New homeowner

[94Ranger]

I need alittle help. Ive looked all over the internet and talked to some people about my issue. I just bought a house with a Clayton 1600m wood furnace. Its never been cleaned. So while I was cleaning it, i removed the single wall flue and noticed that he had a manual damper and looks to be some sort of barometric damper in the flue. My question is why is there two dampers? The flue was so caked with creosote, it was unbelievable. I also broke the single wall flue getting it out of chimney. So i have to replace the flue. Should I replace it and put it back the way i found it? Or should i just install an adjustable barometric damper? Please help!

 

[dave_dj1]

Congratulations on the new home and welcome to AS.
Personally I would ditch the Clayton furnace all together. I don't think they are known to be a real efficient unit.
I don't understand the natural barometric draft thing, why would you want that open to draw heated air out of you home? I believe in the damper in the pipe, regulate the draft.
Keep in mind that a stove is simply a tool. It has to be used properly. They probably added the internal damper to slow the burn down. Google that model and check reviews.
Good luck!

 

[94Ranger]

I dont know why the previous owner had both. I dont think he knew either. Lol. And thank you. I eventually plan on getting another wood furnace, but right it is not in the plan nor budget. So, you would just install a manual damper that goes inside the flue correct?

 

[dave_dj1]

Yes, that's what I would do but I'm no expert.
I have a hot air furnace outside with no damper, I just regulate it with the air going in.

 

[Mustang71]

I used to have a lifted 94 ranger. Anyways I never understood the barometric and how it made it draft better or burn more efficiently. The draft from the chimney is what draws the air through my furnace creating combustion. Throw a bariatric damper in and it's drawing air from the house for draft and not through the fire. Maybe with out it it draws excess air out as well as heat out of the furnace due to to much draft?

 

[94Ranger]

Thank you for your info. I guess we shall firgure out soon after i replace my flue. Oh, another question is from the top of my wood furnace to the top of the chimney is 12ft 6inches. Clayton recommends a minimum of 20ft. Is the missing 7ft 6inches really going to change my draft that much? Should I add the missing 7ft to meet the manufacturer recommended requirements before this coming winter? Or just see how it does? I did buy a draft gauge. Again, thank you very much. Oh Mustang71, my ranger is lifted too, got it for a steal. Working on droping a 302 in it. Gathering the drivetrain as we type. Leaving it 4x4, trying to leave it manual as well.

 

[NSMaple1]

A baro is used to limit draft - when your draft is too much. I have one on my 30' stainless chimney. When I had my old boiler, it had both - the baro sort of maintained a baseline maximum draft the boiler would see (like when it was gusty windy out), and the key damper I would adjust now & again for varying conditions. From what you said about your chimney, I don't think you would have too much, and quite likely don't have enough, so doubt you need the baro. But you won't know for sure without either trying it & seeing how it burns seat of the pants like - or getting a manometer & actually measuring it.

 

[94Ranger]

NSMaple1, i did by a Manometer. Now of my draft is not enough, would extending my chimney correct this issue? You guys are wonderful with all this info. Ive learned alot in the last 7 days of owning a house.

 

[chipper1]

NSMaple1, i did by a Manometer. Now of my draft is not enough, would extending my chimney correct this issue? You guys are wonderful with all this info. Ive learned alot in the last 7 days of owning a house.

Draft will increase as the chimney height does. Pipe size and whether the pipe is in the house or outside of the house as well as how many turns in the pipe has can effect the draft.
I bought an extra 1 or 2' piece of pipe for the shoulder season as I had a weak draft, so I thought, but once I began burning very seasoned wood I never used it again, want to buy it .

 

[NSMaple1]

NSMaple1, i did by a Manometer. Now of my draft is not enough, would extending my chimney correct this issue? You guys are wonderful with all this info. Ive learned alot in the last 7 days of owning a house.

Maybe. It should help some. But we also don't know anything else about your chimney. If it's brick & clay & big, you might he hard pressed to get enough draft no matter what you do - short of putting a new insulated s/s one up or relining with an insulated s/s liner.

 

[JeffHK454]

I run a baro because I have too...my flue is 30' of dead straight pipe and taking some out to reduce draft isn't an option.

In Ohio your stack height is required to be a couple feet (3' I think) above the roof peak and to say I have a strong draft is an understatement. Ironically I'm also running a Clayton 1600 and to say it's inefficient and low tech is pretty fair....It makes a ton a heat but has OK at best burn times and sends a lot of BTU up the chimney.

Some day when I'm rich I'll get me a Kuuma but a $5k wood furnace isn't in the cards for me.

 

[94Ranger]

My flue is made up of single wall pipe, about 56inches to the ceiling of my garage. Then it goes to double wall, not sure if its insulated or not. But then it goes up 7ft past the garages roof. It is not clearing the top of the house. I'm thinking of extending it past the roof line. I can hopefully up load picture tonight for you to understand.

Ive read that the claytons dont have good burn times. We shall find out this winter. Im alittle hard pressed for cash, lots of projects going on, house and cars!

 

[94Ranger]

Oh, its 6inch pipe

 

[Mustang71]

So at what point is it a good to have a baro damper? I have a daka wood furnace with somewhere around 25 feet of flue and most is triple wall. I'd think if you regulate draft you send less heat up the chimney. Is there a specific height chimney where you need to add one?

Edit I just counted the sections it's about 18, 19 feet tall

 

[94Ranger]

Ive done alot of reading from when i first posted. The only thing i can come up after reading for hours on end about chimneys and Barometric dampers. What ever your specific furance calls for a draft, i.e Clayton 1600M calls for .06WC of draft, for top performance per manufacturer. So, you install a Barometric damper to maintain that specific draft. Now, from what i have read, hot gas is high pressure and cold is low pressure, so having a Barometric damper should not let smoke into the house. You need a Manometer to check your draft.

 

[Mustang71]

If a chimney drafts there should be no smoke in the house. I get the whole thing I work with plenty of natural draft equipment. You could have to much draft or not enough. If I open the ash pan on my furnace you get tons of draft creating violent fire. What I don't get is the furnace will only let so much air in which would limit the air taken out by draft what does the damper do?

 

[94Ranger]

The Barometric damper will keep a steady draft in all conditions after being correctly set to the spec. It will regulate the draft in winds as well. Now, this is info I've read. Have no living proof or experience.

 

[NSMaple1]

If a chimney drafts there should be no smoke in the house. I get the whole thing I work with plenty of natural draft equipment. You could have to much draft or not enough. If I open the ash pan on my furnace you get tons of draft creating violent fire. What I don't get is the furnace will only let so much air in which would limit the air taken out by draft what does the damper do?

There's likely a point where too much chimney suck would pull too much air into the box past whatever front draft controls you had, then heat right up the chimney. Manufacturers draft specs should cover that - so if you have a chimney that sucks too much you should limit that to manu specs via a barometric damper. If you were right there to fiddle with it all the time in varying conditions, you could make do with a key damper - that baro is automatic.

The most important thing a baro did for me was to help avoid the chimney sucking flames out of my firebox into my somewhat creosoted chimney, if I happened to open the door at the same time the wind was gusting. That happened to me once - started a minor flue fire. The baro damper was hung up shut. So they're not 100% fool proof either.

 

[Mustang71]

I set a fire brick on the top ledge of my furnace to slow down and divert the flue gasses a bit to try to stop those flames from going up the flue pipe and it helped. Idk I'd that's from to much draft or just a poor simple designed furnace.

 

[NSMaple1]

or just a poor simple designed furnace.

There's a lot of that out there too - my old boiler being a prime example.