Eko Loading Smoke Baffle

[Duetech]

Here is a "flexible smoke baffle" fix for your smokey loading troubles. This is designed for the 40 but can probably be adapted to work on the other EKO models. I don't have pictures yet so I will endeavor to explain.

Using a 1 1/2 inch wide piece of angle iron cut to fit almost snugly from side to side (roughly 17 inches long) on top of the primary air outlet channels inside of the primary chamber. This will practically seal the front of the boiler from the top of the inside to the bottom of the angle iron too. The angle iron needs to have the corner facing away from you so that the upright portion is furthest into the primary chamber. On the flat side of the angle iron that rests on the primary air channels, going from the near edge toward the upright (or back), cut a tab in each end of the angle iron going about one inch deep and one inch in from the left and right sides. Bend these tabs downward 90 degrees, in the direction opposite the upright section (or back side) of the angle iron.
Drill a hole in each tab (about 5/32-3/16" in diameter) large enough to insert a speed screw through about 3/4" down from the bend. Place this piece on the primary air channels so the tabs fit snugly against the primary air channels and drill a pilot hole (smaller than a sheet metal speed screw like used in duct work) through the channels.

In the upright piece (back) of the angle iron drill holes (for a 1/4" bolt) low down about 1/4" from the angle and about 1 inch in, towards the center of the primary chamber, away from the primary air channels.

Cut two pieces of flat iron (three inches wide) just small enough to fit in between the two primary air channels. Align one piece of the flat iron so it over laps the back piece of the angle iron by 1/2" and mark where the holes in the back piece are and drill them to accept the 1/4" bolts.

Align the second piece of flat iron so it overlaps the first piece of flat iron by 1/2" and drill holes it the two pieces so you can assemble them with bolts as with the "back" of the "baffle".

Loosely assemble the back and two flat pieces with bolts and locking nuts. Loose enough for the flat pieces to swing freely when pushed against.

Place the assembly back on to the tops of the air channels and screw the back piece tabs to the air channels and you have a flexible baffle/smoke fence that should deflect all but the worst flushes of smoke...Cave2k

 

[timberr]

Cave2k,

Any chance you could post a picture or two of what you did? sounds easy enough.

 

[barnartist]

Pica man. Pics....

 

[Dave T]

Cave,
LOVIN THE INOVATION KEEP EM COMMIN btw thanks for not giving the pics right away it gives us all a chance to visualize it and possibly get some more ideas or add to yours when we do see, much appreciated..Dave

 

[Duetech]

Here is a "flexible smoke baffle" fix for your smokey loading troubles. This is designed for the 40 but can probably be adapted to work on the other EKO models. I don't have pictures yet so I will endeavor to explain.

Using a 1 1/2 inch wide piece of angle iron cut to fit almost snugly from side to side (roughly 17 inches long) on top of the primary air outlet channels inside of the primary chamber. This will practically seal the front of the boiler from the top of the inside to the bottom of the angle iron too. The angle iron needs to have the corner facing away from you so that the upright portion is furthest into the primary chamber. On the flat side of the angle iron that rests on the primary air channels, going from the near edge toward the upright (or back), cut a tab in each end of the angle iron going about one inch deep and one inch in from the left and right sides. Bend these tabs downward 90 degrees, in the direction opposite the upright section (or back side) of the angle iron.
Drill a hole in each tab (about 5/32-3/16" in diameter) large enough to insert a speed screw through about 3/4" down from the bend. Place this piece on the primary air channels so the tabs fit snugly against the primary air channels and drill a pilot hole (smaller than a sheet metal speed screw like used in duct work) through the channels.

In the upright piece (back) of the angle iron drill holes (for a 1/4" bolt) low down about 1/4" from the angle and about 1 inch in, towards the center of the primary chamber, away from the primary air channels.

Cut two pieces of flat iron (three inches wide) just small enough to fit in between the two primary air channels. Align one piece of the flat iron so it over laps the back piece of the angle iron by 1/2" and mark where the holes in the back piece are and drill them to accept the 1/4" bolts.

Align the second piece of flat iron so it overlaps the first piece of flat iron by 1/2" and drill holes it the two pieces so you can assemble them with bolts as with the "back" of the "baffle".

Loosely assemble the back and two flat pieces with bolts and locking nuts. Loose enough for the flat pieces to swing freely when pushed against.

Place the assembly back on to the tops of the air channels and screw the back piece tabs to the air channels and you have a flexible baffle/smoke fence that should deflect all but the worst flushes of smoke...Cave2k

The picture with the boiler in it has no smoke coming out of the boiler when there normally would be. The baffle needs to flex about two inches more to make me real happy but it does what I intended it to do so when I move it into it's own shed with the storage I can load the boiler without smelling like a sausage when I go to bed.

 

[Dave T]

Nice looking improvements

 

[barnartist]

Cave, your Eko stains look the same as mine. I think you took a pic of my Boiler minus the improvements.

Looks like your thinking as long as you get the opening lower than the stack exit, the smoke will follow. Last season I tried a stack fan inducer. While it helped some, I still had plenty of smoke come at me. Not sure why they designed the thing like that.

Once again, I really don't know how some have this model in their house. Although there are times when it would be nice to NOT have to go outside to fire, I still like the trade- no smoke in the house, carry the wood in, ashes, dust etc. You guys that are able to do it cleanly have one up on me.

Nice job Cave. Hope it works like you want it.

 

[Duetech]

Cave, your Eko stains look the same as mine. I think you took a pic of my Boiler minus the improvements.

Looks like your thinking as long as you get the opening lower than the stack exit, the smoke will follow. Last season I tried a stack fan inducer. While it helped some, I still had plenty of smoke come at me. Not sure why they designed the thing like that.

Once again, I really don't know how some have this model in their house. Although there are times when it would be nice to NOT have to go outside to fire, I still like the trade- no smoke in the house, carry the wood in, ashes, dust etc. You guys that are able to do it cleanly have one up on me.

Nice job Cave. Hope it works like you want it.

EKO "STAINS"? I thought those were accent markings!? Getting the draft to find the easiest point of egress is the focus of the baffle. Normally when I open the door (even after letting the draft have time going up the chimney when I can) I get some smoke that wants to come out the door. When my bypass damper gets creosoted closed there is just no getting around it. But I want the smoke up the chimney ASAP. Loading the boiler when it is smoking is not the thrill of my life so I adapted the idea from my old wood furnace. The boiler is in an out building right now but I intend to move it to it's own building with storage and wood supply and if I haven't gotten rid of the sticky bypass by then I have a vent hood to use. Still simpler is better and some times you do what you have to only because you have to. The damper works but needs some tweaking but is working well enough that it looks like it is going to be a permanent fixture in my boiler.

 

[Dave T]

CAVE,
Have you found that this improvement helps with the creosote build up that happens at the bottom of the door shelf??Dave

 

[Duetech]

CAVE,
Have you found that this improvement helps with the creosote build up that happens at the bottom of the door shelf??Dave

It doesn't extend down far enough to really make a noticeable difference. It only took about 20 minutes of a start up to coat all the metal parts of the flap/shield though and it is an extra creosote collector. I knew that would happen though and don't really mind as long it keeps the smoke down. I have found the sheet metal screws are a little too wimpy if you're in a hurry and you clout the angle iron with a good sized log while loading. Since you bring that up though it might be a new project to consider and (LOL) I'm not sure I should thank you yet for the idea or not. But hmmm...

 

[barnartist]

just wondering if this is still working for you well enough to suggest it. I get tons of smoke. How have you been Cave?

 

[Nofossil]

Once again, I really don't know how some have this model in their house.

What I discovered is this: Don't open the door until the wood has burned down to coals. Then it won't smoke at all. That's the right time to load it anyway in most cases.

 

[Duetech]

just wondering if this is still working for you well enough to suggest it. I get tons of smoke. How have you been Cave?

Hi barnartist. Doing well now..thanks for asking. I am more or less still at the wimpy sheet metal screw stage and in need of further development. The baffle worked good until I popped it with a fast moving chunk of firewood. Then the sheet metal screw gave out on one side (need to go to 1/4"). IF the bypass damper/flapper valve is fully open and the secondary chamber door is about 4" open for about 10-20 seconds prior to opening the primary chamber door (slowly) then the negative draft in the primary chamber will draw most of the smoke out of the chimney. There were times though that the draft was not enough to compensate for the amount of pressure that the fire developed once air got to it and so smoke would still pour out of the upper chamber door.

The overall baffle experiment was successful enough to warrant a modified edition but I just haven't been able to garner the time for construction. One general thing I did find is that the denser woods are more manageable when it comes to controlling smoke. The fire in the upper chamber works its way up through dry pine too easily.

 

[barnartist]

Seriously, how can people stand it installed in their house?

 

[Duetech]

If you have storage and run your system from light to lights out (without opening the upper door in between) then it would not be a problem. Kind of like Nofossil suggested. The baffle will work in reducing smoke but it will not eliminate it in every instance. There is a new "induced daft blower" for the EKO that would go a long way in relieving smole problems but it's more professional and expensive than the simple baffle design. The baffle just hangs down far enough below the flapper opening to force feed the flapper opening if the pressures are not too high. The inducer creates a negative pressure at the flapper opening so it sucks the smoke out through the chimney. I have a cleanout T within 10" of the boiler flue that I intend to retrofit with a blower (on hand) and some customized 2" auto exhaust pipe to create a venturi to work as a short term induced draft for when I want to open the upper chamber. Otherwise I would be looking at the prefabbed contraption.

 

[Gooserider]

Looks like a nice idea, but the one thought that occurred to me is that it might be more resistant to loading damage if the floppy pieces were hinged rather than loosely bolted together...

Gooserider

 

[Duetech]

That's absolutely correct Goooserider. The "stiffness" of the design is part of the reason the sheet metal screws did not work for long. The over-all thrust of the baffle was to create a mobile smoke guard and it did that well enough but it was too fragile for everyday usage. The "hinge bolts" were used to make a better seal between the plates of the baffle, to avoid potential creosote build up problems and sticky hinges and (of imperative importance) were on hand. With out an induced draft though I have to chime in with both Barnartist and Nofossil as far as "in the house" placement of the boiler. It can be done but it is good to know some things first.

 

[taxidermist]

[. There is a new "induced daft blower" for the EKO that would go a long way in relieving smole problems but it's more professional and expensive than the simple baffle design.


Cave,

I have installed this inducer and it was a waste of money. With it going from 8inch to 6 inch causes puffing in my burn chamber, I can watch my barometric damper blow out then suck in. I am going to remove mine and build a smoke hood.

Rob

 

[stee6043]

Seriously, how can people stand it installed in their house?

Ha. How can people stand to walk in the snow to load their boilers?

 

[Fred61]

My old Wood Gun had a baffle similar to yours. I always assumed it was a flashback (save the eyebrows) shield.
The way it was attached was pretty simple. There were a couple of studs welded above the opening that had a slight up-sweep curve and were drilled to accept a hitch pin. The baffle was quite thick (maybe 1/8 thick) and had a pair of oversized holes drilled in it to line up with the studs. You could hang the baffle plate on the studs and reach up behind it and push in the hitch-pins.
The small diameter of the stud along with the large diameter of the hole gave it quite a bit of flexibility.
If you do anything like this, be sure to orient the hitch-pin holes vertically because they will be pretty well gummed up and you need to reach up behind the plate with pliers to remove them for cleaning. They will also be pretty well annealed so have some spares handy.
Interestingly the location of the baffle was the only place I didn't hve door gasket problems.

 

[barnartist]

Seriously, how can people stand it installed in their house?

Ha. How can people stand to walk in the snow to load their boilers?

You mean putting all those clothes and boots on is not just kicks and giggles? He He.

Can you tie in a hood to the stack with a tee, or would that ruin the draft?

 

[Medman]

I have the draft inducer. It does not, as others have said, eliminate all smoke when loading. Even when loading with a bed of coals, once you throw the first new split in, the smoke starts coming out the door. However, the inducer does make starting much faster.

I also have a smoke hood - I got a really good used range hood - 300 cfm - from the local Habitat ReStore. Even with the inducer and the hood, there is still a bit of smoke getting in the room. If the boiler was in the basement I would be very unhappy with the result. As it is I simply run the hood on low speed all the time to keep air in the boiler room circulating.

When using an inducer or hood, be mindful of make-up air because it is easy to cause a negative draft. I installed a fresh air return vent that runs up under the boiler to prevent negative draft.

The only way to avoid smoke altogether would be to let the fire go out completely before re-opening the door. Of course, if you have a bridge during the burn you're going to have to open the door anyway.

 

[muncybob]

My old Wood Gun had a baffle similar to yours. I always assumed it was a flashback (save the eyebrows) shield.
The way it was attached was pretty simple. There were a couple of studs welded above the opening that had a slight up-sweep curve and were drilled to accept a hitch pin. The baffle was quite thick (maybe 1/8 thick) and had a pair of oversized holes drilled in it to line up with the studs. You could hang the baffle plate on the studs and reach up behind it and push in the hitch-pins.
The small diameter of the stud along with the large diameter of the hole gave it quite a bit of flexibility.
If you do anything like this, be sure to orient the hitch-pin holes vertically because they will be pretty well gummed up and you need to reach up behind the plate with pliers to remove them for cleaning. They will also be pretty well annealed so have some spares handy.
Interestingly the location of the baffle was the only place I didn't hve door gasket problems.

I decided to remove my baffle. Seemed to be in the way when loading. I have found thus far that escaping smoke is not a problem in my WG if I allow the fan to run for a couple of minutes before slowly opening the door. For this reason I'm somewhat surprised that the mentioned induced draft fan has not worked well.
About the only time I have any smoke escaping is when I'm burning pine...hardwoods have not been smoky for me to this point.

 

[stee6043]

I have the draft inducer. It does not, as others have said, eliminate all smoke when loading. Even when loading with a bed of coals, once you throw the first new split in, the smoke starts coming out the door. However, the inducer does make starting much faster.

I also have a smoke hood - I got a really good used range hood - 300 cfm - from the local Habitat ReStore. Even with the inducer and the hood, there is still a bit of smoke getting in the room. If the boiler was in the basement I would be very unhappy with the result. As it is I simply run the hood on low speed all the time to keep air in the boiler room circulating.

When using an inducer or hood, be mindful of make-up air because it is easy to cause a negative draft. I installed a fresh air return vent that runs up under the boiler to prevent negative draft.

The only way to avoid smoke altogether would be to let the fire go out completely before re-opening the door. Of course, if you have a bridge during the burn you're going to have to open the door anyway.

I can echo Medman's experience with the inducer but overall I'm still 100% happy to have my boiler in the basement. With the new door gasket this year the only time smoke/odor is a possibility is during mid-fire reloads for me. If I burn down to coals I can reload without smoke. Two weeks ago I actually put two turns on my door hinges with a bed of coals in my EKO (ie - the upper door was completely off). No problems there. Had there been wood still burning it would have been a different story, however.

For all the watching, tinkering and playing I like to do with the boiler I can't imagine having my EKO anywere but the basement. Last year I was very frustrated with the upper door seal but I'm infinitely better off this year. The inducer was a dissapointment...but you can't win them all I guess.

 

[shoeboxlen]

I agree with the other guys as long as you open the door slow it should minimize the smoke etc. and with the new door seal 0 stink gets out. Personally when I load the fire I open slowly so no smoke gets out throw in a couple pieces close the door without latching so grab more wood and repeat. I get a whisp of smoke out here and there but not enough to worry about. and deffinitly no where near as bad as the leaky door smoke smell! Honestly if you burn wood you kinda have to expect a little smoke every now and again. After all it is not a sealed system like a fuel oil boiler or whatever.