Stove pipe temps

What should my stove pipe temperature be on a stoker stove? Also how exactly should a barometric damper be placed on the stove pipe? Is it okay to attach it directly coming out of the stove or should there be a length of pipe out of the stove and then the damper?

Ed,
I use a cheap temp guage that I have on the outside of the pipe on my Alaska Stokerstove. It normally stays around 105-110 degrees - cool enough to hold your hand on the pipe. I've had people tell me that that's too cool and somethings wrong but I don't think so. I've been burning this stove for at least 10 years without any problems. Now when its going full blast I get more like 150. I would think it also depends on how big the stove is also - mine is 90,000 btu.
The instructions for my Barometric damper state:
As close as possible to the Stove
Open end of stub should be directed away from wall
Front edge of stub straight up and down - perpendicular to floor.
The opening must be plumb.
I have mine about halfway between the stove and the wall, which is about 2' from the stove, before it enters the chimney. I wouldn't put it directly coming out of the stove.
Hope that helps, Bob.

Thanks Bob, I picked up a cheap stove pipe thermometer the other day, It seemed like my pipe was really hot last year. I have a older model Alaska. I'm going to move my damper also, to see if that helps. That should be open pulling air from the room instead of air(heat) from the stove correct?

Ed, mine is a old Alaska Kodiak StokerStove I.
I suppose that moving the damper may help but I'm far from an expert, just know what has been working for me.
Did you ever consider a trip to Alaska's store in Bloomsburg? I would think they should be able to help you out better than I.
Bob

Ed,
I went to Alaska's store yesterday and asked about the pipe temp. The man there said that with a properly installed barometric damper, the pipe should be warm, not hot. I said that I can hold my hand on the pipe while the stove is running and he agreed that this is normal.
Hope that helps some.

I put a stove thermometer on the pipe and it's reading around 145 degrees. That's with the stove set on 5. (halfway).

When everyone is talking about flue temps are we talking internal or external?

I have a high tech meat thermometer 12" above my Alaska Channing and with my stove on low I get about 215 degrees,internal temp. Using a magnet thermometer the skin temp on the stove is about 150 degrees!

Does this sound about right?


BK

There is bound to be some fly-ash and soot on the inside of the pipe. It will act as a layer of insulation. So I would think that a 50-60 temperature difference inside/outside is about right.

Greg L

i use one that i insert into the middle of the the flue before the barometric and it will vary anywhere from 350-500* F depending on firing rate. which is a good operating range. too low of a temp will indicate some sort of an adjustment needs to be made (loss of fire) and you could hit dew point in the chimney and damage it from corrosion if its 24ga or lighter (i know people that use what ever they can find for a chimney)

elvated temps shorthen the life of the stoves internal parts and can lead to burnt keys or grates. especially on hand fired (stick shift) units.

I used a 12" long probe style going in at the elbow on my boiler. The probe runs through the center of the pipe and ends about half a foot shy of the barometric damper. When it is loafing, it runs in the 200-300F range depending on the draft setting. It has a draft blower and can run up to 600F on a long call for heat. There seems to be a big differance in temp between the surface of your pipe and the gasses going down the center of it.