Do we need to install a damper in stovepipe?

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Since winter is not far away, we need to start thinking about revamping the woodstove. Was told that we are wasting a lot of heat because there isn't a damper in the chimney pipe. There are two "dampers" that control the airflow below the barrel type fire box, and the chimney pipe is 10" triple wall pipe. This little stove really heats the house well, so should we mess with it, or let it be? If it needs a damper, how do you go about it, remove one section of pipe and install one with a damper in it? Thanks for any info, Jan

-- Jan in Colorado (Janice12@aol.com), September 02, 2000

Answers

If you have an air-tight stove you don't need one other wise you might want one. I have them in my older stoves. As you say you would have to pull a joint and install the damper but if it works, don't fix it.

-- Hendo (OR) (redgate@echoweb.net), September 02, 2000.

I had one in the wood heating stove. When I replaced the pipe I never put it back in and it worked just as well without. The wood cook stove is different however. It is a very old Monarch and without it I couldn't control the fire/heat nearly as well. I agree, if is doing ok I wouldn't bother with it.

-- Marci (ajourend@libby.org), September 02, 2000.

I've always used them in the past, with good results; however, I now have a super efficient one (Quadrafire), and they tell me not to use one, so I don't.

JOJ

-- jumpoffjoe (jumpoffjoe@yahoo.com), September 02, 2000.


i am like you my stove seems to do well without one so i don't want to fix something that is not broke. i have enough things that are broke to fix without worrying about something that is working. gail

-- gail missouri ozarks (gef123@hotmail.com), September 03, 2000.

Thanks for the input, everyone. Sounds like we can just let it go as is, since it works fine, and heats this little house up great. No sense making more work when there are enough jobs waiting in line to do! Jan

-- Jan in Colorado (Janice12@aol.com), September 03, 2000.


I have found that in certain circumstances a damper is nice in a stove-pipe on an airtight stove. When you have a very tall flue that has good insulating properties (such as metal-bestos) you can develop an unbelievable draft sometimes ,making it difficult to control the stove. One old monster 2-story house we owned for a while had such a tall flue that I actually installed TWO dampers in line to manage the draft...this was on an earth -stove ,by the way.......no cheapie

-- Eric Davis (errikd@hotmail.com), September 07, 2000.

Most owners bools will tell you if one is needed. Some wood burners have them built in like the Efel. I just replaced my old woodburner with a Century model FW300007 (2000 sq. ft.) and the manual sayes not to use one.

Bob in Ala

-- Robert E. Stair III (robert.e.stair@boeing.com), November 06, 2001.


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