Dampening Wood Stove

I am an Amer. Ex Pat living in the Balkans and use a wood stove for heat. The thing is that it doesn't have a flue. I don't really know anything about this but have been told that with some sort of mechanism to slow down the flow of air up my chimney, I could get better use of my stove. It burns a lot of wood fast.

Can anyone give me some pointers on this? The area where I live is pretty remote and folks here really haven't had much experience with this sort of thing- so they're not much help.

Can I install something on the pipes that go up from the stove and the into the wall?

Thank you for your help.

KH

Reply to
youthminman
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Does your stove have inlet air registers? If not then the damper will be of marginal use. A damper really only slows the fire down. A partially closed damper would only let say 50% of the smoke out slowing down the fire. You will get heat longer from a dampened AIR TIGHT stove. If your stove is not air tight then installing a damper will only push the smoke into the room.

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Reply to
SQLit

I think it'll be safer to regulate the air intake rather than restrict the exhaust. This is usually done with an adjustable vent of some sort on the stove door.

Reply to
Ranieri

Does not the stove have an adjustable air intake mechanism? That's the normal way for woodburning stoves. There are chimney top flue dampers for fireplaces, and there are dampers that can be placed in an exit flue, but in general the inlet air versus outlet would be preferred method of control.

Reply to
Duane Bozarth

Is this what we call an "airtight: stove (fully enclosed but has air dampers)? Of is it open like what is referred to as a Franklin fireplace? Metal housing, free standing with open doors.

If the former, you regulate the intake, not the flue. If it is the latter, you are out of luck and should look for a new type stove. Franklin fireplaces are better than a standard fp, but not nearly as efficient as an airtight.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

The stove is as many of you described, with air intakes on the door. But and this is significant, it is not airtight. The drawer where the ashes go is the main culprit, not really designed to keep air out but to only catch ashes- it won't close even, it angles a little bit so lets air in.

Any suggestions besides new stove?

Thank you,

KH

Reply to
youthminman

Heating with an old style wood stove is as much art as it is science. For a non-airtight stove, a combination of intake and outflow can and does make a difference in both how hot a fire burns and how long it burns. Your situation seems to call for an 'every little bit counts' philosophy. First install new gaskets around the door seals. Take the ash pan out and hammer it back into shape for a tighter fit. Install a gasket there too if you want. Of course a fire needs oxygen, but too much from directly below will waste the heat by sending it upwards too quickly. These will give you much better control of the intake. Then, go ahead and install a damper. Keep it 3/4 to full open while you build your fire and get it good and going. Once you've got a nice solid burn, you can ease back on the damper, letting the smoke up but keeping the heat as low as possible for as long as possible. This combination Will help. As you learn how you're stove burns in your house with your wood, you'll find the art of setting it to burn hot all night (assuming decent fuel). A well operated wood stove is a comfort, not a chore. Stay warm! Houston

Reply to
Houston

Can you tell me what kind of gaskets I need? My situation (in a remote part of the Balkans) is offers only limited supplies. This means that I'll be lucky if I can find the "real" supplies I need so I improvise a lot. What do you suggest using?

Also, how can I put a damper in the pipes going into my chimney?

Thank you again for the help.

KH

Reply to
youthminman

I just checked the links from a previous post about the dampers. So please disregard that question in the previous post.

KH

Reply to
youthminman

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