BI METALLIC PRIMARY AIR CONTROL?!

ratherbeflying · Post by **ratherbeflying** » Wed. Dec. 12, 2018 2:59 pm

i tried looking in the depths of this forum to find anything useful on this but i couldnt come up with anything. i have a Gibraltar MCC and the ONLY control i have on it is the primary in the ash door... no MPD, no baro, no secondary air control, nothing... i was weighing all my options of what i should install and the best option i think i found is a bimetallic primary air control. i understand i will have to cut a hole in the side of the stove in the ash section, but if there is a reliable kit out there you guys recommend i think this would be the best option... if you guys think other wise then please let me know if im being silly and should simply install a baro or mpd or both..??

McGiever · Post by **McGiever** » Wed. Dec. 12, 2018 5:25 pm

No kit...but replacement parts for stoves built and using them can be found, so it is possible to find that.

Post by **Lightning** » Wed. Dec. 12, 2018 5:41 pm

Please see the last two posts I just added to this thread.

anyone running with OUT a barro?

McGiever · Post by **McGiever** » Wed. Dec. 12, 2018 6:39 pm

Adding the baro sure would beat cutting a big hole into a boiler plate steel stove body. But the choice is still yours.

We all have different sets of skills.

CapeCoaler · Post by **CapeCoaler** » Wed. Dec. 12, 2018 7:57 pm

Pictures and everything...
Retrofit Hitzer Thermostat to Harman

ratherbeflying · Post by **ratherbeflying** » Wed. Dec. 12, 2018 9:48 pm

thanks lightening and thank you cape, i guess ill be going with the baro for now, but something about the auto temp control really gets me going, lol i feel besides protection from overheating, it'll also protect losing the draft from burning too low... i feel between both baro and bimetallic primary the Gibraltar will really be bullet proof. maybe one day over the summer ill attempt the bimetallic but for now ill install the baro on the next warm spell..

CapeCoaler · Post by **CapeCoaler** » Wed. Dec. 12, 2018 11:09 pm

You don't "need" the baro with a bi-metalic...
If you have very gusty variable winds it would even things out...
But never had the need for it on the DSM #4...
I did experiment with it as I had the baro setup from the Mark II...

ratherbeflying · Post by **ratherbeflying** » Thu. Dec. 13, 2018 6:31 am

ill probably just do the baro for now

lsayre · Post by **lsayre** » Thu. Dec. 13, 2018 6:35 am

CapeCoaler wrote: ↑
Wed. Dec. 12, 2018 7:57 pm
Pictures and everything...
Retrofit Hitzer Thermostat to Harman

It might have been perfect if the same exact procedure was carried out on the opposite side, and it had two bimetallic air inlets for an even burn across the grates. I wonder how well it worked, as rberg does not currently list it as a stove he is using.

warminmn · Post by **warminmn** » Thu. Dec. 13, 2018 8:17 am

lsayre wrote: ↑
Thu. Dec. 13, 2018 6:35 am
It might have been perfect if the same exact procedure was carried out on the opposite side, and it had two bimetallic air inlets for an even burn across the grates. I wonder how well it worked, as rberg does not currently list it as a stove he is using.

Im not so sure about that. Most hand fires have air only coming in at one spot. Yes, maybe they have one area that runs a little hotter but if theres an area that doesnt burn as hot, that will leave a spot where there is more unburned coal to help a new load take off, instead of just burned ashes. I am speaking of handfires without a hopper like mine are.

With a hopper I have no opinion except for the extra unnecessary gadgets, and the mental masturbation as FF would say

ratherbeflying · Post by **ratherbeflying** » Thu. Dec. 13, 2018 10:16 am

im sure the one would be fine, having two seems like they wouldn't be in sync and finding the correct settings on both would seem challenging.... i would love to have a bimetallic set up but it seems a baro would be more then sufficient, yet if i had to be away from the house for a while and the ashes build up and choke the fire back the baro isnt going to help that, the bimetallic though would open more and keep the fire going longer.... really cool stuff!

McGiever · Post by **McGiever** » Thu. Dec. 13, 2018 10:40 am

ratherbeflying wrote: ↑
Thu. Dec. 13, 2018 10:16 am
im sure the one would be fine, having two seems like they wouldn't be in sync and finding the correct settings on both would seem challenging.... i would love to have a bimetallic set up but it seems a baro would be more then sufficient, yet if i had to be away from the house for a while and the ashes build up and choke the fire back the baro isnt going to help that, the bimetallic though would open more and keep the fire going longer.... really cool stuff!

I admire that you are able to reason this through and see that there can be advantages and that a baro is not the hereto end otherwise even when it is not revealed to you that way.

ratherbeflying · Post by **ratherbeflying** » Thu. Dec. 13, 2018 11:26 am

thanks mcgiever, your name just makes me want to install a bimetallic even more! hahaha

scalabro · Post by **scalabro** » Thu. Dec. 13, 2018 2:56 pm

ratherbeflying wrote: ↑
Thu. Dec. 13, 2018 10:16 am
i would love to have a bimetallic set up but it seems a baro would be more then sufficient, yet if i had to be away from the house for a while and the ashes build up and choke the fire back the baro isnt going to help that, the bimetallic though would open more and keep the fire going longer....

Ummm not really because as the ashes “choke” the fire the bimetallic will reach its limits on providing primary air & a baro would close to maintain set draft to “keep” the fire. At some point with a ashed up fire, the only way to “keep the fire going longer” is to shake down /add coal.

Length/time of the fire is primarily dependent on the size and design of the firepot, draft pressure, required heat output (primary air opening size) and quality of coal.

ratherbeflying · Post by **ratherbeflying** » Thu. Dec. 13, 2018 3:16 pm

understandable, i was just thinking if the fire was starting to cool off due to ash build up the bimetallic would obviously open more and more and keep it going longer then it would without one.