Can a stove draft TOO well?

[HawkinsHollow]

I just reinstalled our Englander 17-VL, just in time for the cold snap to get here. 9' of Duravent DVL double wall inside and 4 feet of Duravent Class A chimney leaving the vaulted ceiling living space. I fear the stove might draft too well with the new double wall flue pipes, is that possible? Even with the damper choked all the way down on lowest setting the stove is getting too hot. I think it is partially due to fuel load. Yesterday I burned all day and was able to keep it under control, nice slow burn with the secondaries just slightly kicking off. But I think that it might be because I did not stuff it full of wood. Last night when I packed it full for the night it took off like a freight train. Even choked down on the lowest setting it was on the verge of overfiring.

I put a new door gasket on it and it has a really nice tight feel when the door is closed so I don't think it is that. Anything else I should look at? After the stove cools off I am going to poke around under where the damper does it's thing to make sure it is sliding back and forth like it should. I also might order a damper for the pipe leaving the stove as well. It is not a very nice feeling having a stove that you can't slow down if you wanted to.

 

[Dieselhead]

Absolutely. Best way to know is get a manometer reading on the flue pipe. I run a Dwyer all season I have a 26’ flue and when conditions are right it can overdraft. I have a key damper inline.

 

[kborndale]

Was it abnormally cold outside? The colder it is outside the stronger your draft will be. Did you do the dollar bill test on your door? With only 14 ft of chimney you wouldn't expect excessive draft but it could be.

 

[stoveliker]

Or was your wood drier than before ("reinstalled our..." - has your wood been waiting for more years ?)
Dialing down sooner upon a reload will help.

 

[HawkinsHollow]

So inline damper on the flue is what I need I think. Give me a little more adjustability. It's only $50 I think I will order it right now! For even more adjustability I could put a blast gate like this on the intake side of the stove. Like I said, it is not a good feeling to have a stove you are not in full control of.

 

[HawkinsHollow]

Was it abnormally cold outside? The colder it is outside the stronger your draft will be. Did you do the dollar bill test on your door? With only 14 ft of chimney you wouldn't expect excessive draft but it could be.

It wasn't abnormally cold. It was in the low 20's. That is cold for my location, but not cold in the grand scheme of things.

Or was your wood drier than before ("reinstalled our..." - has your wood been waiting for more years ?)
Dialing down sooner upon a reload will help.

The wood is pretty dry. I tested it with my cheap moisture meter from Harbor Freight, and it read 11%. Cherry and hemlock.

 

[stoveliker]

The wood is pretty dry. I tested it with my cheap moisture meter from Harbor Freight, and it read 11%. Cherry and hemlock.

I know it was; a stove running away is unlikely when wood is too wet.
My point is: your wording suggests you are used to the stove behaving in a way, and now you reinstalled it and it runs hotter.
That may happen if your previous usage was with less dry wood (maybe dry enough, but less dry than it is now). If your "break from using the stove" had wood laying up drying more, that could be an issue.

A key damper likely will help (and imo is never a bad thing to have as it doesn't harm much - edit, if used properly, i.e. not cutting the draft too much... - , and can do a lot of good).. But if merely the wood is drier, then a solution could also be to turn down the air sooner and more aggressively upon reloading.

 

[HawkinsHollow]

I know it was; a stove running away is unlikely when wood is too wet.
My point is: your wording suggests you are used to the stove behaving in a way, and now you reinstalled it and it runs hotter.
That may happen if your previous usage was with less dry wood (maybe dry enough, but less dry than it is now). If your "break from using the stove" had wood laying up drying more, that could be an issue.

A key damper likely will help (and imo is never a bad thing to have as it doesn't harm much, and can do a lot of good).. But if merely the wood is drier, then a solution could also be to turn down the air sooner and more aggressively upon reloading.

Yes, it is definitely behaving differently. The only main difference is I added an OAK. WHich isn't piped in yet but the inlet is loosely covered 6" away. And I added double wall flue pipe. Key damper ordered! My wood has always been pretty well dried, it is something I pride myself on.

 

[stoveliker]

Draft will increase with double wall piping, and an OAK (if connected) may also increase draft if your home is very tight.

 

[HawkinsHollow]

Draft will increase with double wall piping, and an OAK (if connected) may also increase draft if your home is very tight.

Yep, figured as much. These might be the main contributors to the behavior difference I am seeing in my stove.

 

[HawkinsHollow]

Let me ask yall this because I know there are some people here pretty knowledgable about stove. I think my stove the Englander 17-VL specifies NOT to use an inline flue damper. Why would that be so? Does anyone have insight on that?

 

[stoveliker]

I think this is because the stove has not been tested with one.
Officially the stove is only approved for use within a (flue) system that is within the parameters with which it's been tested.

That's dumb, as draft differs for different systems, so a damper may sometimes be needed. And, if done in systems that do need it, and if done appropriately, they will not decrease safety but increase it.

If it were me, and I find I have too much draft, an key damper is going in...

 

[kborndale]

Let me ask yall this because I know there are some people here pretty knowledgable about stove. I think my stove the Englander 17-VL specifies NOT to use an inline flue damper. Why would that be so? Does anyone have insight on that?

Pretty much all stoves say no to a key damper. It's one thing that should be ignored. If you have excessive draft a key damper is necessary. They say no because they are not tested with one so it technically voids the UL testing.

 

[stoveliker]

as an addition: folks used to use key dampers in old (no baffle) smoke dragons. Close the damper, let the stove smolder all night - and stink up the neighborhood.
That is not ideal, and that may be part of the reason too why dampers are not seen as good by regulators.

Just look at your exhaust every now and then to ensure you're running the stove well (meaning not only that you're clean but also that you get most heat for your lbs of wood) - is all.

 

[begreen]

It could be that the wood is igniting quicker due to a better air supply, or it could be a batch of different wood that is drier or has more resin content or the draft is better. If so, change previous habits. Try turning down the air faster, loading thicker splits, and packing it tighter.

Also, check the baffles and make sure one didn't get dislodged while moving. I think there are 2 in this stove.