I have an old Fisher Mama Bear. I added a simple baffle. The stove works good and gets scary hot. It doesn't smoke. Burns clean. I got it on CL for $150. Good score. Its in the basement. I cut off the rear exhaust port and put a plate on it and cut a hole in the top so I could have top flu. Makes it so the stove takes up less floor space and increases draft. I finished the chimney this morning and its all strait up. Out of the stove strait up through the first floor (ranch) , through the attic and through the roof. All good. After I got that done I was in the basement with the stove working on the outside air intake system and noticed air rushing into the stove. I dont have AC so the house is open. 60F(ish) in the house. Fairly cool this morning outside (55?). So i lit a cigarette to do a smoke test so I could see what was going on. I think theres about 20ft of flue/chimney and its all strait up so I figured I would have good draft but jeebus. The chimney drafts without a fire in it! I finished the intake system and got a test fire in it after it cooled off outside tonight and I had a feeling it wouldn't be enough air. It wasn't. I have a single 3/4 pipe going into one side of the stove. I'm going to change it so it has two 1" pipes, one on each side. If that doesn't work I'm not sure what to do after that. Any ideas? I'll post pics in the next post so I dont mess this one up...
Can you go into a little more detail as to what you are trying to accomplish with the external pipe? Are you trying to create secondary burn, or are you saying the vents on the front aren't enough? That one pipe just sticking in the middle of the box isn't going to accomplish secondary burn. My old Fisher Honey Bear would burn fine with the front vents only open about 1/8th turn each once it was going good. Also, where does that pipe go, and what is it for?
You also contradict yourself. You say it works good, and gets "scary hot", but then you say it's not getting enough air. How can it be both????? I'm also a bit confused at how you have installed your fire brick. It looks as if the back is several layers deep, and not stacked in any particular order. Bottom line is that these are some of the most desirable old stoves on the market for a reason. They are VERY good stoves. They don't need any holes cut in them, or modifications to work properly. Just install a proper flue, fill 'em up, and go. A stove is a pretty simple engine. Air comes in, combustion takes place, air goes out. So, you either have a restriction with intake - If the vents on the door operate, that's not your problem, and no additional holes or pipes are needed. A problem with the fuel, ie unseasoned wood. Or, a problem with the exhaust - Blockage or draft problem. I don't know how seasoned your wood is, so either that or your chimney's draft is your problem.
Another thing I just noticed. Is that pipe hooked up to a dryer vent with a plastic flange? If so, how long to you think it will take for a metal pipe that's sticking directly into a fire to conduct enough heat to melt it? My guess is not very long.
