Draft Adjustment Problems - Help Please
I just finished hooking up and firing a KA-6 Keystoker Hot Water Boiler.
Problem is, I installed the factory supplied automatic damper and can not get it adjusted far enough.
Keystokers instructions say -.02 at idle and -.01 when fired.
With the Automatic damper adjusted all the way it is still reading -.04
If I took the damper completely out or held it wide open the reading would go to -.01 while running, but when it went to idle we could smell the sulpher smell.
Thanks for your input!!
Problem is, I installed the factory supplied automatic damper and can not get it adjusted far enough.
Keystokers instructions say -.02 at idle and -.01 when fired.
With the Automatic damper adjusted all the way it is still reading -.04
If I took the damper completely out or held it wide open the reading would go to -.01 while running, but when it went to idle we could smell the sulpher smell.
Thanks for your input!!
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You do not want to go higher than a .04 draft because it can lead to a hopper fire. If it is reading .03 to .04 on a high fire, you should be OK. Try that and see what kind of results you have with that. If you still get a sulphur smell, it could be a poorly drafting chimney.
Mike
Mike
There is something wrong with those instructions.DJWFire wrote:Keystokers instructions say -.02 at idle and -.01 when fired.
You want -.04 when you are firing and have been for a while to make sure the chimney is hot. The -.02 at idle sounds good.
- Machinist
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Assuming the instructions are correct, maybe a larger damper is needed. I have a 7" damper on my 6" vent system.
Field Controls has great info about draft control.
http://www.fieldcontrols.com/draftcontrol.php#dctop
Field Controls has great info about draft control.
http://www.fieldcontrols.com/draftcontrol.php#dctop
- gaw
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You adjust your damper weight for .02 draft. There is a scale on the damper, .02 is achieved by sliding the weight out (or up depending on how you view it) the ramp all the way. The damper may be wide open at times. If you have a good drafting chimney it may be half to full open much of the time. You confirm your draft setting by taking a reading with a draft gauge through the little hole drilled in the fire observation door. The fire should be well established and boiler water up to operating temperature, the stoker motor must NOT BE RUNNING. When you are satisfied with the draft setting adjust a thermostat to make the stoker run. Under the stoker fan shrouding is an air shutter. A screw secures it from moving. Loosen the screw to move the shutter and open the shutter to the point that you see a reduction in the draft reading taken through the fire door. Depending on the amount of draft your chimney pulls you may open this shutter all the way (strong draft) or have to close it almost shut (poor draft). Moving this air shutter is how they achieve the .01 draft when stoking, by introducing more air. Don't get too hung up on the numbers. If you can't drop the draft much or any by opening the air shutter so be it. You do want to keep the draft at about .02 during idle times. If your damper can't achieve this you may have to put a bigger one on.
(Not trying to be a wise guy)Complete Heat wrote:You do not want to go higher than a .04 draft because it can lead to a hopper fire. If it is reading .03 to .04 on a high fire, you should be OK. Try that and see what kind of results you have with that. If you still get a sulphur smell, it could be a poorly drafting chimney.
Mike
If you have a draft of .04 or so, how is that a poorly drafting chimney?
- Freddy
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Do you have a manomometer hooked up? The settings on a damper are just approximate.
Tell us about your chimney. Height, type, inside size? Is it inside or outside the building? If you are getting a sulpher smell either A: At some point you have negative draft or B: You do not have enough make up air coming into the room.
Tell us about your chimney. Height, type, inside size? Is it inside or outside the building? If you are getting a sulpher smell either A: At some point you have negative draft or B: You do not have enough make up air coming into the room.
- Coalbrokdale
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Guys I can't help but notice you numbers are Negative.....
Keystokers instructions say -.02 at idle and -.01 when fired.
With the Automatic damper adjusted all the way it is still reading -.04
That would be positive pressure in the stove and stack not good. Negative draft. The Manometer is reading vacuum not air pressure like a tire gauge. The concept is that the chimney is sucking air out of the stove and the Baro Damper is opening to lower the vacuum. I think it should be reading .02 at idle since the combution fan is not running and the natural draft is pulling air through the fire. when fired the fan is adding air to the fire box and increasing the pressure in the firebox and Stack to the point it is close to neutral but still a vacuume .01 not -.01 Chimneys suck.....
Keystokers instructions say -.02 at idle and -.01 when fired.
With the Automatic damper adjusted all the way it is still reading -.04
That would be positive pressure in the stove and stack not good. Negative draft. The Manometer is reading vacuum not air pressure like a tire gauge. The concept is that the chimney is sucking air out of the stove and the Baro Damper is opening to lower the vacuum. I think it should be reading .02 at idle since the combution fan is not running and the natural draft is pulling air through the fire. when fired the fan is adding air to the fire box and increasing the pressure in the firebox and Stack to the point it is close to neutral but still a vacuume .01 not -.01 Chimneys suck.....
They are supposed to be negative.Guys I can't help but notice you numbers are Negative....
The manometer measures pressure differential. A negative pressure is a vacuum.
Most here hook the tube from the flue pipe to the positive side of the manometer so you can have a larger scale. So you are actually sucking on the positive side of the gauge.
- WNY
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The stove should be under a slight vacuum all the time. The reading should be (-) Negative (If manometer is hooked up correctly). The Heat generated flows up the chimney and keeps it pulling thru the stove. If you have POSITIVE Pressure, you would be leaking out any air gaps in the stove and out the Baro and CO would leak into your house. (Not a good thing).
However, Depending on how you hook up your gauge or the reading on it, it might not have a (-) negative in front of the values. Some draft gauges may only read 0-1" Inches of water or something, but you must know it is reading a Vacuum (Negative pressure).
However, Depending on how you hook up your gauge or the reading on it, it might not have a (-) negative in front of the values. Some draft gauges may only read 0-1" Inches of water or something, but you must know it is reading a Vacuum (Negative pressure).
- Machinist
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I use a Bacharach MZF draft gauge. It has no + or - on it so I gently blew air into it to determine what direction the needle needs to move. Pressure on this gauge moves it's needle to left, so Vacuum (- draft) is to the right.
The same method can be used for manometers.
The same method can be used for manometers.
- Coalbrokdale
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Mine is setup A$$ backwards then. I understand the concept of atmospheric pressure and vacuum. I guess I can switch the hose so it read on the other side of the scale. I always assumed inches of water was measured on the positive side of the scale...meaning negaitive pressure.
Now that you have commented on that, My KA-6 was special ordered for a 6" chimney even though the standard KA-6 has a 8" chimney.Machinist wrote:Assuming the instructions are correct, maybe a larger damper is needed. I have a 7" damper on my 6" vent system.
Field Controls has great info about draft control.
http://www.fieldcontrols.com/draftcontrol.php#dctop
This may be the reason a 6" damper will not adjust down low enough.
I have about 16-18 feet of 6" Metalbestos chimney and approximately 5 feet of 24 gauge black stove pipe in the basement connecting to the furnace.