Got a manometer - now what

The guy I got this from told me to drill a hole in my pipe and test the draft. then plug it with a screw. does this sound right. do i test above for below the barometric damper?

before the dampner is where to check. leave it there so you can watch!

A lot of folks just use an existing screw hole on the chimney pipe. Just make the hole a little bigger and plugged it with a larger screw. It works well. Test before the barro so you can tell how strong the draft is coming off the stove. Lisa

Yes he is right. You check the draft before the baro. And I have not seen or heard of a better solution to fill the drilled hole with a screw or bolt, I do like the idea of using an existing screw and using a larger one to seal the most likey larger hole.

Find a connection where the stove pipe connects together below your baro. Drill a hole & tap a 1/8" pipe thread. Install a 1/8" m npt x 1/4" tube adapter. Using a short piece of copper or ss tube as a transistion to your manaometer hose. This way the hose can't melt or get soft. Hang the manometer on the wall if it is a wall mount unit.

Cap wrote:Find a connection where the stove pipe connects together below your baro. Drill a hole & tap a 1/8" pipe thread. Install a 1/8" m npt x 1/4" tube adapter. Using a short piece of copper or ss tube as a transistion to your manaometer hose. This way the hose can't melt or get soft. Hang the manometer on the wall if it is a wall mount unit.

Do you have a photo this install?

Hollyfeld wrote:

Cap wrote:Find a connection where the stove pipe connects together below your baro. Drill a hole & tap a 1/8" pipe thread. Install a 1/8" m npt x 1/4" tube adapter. Using a short piece of copper or ss tube as a transistion to your manaometer hose. This way the hose can't melt or get soft. Hang the manometer on the wall if it is a wall mount unit.

Do you have a photo this install?

Here are a couple pics of what he is describing. I just used a refrigerator water line fitting and copper tubing to the manometer and transitioned to their rubber tubing there.

Here's my setup. Not pretty, but it does the job. I used the Permatex Ultra-Copper sealer because I had just drilled a hole & threaded the fitting in, without double checking my drill bit size. Was a little on the big side ..... & you only get one shot at this.

Used automotive vacuum hose for the hookup.

I got a 1/4" compression fitting, took one nut and ferrell off, got a flat washer and a hex nut to replace it as well as a foot of 1/4" copper pipe. thats for the stack side

got another compression fitting and a union for the hose side and they screw together.

drilled the stack and put the fitting in, actually reached thru the pipe where the baro fits and "quickly" installed the washer and nut from inside the stack.... my asbestos fingers sure did help as the stove was running and stack temp was 125.

its prob wise to idle it way down or shut it down for the less heat tolorant arms...

a extra measure was a dab of the seal-it-right around the fitting as Smitty did just because

hook up the hose and level and zero and Bam your in bizznezz

and.

Do you leave a manometer hooked up all the time? As recommended by another member, I should get one but my stove dealer says that it's not recommended for a baro. on my stove. Does it make any sense to have a manometer without a baro.? I have one (baro) on my oil burner and when I had both flues connected (I know. I will correct this year) I had coal gases backing up in 40* and above weather. It would actually set off the co detectors. I added a 4" pipe from outside for makeup air to no avail. I'm sure I have a weak draft but what do I do?

Yes its gets permantly installed so as the season(temps) change the draft can be checked and adjusted as neccessary. a baro can be set correctly using the readings fro the manometer...

most every coal burning appliance i know can benifit from a baro...

sometimes uninformed people shy away from the uknown........

check with the manufacture!!

The manufacturer says do not add a barometric damper. Even when I had the stove piped in with a flue that had a baro., the coal gases were coming through the baro. instead of going up the chimney in temps above 40*. The co detectors were going off frequently. Since I blocked the baro. I haven't had a basement full of gases. How do I get a better draft?

By blocking the baro, you just did. Also wouldn't hurt to check from above & see if there's anything blocking the flue.

I've been running 2 appliances into one flue for 5 years without issues. ...but I don't broadcast that to the authorities.

Items that increase draft:

Hotter gas temps in the chimney flue, an outside chimney cools quicker so usually drafts less than an inside chimney
Fewer elbows and turns in you flue pipe, each is a restriction to flow, piping should always rise to the chimney
Clean the chimney, any flakes of old wood creosote will cause flow restricions a dirty chimney cap kills draft
Raise the height of the chimney above all roof peaks and close obstructions

Greg L