Stove pipe damper question
 

I have a woodstove. In the front is a slider plate that I can regulate the
air with. I have learned that this is the most important component in
getting the fire to burn warm and long rather than short and hot.

But about a foot up the pipe, there's a damper. I have been reading about
these, and have read everything from they're critical to they're useless.

What is the answer? Is it a combination of these two air regulators that
control the fire? Should I just leave the top one vertical so the pipe has
least obstruction and vary the flames with the air holes? Or should I use
the two together? It seems to me that if you put it towards the closed
position that it would become very hot, possibly dangerously so. What about
removing it all together?

Steve

Stove pipe damper question
 

The damper allows "make-up" air from the room to go up the chimney. As
the fire burns, the heat/smoke go up the chimney. If there is no
damper, all of the air goes into the firebox, across the fire, and on
it's way. This causes the fire to burn very hot & of short duration.
The damper tempers the air going up the chimney with room air, allowing
the stove to run cooler and longer, and also with better regulation.

I've run mine blocked-off for a short time, and I noticed the wood burns
much faster, and I have a terrible time trying to regulate the fire ..
... BUT .. .. it does leave a cleaner chimney due to less creosote.
Most stove manufacturers recommend frequent short, hot burns to keep
creosote to a minimum. One way to do that is to tape an aluminum pie
plate over your damper for 10-15 minutes while you go dump ashes or get
a load of wood for the day.

SteveB wrote:
I have a woodstove. In the front is a slider plate that I can regulate the
air with. I have learned that this is the most important component in
getting the fire to burn warm and long rather than short and hot.

But about a foot up the pipe, there's a damper. I have been reading about
these, and have read everything from they're critical to they're useless.

What is the answer? Is it a combination of these two air regulators that
control the fire? Should I just leave the top one vertical so the pipe has
least obstruction and vary the flames with the air holes? Or should I use
the two together? It seems to me that if you put it towards the closed
position that it would become very hot, possibly dangerously so. What about
removing it all together?

Steve

Stove pipe damper question
 

"SteveB" wrote in message
...
I have a woodstove. In the front is a slider plate that I can regulate the
air with. I have learned that this is the most important component in
getting the fire to burn warm and long rather than short and hot.

But about a foot up the pipe, there's a damper. I have been reading about
these, and have read everything from they're critical to they're useless.

What is the answer? Is it a combination of these two air regulators that
control the fire? Should I just leave the top one vertical so the pipe
has least obstruction and vary the flames with the air holes? Or should I
use the two together? It seems to me that if you put it towards the
closed position that it would become very hot, possibly dangerously so.
What about removing it all together?

Steve

I vote for useless. After the fire is out, the damper can be closed to
block warm air from going out the chimney or from cold air coming down it.
When the fire is burning, proper control over the inlet will determine how
well the stove functions. If the proper amount of air is coming in, the same
amount will be leaving.

Stove pipe damper question
 

""Blattus Slafaly £ ¥ 0/00 :)"" wrote in
message ...
SteveB wrote:
I have a woodstove. In the front is a slider plate that I can regulate
the air with. I have learned that this is the most important component
in getting the fire to burn warm and long rather than short and hot.

But about a foot up the pipe, there's a damper. I have been reading
about these, and have read everything from they're critical to they're
useless.

What is the answer? Is it a combination of these two air regulators that
control the fire? Should I just leave the top one vertical so the pipe
has least obstruction and vary the flames with the air holes? Or should
I use the two together? It seems to me that if you put it towards the
closed position that it would become very hot, possibly dangerously so.
What about removing it all together?

Steve
Before air-tight stoves you used a key in the stove pipe to cut down the
draft and slow the fire because even with the stove draft closed enough
air came in through the cracks to make the fire burn hot. If you have one
of these old stoves you need the key.

New air-tight stoves do not need a flew key control since almost no air
enters the stove when the draft control is closed. In this case the stove
pipe key is useless, just leave it wide open.


--
Blattus Slafaly ? 3 :) 7/8

After just looking at the thing, that is what I thought. Or maybe to close
it when we were going to be away for a while to keep drafts down. Or to
keep it closed in the off season to keep air conditioning air from going up
and out. Or from the wind sucking out air or blowing it in.

Steve