I installed a damper this year and am quite convinced it's a great improvement. Much more heat retained in the stove, using much less wood, longer fires and secondary flames, nice coal bed to restart the fire in the morning, flue temps are down significantly and the stove temps are up significantly. Keep in mind that I have a 22' chimney. Plus the additional safety factor of a quick shut down if needed. I can't understand why the stove companies don't recommend the use of a damper.
Nice - keep us posted on how it goes through the burning season. I wanted one for the castine, but steered away because dealer said an do a stove does not need one. Boy were they wrong!
Because they never get a complaint about anyone leaving the damper shut, opening the loading door and having smoke pour out.... if there is no damper present. A damper may make the stove more efficient for you but [no damper] makes their days less demanding I bet.... Brian
I have had the same experience. A damper helps the most on the coldest of days when the heat wants to go screaming up the chimney. Also it helps to slow the flow of air when you have an imperfect door gasket. I find that I keep the primary air open a little bit more and rely just a bit less on the secondary burn cycle to get a more complete burn and more heat out of my stove. I burned a year before installing the damper on top of my stove. Thanks for bringing this up!!
Agreed with all the responses so far. My sweep even tried to talk me out of it because of the "horror" chimneys he has seen with those who use them improperly (likely with improperly seasoned wood and non-cat stoves). Without the key damper I had a very narrow air setting range (between 1 and 1.25 on my stove - below 1 was dark screen, above 1.25 was way too hot a fire) - with the key damper closed, I can now burn up to a setting of 2 and the flames are much more relaxed and pleasing to the eye (I am a flame watcher - only dark screen when away or at night if I need a longer burn). I used to think I should find intermediate settings between fully open and fully closed for the key damper, based on outside air temperature; however, now I run the damper open until fire is established and cat temps are rising steadily - I then fully close the key damper; nice and simple ... just the way I like things.
The reason they don't recommend it any more is because in most cases it is not necessary. But for those who need one, it is usually pretty easy to install one.
I need a damper on my set up too, burning in the basement of a two story house. I usually close the damper and the air both a little at a time, but I'm not running a cat stove.
Depending on the install (house/stove/chimney) a damper can be very helpful. My current setup doesn't need one. I've used them in the past and wouldn't hesitate to use one again if needed. YMMV.
I needed one badly on my prior setup, similar ~22' but mine was a liner to an insert - my Jotul Rockland. Used double wall rigid duraliner. With any good dry load on a cold day that stove would run with the throttle completely shut and still blazing secondaries. With a packed full firebox of high btu like black locust or eco bricks I'd shut the air all the way by 400 or so and it would often cruise ~800 stovetop with 3 full rows of blowtorches going. Just nothing I could do to idle the beast. Unfortunately as an insert there was just no way to install a damper. Now with a freestanding stove that actually has a great air control system plus a tee and another couple feet of horizontal pipe the stove is much more well mannered. However I finally got the damper and installing today as a matter of fact. For most loads the stove will idle low enough, but there is a few loads if on a cold or windy day I can't quite keep low enough - plus I'd like to think the damper would give me a bit more control on the low end and also help keep a bit more heat in the house.
It made a huge difference on the kicker stove. Eldorado by drolet non-cat. It is (stove) installed in the basement and hooks up to a masonry chimney that goes up through the center of the house through two full stories plus an attic and then exits the building.
I see this term "kicker stove" kicked around from time to time. I keep kicking myself, wondering what it means. Your statement finally gave me the kick in the rear I needed to ask - What is a kicker stove?
Sorry. I have an OWB attached to first my water heater and then to a forced air gas furnace. Then, I live in a poorly insulated house. Really can't improve it due to what is called a midwall construction method. Long story, but it remains minimally insulated. In order to have a warm house, I (we) have to overheat it. So the OWB does a great job but the basement does get cool. Then I installed a little epa stove-specifically a Drolet ElDorado that was lightly used. Owner claimed it didn't heat his house well...(thank you for not seasoning your wood to a low moisture content and selling this barely used stove cheap!) So now, I have an OWB (full time) for heat and also an extra "kicker" stove in the basement that I use from time to time. Kinda like a boat with two outboard motors-one very large one and then another little kicker motor for use in and out of the harbor.
