In loving memory of Kenis D. Keathley 6/4/81 - 3/27/22 Loving father, husband, brother, friend and firewood hoarder Rest in peace, Dexterday

911! Buck 27000 Snapped the Damper!!!!

Discussion in 'Non-EPA Woodstoves and Fireplaces' started by Drifitingnorthpole, Jan 24, 2022.

  1. Drifitingnorthpole

    Drifitingnorthpole

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    I got an old old Buck 27000 stand-alone. The part where the damper connects to the damper rod just snapped, the round thingy that is (was) welded to the flap. Not a chance this is getting welded back on....cast iron, the damper is badly warped anyways....

    I got a damper ordered....2nd day air, I called, what that really means is that it "ships in a week or so"...grrr....

    Getting the parts isn't a problem. How the hell to get the existing damper off seems to be the mystery, as well as getting the new one on? I figure trashing 2-3 sawzall blades will get the old one off. Yes, got new stack bolts and gasket, thru the top appears to be the only way to do this. Anyone familiar with a 27000 got any insight? In the teens every night this week, can only burn 2 logs at a time, with that flap wide open and even with the intake doors full closed flue temps go right up to 700 and stay there. This stove is very sensitive to air flow.
     
  2. stuckinthemuck

    stuckinthemuck

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    Not familiar, but can you add a damper to the stove pipe above the stove?
     
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  3. stuckinthemuck

    stuckinthemuck

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    Something like this should help control the air flow.. just need to ensure the one inside of the top of the stove is left open.

    7022DC5B-BB58-4A7C-B8C9-D843E9C3B379.jpeg
     
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  4. Stumpy75

    Stumpy75

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    I can't help with the damper, but you are not alone in having a 27000!
     
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  5. Stumpy75

    Stumpy75

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    I looked in my manual this morning, and did not find an exploded parts diagram. However, several spots mentioned the combined stack/damper, so I'm guessing that maybe the damper is held in with the bolts that hold the stack on.

    I found this in my manual:
    https://s3.amazonaws.com/gs-geo-images/ee311d79-c161-4250-9aaf-7b9b8cdc5c87_l.jpg


    And, yes, without the damper, the stove will burn VERY hot, with most of the heat going straight up the stack, even with the drafts completely closed. 700 degrees is REALLY hot! If you burn it as a fireplace(which they say you can do), you have to be very careful of the wood load, as it's easy to overfire it.
     
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  6. stuckinthemuck

    stuckinthemuck

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    Can you use an inline pipe damper?
     
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  7. Stumpy75

    Stumpy75

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    Yes you could, but the damper that is built into the stove is much easier, and is made for this stove. The opening on the built in damper when fully closed, which is what they recommend after getting a good fire going, is specific to the stove, and works really well. You then regulate the fire by the amount you open the lower draft controls, usually opening them about 1/4". There is an opening at the top of the doors that allows secondary air in, and creates a small secondary burn area at the top of the stove when things are operating right.

    These stoves were one of the 1st to introduce the secondary burn.

    The stove I have also had the capability of installing a catalytic combuster in it. This was something they started to offer in the later versions of this stove, but it never really worked very well, and I never tried to install it. The early catalytic stoves had a lot of problems...
     
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  8. Drifitingnorthpole

    Drifitingnorthpole

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    I still haven't found anything detailing how to remove/install it. I can tell you, from redoing the stack gasket years ago, that the t-bolts are not holding the damper opening in, or the damper. Getting the old one out will not be impossible with a grinder, or 150 dremel disks. But how to get the replacement in......

    I usually run it as closed as it will go: it's severely warped. I only mess with one draft door, other is always closed, and even 1/8th of an inch left or right on that draft door will change burn time an hour.

    Can confirm, with the damper flapping open all the way, all heat goes up chimney.....15 deg tomorrow night, fed ex second day air the day after....

    Love this stove. It's an ugly piece of crap, I've long ago stopped replacing blower motors and wiring, it wobbles on the legs, and the chimney cleaner won't certify the annual inspection but you'll take this stove from my cold dead hands....
     
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  9. Drifitingnorthpole

    Drifitingnorthpole

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    So this gets more dramatic, in a continuation of 2022: the year every thing goes wrong!

    Got the new damper in after a knuckle-busting, marine-embarrassing curse-filled 2 hours getting the old one out. New stack gasket, new t-bolts.

    Freaking replacement damper is 1/2" too narrow. Fully closed there's a huge gap in the back of the stove at the stack opening, even with both air doors closed this thing runs like Forest Gump.

    Already called the shipper, they didn't believe me. Sent pictures, but it sounds like I'm not getting a replacement 'till I send in the "defective" one, and I'll probably get another one just as narrow. And not have a heat source during the coldest month (feb).

    How hard is it going to be to weld some nuts and rod to a 1/4" steel plate with a Harbor Freight cheap welder? No, I do not live in an area where one can just pop down to the metal worker on the corner and have this done. I could drive an hour, and it will take them 3 months to do it and cost 500$. I've needed metal work in the past.
     
    Last edited: Jan 28, 2022
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  10. stuckinthemuck

    stuckinthemuck

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    You can get an inline damper for the chimney pipe like the one I suggested above. Not hard to learn to weld basic stuff. Make sure you use proper PPE if you do. I’ve used my welder to fix the dumbest little stuff and it’s saved me some money and more importantly time and aggravation.

    do you have a pic of the two parts next to each other for comparison? Measurements of similar dimensions to show the difference?
     
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  11. Stumpy75

    Stumpy75

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    So how DO you replace this? :)

    Since my stove had cooled down some, I measured my damper, and it's 4" wide exactly(back to front). It's too hot right now to do many more measurements. Did they weld the rods onto the plate at the wrong spot?

    At the front of the damper, when my damper is fully closed, there is about an 1/8" to 1/4" vertical gap between the edge of the damper and the flange. The front of the damper lines up very close to the edge of the flange.

    On the back of of the damper, there is maybe an 1/8" horizontal gap between the back edge of the damper and the back edge of the flange. The back of the damper, when fully opened, is inside of the flange, and the rods are welded to the top of the damper. The rods on mine are welded about 1/2" in from the back of the damper.

    These stoves were built with tight tolerances on the draft and intake controls to control the burn. As mentioned, you could try a damper in the pipe, and between the one in the stove and the one in the pipe, you might be able to control the draft enough.

    I'll have to ask though, if the door gaskets are leaking, especially the bottom one(that's the one I've had most problems with)? Any extra air in the bottom of these stoves will cause them to run hot, just like you are seeing, although the gap in the damper will just make things worse.

    I gave you some of the measurements from my stove to, hopefully, give you an idea of what things should be. Hope this helps you at least a little! o_O
     
  12. Stumpy75

    Stumpy75

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    Don't know where you ordered from, but I just found this, and I don't think the rods are welded on the correct spots. The way they show in this pic, they are too close to the edge of the damper, and that would leave a gap at the back of the flange to the stack...


    Buck 26000, 27000 Damper Flap (MA-260380)
     
  13. Stumpy75

    Stumpy75

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    Did you ever get the damper working?
     
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