Baro/draft fine tuning
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Since there's hardly any talk in this forum I'd like to start a convo on draft settings...
I love my DS3200 hand fed. I get 12 hrs between tendings. I have been burning for a year and a half at a .02 in. W.c. I've never lost a fire yet. I feel if I set baro to .04 it wastes so much heat out the chimney. The manual states minimum .06 w.c. I can only accomplish .06 if I hold baro closed as my chimney is only 15'
However sometimes if I do let my coal bed go a little longer between tending or havnt been home in say 15 or 16 hours and I shake
It down good leaving me a large amount to reload, I put a coat hanger in the baro for a half hour to get the most draft I can to aid in igniting the fresh coal.
My question is with holding baro shut and that full fresh bed ignited and baro held shut I am pulling the 'reccomended' .06w.c...The fire is strong however my water temps barely, I mean barely increase at all even with a roaring bed. Which leads me to believe all the heat goes out the chimney! I'd burn so much more coal burning at that draft setting it wouldn't be funny..
If I can keep it going at .02 is this better then? Meaning heat staying inside the boiler longer?
-Baro shut roaring fire water temp 140.
Barely any increase in water temp maybe 5° in an hour.
-baro set at .02 temp will rise from 140-185 in maybe 30-45 mins? stack temp right outside boiler is 212°
I hope this makes sense.
I love my DS3200 hand fed. I get 12 hrs between tendings. I have been burning for a year and a half at a .02 in. W.c. I've never lost a fire yet. I feel if I set baro to .04 it wastes so much heat out the chimney. The manual states minimum .06 w.c. I can only accomplish .06 if I hold baro closed as my chimney is only 15'
However sometimes if I do let my coal bed go a little longer between tending or havnt been home in say 15 or 16 hours and I shake
It down good leaving me a large amount to reload, I put a coat hanger in the baro for a half hour to get the most draft I can to aid in igniting the fresh coal.
My question is with holding baro shut and that full fresh bed ignited and baro held shut I am pulling the 'reccomended' .06w.c...The fire is strong however my water temps barely, I mean barely increase at all even with a roaring bed. Which leads me to believe all the heat goes out the chimney! I'd burn so much more coal burning at that draft setting it wouldn't be funny..
If I can keep it going at .02 is this better then? Meaning heat staying inside the boiler longer?
-Baro shut roaring fire water temp 140.
Barely any increase in water temp maybe 5° in an hour.
-baro set at .02 temp will rise from 140-185 in maybe 30-45 mins? stack temp right outside boiler is 212°
I hope this makes sense.
Last edited by Jlinde37 on Wed. Jan. 27, 2021 8:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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I guess my main question is there any possible way to make it any more efficient than it is? I burn roughly 30-40lbs a day mild temps never over 80lbs in really cold sub zero temps we get in Buffalo in February. Again heating 1800sq 2 story
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Makes perfect sense. -.06 for draft seems high to me. I work for a fuel oil service company. Most of the oil manufacturers suggest a draft of -.01 to -.02 over the fire and -.03 to -.04 in the stack. I know it is a different fuel, but same concept. I have seen a difference in stack temperature of 100 plus on a chimney that is pulling too much.
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Difference being fuel doesn't rely on draft to stay lit. It would burn without any draft just be unsafe..The draft is what determines how hard the air is pulled through the bed.
- oliver power
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I would say you're doing quite well. Keep doing what you are doing. I agree with Ziggy 87, same concept. Close the baro when refueling for faster ignition, and let it go back to -.02 afterwards.
- Lightning
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True, the fuel bed can pull it's own combustion air up thru without the aid of the chimney, enough to stay lit, but won't produce much heat.
The draft is the force that brings in combustion air. The amount of combustion air that comes in is determined by the size opening that it's being pulled thru. So, you can still have a strong draft without much air going thru the fuel bed just by closing the primary air control.
Heat needs a vehicle to ride on to get out of the stove. That vehicle would be air, mainly nitrogen since the combustion air is 80% nitrogen. Nitrogen doesn't react much (if at all) with the coal. It just rides on thru, gets heated and takes that heat with it out of the stove once it is pushed out by more incoming combustion air. The best efficiency will come when the highest percentage of available oxygen is used for combustion. It really doesn't matter at what pressure that happens, UNLESS there is unregulated leakage above the fire.
A fresh batch of coal will take some time to reach it's peak combustion efficiency (best use of oxygen) Do some unbiased observations, take notes and trial many times. Try closing the baro midway thru a burn cycle and see how it responds. Sometimes it's difficult not to manufacture the result that you are looking for.
- McGiever
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Have said this before but will say it again...
Manufacturers Recommended draft numbers means... I must worry about my liability for operator error more so than you the stove operator to saving fuel...
Manufacturers Recommended draft numbers means... I must worry about my liability for operator error more so than you the stove operator to saving fuel...
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What impact does lower draft have on stove temp? It seems like when I try to minimize draft stove temp plummets.
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Lightning, These are all great responses.. I was referring to the heat transferring to the with different baro settings AFTER the bed was fully ignited. Your saying hold it closed or set it at say .06 after it's fully ignited? But when boiler water temp has fallen and not idling at 180°. The water doent seem to heat up nearly as fast like I said when I have higher draft conditions. But I will give it a try tonight. Will be good draft tonight with lows around 0°F.Lightning wrote: ↑Thu. Jan. 28, 2021 8:41 pmA fresh batch of coal will take some time to reach it's peak combustion efficiency (best use of oxygen) Do some unbiased observations, take notes and trial many times. Try closing the baro midway thru a burn cycle and see how it responds. Sometimes it's difficult not to manufacture the result that you are looking for.
Not sure sure i understand your statement:
"Sometimes it's difficult not to manufacture the result that you are looking for."
Last edited by Jlinde37 on Fri. Jan. 29, 2021 8:06 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Lower draft (negative pressure gradient) reduces the amount of combustion air entering the fire box as the damper stays open longer allowing the air to bypass the fire box blower and enter the chimney.
Is your barometric damper weight in the right slot and pushed all the way to the right and locked???? it should be this way.
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Yeh it works fine. I was just wondering how to raise stove temps while minimizing draft.
- coaledsweat
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The LIMIT is -.06, this has nothing to do with your normal operation being below that. You need enough draft to keep your appliance operating properly, nothing more. Over the limit and you begin to assume risks, whatever they may be.
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My brand new field control rc 6 set in the correct slot on the left (Horizontal) locked at the lowest draft setting (according to the number on the baro is says it shoukd be 0.02) My Dwyer mark ii perfectly calibrated is reading .03-.04 right at the boiler breach. I added a small washer behind the weight to add more weight to get to get the baro to stay open to get a .02 setting.