Draft questions?

Lately I have been wondering if I have overdraft issues. The wood that I have been burning is usually under seasoned (20-25%mc) mid range btu wood ( elm, red maple, ash) and I seem to have a hard time controlling the temperature. If I load the firebox full, STT will be up at 450-500 in less than 10 minutes even with the damper half closed, from that point I shut it all the way down, and the STT will steadily climb usually up to 700-750 and stay there for close to an hour or so and then it gradually comes back down. My flue temps are usually 100-150 degrees cooler than STT. I would really like to be able to have better control of stove temperature and not have it drift several hundred degrees without me moving the air alt all.
To you guys with more experience, does this sound like an overdraft problem, or just how my crude inexpensive stove works, or within the realm of normalcy?

 

I was experiencing a fast rate of burn with my epa kicker stove in the basement. The wood was cut and seasoned (4 years) but I just couldn't get what I thought was a decent amount of heat and burn time out of a load.

I have one true 90 plus two moe adjusted 90's (adjusted to less than 90, of course) plus a foot of single wall pipe hooked up to a masonry chimney. The chimney rises through the center of the house then attic and right out the ridge of the house. All told, close to 30' of chimney (more/less) plus the single wall. The flue is clay 8X8. The stove has a 6" outlet.

I thought that with the high number of elbows at the stove, it would slow done the draft enough. I ended up putting in a key damper in the single wall pipe and it made all the difference in the world!

The draft, in my case, was too strong and no matter how low I turned the stove damper down, it would burn the wood up in about 2 hours! I get about 3 hours or a touch better now with the key damper in place.

I know that there probably isn't a manufacturer that recommends installing a key damper with epa stoves as under perfect/ideal situations, you wouldn't need them.

Now there are people that will beat themselves up reading and re-reading the manual and say that it isn't allowed, etc. But you have to have the versatility to adapt and overcome. EVERY scenario is a little different.

Maybe for $3, you can try the key damper????

Now, how come you're not working!!

 

It sounds to me like there could be some room to throttle it back or limit the air. Marginal wood should be harder to make the stove take off like a rocket.

 

I might add that I agree with yooperdave. Too many people talk or think in absolutes, and think the way their stove runs or acts, is factual or true for all other stoves. I have a 10 foot total chimney (stove to cap) and was having overdraft problems, and actually limited my air to get my stove to draft less. According to the internet, my stove shouldn't even draft at all!

A key damper might be the fix you need. Just because you have one, doesn't mean you'd need to engage it all the way, might be simple as 1/4 dampered to keep the stove in the zone.

 

Buy a Dwyer Mark II manometer and you'll know for sure.

 

Haha my day usually runs from 11am to 8pm so I get things done in the mornings, I actually removed a key damper when I cleaned my stove pipe. So I will keep that $3 in my pocket and just put it back in.

 

Try using the damper again and let us know how it works out.

Drive safe today!!

 

I will let the stove go out tonight and put it back in tomorrow morning and then give the report

 

This. This this this.

Measure your draft, I had to key damper my old USSC 2500 tube stove or it would go atomic. That's running on 4' of stove pipe and 15' class A.

 

How does it work?

 

It measures the vaccum that your chimney is pulling. It has two tubes on it, one goes into a small hole you drill in the stove pipe, the other just hangs free to reference the environment.

 

For a one time use of yet another measuring/testing device, you are further ahead just installing the key damper and trying that.

Manometers are a useful device if you were in the business.

Why spend the money if you're going to try the damper anyway, right?

 

Why, because they aren't that expensive and the raw data doesn't lie. It will tell if he legitimately needs the key damper or if there are other issues at play. Like maybe a cracked stove or bad gaskets. They Key damper on a stove that the manufacturer says doesn't need it could hide a plethora of other issues, and a manometer is far cheaper than a 1 hr service call from a stove Co.. I feel like this thread just went Darth.com but hey, try the key first WTHDIK.

 

Didn't say it was a bad idea.
It's a specialized tool that he will probably use once. That's all.

 

Glad I purchased a key damper when I purchased my Fireview. While it is true that the Fireview can run without it, it runs so much differently when I am using it. With the key damper open, the highest air setting I could use was 1.25 but with the key damper closed, I can run at 2.0 and not worry about a core meltdown . I do have a tall chimney at 28 ft and having the key damper gives me greater flexibility and a comfort level that I would not have without it.

 

The more I think about it, the more I may even try one at the cottage with the nc-13 and it's vent with 2 90's and about 9' of pipe.

 

they are actually really cheap to make.
some clear hose water and a barbed fitting plus a tape measure probably already laying around.

 

That's impossible!

Just kidding. If it stalls, you went too far.