Damper. To add or not to add???

[rydaddy]

Try to keep this as simple as possible, but still give the necessary info in order to get the most responses.

I have a Hearthstone Heritage sitting in the middle of my house, run through the original fireplace chimney using 25' of 6" flex liner. Stove sits in front of the opening connected to a 2' section of black pipe with a cleanout in the back. Here is the conundrum, my dealer is also one of my customers. I mentioned to him the other day that when my stove is in its "burn cycle" and in its best "operating range" I feel that I have exceptional draft and wondered if I could add a damper to slow the burn down and extend my burn times. I could easily re-load this stove every (4) hours when the air is completely turned down, Starting a fire after 8 hours is better than starting from scratch, but not by much.

He suggested that I not. Another note: while in the "burn cycle" and turned all the way down, the cast iron "insert" that covers the top flue since I am using the rear one is at 700 deg. The soapstone at 500-600ish. Sure seems to me like If could decrease the draft some with a damper that I may extend the life of the fire.

This is my third season with this stove. I heat with this stove, furnace only kicks on when necessary. I am seriously considering upgrading to a Mansfield but would have to redo my hearth/wall etc. in order to hook it up to the chimney.

Any input to help me before I spend my pennies on the Mansfield?

 

[RedRanger]

If I were going to install a modern epa certified wood stove or insert it wouldn`t be going in there without a damper. Specially with a tall chimney with a good draft. Not for the longer burn time, but for some kind of reasonable control over that fire with the secondary burn. Too many posts on this forum about way,way to hot temps. I want piece-of-mind when I`m heating my home with wood.

 

[rydaddy]

That's reason enough right there. Thanks for the simple and logical input.

 

[eernest4]

rydaddy, please listen up ,

I run a 12 cubic foot 1/4 plate steel old timer stove that I reciently converted to full secondary burn & it kicks butt big time BUT it is also at the bottom of a 48 foot high internal masiontry & clay chimney, originally used for a coal furnace in 1910.

To say that i have tons of draft is an understatement. the draft blows out the match when I try to lite a fire.
I too, have been told not to use a draft damper & the reason for this is that most instalations have woefully inadiquate draft with their 10ft or 20 ft chimneys .

But my chimney is 48 feet, so i ignore the common wisdom & install not only a in line draft regulator but also a draft dump that opens the chimney to the room & if find that i need & use the draft dump as well as the draft regulator on every burn. Both are manually opperated so I have complete control & my stove is set up with 8 inch diameter single black wall stove pipe.

On start up of stove, I close draft dump & open in line draft regulator to get fire up to temp fast 600 to 800 deg flue temp but I usually shut it down at 700 deg with less primary air.
Sometimes secondary burn will start right then & other times I have to bring the flue back up to 700 deg to get secondary air burning.

once secondary air burn kicks in flue temps will drop to 300 deg & stove top temps will go to 500 to 800 deg depending on what type wood I am burning & this is with only 1/2 load of wood in stove. At this point I can adjust primary air, open draft dump to room & close in line draft 1/8th closed & set stove to cruise for 5 hours with 350-400* stack temp & 550 to 700*
stovetop temp. I use a 24 inch box fan on high for my stove blower.

At end of burn i see 300deg stack with 400* stove top so it time for more wood unelse I want to burn down an overlarge ember bed.

So,i constantly use both in line draft regulator & draft dump to room. Bothe are the same 8 in draft plate sold at all hardware stores, just that the draft dump is installed in a tee open to the room. there was one anti smoke modification I made for the rare no draft days that sometimes happen. I block the hole in the middle of the draft dump regulator with sheet metal & machine bolts & nuts & buy an 8 inch circular close off cap for the tee in case of a day with no draft to prevent smoke from exiting. Rest of the time ,357days a year,it sucking in room air.

EVERY INSTALLATION IS DIFFERENT & WHEN YOU INSTALL A IN LINE DRAFT DAMPER, YOU WILL NEED TO TAKE THE TIME TO WATCH YOUR STOVE LIKE A HAWK FOR THE FIRST WEEK OR TWO UNTIL YOU LEARN THE NEW WAYS OF YOUR STOVE.

REMEMBER NOT TO CLOSE THE DAMPER DOWN ALL THE WAY which will snarfle your stove & create a smoking & smoldering fire. always leave a little flame on the fire to prevent smoking
& keep your stack temps above 300 deg 350 is better, to prevent creasote build up.
Good stack temps are 300 to 450, even 500 if the room is real cold, but dont cruise at 500 unelse you must to maintain a reasonable house temp.

Keep one magnetic stove thermeter 18 inch up on the smoke stack & the other centered in the hottest part of the stove top, & you will know what your stove is doing all the time.

650-700 deg stove top with 300 to 400 deg stack temp is nice crusing temp of 16 deg weather

for 30 to 40 deg weather , I go 300-350stack with 500 -550 stove top.

I FIND THAT THE DRAFT DUMP WORKS BEST IN CALMING DOWN THE STOVE FROM A 700* STACK TEMP TO INITIATE SECONDARY BURN , to a 550deg stack temp & I watch as stove top temp slowly increases while stack temp slowly decreases over about 8 to 10 min
WHEN STACK GETS DOWN TO 500* ,i OPEN DRAFT DUMP if i get a indacation of stove top temp rise.

YOU KNOW YOU GOT SECONDARY BURN WHEN THE STOVE TOP GOES UP & THE STACK TEMP GOES DOWN .

maybe i go into too much detail & tell you stuff you already know, soory if this so, but others reading might not know & benifit from it.

so I think you do ok with a draft regulator.

 

[rydaddy]

AWESOME! Thanks for the in-depth reply. I'm getting a damper tomorrow and will install before I start a fire tomorrow night. I will have to try and remember not to start a fire tomorrow AM to help insure that I have a cold stove to work on.

Thanks again guys!