dampers about 1’ apart from each other and to stay at the .06 and preferably .04 they both are at about the 10o’ clock position. This helped with the stink. A big part of it is keeping the wood back and not right near the glass on long slow burns, and keep the moisture content less than 18% especially slow burns.

Mine issue wasn’t high heat smell it was low burn.
Amazingly enough with the right amount of draft, the stove puts out more heat at any given setting and the cat doesn’t plug from ash either.

It’s my understanding that blaze king can’t recommend a key damper as it would be illegal (epa) for them to do so as they can only recommend equipment that was part of the certification run for the emissions of the stove.

I think my issue came from excessive draft like .25 to .3 when really cold. The new class A chimney really holds heat and with about 24’ of it she pulls like a freight train. Well almost. Blaze king did a great job and stood behind the stove. Very happy. [emoji106]



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[Highbeam]

Hey, all. I may have missed this in the BK thread after reading it for an hour the other night, but did @BKVP ever give an official ruling on @aaronk25 ’s solution for the high heat Smoke Smell issue? I think my manometer readings would be good for the stove on low as there is little to no smell, but I’m thinking I will put a key damper in to see if it helps with the smell when I need to turn the stove up on those cold nights. Feels so weird to now be fighting the same battle but on the other end of the draft problem, for those of you who know my situation. Advice welcome. Will probably order a duravent double wall piece of pipe that has damper in it. Do I just undo my telescoping pipe from the stove adapter and fit this on it? Burning Season is fast approaching! Thanks guys.

I own two duravent double wall appliance adapters. One with a damper and one without. It's just the little 6" section that you jamb into the stove. I am currently running the nondamper version because it's much easier to clean the chimney without a damper.

 

[Calentarse]

Ya I ended up using 2 key dampers about 1’ apart from each other and to stay at the .06 and preferably .04 they both are at about the 10o’ clock position. This helped with the stink. A big part of it is keeping the wood back and not right near the glass on long slow burns, and keep the moisture content less than 18% especially slow burns.

Mine issue wasn’t high heat smell it was low burn.
Amazingly enough with the right amount of draft, the stove puts out more heat at any given setting and the cat doesn’t plug from ash either.

It’s my understanding that blaze king can’t recommend a key damper as it would be illegal (epa) for them to do so as they can only recommend equipment that was part of the certification run for the emissions of the stove.

I think my issue came from excessive draft like .25 to .3 when really cold. The new class A chimney really holds heat and with about 24’ of it she pulls like a freight train. Well almost. Blaze king did a great job and stood behind the stove. Very happy. [emoji106]



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Thanks! I find it interesting that you had too much draft on low and only smelled it then? Did you have odor on high too? I also wonder why not just have one damper and shut it completely instead of the two?

I do not smell my stove most nights on low which makes me think that I must be within spec on low. The key damper is a Cheap solution to try for those cold nights. Maybe @Highbeam will let me borrow his!

 

[aaronk25]

The reason for 2 dampers is it allows the adjustment to be broader and not so sensitive.

With one 100% closed is to much, but even a hair cracked and it jumps up past .06. With 2 set the first one for a course adjustment 2nd one dials it right in. Also draft seems to be less affected by temperature change with 2 vs 1. It stays at the proper draft or close 2 it.


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[Calentarse]

Wow, that sensitive, huh? I had hopes for this install, but it seems like constant adjustment is needed through the burn cycle?

 

[aaronk25]

Wow, that sensitive, huh? I had hopes for this install, but it seems like constant adjustment is needed through the burn cycle?

Surprisingly no, once the dampers are set draft stays right between .04-.06. For the whole burn. Open them up and it’s up in .15-.25 or .3.....range way to high. I thought for sure they would need constant tweaking, nope.


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[Calentarse]

Surprisingly no, once the dampers are set draft stays right between .04-.06. For the whole burn. Open them up and it’s up in .15-.25 or .3.....range way to high. I thought for sure they would need constant tweaking, nope.


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That makes me hopeful!

 

[Highbeam]

The key damper is a Cheap solution to try for those cold nights. Maybe @Highbeam will let me borrow his!

Ha! it's in a box all nice and happy. I have hopes of someday installing a "better" burner in my shop and switching to double wall. I'm saving the damper section for then.

 

[Ashful]

Aaron, I’ve been simply adjusting to .05” on high, during my initial 20-30 minutes of burning on high, before turning down. I do not readjust when I turn down, and because I’m almost fully closing the damper to hit that .05” on high, I do see a jump in draft when I initially turn down. IIRC, that jump settles down after the pile cools a bit, running on low.

What is your exact procedure?

Like you, I notice more heat from the stove with the damper, than before. It also resolved my frequent cat plugging issues. Also, like you, I noticed that too-long wood places too close to the glass was the cause of both a higher rate of cat plugging and odor from the stove. I started cutting to 18”, and all that was resolved.

 

[MAD MARK]

Just an outsider question(s) as I dont own a Blaze king let alone a cat stove.

Is not 2 dampers 1' apart partially closed asking for a cold chimney and major buildup? How long have you ran this?

And are you guys running solely off of draft numbers, or chimney °F combined?

 

[begreen]

Just an outsider question(s) as I dont own a Blaze king let alone a cat stove.

Is not 2 dampers 1' apart partially closed asking for a cold chimney and major buildup? How long have you ran this?

And are you guys running solely off of draft numbers, or chimney °F combined?

In a normal height chimney, yes that could be possible. Usually one pipe damper will suffice but in a strong draft situation then it may need two. We see some homes here that have 35-40' flues. That is a very tall pipe.

 

[Calentarse]

Just an outsider question(s) as I dont own a Blaze king let alone a cat stove.

Is not 2 dampers 1' apart partially closed asking for a cold chimney and major buildup? How long have you ran this?

And are you guys running solely off of draft numbers, or chimney °F combined?

I have had two of these stoves, one on a 17 foot stack with 2 45° bends and one on a 25+ foot stack with no bends. I have only ever had thermometers, but now I am considering installing a manometer to better regulate my water column. Dirty chimneys are never something I deal with with a Blaze King. With the first set up, I had a smoke smell with the stove on low, so I presume I was probably not within spec on a manometer there. With the second set up I am probably now not within spec on a manometer when the stove is on high. Had my set ups been the opposite, meaning, short stack with no bends at my first house, and a tall stack with two bends at my current house, we probably wouldn't even be having this conversation. But because I have a tall stack and it is straight up I am now having to put in the dampers to slow the draft down for the nights I turn the stove up on high. In my mind, this is simulating bends in the chimney. Seems like such a narrow window to get the stove to operate without a smoke smell. Sometimes I question if I am just sensitive, but when my wife and other visitors to my house comment on it, I know it's not just me. When I pour the pipe to install the key damper I'm really going to vacuum the area around the cat really good and ensure that it is not clogged in anyway. From there, the troubleshooting continues… I refuse to give up!

 

[Calentarse]

Aaron, I’ve been simply adjusting to .05” on high, during my initial 20-30 minutes of burning on high, before turning down. I do not readjust when I turn down, and because I’m almost fully closing the damper to hit that .05” on high, I do see a jump in draft when I initially turn down. IIRC, that jump settles down after the pile cools a bit, running on low.

What is your exact procedure?

Like you, I notice more heat from the stove with the damper, than before. It also resolved my frequent cat plugging issues. Also, like you, I noticed that too-long wood places too close to the glass was the cause of both a higher rate of cat plugging and odor from the stove. I started cutting to 18”, and all that was resolved.

I'm definitely guilty of this. I will be using shorter wood and not cramming things in anymore near the door. I will also be monitoring my cat more closely as everyone mentions theirs clogging. I give it the monthly shop vac every couples months but you all have me wondering now...