Decreasing Draft without Baro Damper

Hello Everyone,

I just bought a new home that uses a Keystoker Hearth 90k Stove. In my neediness and from reading posts hear I have permanently installed a Magnehelic on the stove checking draft over the fire and I am getting .04-.05 readings. My combustion motor is wide open and I don’t have a baro damper as the Hearth is running directly to chimney at bottom of stove. To decrease the draft I only see two options:

1) Install a higher CFM combustion motor

2) “Manually” damper the chimney a bit

Anything I’m missing? Any concerns with manual damper?

Thanks for the help and input.

Why do you want to reduce the draft?

Keystoker recommends .02 -.03

Pushing more combustion air thru the stove just to lower the pressure is not the answer. It will take heat up the chimney with it.

You could install a baro directly into the chimney.

The manufacturers recommendation is probably a minimum.

Lightning wrote: ↑

Wed. Jan. 30, 2019 8:03 pm

Pushing more combustion air thru the stove just to lower the pressure is not the answer. It will take heat up the chimney with it.

^^This^^

Using a baro will still "allow the chimney to take the air it wants" except it uses some of the room air at 60F-75F (usually) to mix in with the high temp air from the fire (150F-200F or more).

If the entire volume of air going up the chimney is the hotter air from the firebox, guess where the BTUs are going instead of heating your home

Barometric dampers really are a simple wonder of the solid fuel burning field. Simple mechanism and automatic once it is set.

I agree a baro makes the most sense.. the issue is that I don’t think one can be installed because of my stove setup. The pipe from the stove goes directly into a brick chimney. And the stove is only 1/2” away from the brick.

Block the combustion fan some. that will decrease the cfm going into the stove.
I use the register filters to decrease mine and it helps keep the fan blades clean.

Goof Luck, Stant