The barometric damper is saving us.....

[laynes69]

It's a good thing we have a barometric damper on the woodfurnace. Wind gusts could potentially hit upwards of 70 mph tonight. We have been getting slammed with high winds all day, yet the fire has remain untouched. I've been somewhat skeptical in the past about them, but it's times like these they shine.

 

[maple1]

I'm on an open hilltop - and agree completely.

 

[sloeffle]

laynes,

I thought you were using a manometer and a damper to regulate the draft on your furnace ? I know we are suppose to have a barometric damper on our wood furnaces but I hate the idea of it sucking hot air out of the house.

Scott

 

[laynes69]

I tried a manual damper, reducing the air intakes and using a barometric damper. In the end the baro adapts to any changes in weather. When the fire hits different stages and flue temps vary so does draft. I was worried more about overfiring the furnace, with the baro things stay consistent. I also worried about cool flue temps, but condensation hasn't been an issue so things are okay. The baro doesn't always open, only when needed and that's it.

 

[taxidermist]

When I added my baro it was the "fine tune" I was looking for......... It now remains in the sweet spot all the time.

Rob

 

[maple1]

The trouble with a manual damper is, well, it's manual. Also, the one in my old setup would get worked at by the draft & wind at times when the wind was blowing and I would find it almost closed sometimes. I did always have reservations about my baro, though, with my old setup - it was a creosote magnet, or likely moreso a creosote seed, and I had to clean it regularly. But it did prevent big gusts of wind from sucking fire up into my chimney - where there was always at least some creosote lurking.

It's another case of different solutions for different situations though. If I was in a low or sheltered spot, I wouldn't likely have any damper at all. As it is, mine keeps my draft where it's supposed to be (or at least not much more than it's supposed to be) all the time, automatically - just like Rob said.