Improving/fixing a Better N Bens stove

[samd65]

Hi all. Long time reader, first time poster. My wife and I purchased a house last year that came with the stove insert in the photos. We didn't really know too much about it, and really still don't, but these forums have helped a bunch. Anyway, this was originally set up as a "slammer", but due to some chimney repair work we were required to have a liner installed. Unfortunately, when they did that they removed the damper in order to connect up the pipe, and we've been running without one, only having the air controlled using the front air intakes. As one would imagine, we're going through a lot more wood this year than we did last year when we still had a damper. On the other hand, having the liner has made it MUCH easier to create a draft when it's cold, so it's not all bad. It's in a well insulated finished basement, and can heat the house really nicely on its own when it's 20 outside, and keeps the furnace off most of the time when it's below that.

So here's what I'm thinking. First, I need to get a damper back in the chain. Is it possible to do this considering that the liner comes out of the stove at an angle in order to make it up the chimney? Also, not sure if it comes across in the photos, but there's some fire brick in the back of the stove, and 4 other bricks that can be moved around as needed. Would it help if I put some bricks along the sides above the air channels for the blower?

The next step would be adding a baffle and then maybe introducing secondary air. I was thinking of modifying the design pen used on the Grandma bear fisher stove, as I imagine that would allow for much better combustion before everything goes up the chimney. However, I don't exactly know someone who could weld that up, so I'm hoping I might be able to bolt something together instead....somehow.

After that I was thinking of maybe using some pipe as seen in this design, but without installing a cat because, you know....where would it go?

So, would this be something worthwhile to undertake? We don't really have it in the budget to upgrade to a new stove just yet. Eventually we'd like to, and while we have plenty of well seasoned wood at the moment it would be real nice to not go through all of it. We've gone through about 1 1/2 cords this month, and we only run it when the day isn't going to go above about 35 degrees.

Any and all advice is welcome. Thanks.

 

[snobuilder]

You could probably custom fit a damper in that 90. I'm no expert but that shallow height firebox might be a good retro fit for a reburn system
Whats up with the 650 degree licorice?

 

[bholler]

Hi all. Long time reader, first time poster. My wife and I purchased a house last year that came with the stove insert in the photos. We didn't really know too much about it, and really still don't, but these forums have helped a bunch. Anyway, this was originally set up as a "slammer", but due to some chimney repair work we were required to have a liner installed. Unfortunately, when they did that they removed the damper in order to connect up the pipe, and we've been running without one, only having the air controlled using the front air intakes. As one would imagine, we're going through a lot more wood this year than we did last year when we still had a damper. On the other hand, having the liner has made it MUCH easier to create a draft when it's cold, so it's not all bad. It's in a well insulated finished basement, and can heat the house really nicely on its own when it's 20 outside, and keeps the furnace off most of the time when it's below that.

So here's what I'm thinking. First, I need to get a damper back in the chain. Is it possible to do this considering that the liner comes out of the stove at an angle in order to make it up the chimney? Also, not sure if it comes across in the photos, but there's some fire brick in the back of the stove, and 4 other bricks that can be moved around as needed. Would it help if I put some bricks along the sides above the air channels for the blower?

The next step would be adding a baffle and then maybe introducing secondary air. I was thinking of modifying the design pen used on the Grandma bear fisher stove, as I imagine that would allow for much better combustion before everything goes up the chimney. However, I don't exactly know someone who could weld that up, so I'm hoping I might be able to bolt something together instead....somehow.

After that I was thinking of maybe using some pipe as seen in this design, but without installing a cat because, you know....where would it go?

So, would this be something worthwhile to undertake? We don't really have it in the budget to upgrade to a new stove just yet. Eventually we'd like to, and while we have plenty of well seasoned wood at the moment it would be real nice to not go through all of it. We've gone through about 1 1/2 cords this month, and we only run it when the day isn't going to go above about 35 degrees.

Any and all advice is welcome. Thanks.

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Ok who ever did the liner install was a hack. The elbow is just black pipe which is not allowed to be used in this situation. The liner should fit into the elbow not the other way around. They used silicone which won't stand up to the temps it will see there. There is no block off plate. And there are lots of ways to keep the damper they just didn't want to be bothered with it. Did they leave the damper parts? Is the liner insulated?

 

[samd65]

Ok who ever did the liner install was a hack. The elbow is just black pipe which is not allowed to be used in this situation. The liner should fit into the elbow not the other way around. They used silicone which won't stand up to the temps it will see there. There is no block off plate. And there are lots of ways to keep the damper they just didn't want to be bothered with it. Did they leave the damper parts? Is the liner insulated?

The guys who did it came highly recommended, so that's a disappointment. No, they didn't leave the damper parts, but since I think it was part of the casting and they used an angle grinder to cut it off I would think it can't be reused anyway. The stove is also now set at an angle, which is why we took off the plates from the surround. They were no longer sealing anyway, and we do like the look with them off.

I'm not sure if the liner is insulated. How would I be able to tell?

I think they said that there's a plate at the top of the chimney where the liner exits.

I neglected to mention that the work was done last March. The house was in great shape with the exception of the masonry at the top of the chimney. Since they had to fix that, they brought it up to code with the liner. Or at least that was the plan.

 

[bholler]

The guys who did it came highly recommended, so that's a disappointment. No, they didn't leave the damper parts, but since I think it was part of the casting and they used an angle grinder to cut it off I would think it can't be reused anyway. The stove is also now set at an angle, which is why we took off the plates from the surround. They were no longer sealing anyway, and we do like the look with them off.

I'm not sure if the liner is insulated. How would I be able to tell?

I think they said that there's a plate at the top of the chimney where the liner exits.

I neglected to mention that the work was done last March. The house was in great shape with the exception of the masonry at the top of the chimney. Since they had to fix that, they brought it up to code with the liner. Or at least that was the plan.

Oh you mean the fireplace damper? Yes that absolutely has to go. Doesn't the stove have a damper? I thought those did

 

[samd65]

Oh you mean the fireplace damper? Yes that absolutely has to go. Doesn't the stove have a damper? I thought those did

The fireplace with the insert never had a damper like the one in the attached photo (from our other fireplace). Or maybe it did at one point, but it's been gone since the '70s. I'm talking about the kind that's round and has a rotating handle that's used to regulate the stoves exhaust. They cut that off the stove when they installed the liner. I'm hoping that there's some way I can add one in similar to what's outlined in the diagram I found on the Imperial website, however there's not a lot of room between the top of the stove and the masonry, not to mention the pipe is coming out at an angle.

 

[samd65]

You could probably custom fit a damper in that 90. I'm no expert but that shallow height firebox might be a good retro fit for a reburn system
Whats up with the 650 degree licorice?

Sorry, I missed this reply somehow. I'm not really a metal worker of any kind (I don't even play one on TV), so anything ultra custom might be out of the question. I can follow designs well, though.

What is 650 degree licorice?

 

[bholler]

The fireplace with the insert never had a damper like the one in the attached photo (from our other fireplace). Or maybe it did at one point, but it's been gone since the '70s. I'm talking about the kind that's round and has a rotating handle that's used to regulate the stoves exhaust. They cut that off the stove when they installed the liner. I'm hoping that there's some way I can add one in similar to what's outlined in the diagram I found on the Imperial website, however there's not a lot of room between the top of the stove and the masonry, not to mention the pipe is coming out at an angle.

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You can absolutely get a damper in the elbow but the elbow needs to be swapped out for one that is one made for attachment to a liner. And it needs to be stainless. You also need a block off plate installed just above the stove to keep the heat in the house