Thermostat controlled air intake

Anyone know of a ready made thermostatically controlled intake device that I could use on my Harman Mark II stove? I basically want to keep the stove at a constant temp all the time. I did some searches of the forum and all I came up with was some make shift devices. If thats what I've got to do then.. I'll do that but I wanted to check with the "experts" on the forums first.

Am trying to get my coal usage down with out having to watch the stove all the time. I use about 1.25-1.5 40lbs bags per day running the stove at 350-450 depending on the temp and wind outside. When its windy the house really cools down cause there is just plaster and lathe and siding.. maybe a project for the summer months to ad some house rap.

I know they make automatic dampers to cut off oil burner exhaust at shut down. It's supposed to keep the heat in the boiler, and out of the chimney.

Not sure how well this would work, as it completely shuts tight upon power cut. It's also designed for 6" pipe, so lots of fabrication would be necessary. There has to be something better than this ...

Your coal usage sounds right on. I have a Mark III, and use about 1.6 - 1.75 bags per 24 hour period.

loxety wrote:Anyone know of a ready made thermostatically controlled intake device that I could use on my Harman Mark II stove? I basically want to keep the stove at a constant temp all the time.

DO you have a barometric damper installed? A baro fixed the yo-yoing of heat output for me and made it steady.. My furnace will only vary a few degrees during a 12 hour burn.. Before I installed the baro, I would make many trips up and down the basement stairs to regulate the air intake to control heat output because it would yo-yo like crazy. But if you want heat output to increase when it gets colder out, you will need more what you are looking for. I've looked for a thermostatic controlled air intake in the past but didn't find anything...

who's this idiot who placed a patent on the device but never made it http://www.patents.com/us-4530346.html

Call Smitty... he'll whip one of these lil' suckers up out in the barn

This thread shows what one user did.

Retrofit Hitzer Thermostat to Harman

Would be much more profitable for you to begin by the first step: keep the heat inside of the house! More confort for less coal/ant. I got a stove having a thermostatic air control for a few years and now I have a 1874 stove, having no thermostat in the same house, same anthracite, no baro...but the results are even better now. Ant reacts so slowly that I'm not so shure about the thermostatic value if a stove is WELL MADE, my little Golden Bride has no thermostat and is very easy to control...
Some insulation job can be done easily and are not so expensive, caulking most air leaks can make a big difference....

Don't say that so fast Dcrane .... I've found I'm a much better MECHANIC than a fabricator ...

SMITTY wrote:Don't say that so fast Dcrane .... I've found I'm a much better MECHANIC than a fabricator ...

If you cant dooooo it, your mustache can! or better yet William can retro adjust his Glenwood to not only heat his entire house but also spit thermo air controls out the ashpan
In all seriousness I like to joke and have fun with you guys hopefully you dont kill me at the meet

It does seem like making this would not be to difficult and might even be a fun project during the summer time (I am surprised nobody produces an adaptable unit for similar stoves, like they do with variable speed adapters for blowers, etc.).

I do agree with lightning and others that a better way would be proper insulation and damper control. We have a program in MA called MassSave which will pay up to 75% of the costs of insulating an older home (im not sure Virginia has anything like that)?

nortcan wrote:Would be much more profitable for you to begin by the first step: keep the heat inside of the house! More confort for less coal/ant. I got a stove having a thermostatic air control for a few years and now I have a 1874 stove, having no thermostat in the same house, same anthracite, no baro...but the results are even better now. Ant reacts so slowly that I'm not so shure about the thermostatic value if a stove is WELL MADE, my little Golden Bride has no thermostat and is very easy to control...
Some insulation job can be done easily and are not so expensive, caulking most air leaks can make a big difference....

When I first move in this 4bdrm 1800sqft house five years ago last December, there was no insulation in the attic or the walls, we were using an in the floor oil furnace, paid $3500 for fuel during the November through April season After installing R-60 in the attic, caulking the floor boards, plastic sheeting on the windows, replacing sweeps/foam on the doors; the cost for oil when to $2000/season when oil was $3/gal. Used electric space heaters for the last couple of years while we researched heating options while saving up for a coal stove. Electric was about 20% less cost then oil, coal is a little less then half the cost of electric. If we where still paying for oil we'd be paying $650-700/month, coal seems to cost about $$250/month based on our usage since Feb 27th. We have used 25 40lbs bags of coal in the last 20 days. I'd like to get it lower maybe 1 bag a day. I've got a a manometer that I have yet to figure out how to install and use it. We just had a set of twins in the later part of November, once my wife is healed up I hope by the summer time we could start on removing the siding and installing some insulation and house rap.

dcrane wrote:
I do agree with lightning and others that a better way would be proper insulation and damper control. We have a program in MA called MassSave which will pay up to 75% of the costs of insulating an older home (im not sure Virginia has anything like that)?

We don't have a lot of those socialist programs here, your expected to be responsible for yourself.

loxety wrote:

dcrane wrote:
I do agree with lightning and others that a better way would be proper insulation and damper control. We have a program in MA called MassSave which will pay up to 75% of the costs of insulating an older home (im not sure Virginia has anything like that)?

We don't have a lot of those socialist programs here, your expected to be responsible for yourself.

HaHaHa Touche' most all of at Nepa including me agree with you wholeheartedly!

anyways, your at just the right place to ask these questions... this is worth a read prior to install manometer install

Member "nosmoke" modified his pot belly stove like your looking to do Modifying a Pot Bellied Stove look at the link for pics. of his stove,hope this helps you.

Loxety, just a note on insutating a house from the outside: put insulation materials having the capacity to let the humidity go out, not a vapor lock one. If not then you will get a big problem...by accumulating humidity that will condensate in the wall......
Many insulation jobs don't respect simple insulation laws like always placing the vapor lock on the WARM SIDE of the walls( from the inside of the house's side) and only one layer, some peoples put 2...vapor lock sheets one over the other one and that is a bad thing to do so., All vapor lock sheets joints must overlap each one and sealed with a special tape. No or the less as possible humidity should pass through and insulated wall.
Insulating a house from the outside is not the same as insulating from the inside and both need different technics.
All what we can read about insulation problems come from Mr Joe Blo Pro jobs. But insulation methods and materials have improved so much in the recent years to overcome the past insulation related problems and give better satisfaction.