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  Nov. 26, 2008 8:43 a.m. ClemSparks SuperDork

  Pretty off-topic, but I'm sure someone here has some experience.

  I picked up a little woodstove to use in my house while renovating it. It will then end up being a shop heater or such (which is more what it's likely meant for) after the house gets farther along and has insulation and a furnace of its own. It has 6" stove pipe for the "exhaust." (Chimney)

  There is a screw in/out regulator for intake air, and the person who sold it to me (he responded to my want ad on CL) said I'd likely want to get a damper for the "exhaust" side of things.

  I'm sure I can find a damper, but it's not something the run-of-the-mill hardware stores seem to carry.

  I'm curious if this damper is thought of as a necessary item. I can easily see where it would be a safety item...and feel free to tell me that it is.
  

  Once I get it set up...then I've got to figure out how to use this thing ;)

  Thanks, Clem

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  Nov. 26, 2008 9:10 a.m. matt_fulghum New Reader

  If it's a new stove, it probably doesn't need a damper, as the air controls on the front are intended to control the rate of the burn, replacing the need for the dampers, which tended to kill people if they weren't set up right. Charming, huh? :)

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  Nov. 26, 2008 9:16 a.m. ClemSparks SuperDork

  Well...it's new in that it's never been fired. It's old, though. I'd estimate at least 20 years old.

  It's not cast, it's stamped. A pretty lightweight and compact little stove...probably 12"x24" oval shaped. it loads from the top "burner."

  As I mentioned, though, it does have a "damper" of sorts for the feed air, on the front of it. it's a screw deal that reminds me of the transom plug on a boat (just in looks), but bigger.

  If I had photobucket access here at work, I'd post a photo...but alas!

  Clem

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  Nov. 26, 2008 11:12 a.m. foxtrapper SuperDork

  Generally speaking, you don't want to damper on the exhaust side, you want to control it on the intake side.
  

  Controlling the exhaust side is downright tricky to do right, and you end up smoking yourself out every time you screw it up. That's why most folk simply leave it alone and work on the intake side.

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  Nov. 26, 2008 11:18 a.m. ClemSparks SuperDork

  Well...cool!

  Thanks, Clem

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  Nov. 26, 2008 1:18 p.m. Jensenman SuperDork

  Dunno about the dampers etc (we rarely see this kinda stuff down here in Dixie) but do be careful how you run the 'stack' or flue. IIRC if it is single wall it should be a MINIMUM of 4", preferably at least 6", from anything flammable. The double wall flues will work quite well at insulating the hot flue from wood etc but I have been told they are known for rapid creosote buildup.

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  Nov. 26, 2008 1:20 p.m. ClemSparks SuperDork

  I've got an old chimney in the house that has a 6" inlet already that will work out well. It's an old chimney and I realize that there are dangers involved with this...but I'll monitor the situation accordingly. ;)

  Clem

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  Nov. 26, 2008 1:25 p.m. benzbaron New Reader

  I think they use the baffle to prevent you from just blowing the heat straight out of the chimney. You can choke down the intake, buy the baffle prevents all the heat escaping. My uncle lives near Redding where it gets pretty cold and he said it is important to have a baffle in the stove so it distributes the heat. That's what I heard, hell if I know. We can't even burn here in the Bay Area any more. It is very important not to stack the wood to close to the stove. My stupid Mom's husband stacked the stuff adjacent to the stove and damn near burned the place to the ground.
  

  Good luck!

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  Nov. 26, 2008 1:29 p.m. spitfirebill HalfDork

  I had an old home made fire place insert that had sliding dampeners for the intake, but it also had a sliding damper for the exhaust. I guess that was in case you wanted to stuff the fire out. Then we also had a dampener in the chimney itself which we left fully open. The whole thing worked OK, but it was not designed for either house we used it in. It pumped cold air into one side and hot came out the other. It directed hot air into a deadend side of the room. If I could have reversed it, it would have been perfect.
  

  Insurance companies now take a very dim view of wood stove and fireplace inserts. We actually had to remove a metal free standing fireplace out of my mothers house when we were going to rent it (15 years ago).

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  Nov. 26, 2008 4:00 p.m. curtis73 Reader

  In my house, the damper is for keeping bats and Fat gift-givers out of the house. It also prevents cold air coming in.

  But for the most part you can control the burn with the fresh air intake and just leave the damper wide open. Hot is better for chimneys. If you notice that you're getting creosote syrup and lots of crusty buildup when you clean the chimney in the spring, you're not burning hot enough or you're using wood that is too wet. Good dry hardwoods only. Not sure where you live, but oak, ash, locust, maple, and cherry are great. They have the highest heat content and the least ash. Avoid softwoods and sapwoods like birch except to start a fire.

  Creosote + crusty stuff = chimney fire. Keep it hot, keep it clean.

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  Nov. 26, 2008 4:14 p.m. Jensenman SuperDork

  Yeah, you want to avoid pine etc. That stuff will start a chimney fire in a HURRY.

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  Nov. 26, 2008 5:20 p.m. Chebbie_SB HalfDork

  Make sure there is no obstruction in the chimney, and then be careful, so you don't get deaded ! (apologies to EastcoastMojo....)

  
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  Nov. 26, 2008 10:16 p.m. ReverendDexter Reader

  Growing up in a home that used a woodstove as a primary source of heat, I can tell you that a damper keeps a good amount of the heat you're producing in the house and not just going out the chimney. While yes, you do control the rate of burn on the intake side, proper damper use can cut your wood use in half.

  So, no, you don't need it, but it will keep the house warmer and let you use less wood.

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  Nov. 26, 2008 10:19 p.m. ReverendDexter Reader

  Jensenman wrote:

  Yeah, you want to avoid pine etc. That stuff will start a chimney fire in a HURRY.

  What kind of pine? I've burned pine all my life and never had an issue. Cedar for kindling, ponderosa or sugar pine and/or doug fir to get it built up, and then oak to keep it going for the whole night.

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  Nov. 27, 2008 3:49 a.m. curtis73 Reader

  I wouldn't worry about one round of softwood to get some coals going, but never to sustain heat.

  I start with some fine-cut kindling; pine, oak, maple, bark, whatever is at the bottom of the wood box... and then go straight to smaller chunks of hardwood. But I don't think there would be a problem of going with one round of pine.

  Think of it like a choke on a carb. You don't want to start it cold and then shut it down right away. The extra rich mixture washes down the cylinder walls with gas. But, its fine to start it that way, then continue running it without the choke after its hot, because the hot engine burns off any excess gasoline you had from the choke. But running continually with the choke on will continue damage. Burning wet or "cool" wood will cause excess fuel deposits on the chimney walls. In the case of a wood stove, those excess deposits can stick around and cause chimney fires.

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  Nov. 27, 2008 6:55 a.m. Jensenman SuperDork

  ReverendDexter wrote:

  Jensenman wrote:

  Yeah, you want to avoid pine etc. That stuff will start a chimney fire in a HURRY.

  What kind of pine? I've burned pine all my life and never had an issue. Cedar for kindling, ponderosa or sugar pine and/or doug fir to get it built up, and then oak to keep it going for the whole night.

  The pine trees around here of all varieties have a lot of sap. It's fine to burn outside and use as kindling for a seasoned hardwood fire but not as a full time indoor burn because it will build up a layer of sap and creosote in the chimney very quickly. 'Fat lighter' is the heart of an old pine tree or pine stump and that stuff has so much sap you can hear it sizzle. It gets so hot that you can't get close to it when you burn it outside.

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