Damper Install

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
  • Hope everyone has a wonderful and warm Thanksgiving!
  • Super Cedar firestarters 30% discount Use code Hearth2024 Click here
Status
Not open for further replies.

mayhem

Minister of Fire
Hearth Supporter
May 8, 2007
1,956
Saugerties, NY
Las tyear I had a Morso 3660 installed in my living room. The room has 26' cielings and the pipe runs right though it, so I've got about 28-20 feet of black double wall that runs into a few feet of silver triple wall where it goes through the roof. At the time of install I asked baout installing a damper in the pipe but the installer didn't think it was necessary so we didn't.

My question is this, is a damper a necessity in a modern sotve like my 3660 or to put it another way, is it explicitly disallowed by modern code?

Am I giving up any potential efficiencies by not having a damper that I can partially close to keep some of the hotter gases down where they may be reburned? Longer burn times being sacrificed?

Essentially as it sits my stove is an open path to outside air...during hte winter obviously the airflow goes outwards, but during the warmer months its a direct path inwards. While I don't think I have a bird of bug problem, perhaps I may down the road?

Thanks.
 
I suspect that the draft is pretty strong, especially when it's cold outside. But if the stove is working well and very controllable, then it probably is fine. If the stove tends to get too hot, even with the air control closed, then a damper may help.

There should be a screen on the OAK intake so that there are no problems with vermin entering.
 
The dampers all seem to have holes in them making for an intentionally imperfect seal of the flue when closed. I would install one for fire control but not for insect control.

Your OAK should have a screen like mine does, see my pics in my sig.
 
No OAK present...lord would I ever like to have one though. Dealer says there isn't one avalable, Morso's site says there is, but doesn't offer a way to get it. Is there a generic OAK available or are they all model specific?

The stove is pretty controllable I think, once the stovetop temps get over300 degrees its like a train and just goes and goes (with good, hard, dry fuel of course). With the load of rock maple I've been burning I get regular stovetop temps of about 600 degrees, 700 when I shut down the air control so it keeps the house decently warm except the extreme edge rooms, which are on their own oil burner zone.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.