Flue Pipe Heat Reclaimers?

[k3c4forlife]

Hey all,

Just a quick question. I am looking to get a little more heat out of my Waterford 104. It's a smaller stove, but I only really need to heat like 2/3 of a 1,400 sf Ranch. I was looking into buying a VOGELZANG 6" HEAT RECLAIMER ( http://www.vogelzang.com/browse.cfm/heat-reclaimers/6-heat-reclaimer-/4,50.html ).

Does anyone have any experience with these flue reclaimers? Are they worth it? Easy to install? Efficient?

Any and all information would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Kevin

 

[spirilis]

From everything I've heard, they're dangerous since they dramatically increase creosote deposits in the flue liner (increasing risk of a chimney fire). Might be doable with older smoke dragons with short baffles but any modern stove that extracts a lot of heat from the fluegasses before entering the chimney may suffer from creosote formation (and maybe draft problems too, if it cools things down too much or gets plugged with creosote).

From what I just read about your Waterford 104 via google search, it sounds like a precursor to the modern non-catalytic EPA stoves. Doubt it's a good idea to use one of these.

 

[firefighterjake]

Hey all,

Just a quick question. I am looking to get a little more heat out of my Waterford 104. It's a smaller stove, but I only really need to heat like 2/3 of a 1,400 sf Ranch. I was looking into buying a VOGELZANG 6" HEAT RECLAIMER ( http://www.vogelzang.com/browse.cfm/heat-reclaimers/6-heat-reclaimer-/4,50.html ).

Does anyone have any experience with these flue reclaimers? Are they worth it? Easy to install? Efficient?

Any and all information would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
Kevin

As mentioned . . . at one time these might have made sense . . . emphasis on might . . . with the new stoves and burning well seasoned wood most folks here will tell you that you're much better off without a reclaimer since the general consensus is that they tend to rob heat from the stack (and deliver it to your home . . . but at the expense of lowering the flue temp enough to allow excessive creosote to build up.)

In fact, the only member I can ever recall who loved these things is now an ex-member . . . from what I gather he was forced out after giving way too much bad (and dangerous) advice too often . . . for what it's worth.

Personally, if I wanted to get more heat from a stove . . . I would consider trading in the stove and getting one size larger. Are they easy to install . . . probably. Are they worth it? In my opinion, nope . . . not worth the safety risk. Efficient? Nope . . . again, a better option would be a larger stove.

 

[Shari]

+1 on everything FFJ said above.

Shari

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I well remember back in the 70's when lots of folks around here got them. It was nice because they did blow a lot of hot air (sort of like some folks I know). However, every one I saw had bad creosote problems and they soon took them out. My advice is to stay away from them.

If more heat is needed, a bigger stove or even a better way to move the heat you now have. Try a fan on low speed blowing the cooler air towards the stove room. It works very well to get the heat to the cooler areas.

 

[matt701]

If you are still thinking about getting one, also check with your insurance company to be sure you can have one. I have the "better" magic heat version sitting in my basement. Tried it for a few weeks and while it did really increase the heat output my flue was too cold above it and I removed it. If I remember right it was about a 200 degree difference...