# Trying to be efficient



## buddythehuman (Jan 16, 2017)

I have an older model stove that came with the house. I wouldn't buy a house without a stove. I'm trying to figure out how to get full efficiency out of this thing. Should I burn with the doors open or closed ( it puts out more heat open) to me it seems to use more wood closed. The doors are iron (no glass). I know to get better efficiency I need a new updated stove but I'm the cheapest of skates.


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## bholler (Jan 16, 2017)

buddythehuman said:


> I have an older model stove that came with the house. I wouldn't buy a house without a stove. I'm trying to figure out how to get full efficiency out of this thing. Should I burn with the doors open or closed ( it puts out more heat open) to me it seems to use more wood closed. The doors are iron (no glass). I know to get better efficiency I need a new updated stove but I'm the cheapest of skates.


That is an old franklin stove and you will never get any efficiency out of it.   The stove was designed by benjamin franklin as a replacement for open fireplaces and it is slightly more efficient than an open fireplace simply because the firebox is open and free to radiate heat but they suck tons of air just like a fireplace.  The design was reproduced by lots of companies in the 70s and early 80s.   Also what is behind that brick wall?  If it is just over top of framing you have some pretty serious clearance issues as well.


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## peakbagger (Jan 16, 2017)

If you insist on keeping it burn it with doors closed. Running it with the doors open is borderline negative efficiency. Unless your wood is free and you don't value your time whatsoever, its false economy. Buy a used box stove or an new Englander and you will be far better off.


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## maple1 (Jan 16, 2017)

This might be one case where you'd be better off buying a house without a stove...


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## peakbagger (Jan 16, 2017)

I think the theory with the Franklin stove was that when the fire was dying out the doors could be closed which cut down the draft up the chimney. My dad used to try to heat with our fireplace and inevitably the cold draft all night cooled down the house. He built a wooden plug faced with asbestos cement board that fit in the fireplace opening so that we could close up the opening after the fire was dying out. It made a big difference.


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## mitchell721 (Jan 16, 2017)

You might not like hearing it but to be efficient a newer stove would make a world of difference. And to go off what maple is saying here's the skinny.  They do still make some stoves that are 8 inch flue which would make a swap out easy blaze king king model for example. But I'm not sure if they have much at a lower price point. Begreen or one of the guys that deal with stoves almost daily will be able to give ya some more ideas. Now there are plenty of 6 inch that I know are at lower price points like englander that have six inch flue. So then you have the cost of stove and flue. But if you have a large selection of wood you can keep feeding it as long as it's in good condition. While I'm not a specialist at this. Seems like have doors closed and not drawing as much air. I.e sucking warmed air out would be the way to go. Just my 2 cents


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## buddythehuman (Jan 16, 2017)

Not exactly the responses I was wanting to hear. Could I get a stove with a 6" flue and put a reducer/adapter on it and still use the 8" that's already installed?


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## buddythehuman (Jan 16, 2017)

Thanks for the advice though!


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## mitchell721 (Jan 16, 2017)

That may be possible. I'm not sure on the insert and outs of the regs. One of the guys that are a sweep will probably can't moment soon. It seems like I remember someone posting a certain stove manufacturer allowing either size.


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## maple1 (Jan 16, 2017)

Might need more info about your chimney.


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## bholler (Jan 16, 2017)

Yeah what type of chimney is it how high is it ect.


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## buddythehuman (Jan 16, 2017)

It's just a straight pipe through the ceiling. It only sticks like 3' out the roof up top. Single story house.


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## bholler (Jan 16, 2017)

buddythehuman said:


> It's just a straight pipe through the ceiling. It only sticks like 3' out the roof up top. Single story house.


Is it double wall triple wall stainless or galvanized?  If it was installed the same time as that stove it may way past its expected life already and may also need replaced.


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## maple1 (Jan 17, 2017)

'Just a straight pipe through the ceiling' - that sounds bad. 

You might not have meant to say what that sounds like though?

Insulated? Liner? Materials? Size?


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## buddythehuman (Jan 17, 2017)

It's stainless. I think the chimney above the ceiling is all newer. I'll check on whether it's double or triple insulated. How do I tell? I'm new to all this.


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## mitchell721 (Jan 17, 2017)

Pictures help also


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## Destructor (Jan 18, 2017)

We had the identical Atlanta Stove Works Franklin when I was a kid. It was in a family room addition. It worked well but ate up wood. That didn’t matter to us since a friend who installed fencing gave us an almost endless supply of old cedar fence rails and posts. We also had a lot of woods around the house. We burned around 50/50 with the doors open and closed. Use it with the doors closed, as long you feed it wood you’ll get heat out of it. Use it until you can install a newer stove, assuming the current setup is safe. These stoves will heat a room but not efficiently and only while there is a fire going. My father kept the heat off in the room our stove was in. In the morning the room was cool. We used it like a fireplace, letting the fire die down before going to bed. Be careful how much wood you put in especially with the doors closed, too much wood and it will fire like a blast furnace. There is almost no control of the combustion air.


We did install a modern stove after the Franklin and used it to heat the first floor of the house because it allowed us to burn overnight and control the air. Two stoves later my father now uses a small Jodul and can keep the room very warm on a cold day with 2 X scraps alone. Huge difference in efficiency. Me, I don’t have a stove yet. I feed maple, oak and locust into my masonry fireplace during the weekends mostly for fun but I do get the living room comfortable, I shut the furnace off. I have glass doors that I close at the end the burning session, my father’s little Jodul could easily heat my whole first floor and probably most of the upstairs.


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## buddythehuman (Jan 18, 2017)

Here's what it looks like from the ground. Not sure if this will help anyone or not. Didn't have a chance to get on the roof.


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## jatoxico (Jan 18, 2017)

How big an area are you trying to heat? There are a few modern stoves that use an 8" flue but they tend to be for heating large areas and/or will cost some bucks like the BK King.

If the chimney is in very good condition it may be one time where getting an old Fisher or Fisher clone off Craigslist would be the good choice. Those will out perform what you have. If the chimney is at all questionable I wouldn't replace it instead just go with 6" and new stove when you can swing it.


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## rwhite (Jan 21, 2017)

CheapBassTurd said:


> There's a #2469 boxstove which will radiate a ridiculous amount of heat and it's
> $350.  I have the pre EPA forerunner, the #2421 boxstove.  It's literally a cube with a chimney
> and dirt cheap.  The damper slows the burn, but the leaky manufacture will not.  If you choose
> to see the thing as a kit rather than a stove it'll work just fine.  Take it apart and double seal
> ...


I don't recommend anything that you have to "modify" so you don't kill your family.


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## bholler (Jan 21, 2017)

CheapBassTurd said:


> There's a #2469 boxstove which will radiate a ridiculous amount of heat and it's
> $350. I have the pre EPA forerunner, the #2421 boxstove. It's literally a cube with a chimney
> and dirt cheap. The damper slows the burn, but the leaky manufacture will not. If you choose
> to see the thing as a kit rather than a stove it'll work just fine. Take it apart and double seal
> ...


While I really commend you for all of the work you did to your stove I would still not recommend that stove to anyone.  Even after all of the work you did it is still made from thin low quality castings that from what I have seen are very prone to cracking.  You have made it much safer by sealing it up but you have not changed the poor quality of the stove body.


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## fibels (Jan 26, 2017)

buddythehuman said:


> Thanks for the advice though!


  Do you have a pipe damper installed ? If no try one and get back to us.They're cheap


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## Destructor (Jan 27, 2017)

Those franklins had a cast iron damper sitting on the cast iron transition piece at the connection to the pipe, ours did but the picture cuts it off.


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## buddythehuman (Jan 28, 2017)

Mine has a damper in the pipe yes!


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## fibels (Jan 29, 2017)

buddythehuman said:


> Not exactly the responses I was wanting to hear. Could I get a stove with a 6" flue and put a reducer/adapter on it and still use the 8" that's already installed?


  So buddy it sounds like your draft is  good since you say your using more wood when the doors are closed.If so why isn't your pipe damper not slowing down the burn rate ? Maybe your pipe damper is shot and needs replacement.How about a picture of where the pipe damper is placed.


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## buddythehuman (Jan 29, 2017)

I've been running it with the pipe damper wide open if that helps explain haha (I'm new to this)  I'm assuming I should open it slightly?


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## buddythehuman (Jan 29, 2017)

Here's the damper


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## bholler (Jan 29, 2017)

buddythehuman said:


> I've been running it with the pipe damper wide open if that helps explain haha (I'm new to this) I'm assuming I should open it slightly?


honestly it doesnt matter much you are not going to get much of any efficency out of that stove.  I am still concerned what is behind that brick wall


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## Destructor (Jan 29, 2017)

With the doors closed we would use the damper to control the draft but it didn't have much impact.

Why don't you just use the stove as is untill you get a modern stove. Enjoy the ambiance of an open fire. Closing the doors will not slow the burn but it will cut down on heated air going up the chimney. You will have to bring everything up to code when you replace it.


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## fibels (Jan 29, 2017)

buddythehuman said:


> Here's the damper


  I never saw a damper that close to the stove.Usually the damper is about 12-16 inches above the stove.Once you get the stove fully blazing close the damper.not completely closed but try different settings to see where you are getting a longer burn and heat off the stove.How long are your burn times with your usual routine ?Leaving your damper wide open will definitely allow the wood to burn faster so turn the damper to slow the burn rate.


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## bholler (Jan 29, 2017)

fibels said:


> I never saw a damper that close to the stove.Usually the damper is about 12-16 inches above the stove.Once you get the stove fully blazing close the damper.not completely closed but try different settings to see where you are getting a longer burn and heat off the stove.How long are your burn times with your usual routine ?Leaving your damper wide open will definitely allow the wood to burn faster so turn the damper to slow the burn rate.


That is where the damper is on old frankilns like that.


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