Manometer Hit .05!!!

Devil505 · Post by **Devil505** » Fri. Oct. 24, 2008 5:39 am

Outside temp 28*
Stove temp 230*
Manometer .05 !! (almost .06)

Highest reading I've ever gotten!!!

CoalHeat · Post by **CoalHeat** » Fri. Oct. 24, 2008 5:57 am

27 degrees here, the Alaska is at full fire. I'll be firing the Harman soon.

If -.06 is the highest it goes then you're OK. I run the Harman at -.05".

Freddy · Post by **Freddy** » Fri. Oct. 24, 2008 3:00 pm

Your chimney sucks.

Flyer5 · Post by **Flyer5** » Sat. Oct. 25, 2008 1:20 pm

Yesterday afternoon I came home to see .1 the baro all the way open . It was actually pulling the flapper door shut .I backed the bolt off a bit more to let a little more clearance between the flapper and hole,that did the trick ,the draft stayed below .06 after that . Didn't seem to cause much trouble the dump zones did there job . It was very windy and cold . I guess an 8" damper may be in order. Dave

Devil505 · Post by **Devil505** » Sat. Oct. 25, 2008 1:31 pm

Freddy wrote:Your chimney sucks.

No it doesn't "SUCK" Freddy....That's the problem!!

Freddy · Post by **Freddy** » Sat. Oct. 25, 2008 6:34 pm

Isn't .05 considered good? Or is that a rarity for you.

Devil505 · Post by **Devil505** » Sat. Oct. 25, 2008 8:24 pm

Freddy wrote:Isn't .05 considered good? Or is that a rarity for you.

I guess it is a good read. (Greg is the manometer expert) It's the highest reading I've ever had as mine usually is around .02-,03 which I guess is to low.(trying to figure out why I burn such a small amount of coal per season...About 2 tons max....No complaints fro me though!

)

James Goodine · Post by **James Goodine** » Sat. Oct. 25, 2008 11:23 pm

New to coal and not sure if I'm right on this one but here ot goes. Shouldn't you get your best burn around .01 pressure diff. I don't monitor my presure dif due to direct vent but i'm thinking that I want to monitor it. I understand the need for negative pressure insn't anything more than -.01 just going to pull heat out the vent?

Devil505 · Post by **Devil505** » Sun. Oct. 26, 2008 7:02 am

James Goodine wrote:New to coal and not sure if I'm right on this one but here ot goes. Shouldn't you get your best burn around .01 pressure diff. I don't monitor my presure dif due to direct vent but i'm thinking that I want to monitor it. I understand the need for negative pressure insn't anything more than -.01 just going to pull heat out the vent?

It's been my experience that, since I never have any CO readings on my detectors, can keep a cool fire going on a warm day & burn less than 2 tons of coal per season that a low chimney draft is best. My daughter just had a new masonry chimney built & the thing could double as a central vacuum system, the way it sucks air!

Her baro damper is always working hard but I don't need one.

(moral of the story: If you have a new masonry chimney built:...have them use old bricks, leave many cracks & leaking mortar joints, leave off the clean out door, don't seal the wall thimble very tight &......Just kidding Greg!!

)

LsFarm · Post by **LsFarm** » Sun. Oct. 26, 2008 8:55 am

To answer James Goodine's question, in a perfect world, yes you are correct.. But there are wide variations in stove design [Devil's is a hand feed] coal heat and ash content. and combustion air required for desired heat output.

With a hand feed stove, the higher draft usually needed to draw combustion air through the coal bed.. without enough draft you will have problems keeping a fire going, and have partially burnt coal, and potential CO leaks into the house .05" is the normal minimum draft.

With a stoker stove, there is a combustion blower providing forced air through the grate and the coal bed, so the draft required is less than in a hand feed. But you still need enough draft to make sure there is no exhaust leakage into the house via gaps around viewing windows, stoker mechanisms and hoppers. .02-.04" is the normal minimum draft.

Greg L.

SMITTY · Post by **SMITTY** » Sun. Oct. 26, 2008 7:08 pm

Just hooked up my Dwyer yesterday & I saw a .07 in the wind storm we had. With stove & chimney ICE cold! Seemed to pull .01-.02 steady, without wind. Was almost 60* out.

When the boiler kicked on, it went to .05 - .07 . After I saw that, I moved the weight on the barometric damper on the boiler to lessen the draft, but it only reduced it by .01 .

Can't wait to see what kind of numbers I get with the stove cranked up...

e.alleg · Post by **e.alleg** » Tue. Oct. 28, 2008 8:07 am

I prefer to buy a little more coal to insure against CO poisoning so I like to have a little more draft than needed rather than risk not having enough. Just my -.02 cents.

LsFarm · Post by **LsFarm** » Wed. Oct. 29, 2008 1:41 pm

Dick, were you watching the manometer yesterday when the winds were so high?? I'd think you should have seen some high draft readings..

I think you had winds gusting over 35-40mph?? Over the weekend, my normally .02-.03" chimney was seeing .06".. and the baro was 'working'.

Greg L.

ceccil · Post by **ceccil** » Wed. Oct. 29, 2008 3:59 pm

I was watching mine also. Has been running .02-.03 During wind it was jumping to .06 also. Everytime baro opened up it dropped right back to .03

Jeff

Devil505 · Post by **Devil505** » Wed. Oct. 29, 2008 4:13 pm

LsFarm wrote:Dick, were you watching the manometer yesterday when the winds were so high?? I'd think you should have seen some high draft readings..

I think you had winds gusting over 35-40mph??

I didn't see any high readings Greg, unless I missed it. I'm pretty sheltered in a bowl & the highest reading I've seen ever was around .05 with a fairly high fire & high 30's outside.