Trouble With Hitzer Install

Its still pulling too hard, stove temp is 360 and its pulling 1.6-1.9WC. Dean from hitzer just sent me a restrictor plate to install, so I will let it go out tomorrow and put the plate in and try it again.

Today I shut all the air off, sealed it tight, let it set for 2 hours and the stove temp never dropped below 200, it was still pulling .06wc. I could hear the air being pulled through the air wash in the main door. The outside temp was in the low 40's.

This is still better than not enough draft, with patience this can be overcome.

Bk

Is the 503 a tight fit in the fireplace 'box' ?? Are you using a decorative 'surround' to finish off the gap between the stove and the front of the fireplace facia?

If you have a gap, you could install an other 6" pipe up the chimney, parallel to the current 10' piece of SS. seal around the two pipes again with fiberglass. On the bottom exposed end of the new pipe install a 90* ell, and a piece of straight 6" pipe, bring it out to the front of the fireplace and install a Baro damper. Leaving the damper inside the fireplace will cause it to exhaust very hot air, bringing it out to the front of the firplace will let it exhaust room temperature air.

Just an idea, post a photo of the install, maybe you don't have any extra room to install a 6" Baro duct.

Greg L

No extra room for a baro, only 3 inches of clearance. right now its 37* outside the draft vent is 1/2 open and my baro is showing 1.4-1.7wc, its pretty windy out tonight.

Bk

Best thing you could do is show us a picture of the setup and a close pic of the manometer.

bksaun wrote:No extra room for a baro, only 3 inches of clearance. right now its 37* outside the draft vent is 1/2 open and my baro is showing 1.4-1.7wc, its pretty windy out tonight.

Bk

I had similar problems with my fireplace--outside chimney with flue much larger than the stovepipe. I even tried extending the chimney, made no difference, then I ran pipe all the way to the top. Pulled a little better but not much when cold. Once it was hot it pulled fine. So, to start with a cold chimney I would burn a few single sheets of newspaper to "preheat" and get the flow going in the chimney. While doing this I would also get some small kindling going that would burn hot and fast. This solved the start-up problem and kept the house from filling with smoke. Once the fire was going and hot the only way I could achieve control was to put a damper on top of the chimney, controlled with a chain/pulley system.

Here are a few pictures, look at the draft the damper is closed completely and air is open 1/4 inch, outside temp is 18*, if I leave it set like this and the outside temp goes up to 40* the draft will drop to 1.5wc, still to much.
My internal damper has an added piece of steel about an 1-1/4" wide to close it down even more.Stove temp is about 280*, burning just over 2 bags in 24 hrs.

I've got to find a way to slow this run away train down, wish I knew what my stack temps were.

BK,

Can you install a larger restrictor plate?? Use the one you got from Dean as a pattern and just make it bigger ???

Is there a clean out door on that chimney ?? Perhaps a sliding plate to replace the clean out door ???

Just thinking out loud with the fingers too close to the keyboard.

Rick

Your ash door slide is open about twice the amount I keep mine. The air is rushing right through the stove, burning up the coal, and taking all the heat out the chimney. Do you have a good seal around the shroud?
Just a thought.

Actually Dean made a larger damper, he said its closed as far as we dare close it. The shroud is well sealed and the flex pipe is sealed with insulation as well. No clean out door on the chimney.

If I close the ash door slide further the stove temp drops to around 200 and it wont throw much heat and the draft is still 1.4-1.6.

I even closed it all the way and left it for 2 hours, stove temp dropped to 150* and draft was 0.6-0.8wc.

Thinking I may cut a 6 inch hole about 2 feet above the stove, install a baro and T it in high enough to allow a short piece of flex, just enough to be able to hook it up and push it into place. Sounds like a real pain to do. It would not be pretty but I could hang a trivet in front of the baro to cover it up and it would still be able to pull air through it.

I may climb up on the roof and try covering up 1/2 the chimney to see if that will make a difference first.

bksaun wrote:I may climb up on the roof and try covering up 1/2 the chimney to see if that will make a difference first.

I was going to suggest a sheet of metal with a 6 inch hole in it.

If you're going up on the roof anyway, franco b's suggestion is the way to do it RIGHT!

Bksaun, how we doing on the low stove temp .Keepaeyeonit

Too much ice and snow on it, Ill install the plate in a couple of days when it clears up. It got down to about 15* night before last and my draft was at an all time high, 2.5WC.

I put the plate on top of the chimney, it has a 6 inch hole in it and so far with everything set the same the draft is at 1.8-1.9wc, at least I got it down below 2.0wc, but its still too high.

Guess I could cut a 6 inch hole in the face of the fireplace and pipe in a baro, I still think most of the heat is headed up the chimney.

Bk

Wow that's high,It's to bad you don't have the room for a baro in your pipe down by the stove so you don't have to punch a hole in the front of your fireplace.My draft was strong but not that high(1.0 to 1.5 or so)now with the cold temps the baro is almost always opened a bit and pulling .06 to .07.Keepaeyeonit