Manual Pipe Damper

I have read several posts on manual pipe dampers regarding the do's, dont's and cautions of using them. I am somewhat hesitant on installing one but I am not getting a lot of heat out of my stove. With draft controls on the ash door completely open, stove only burns at an average of 400 - 450. With this setting, I would think with the draft controls on the ash door open this much, I would be overfiring my stove. I have enclosed a picture of my setup. My plan is to move the barometric damper up and install the manual pipe damper somewhere below it. Any suggestions as to where on the pipe I should install it? Also, I am going to be installing a manometer setup. This needs to be above the barometric damper correct? I would need to put it in the elbow going into the terracata insert. Will it still work there?

Install the manometer first. This way you can diagnose what the real problem is. Without a manometer, setting a baro damper is a rough guess. you could still be pulling most of your heat out of the stove and out of the house.

You have a modern, airtight coal stove, you don't need a manual pipe damper to control air flow. Manual pipe dampers work for old style stoves without the ability to control the air to the fire.

Your situation has other issues. First, what brand of coal are you burning? Is it burning all across the coal bed? Any dark spots?

Where are you measuring the temperature? the hottest location is usually just above the front door.

Your stove is in an uninsulated block basement. A block or concrete basement sucks up a very large amount of heat.. Try insulating the walls around the stove, you will notice a big increase in heat around the stove.. your walls should be 50*-55*, I'll bet they are 65* or warmer. Is there any insulation in the joists at the bond or end joist? This is a huge heat loss area.

"also, I am going to be installing a manomerter." do this first bub. make sure the baro is level in every way, shape, and form. unlevel baro's throw off things. goh, mpd's scare me to death with coal. I will if it is really cold out and use both, but I don't close it all the way, probably only halfway. do I see a difference? I really don't think so. I use the mpd when burning wood and block off the baro. if you are going to set up a manometer regardless I would do this first and try the mpd as a last resourt. what is the size of your firebox and what kind of coal are you using?

edit; sorry greg, didnt see ya posted

Burning Blashack Chestnut Coal. The coal bed is not burning all across, it is mainly in the front center. No black spots. The firebox on this stove is big, but I do not have exact measurements

Ok, if your fire is not burning all the way across, then you have either ash clogging your grates, or inadequate draft to pull enough air through the coal bed to get it hot enough.

How tall is your chimney? I think I see a thermometer on the flue pipe in the photo, what is it reading?

When you shake down your ash, do you see [looking through the ashpan door, ashpan removed] a red glow above ALL of the grate area?? I'll bet you have dark areas around the outside of your grates. What you need to do is to make a poker,, a piece of 1/4" or 5/16" ore even 3/8" round steel rod, bend a 90* 'L' on one end, giving you about a 4" leg. Then make a handle on the other end, you can just bend another 'L' on the other end, a different length just so you can hang on to the round steel poker.. Use this poker to jab up from the bottom, in the dark spots, betwwen the fingers of the grates. This will dislodge the ash that is not shaking down adequately. ONce you have the ash all out, you will have a fully burning coal bed, and have to cut back the air to the fire.

Again, how tall is your chimney? what is the draft reading below the baro?

Some stoves have more effective shaker grates than others, some are too effective. The brand and ash content of the coal makes a difference too. You are going through learning stage with your stove and chimney. Some folks have had to learn all over again how to burn and shake in the SAME stove, just when it is moved to a different chimney.. the whole system determines the burn/shake characteristics.

ONce you have the ash in the ash pan, add plenty of coal.. the coal needs to be as deep as possible, up to the top of the firebrick around the firebox. Coal likes a deep fire.

Greg L

like greg said, deeper the better. when you think you have enough (especially the cold snap we are under) throw on another scoop or two. I then will also mound the coal into the center, making a cone. that makes it even deeper. my origional chimney was a tripple wall 15 ft tall, drafted ok. since then I moved it to the other end of the house to a masonry chimney, and put in a liner and sold the tripple wall on craigslist for 100 less than what I sold for it. masonry is 16 ft to the "tee." that puppy is pulling a heck of a draft, 6" diameter. my friend has a smaller wood stove hooked to a 9 by 14 new masonry chimney. when stoking it up you can here the rush from the other side of the basement. yes, bigger diameter chimney, but his firebox is about half the size of my hotblast (an old firechief woodstove built like a brick $&*! house.) to get to my point, every stove and chimney and stove set up is different. ya gotta set each appliance to your stove accordingly. hang in there, we will get ya some heat.
Like I said in a previous post, I tried the whole baro in conjunction with my MPD when I got really cold out. did not see a difference. but my stove is an air tight stove. most of us here have air tight stoves. now, USSC calls for a draft of .05 or .06. when it is friiiiggid out I just bump the baro down to .04 or .03 MAX (which is almost to low when it gets to .03.). you cannot believe the difference in heat output just by doing that, living proof here. AND I use just as much coal, so im actually saving on coal, money in your pocket so you can affored a 12 pack. this is why a lot of us say to have a manometer hooked up 24/7 to monitor your draft all the time and adjust to your liking. for the 25 bucks it costs and a piece of brake like you have laying around, that is the epuivilent to 150 to 200 pounds of coal, savings you will see RIGHT AWAY. yes, im cheap too and hate spending an extra 25 bucks, but proof never lies

My Chimney from Stove to outlet at the top is 30 feet (8" in diameter). I have a strong draft. I was losing a lot of heat out the chimney because of this. I got some good advise that baffle was installed correctly and to move the weight on the baro as far as it could go (.02). This has helped with the stove temps but I still need to keep the draft controls on the ash door just all the way to generate some decent heat

leaks around the load door? either light a match and follow around the load door or light up a smoke (i smoke when I drink and thats still bad) and look for smoke to enter the load door through the gasket