manometer install

coaledsweat wrote:

jacknanticoke wrote:I thought the baro was used to set your draft?

The numbers stamped on the baro may or may not be accurate due to a myriad of installation issues like chimney height, stovepipe size, placement in TEEs, yada yada yada.

Thats kind of what I am worried about. the installer just set it there without actually doing any testing or anything. We fired the stove up and it didn't move, but he said it would be fine when it got cold. I am going to pick up a manometer just so I can see what my draft is and make sure the baro is set ok for my chimney, etc.

Also, i asked before about how to test. when the guys say test at full burn, is it the normal burn you would use during winter or is it "put the pedal to the metal?"

Again, appreciate all the help. I know newbie's can be annoying.

Ok, I have a fire burning hot enough to take a reading on the manometer. Now what? I don't understand the significance of the measurement. How does the measurement of the Manometer effect where my baro is set? Can anyone explain this to me in a simple manner? Thanks, Lisa

I am trying to figure that out as well too, being new to this and all. But from reading the whole thread, it sounds like you need to get the manometer set at zero, then take your reading and adjust your baro so that your reading is consistent around .04. A reading of 0 is zero draft, which is no good and means there is no draft up the chimney. A reading of .1 is too high and means too much draft and heat getting pulled up the chimney.

Hopefully I am right, if so, i may be getting the hang of all this.

One other thing, when mounting the manometer, does it have to be mounted above the connection to the flue or can it be lower? I'd like to mount it to the side of my hopper, which is below the flue pipe, but I am unsure if having the unit lower than the connection to the pipe will matter.

lowfog01 wrote:Ok, I have a fire burning hot enough to take a reading on the manometer. Now what? I don't understand the significance of the measurement. How does the measurement of the Manometer effect where my baro is set? Can anyone explain this to me in a simple manner? Thanks, Lisa

You should adjust the weight on the baro so that it starts to open at the draft you want based on the manometer reading. I think you already had the baro installed so it may be that your weight was in the correct place already to open at your desired draft. The manometer will verify the reading that you were hoping was correct on the baro counterweight scale.

It is useful to be able to attach a "number" to your draft. You will be able to see differences in the draft from the reading on the manometer rather than trying to notice a difference in the burn of your coal. A lower draft may be that it is time to clean the flue pipe, or maybe the clean out door is open or maybe the baro flapper is not flapping as freely as it was, or it could be that it is just warm outside. Once I couldn't get a draft over .02 on mine and finally tracked it down to the cap being off the bottom T of my outdoor SS chimney.

Any recommendations on where to buy a Dwyer 25 manometer?

Grainger and Ebay for starters.

I went to the horses mouth....

http://www.dwyer-inst.com/Products/Prod ... oup_ID=260

You can check this auction out:

http://cgi.ebay.com/DWYER-25_W0QQitemZ1 ... 1c08d577ff

I bought one and it's the total package for the best price.

Thanks for the link - I was just about to put out $25 for the same thing. Lisa

I got my manometer in the mail and I'm now thinking about the installation. I've read a lot of this thread. Where do I get brake line? Is that something I can pick up at Advanced Auto? or do I need to go by my mechanic's. The size of copper probe to measue the draft seems bigger, wider and shorter (it doesn't fit the screw hole) then what came on the manometer I borrowed from the Forum. What sized probe do I need to get? Any help or suggestion anyone could give would be welcome although the thread covers a lot. Lisa

Any auto parts store should have brake line. You can ask for a 3 foot (or what ever length you want) section. It'll come with flares on the end that'll get cut off. A tubing cutter or hacksaw will work. Ask the parts store if they can cut them, they might have a cutter right there.

When you put the oil in the gauge, do so slowly, carefully. It's easy to add more, but a son of a gun to remove any. Read the instructions and obey them. There's a sequence to zero it. It get's zero'd before the draft tube goes on and must be level. There's two tubes, only one gets used.

Here's mine, and it told me a lot. I went up from a 6" baro to an 8" because I couldn't get the draft below .03. I don't think it made much of a difference; I'm finding it hard to get below .03. It might need to be zeroed again. I put it up on the wall and leveled it before filling. Just at the last drop it overfilled and made me swear. Glad I had some pipe cleaners, I just sent one down into the fill hole and it absorbed the overfill. I used 1/4" copper tube and soldered it right to the stack. I don't know if it's in the perfect place, but at least it gives me an idea of the draft.

Thanks for the input Freddy and Dan, I must say I'm a little nervous over setting this up. I'm on my own over this as my husband thinks this will be a good "growth opportunity" for me. He drives me crazy at times but he probably is right - again. I'll let you know how it goes. Lisa

Here's my connection to the stack. As Spock would say, "Crude, but effective."

I am now getting my stove installed and am in the process of cutting stove pipe. Presently the baro is sitting right on the stove top which leaves little space for a Manometer install (unless I put the tube in the T).

Ideally... how far BELOW the Baro should the Manometer go? I don't have much room between the top of the stove and the elbow that is piped into the chimney (simple 90 degree setup) so I would need 2 ~8" sections of stove pipe.

Additionally... I do not have the Manometer yet and I do not intend to have it installed all the time. What tubing/fittings should I use for the stove pipe? How far does the tubing need to stick into the pipe and is there a particular angle/direction the tubing needs to point at inside the pipe?