Old Blaze King Stove - Add Baffle?

I like the baffle idea to keep that flame from shooting up the pipe. May keep the heat in the stove like someone said and improve efficiency. I never go on top of the roof by the chimney to feel how much actual heat is being wasted.

 

Rejacking my old thread. I have stove stove tore apart to replace the firebrick and am going to give the baffle a try before burning season.

I might use firebrick layer across some angle to prove the concept...then go all steel if it works.

 

Keep us posted.

 

Heck since you have the stove apart, put some burn tubes in there too.

Seriously though I've got to think you will see some improvement with anything that slows the heat going straight up.

 

Burn tubes run across the top underneath the baffle on my stove. They introduce air near the top to burn off the gases that would otherwise escape as incomplete combustion. (Smoke).

My stove has no cat so it relies on burn tubes and heat for a clean burn.

 

Secondary burn tubes are in the top of the stove inside. Tubes have small holes and once you have a good fire going these tubes with air shooting out of them ignite the gases from the wood and burn it like a torch. Newer stoves generally use either these tubes or a cat to get the emmisions going out the stack down to an acceptable level.

 

How would you make/install burn tubes for a pre epa stove?

 

Got all the firebrick replaced last night and there is no room for a firebrick baffle. Will try to get a piece of steel cut after work sometime this week.

I don't have the steel fab tools or knowledge for adding tubes...but I remember a few threads on another site I was really impressed with.

 

Stopped by the fab shop at lunch and got a piece of 3/8 plate burned to size. Should be able to get a test fire tonight.

 

3/4 pipe drilled for burn holes and you would have to fab some brkts to hold them at the top of the stove I believe. As Lukem said some threads somewhere else showing the process.

 

Might

Might have to look into them. WeldrDave do you know anything about them?

 

Got a fire going now and it is definitely different. Not sure if it is better or the warmish weather is messing with my draft or what. Stay tuned.

 

I did another small fire last night...and I'm definitely seeing one benefit right out of the gate.

My stove has a thermostatic damper that regulates the primary air. The coil is located at the top, back, center of the stove. It takes a while to "catch up" with the temperature of the stove and cut the air back.

Before I installed the baffle it would keep the air inlet "wide open", which got a raging fire going...but shot the majority of the heat and flames right up the flue...which, if left unattended, would sometimes send the stack temp to nuclear. To compensate for this I had to slowly crank up the thermostat position to help regulate the airflow down. This involved slowly turning up the dial about every 10-15 minutes until it "settled in" at the setting I wanted.

Now, with the baffle installed, I can set the dial on the "final" position and not have to babysit it. Same big time fire going...but the stack temp stays manageable.

Can't tell if my wood consumption or burn times are improved...and probably won't know that until I get a full load sometime in November.

 

We'll be right here waiting for your report.

 

Last night I did about 1/2 load of some pretty nice oak. I set the thermostat on 3.75 (where I want it to be overnight) and lit the fire. The stove went from stone cold to 650 in about 30 minutes. Not once did I have to adjust the air (huge improvement...used to be every 15 minutes or so I'd crank it up a little) to keep the flue temps under control.

I got up this AM and fully expected the fire to be out and the stove to be cooled off. I was very surprised that it was sitting at 350 and had a ton of coals left. Usually I could only do that on something closer to 3/4 of a load...and loading an already established fire at 7PM...not starting cold at 5:30PM.

If I get nothing other than better start-ups with less babysitting, I'm happy. But, right now, I'm pretty optimistic that I'm going to burn quite a bit less wood this winter.

 

I feel the same way about the baffle I added to the all nighter. Good burn last night.

 

I got about 18 hours out of a almost full load of oak with the fans on low. Normally that's closer to 12. Almost too good to be true. Got another full load on tonight but no fans.