What is the best damper to solve over draft issues is a Barometric damper best?

[elkimmeg]

I'm posting this because I have a bit of hesitation seeing a baro damper installed. The reasons I have are, that they are never completely sealed.
There exist a space around the perimeter that always allows air leakage. On windy night they pulsate and can back draft puffs of smoke?
When installing them on an oil burner they are adjused witha draft meter. Should a DIY without any prior experience or draft meter for adjustment install one
on their overdrafting wood stove?

 

[TMonter]

I would say the barometric would be fine as long as the damper is not set too far closed in the closed position. Any chimney can backpuff with high wind from the wrong direction.

The damper is just going to limit draft and as the user gets more experience he can adjust it to the right full closed position and still get draft. My only concern with any damper and a newer stove is creosote buildup.

 

[MountainStoveGuy]

I agree T, a baro damper can cause alot more creosote, expecially one that is not adjusted properly.

 

[Corie]

Like I've said before, there is some additional creosote build up at the barometric entrance. Nothing unbelievable or dangerous. I can take pictures if you would like to see what I mean.


I think the auto adjusting nature of the damper outweighs the slightly higher creosote buildup. It is really the only way to get a consistent draft reading through the stove under all conditions.

 

[begreen]

I would think that getting 'reasonably' consistent results with a manual damper would be preferable. That way there is no cooler air introduced into the stack and no extra heat sucked out of the room.

Now that we know our stove better we can pretty accurately judge the setting for the damper by watching the main flame and secondaries. Also, on double-wall pipe a barometric unit is kind of bulky and unsightly. Yet you wouldn't notice the inline damper on first glance.

 

[TMonter]

After thinking about it a bit more, I think the manual damper might be best if used properly. The trick is setting it up so that it canot be closed so far that the stove stops drafting. You can design a stop yourself on the manual dampers to prevent this. I don't really like the fact that the Barometic damper will be adding additional excess air for draft control.

Corey do you have some pictures of creosote buildup on a barometric damper?

 

[begreen]

It depends somewhat on the amount of excess draft and on the temps outside. If our stove has been burning hot for hours and it's 25 outside, dampering it all the way works fine. The damper still allows some smoke to pass, it's not solid. If it's 40 outside, then the flames start to get lazy after it's more than half-closed. So after the stove is going strong, we set it at a 45 degree angle and leave it be.

 

[Corie]

Yeah you're right BeGreen, I shouldn't have said that a baro was the ONLY way to consistent results. I just feel it removes operator error, weather changes, etc.



I'll take pics to show everyone the creosote build up I'm talking about. Also, as far as being unsightly goes, if you have the tee face the wall you hardly even notice its there.

 

[laynes69]

We have one on our wood furnace. Our chimney is an exterior masonary chimney approx 40 feet tall. We have a barometric damper installed and we have better efficiency with our furnace. Our loads last longer and we get more heat from our furnace. I don't have a guage to set it, but I think it goes from .02 to .08 so I have mine set near .06 . I worried about creasote, but we don't get any at our damper. Because the flames stay in the furnace longer with a proper draft, our flue stays hotter and our damper is installed before the chimney, that way our flue stays warm. Our chimney has been just as clean, or cleaner than before and we burn less wood. We never get any backdrafts or smoke from our furnace. I would say more even heat. I took some high temp mortar in a tube and caulked the joints at the tee so there is no leaks. Our damper never closes, even in warmer weather. They may no be for everybody, but works for us.

 

[MountainStoveGuy]

inline manual dampers cant shut off the draft completely, they have holes in them and they dont fit tight in the pipe. I have nothing against baro dampers, as long as there set up properly.