Earlier this year, but last heating season the CO2 alarms fired up and the volunteer firemen cleared out the stove.
So the draft was lost about 4 AM. The night air turned warm and heavy with dampness. Sue had performed the usual shake, fill and reach temp and close bottom damper routine as per usual SOP all winter. So the a remedy seems to run hotter even though the weather dictated otherwise. Am I missing something here? I am usually away all week and want to avoid another fire department visit. Comments appreciated.
Lost the DRAFT
- Sunny Boy
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Close bottom damper ? Why?
Sounds like a good way to stall a fire when warm weather naturally reduces draft strength,.... if the dampers can't compensate for it.
You may not want more heat as the weather warms up, but the stove has to make heat to keep the draft strength up. Warm weather causes less draft affect and the stove has to make more heat to make up for some of that lost draft.
There comes a point where the draft will get weak enough that there isn't enough to maintain the fire and it slowly goes down and you loose draft altogether. Then the house may become the chimney if the fire hasn't died out by then.
Paul
Sounds like a good way to stall a fire when warm weather naturally reduces draft strength,.... if the dampers can't compensate for it.
You may not want more heat as the weather warms up, but the stove has to make heat to keep the draft strength up. Warm weather causes less draft affect and the stove has to make more heat to make up for some of that lost draft.
There comes a point where the draft will get weak enough that there isn't enough to maintain the fire and it slowly goes down and you loose draft altogether. Then the house may become the chimney if the fire hasn't died out by then.
Paul
Last edited by Sunny Boy on Sat. Nov. 22, 2014 1:15 pm, edited 3 times in total.
- coaledsweat
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Not much info. Do you have a manometer and if so what is/was the draft? Please give us a desription of the chimney, appliance, running a baro, etc.
- jpete
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Are you running a barometric damper? I find that in the shoulder seasons, I have to keep mine covered with foil to ensure proper draft. Just my particular crappy chimney but maybe that could be a solution for you.
If I need to burn through a unseasonable warm day I find the same thing is needed. Run hotter on the hot day. 60 deg or more today so i'm not even trying. I put enough coal in the hopper for the night. Save a couple buckets of coal and restart when it cools down.
Brent
Brent