Wood burning stove question.

flyin-lowe · BBQ Pro Joined: 23 Sep 2010 Posts: 501

I am getting ready to put a wood burning stove in my new pole barn. It is an Ember Hearth stove with a blower. It has 8 inch pipe that will be coming out the top straight up through my roof. I had a wood stove in my old barn but I only burnt a couple loads of wood a year.
My question is about the damper that came with this stove. It is used but the previous owner put in a cast iron round damper in the pipe right were it comes out of the stove. A local Amish guy who builds and installs chimneys said he puts them on all his stoves. He said though that he uses them and mostly keeps them closed to keep wind from blowing smoke back into the room. Many web sites say they are not needed with air tight stoves that have vents. Some say they are used to help keep heat in the pipe and stove and keep it from going up and out.
Any of you guys have experience with wood stoves and these dampers? Do you like/recommend them. A couple sites said even having one in the pipe wide open will still cause a slight restriction. I have read nothing that matches the local Amish guy stating they help keep the wind from blowing down into your pipe on a windy day.

whitey · Posted: Mon Oct 21 13 1:26 pm Post subject:

I never use the damper on my wood stove. I close down the air intake and thats it. I have been heating my house for over 20 years with this stove and love wood heat.
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flyin-lowe · BBQ Pro Joined: 23 Sep 2010 Posts: 501

I think I am going to go ahead and install the damper and if I need it or can use it I will have it, if not I can't see it hurting anything being in there and being wide open all the time.

dmike25 · Posted: Wed Oct 23 13 9:11 am Post subject:

flyin-lowe · BBQ Pro Joined: 23 Sep 2010 Posts: 501

Yep
Tonight I think we are going to get the hole cut in the roof and get the thing installed. I had to grind rust off and repaint this stove, as I bought it used and it was in rough shape. I am curious to see how that stove paint I bought holds up. I am hoping to get it cured and burn it a few times before a party we are having this Saturday, I don't want to stink everyone out.

flyin-lowe · BBQ Pro Joined: 23 Sep 2010 Posts: 501

I got the stove in last night and burnt it for the first time. So far so good. It seems to be drawing really good, zero smoke at all inside the garage. My old stove would usually smoke when I first lit it. And when it was cold there would be some smoke seeping out the joints in the pipe. I was surprised that since I had a fresh paint job on the stove that it did not smoke bad or stink. I followed paint specs and lit a small fire and warmed it up slowly. I got it to the point that the chimney temp showed 450 degrees and left it there for about an hour. Then I let it burn out. It never did put off any bad smell. I lit it this morning for just a couple hours but did not get it real hot. I am going to get it good and hot tomorrow one more time before the party we are having on Saturday.

Tony · Posted: Sun Oct 27 13 8:14 am Post subject: Re: Wood burning stove question.

Beertooth · Posted: Mon Oct 28 13 10:51 pm Post subject:

When I get a good fire established, I close my damper down,
not completely closed, & notice a pretty significant boost in
the heat that the stove is putting off.

This is what I pulled off of the internets:

flyin-lowe · BBQ Pro Joined: 23 Sep 2010 Posts: 501

I'm just going to have to experiment with it and see how it does. I can see how the damper would slow some of the heat from escaping up the chimney but with the damper closed I assume the fire is not going to be burning as good since it is choked down. I used the stove this past Saturday for several hours and it heated pretty good. I did not mess with the damper any though.

PaulOinMA · Posted: Tue Oct 29 13 8:43 pm Post subject:

Why am I picturing the Old Man (Darren McGavin) in A Christmas Story covered in soot from the basement while mom (Melinda Dillon) is playing with the damper?
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flyin-lowe · BBQ Pro Joined: 23 Sep 2010 Posts: 501

Probably because you know me a little better then most on here. LOL
If my wife had anything to do with this project I am sure something like that could have happened.

hookncook · Joined: 05 Jan 2008 Posts: 23

I put my damper in about 18"-24" above my stove. The reason I have it is because it keeps heat from leaving my stove and creating a radiant heat off of the stove pipe. I close it about 2/3 of the way and it helps keep that heat just a little while longer before it heads on up the chimney.

Q-in · Posted: Fri Nov 15 13 8:37 pm Post subject:

I've heated with wood for almost 30 years,and most in the area heat with wood.I have never seen a wood stove in use without a dampener.Nothing to do with back-draft.about holding the heat,
JM2C

BBQonICE · Posted: Sat Nov 16 13 12:43 pm Post subject:

holding heat also means you are starving the fire of oxygen and slowing the burn time down....if you have a good fire...close the damper and it slows heat loss but also starves the fire slowing the burn to last longer.
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