Barometric damper

by Lip
(IN)

I would like your opinion on the use of a barometric damper on my wood burner. I have no damper currently, just the adjustable air intake on my small Buck stove, which works very well. (The heat reclaimer is gone!)

Answer


Lip,

Glad to hear that the heat reclaimer is gone! Barometric dampers are most commonly used in oil burners, although they can be installed with wood stoves. I don't recommend installing one for a couple of reasons.

The first reason is because you are using an EPA certified wood stove. These stoves are designed to burn efficiently using only the adjustable air intake. Adding an additional damper above the stove could potentially affect the efficiency of the stove. So unless you are having a problem with too much draft (a great problem to have) I wouldn't even consider installing one.

The second reason is that barometic dampers take air from the room. This will result in cooler flue gases which could increase creosote build-up in your chimney.

Hope this helps!

-Firewood Matt

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