I am installing a small wood burning stove in our basement and am concerned on the location in the pipe of the dampener.
Is the dampener to be any certain location in the stove pipe? IE: any certain distance from the stove, can it be located in a hortz. or angled run of pipe or does it have to be in a vert. run for the stove to draft properly?
I have always seen it located in a vert. run just a few feet above the stove…..
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If the stove needs a pipe damper, then it should be near the outlet on the stove so a chimney fire can be controlled with it if necessary. If the damper was too far up the pipe, then the stove flames could flare up into the pipe under extreme draft conditions.
Makes no difference if the damper is horizontal or verticle. Most of the stoves I've owned have been back vented, so the flue leaves the stove horizontally.
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Grant,
This is a back vented stove too. I understand you reasoning.
I would come out the back of the stove with an elbow then a couple of feet of vert. pipe, dampener, more vert. then an angle hort run about 5 feet to hit the chimmney.
Does this sound reasonable?
I thought that all wood stoves needed a dampener?????????
I thought that all wood stoves needed a dampener?????????
Not necessarily. If it's an "air tight" stove (meaning you can completely close the air inlets and the door seals well) it shouldn't need one and probably shouldn't have one. A lot of stoves are not tight enough that they can be properly controlled at the inlet, so a damper is added at the outlet. Some stoves have a damper built into them.
I would also use a tee at the back of the stove rather than an elbow. Any creosote that comes loose and drops down the flue will drop into the bottom leg of the tee rather than into the elbow, restricting flow. For flue cleaning, just remove the cap off the bottom of the tee and brush from there rather than dissassembling the pipe from the stove. View Image
I assume this is a air tight stove, the doors latch tight with rope seals.
Their is a small flapper at the bottom of the ash drawer, that also seals tight, to control air intake flow.
So you think I shouldn't install a damper?
Thanks for info.
I'd install one, within that first couple feet. You don't have to use it, but it can be handy to have there. but with that stove it is not a necessity.
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You've gotten some good advise, but this sort of thing is very open
to opinion so here's mine.
If your stove has a catalytic converter read and follow the manufactures instructions. Most say you don't need to but can
if you experience too much draft (I've never actually experienced
that particular problem but hey you never know).
Some will say not to as the stove is meant to function without
one. I believe the idea there is if you use the damper very poorly you could create excessive creosote in the cat. and shorten it's life.
So if the manufacture doesn't insist you shouldn't I'd stick it in there.
I personally don't like the "T" method. You should disassemble
and thoroughly clean your stove pipe, not just tap the sides or what ever
other half step some people use. It's not that hard and the risk is
very large. In fact I try and replace the stove pipe every few years.
The pipe is cheap and they keep making it flimsier.
I personally don't like the "T" method. You should disassemble and thoroughly clean your stove pipe, not just tap the sides or what everother half step some people use.
It needs to be brushed with the proper size brush. And the reservoir in the tee can keep a little falling creosote from unnecessarily smoking up the house. My thinking is I can pop the cover off the tee once a week when the fire is very low and inspect where if I had to wait until the fire was out and cool enough to take the pipe apart, I might not do it as regularly.
It's not that hard and the risk is very large. In fact I try and replace the stove pipe every few years.The pipe is cheap and they keep making it flimsier.
Good points. I used to sell 22 ga pipe with welded seams, but the hardware store "blue" pipe was 28 ga snaplock. Big difference in longevity, but not that great of a difference in cost. View Image
"I thought that all wood stoves needed a dampener??????"
Maybe not. The damper is generally used to either control air flow out of the stove or to keep cold air from coming down the flu when the fire is not burning. So, it MAY not be needed.
I say "may" not be needed because I recently built a wood-fired oven. I put in a damper because I had one -- even tho' I didn't think I needed it, since I would never use it to control the fire and the stove is outside, so I'm not worried about cold air. However, even tho' the flu is sized properly to the firebox opening, the stove smokes - a lot - with the damper open. Close it and it sucks like a french wh. . ., er, vacuum cleaner. I would have never thought that a closed damper could actually improve the draw, but it seems like too large a flu is as bad as a flu that's too small.
So, from now on, I'll always install a damper, just to give me the option to fine-tune the flu opening. As for horizontal vs. vertical, I don't think it makes any difference. I know I've seen dampers installed in old furnace flues in vertical runs.
Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA