Art Garland Request for Information

[waytomany?s]

Are you actually seeing smoke while burning coal?

[waytomany?s]

https://woodchimney.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/damper.jpg
Only pic I could find that I could link to.

[Sunny Boy]

Thank you for your help Paul.
I have just ordered the Dwyer Mano. It’s on its way from the US - I don’t like driving without a speedometer.
I am very keen to get this stove working correctly and enjoy it and I really do appreciate your help.
Paul I don’t understand a lot of what you are saying. Please be patient with me.
Am I correct in thinking that the Mano measures the pressure of the “air” inside the chimney pipe? I’m thinking this pressure reading would have to be less than the pressure inside the fire box which in tern is less than the pressure inside the room but greater than the outside atmospheric pressure??? so that the exhaust will find it’s way up and out of the chimney pipe and into the atmosphere. I know this all may sound dumb but I have had no experience with an enclose fire box.
Paul can you suggest something I can read to explain the workings of the chimney?
Also I don’t believe I have a MPD. Is this a butterfly valve type of adjustable “gate” restriction device incorporated in the chimney pipe? If so I have not got one. Do I NEED one?
Also could you explain the “secondary air feed” that you refer to?
I have sealed all the joins in the stove. I can however can see light in a small section (small gap of about 1/16” for about 2”) where the doors come together. I can however creep the doors open about an inch or more (and peep in) without causing smoke to come into the room so I don’t think the sealing of the doors is the concern. What do you think?
If you can find time to address my questions I’d be very grateful.

Use the search function on this site. Every question you have, and will have, has been covered in depth in many posts by members.

Yes, the MPD is a butterfly type pipe damper. It helps hold heat in the stove and stove pipe by causing some restriction to exhaust gas flow thus slowing it down and allowing more time for the exhaust to transfer heat to the stove and stove pipe.

When you connect the mano kit's tubing up to the "low" port on top of the mano it measures the drop in pressure inside the chimney system that we call "draft". It is the higher pressure outside the stove that pushes air in to feed the firebed and replace the lighter weight of the hot exhaust gases. The hotter the exhaust gases the lighter they get in comparison to room air and thus the stronger the "draft" is in the stove and chimney system.

Most stoves have a "primary air" damper that feeds air in under the firebed, plus a "secondary air" damper that feeds air over the top of the firebed.

Coal burns from the bottom up so it usually only needs air fed from the primary damper.

Wood burns best (and cleanest and slowest) if fed air from above through the secondary damper.

Some antique stoves have a third damper called a "check damper", usually located near or in the stove pipe connection at the back of the stove. It allows air to be leaked in with the hot exhaust to cool the exhaust and thus slow down a too-strong draft - such as with very dry wood.

If you can open the loading door about an inch and not get exhaust smell, I'd say you have a fairly good drafting chimney system.

[mntbugy]

Your first picture has a stove part laying on the floor. Put that back on the stove. ONLY remove/open that at the end of your heating season. It is called the clean out door. That gives you access to internal parts of stove for fine ash cleaning with vacuum cleaner.

Your stove has NO secondary air damper, all them windows leak enough air for combustion.

The turn knob on ash door controls fire temperature, more closed cooler, more open hotter stove.

Better picture of the right side of stove please. Just above oven attachment point to below the oven. You might have an extra damper lever.


On the right side of stove.
Upper lever to the right postion or horizontal sends exhaust directly to chimney pipe. Upper lever to the left or vertical sends exhaust down and around bottom of stove then up chimney.

Next lever down should slide in-out, that is check damper. This will cool or warm the temperature of stove without touching main air damper. More on this lever later.

Next lever down?? is the oven damper lever. One way turns oven off. Other way turns oven on, makes it hot. Sends exhaust around bottom of stove and oven walls then up chimney.

Very nice heater!!

[NEW-2-IT]

I have these photos atm.
Thanks for your comments.
I have the clean out hatch in place.
The upper lever that directs exhaust to either
1. directly to the chimney pipe or
2. to down the back of the oven and then into the base of the heater then around and up the back of the oven and out chimney pipe I do understand.
The ash door threaded turn knob adjustment I do understand.
The slide in slide out lever you refer to as a check damper I Do Not understand the workings of. Could you please explain the science of ?
There aren’t any other levers/ handles apart from the ash shaker levers.
Also in the magazine there is a pivoting partition. It is the width of the magazine and about 7” high. It reaches the top of the magazine. It has a row of what appears to be ventilation holes across it near the top.
Are you aware of the significance of this?
I don’t have a photo atm.
I would appreciate your thoughts please.

[mntbugy]

The picture of your fire looks like it is burning real hot. Orange coals by the magazine with not much black showing. Close ash door knob 1/4- 1/2 a turn. A little air gap makes a big difference in stove temperature. Maybe an 1/8 inch maximum gap to start with, until you get some experience.

Some of the smell you are getting is the first fire on a fresh paint job. Stoves always stink to high heaven when curing fresh paint.

If any of them mica doors have more wiggle room than the others have. Put a .22 caliber shell casing in both hinge. Then hang door with pin in shell casing.

Magazine has side holes in there to let gases escape while coal is preheating.

Maximum stove body temperature is measured where exhaust leaves the stove body into the oven area. 650-700
Is top temperature. Any hotter will smell like hot metal, grinding/cutoff wheel like smell.

[NEW-2-IT]

Thank you thank you thank you.
That is exactly the smell .
Having had the clean-out hatch removed has obviously had the fire burning very hot.
I pulled it apart yesterday and cleaned it all out . Cleaned the chimney pipe and extended it another length so it now is proud of the masonry chimney.
I shall fire it up again when I get a some more time.
Would you suggest to get a manual damper in the chimney pipe?
I’m thinking of getting a magnetic thermometer . What’s your thoughts on that.
Ive posted a few photos. One is a view downward through the magazine into the fire box. You can see the partition I was referring to. I don’t know if I have it position correctly. I think I could set it so the it is more to the back of the magazine consequently giving it more capacity.(rhs in this photo). It wasn’t assemble when I received the stove.
Thanks for all your help.

[mntbugy]

A manual pipe damper will help hold heat longer inside of stove before going up the chimney. You don't
got much room between stove and fireplace opening. Maybe install manual pipe damper with spring handle up instead of on the side of chimney pipe. Easier to reach to open and close??

A cheap instant read laser thermometer would work better. You can check temperature multiple places on your stove and chimney pipe in a couple seconds. Something that goes up to 8-900 degrees, nothing to fancy. Magnet kind needs good contact for a true reading.

Keep that partition in magazine pushed towards back of stove. Looks like it has pivotal hinge at the bottom. Is that a stone of coal behind that plate??
I think another member has that same partition in his stove. Maybe Wogs will chime in. I have something similar in one of my stoves.

[NEW-2-IT]

Your very observant and don’t miss much- I just love it.
Yes it is a stone of coal. I’ll have to take the finial off tomorrow and the top of the magazine and reset the partition as it won’t swivel across as it will cock on the top
of the magazine as it is. I’ll be good at it soon. It will also make it a lot easier to load the magazine and I may not get as many coal stones the wrong side of the partition.
I do have a laser thermometer. I have been running the stove too hot as the temp at the rear of the firebox / front of oven has been in the vicinity of the temps for the smell you refer to. What temps would be optimum at this point? I suppose if I can get an optimum Mano reading (when I receive and install it) things will come together.???
Thank you for all your help. I can’t believe the generosity of the people on the forum with their knowledge and time. It really is appreciated.
I shall attempt to get a MPD and position it like you suggest. Also if you could explain to me the workings of the slide in/out damper in the bottom of the firebox. It appears as though it must allow exhaust gas to be recycled back under the fire??? What’s the science there?

[mntbugy]

Max temperature is 650ish at the top rim of firepot, where exhaust goes towards oven. This side will be the hottest, similar but a little lower temperature will be all around the upper rim/top of firepot.

Your check damper should be at the back of main stove body at the small mica doors area or might be in one of the walls where the ash pan is.