Stove fitting into everyday life??? First timer... pipe damper use ??

Got my chimney repaired and the chase pan coated. Still have the original clay liner and was reinspected and deemed safe. Plan to use this winter and reevaluate if I want to put in a steel liner. But for now, I want to try this stove.

Question 1: this stove is for supplement heat in a finished lower level of a split level house. Main heat is a electric heat pump. Should I just make small fires and then when I leave close the air supply? Do you wait for fire to be mostly burnt out before leaving? I do have the Wyze cam setup to monitor and plan on getting thermocouple setup as well. Do you leave your stove on all night? My wife is in an out of the house all day so I am trying to see how people manage reloading and extinguishing when leaving... newbie here and paranoid.

Question 2: Also, my piping out of the stove has a damper about 2 feet over the stove and then an electrical blower. What is the proper way to use the damper? To create more draft if the draft is weak and then open once the fire gets going? Can’t find instructions on this. Thanks all!

 

Not knowing what you have for a stove I’ll tell what we do. I usually get up early and stoke the stove let it get up to temp then close up the draft to my desired location then leave for the day. When I get home I stoke it again, then again before bed from November to April.

Sounds like you may have a draft inducer on your pipe I have no experience wth that.

 

Not needed, as long as the setup is correctly installed. I still remember the first time (and a few times after as well) I left the house for an extended time with the stove burning. I was apprehensive.
If you know how the stove runs while you're there, it runs the same way when you aren't there (unless you're constantly fidgeting with it).
I'd say you can make whatever kind of fire you want, then the heat pump will run accordingly.

Same here.

 

Excellent reply here.

 

Here’s a pic.

 

I think that box on the pipe is meant to put out more heat? I think they are generally looked at as a major cause of creasote. Extracting heat from the exhaust causing lower stack temps. Might wanna ditch it.

 

papadave has had the best advice, learn how the stove runs while you are home then you will be more comfortable when you leave.

 

What Dennis said. He used more words than I did, but most excellent advice, as usual.
Now that I've seen the picture, I will completely agree.......get rid of that "heat reclaimer". It should be more aptly named "creosote maker".
We have some friends that had one and it caused too many problems, so they removed it.

 

My dad had one of those on his stove pipe, it had a built in scraper that you pulled in and out to clean the tubs, i wasn't really that convinced that it helped much. But, he seemed to think it did, he bought it, so, if he was happy, that's all that mattered, lol. When you think about it, its more of a obstruction in the pipe than any thing, that's not good in my mind.

 

Your mind is working correctly.

 

We were a bit apprehensive when we first got a wood stove, to leave a fire going at night, or when we left. I reasoned that even if we burned only part time, there would be savings, and there sure was. After awhile though, you get to realize the fire isn't going to act or do any different than it did when you were around it for the last 12 hours. And as BackwoodsSavage says above, most people have a different device that has a hot fire in it too, it's just called a furnace and it's automated. As for air settings, I leave them just a touch more air when not around, and damper I'd just go half as far if I'm not around. I'd rather burn a bit more vigorous than have the stove stall and woof! multiple times before it settles in.

 

Thanks all. Bought some replacement pipe at rural king so I will take out the blower and go from there. Have some good dry wood and kindling ready and my supercedars came on saturday. Almost ready.!!! .. bit concerning I have had 3 different chimney companies come to give me estimates and recs on making this stove and fireplace operational and not one said to get rid of that blower.... what would I do without this place??!!!!

This truly is the best forum for any topic on the internet. I have had lots of interests over the years and am on all kinds of forums. This one is the best by far. Everyone so helpful, friendly and really enjoy sharing information, pics, and thoughts with each other. All for the love of wood, chainsaws and stoves.. great place!

 

Yup. But, the problem isn't gonna be in the tubes, its gonna be in the chimney.

Look at it this way, the heat needed for venting the products of combustion is being lowered by the heat reclaimer....so now the gases in the flue are cooler, so now they will condense quicker, so now soot ash creosote can form more readily.

makey98 get rid of it and plan on spending time with that stove and learning its personality....kinda like a new woman. no?

I've always said a wood stove is like a woman where a man is like a gas stove.....

 

I won't be telling my wife she's a wood stove, whether it's a good analogy or not.

 

Yeah, good move.

But the next time you get her good and hot, think of the wood stove and how you spend time getting that to the point of good and hot too!

(Pics not required)

 

I've got various responses, but I think it best to not share.

 

You'll get comfortable with the stove after some use. Eventually you won't think twice about leaving the stove to run unattended.

 

For a group dedicated to getting every last btu out of firewood

As a group dedicated to getting every last BTU out of firewood, we all just collectively cringed.