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Smawgunner
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# Posted: 16 Dec 2018 09:28pm
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I'm heating a 24x18 two story hewn cabin with a small no frills wood stove...door with glass...not a potbelly. It does an okay job but goes through wood pretty quickly. I've been told by a friend of mine that it's a must to get a dampener for efficiency. Are there any dangers to these? I don't know much about them. Also, he was talking about a blower too. Any brand names or other info I should look for? My stove has a heat type shield on the back that I thin was made for a blower? Do most of you use these two add ons?
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ICC
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# Posted: 16 Dec 2018 09:55pm
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If the stove is an airtight model it should not need a chimney damper. We haven't had a chimney damper since we got rid of the oldie, pre-EPA stove decades ago. Dampers work when the stove air inlet cannot be restricted enough to slow the burn. Sometimes that is because the stove was not built well enough to be airtight, sometimes the problem can be leaky gaskets around the door or where sides are fitted to top or bottoms.
When you say it goes through wood quickly does it produce too much heat, make the room too warm?
A blower can be nice for blowing air across the hot surfaces as that can help distribute the heat from the stove into the room better.
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darz5150
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# Posted: 16 Dec 2018 10:03pm
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Without knowing more about your stove, I don't want to make suggestions about it. However I have a cast iron stove with the cook top. Mine has a flue damper. The key to get the best burn time is to adjust the damper and air intake after you get a good fire burning. I assume yours has an air intake also. Mine is on the front of the stove at the bottom of the fire box. If I leave the damper open and the air intake open, most of the heat goes out the flue pipe and burns way too hot, way too fast.
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Smawgunner
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# Posted: 16 Dec 2018 10:04pm - Edited by: Smawgunner
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I put a new gasket and bricks in it. It does have this rectangle air inlet off the back, not sure what that is. Also, the sliding dampener on the front...it's metal on metal so I don't know how air tight it is really. ??
I wouldn't say it gets too hot although I don't have a temp gauge on it.
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ICC
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# Posted: 16 Dec 2018 10:23pm
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If you don't feel too warm then I think a damper won't do much for you. My thinking on that is that if the stove was burning too fast because of too much air intake then you should feel too warm. Make sense? So if a chimney damper was used to slow down the burn, maybe the stove would burn less wood but also produce less heat???
When you close down the air inlet does the fire slow down noticeably? May take a few minutes; wood stove controls seem to have a lag built in when you are used to comparing with gas and electric, modern, heat.
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darz5150
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# Posted: 16 Dec 2018 11:25pm - Edited by: darz5150
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It sounds to me like most of your heat is being wasted out the flue. If you could dampen/slow down the hot air, it would give your stove and fire brick time to absorb and radiate the heat. While at the same time conserving and not wasting wood.
Just my opinion. Even the least efficient wood burner should be able to generate enough heat to run you out of the cabin.
Unless all the heat is going out the flue.
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old243
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# Posted: 18 Dec 2018 09:11am
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I think that the length and size of the chimney flue , has a bearing , on how much heat goes up the chimney. I like a pipe damper. you can adjust to suit , the chimney draw. This can vary , if there is a wind, or change of weather. Your stove will tell you when it is set right. Our air tight at home doesn't have one. Our stoves at the hunt camp, both have them, and need them. old243
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old243
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# Posted: 18 Dec 2018 09:20am
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Don,t know if you have power available. We bought two cheap fans, at the hardware store. One is behind the stove , moves heat up and out. The second is on a shelf higher up, these run all winter and move the heat around. old243
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