What Do You Run Your Baro at?

There seems to be a lot of different settings for different stoves.My hotblast says at least .05.My friends stoker says .03-.04.What is ideal for hand fired and is it different for stokers?
DON

It isn't set in stone, every appliance has it's own sweet spot. Stokers can run much lower drafts then hand fireds typically as you state. It is best to start with the manufacturers recommendation and tweak it to your needs. This stuff can vary depending on a lot of factors unrelated to the appliance.

I have a baro but never used it,left it at max .08.BUT I have a manometer and IR thermometer and plan on seeing what all the fuss is about.Just asking what others are running baros at,kinda like a rule of thumb thing.
DON

I would bring it down to about .06. .08 is kind of high and you are probably giving up a lot of heat to the chimney. Most hand fireds run in the .05-.06 range, stokers a little less. Some Harmans want a lot more draft, I'm not sure why but I did get my head handed to me one time when recommending .06.

.02-.04 approx. Also keeps the stack temps down when drawing in room air and doesn't waste heat up the chimney, stove seems to be much hotter.

Does anyone run their hand fired at .02 or .03? Will it even stay lit this low?
DON

The baros only real purpose is to limit total draft. The appliance can be tuned with it also by running lower drafts but it will limit the total heat output and it carries some risks.

-.02 to -.04 on the stoker, -.05 on the Harman hand-fired.

When you specify .02 to .04 do you mean the reading on a manometer? Or do you mean the position of the weight on your Baro? Might sound stupid but I am new at coal burning. I have a new LL Hearth and have been wondering how to fine tune the Baro my self. And is it worth it to invest in a mano meter? I think this site is great. Any help welcome and thanks.

This thread reminds me of the "Which oil is best? Synthetic or dino"?
It's primary purpose is to stabilize the draft during climatic changes to the atmosphere while you are burning. It's an automatic controller. Otherwise the lower water column means less total draft means less heat output. I foil mine when the outside temps are cold and I want max heat & efficiency. I don't agree with the "holding in the heat" idea as I can damper down the air intake.. But each stove and flue combination is different and I may have a unique & efficient equipment & set up.

When you specify .02 to .04 do you mean the reading on a manometer? Or do you mean the position of the weight on your Baro?

Reading on the manometer. The weight position markings are approximate. Actual results may vary.
The forum has a manometer loaner program or you can search here for recommendations on the best price for one.

So the baro is like a max setting? when you set it to say .06 that's the highest the draft over fire will go.Is there a difference between the draft over fire and the draft you get when you take a reading in the smoke pipe?
DON

I don';t think there is much difference in sensing points, the stove will be under a certain vacuum, if you take it at the Ash Door or the stove pipe near the stove, the readings "should" be pretty close.

Yes, the Baro setting of .04 will maintain that draft on the stove, It will continue to open and let more room air in if there is high heat or wind blowing that creates more draft or really cold outside.

The .02-.04 settting is the READING on the MANONMETER, don't go by the Baro Weight, I know mine was way off. I have a new Baro for this year, I will see how it is setup, once I start the stove.

For the newbies on here, it's okay for your draft to go above the setpoint with the baro wide open, this does happen.
As long as you have a good draft, it just pulls a bit more heat from the stove, but won't hurt anything.
I have seen mine get up to .08-.1 with the baro Wide open! Especially when it's 0-20 degrees outside and the winds blowing hard! The baro really flaps around.

Yes and yes. The overfire draft and stovepipe draft are not the same. Overfire draft can be affected by a number of things, most notable is a forced draft from a blower that goes on and off. Under certain conditions, your overfire draft can go positive. Your concern is in the stovepipe prior to the baro.

I have seen mine get up to .08-.1 with the baro Wide open! Especially when it's 0-20 degrees outside and the winds blowing hard! The baro really flaps around.

Maybe you need a bigger baro for that vacuum cleaner chimney of yours.