Is There a Mathematical Formula for Stove Pipe Length?

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Try this...
Get a good fire goin' in the box with the flue damper and air intake wide open... get the box up to temperature.
Now open the door and start closing the flue damper slowly until you see a bit of smoke or flame exit the door... now slowly open the damper until smoke or flame just stops exiting. Done‼ Don't touch it again‼ (Well... ya' might need a minor adjustment over the next couple days when ya' open the door.) From here on out you "adjust" heat output and burn time with loading technique and small adjustments to the air intake (which, eventually, you'll also stop adjusting).

The truth is, if closing the flue damper causes smoke in the house... you've flat closed it too far (for whatever the setup). Closing it to the point of smoking up the house will not produce more or better heat... and even if it does extend the burn, you'll still be cold. At some point you may wanna' close it just a tad bit more than described above (I said a tad... which also means opening it a tad before opening the door)... but only a little experimentation will confirm.

The flue damper is not for "choking" the fire... it's for limiting excessive draft that robs heat from the box.
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I don't believe that air tight stoves are meant to be used with a damper in the flue. They are meant to be burned wide open to burn the most efficiently and to keep the pipe and chimney clean.
Not necessarily wide open but a definite no on the damper IMO.
 
I'm not sure where this idea comes from that certain stoves, or stove types, shouldn't, or can't be used with a flue damper. Of course they can‼ Like a barometric damper, they simply adjust draft... only they accomplish it in a different way. Every flue, every firebox, and every installation is gonna' be different... for each set-up there's gonna' be a draft "sweet spot" where the box runs best. That "sweet spot" may be quite narrow, or relatively wide depending on a bunch of variables. If it is "narrow" the learning curve is a bit more difficult, because it leaves less flexibility (or room for error) as conditions change. But still... once you find the center of that "sweet spot", you'll likely never need to touch the thing again (except maybe, again depending, to open the door for loading).
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I'm in my 24x10 shack... It's only 2F... burning dry swamp spruce... Shall I just wait for colder weather for a better draft or am I experiencing a thermal inversion or is my pipe to short. Because its so warm out I sleep with at least 2 windows open... I don't want to end it all as of yet. ...rattled a 4' stick down the pipe... took a hammer to the pipe inside... I'll go to the dump tomorrow to see if I can find another 3' section. You very well could have saved my life in the event I got drunk and never woke up. I got it for 50 bucks... custom made stove I replaced it for had holes in the jacket from getting red hot... I live off the grid and it's the only heat source other than a propane lamp. I sure miss the side loader I had back east and the blaze king I had before I moved here. Maybe I'll sleep with less bedding so the cold wakes me up to put more wood on.
These are coming from a guy that's been here for thirteen years??
From a guy that lives "off the grid", yet has over 11,000 posts??
This has to be some sort'a friggin' joke??
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image.jpg
These are coming from a guy that's been here for thirteen years??
From a guy that lives "off the grid", yet has over 11,000 posts??
This has to be some sort'a friggin' joke??
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Yes, you could swear by my posts that I never burned a stick of wood before. It's just that im not having much luck with this stove. All stoves seem to be very different. It just doesn't have the longevity I'm looking for. Last night I loaded it up at 9, went to bed, got up at 4 and the fire was out even though it was shut down. For good measure I put a green piece on top of the dry.
 
Well John at your age you should be getting up every hour to take a leak so just throw another stick on the fire.:surprised3:
Lol. I'm only 61! I generally don't get up to pee unless I imbibe the night before.
Once I woke up to pee really bad, there was no lights so I felt along the walls, but was going in the wrong direction and ended up at the wood stove. By then I had to go so bad I pissed into the firebox!
John
 
Lol. I'm only 61! I generally don't get up to pee unless I imbibe the night before.
Once I woke up to pee really bad, there was no lights so I felt along the walls, but was going in the wrong direction and ended up at the wood stove. By then I had to go so bad I pissed into the firebox!
John
? frozen brain fart????? lol
 
Lol. I'm only 61! I generally don't get up to pee unless I imbibe the night before.
Once I woke up to pee really bad, there was no lights so I felt along the walls, but was going in the wrong direction and ended up at the wood stove. By then I had to go so bad I pissed into the firebox!
John
:laughing: Pizzin in the firebox makes creosote...maybe your problem!? :D...:laughing:
 
picture of the stove plus the venting configuration that you are using might be a better story than a long drawn out post! pictures are worth a 1000 thoughts or guess'es? lol
Sorry about the long and drawn out thread. Here's a pic of the stove. The only lighting is a propane lamp as this iPad has no flashimage.jpg
 
Oh my! Our EPA must be invading Canada. They've been very stealthy about it, but I bet THEY are your problem....Or worse, your stove might be an elitist, communist, feminist stove from a state that has more stringent standards than the EPA--Warshinton. :eek: You'll never be warm again! They're probably smuggling in elitist communist feminist stoves and trading them for BC Bud, and I don't mean beer. Then the bud is distributed amongst the elite folks, who design better stoves. A conspiracy it is!
 
there are way to many of these stoves for sale (cheep/free) to be of any good use or value on craigslist! you might want to trade up to a 55 gallon barrel stove ! they sell cheap kits in the northern tool cat. this will fix many of the problems you are facing with that boat anchor!
 
there are way to many of these stoves for sale (cheep/free) to be of any good use or value on craigslist! you might want to trade up to a 55 gallon barrel stove ! they sell cheap kits in the northern tool cat. this will fix many of the problems you are facing with that boat anchor!
I hear you and your right, I have 5' custom made barrel stove, but it's too big to fit in here. I'm saving it for this cabin.image.jpg
 
more drew up the stack can allow you to damper the pipe till it will almost stop the burn if you also close the draft on the stove! but!, not closing the draft on the stove will also work to lengthen the burn time some what with the damper being able to close to slow the venting and still have a hot fire!! again this will take some experimenting with the damper...... I usually run my damper at a 45deg. which gives me optimal burn/heating length time, all in one operation..... after all this ? it's got to be the stove!
 

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