Automatic Controls for Wood Stoves
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While we're at it, why not add an air to water heat exchanger to the flue and draw off the rest of the flue heat to heat a space heater and dhw. Add a draft fan and vent it through some 2"pvc out the wall?
But if we try to keep things in perspective and be a little pragmatic about the whole thing; a woodstove is just a space heater, albeit a very expensive and time consuming one. Heating very large spaces and whole houses should be more the exception than the rule and even then, fraught with frustrations of moving and controlling the heat. For anything more than use as a "accept it as it is" space heater, maybe existing gasifier boilers with a decorative cover and a large glass door would suit those desiring the ambiance of the flames and the automation and proper distribution of the heat.
I have given some thought to making an electronic damper control. I was thinking of using a temp control with proportional output and a HVAC proportional damper control. Both off the shelf components. I think one of the main issues is the large number of variables, amount of wood, wood type (dry wet) hot stove cold stove etc etc.
The only input sensors would be flue temp and stove top temp. I may be difficult come up with control method that would work in every situation. I think it would be an interesting project and may give it a try someday.
The only input sensors would be flue temp and stove top temp. I may be difficult come up with control method that would work in every situation. I think it would be an interesting project and may give it a try someday.
WES999 said:
I was even thinking simpler - just a control I can operate from my butt. I mean the couch.
(broken link removed to http://www.motherearthnews.com/Modern-Homesteading/1982-09-01/Woodburning-Emissions.aspx?page=3)
A cute little bimetal gadget from the early '80s that (I think) replaced the draft control on draft-wheel stoves. Can't find a pic online right now, but they turn up on EBay from time to time, and go for pretty stiff prices when they do.
It's probably just me (I design electronic stuff for a living), but I wouldn't want anything more than a simple bimetal or pneumatic temperature/draft feedback control on a wood stove. Horses for courses.
Eddy
A cute little bimetal gadget from the early '80s that (I think) replaced the draft control on draft-wheel stoves. Can't find a pic online right now, but they turn up on EBay from time to time, and go for pretty stiff prices when they do.
It's probably just me (I design electronic stuff for a living), but I wouldn't want anything more than a simple bimetal or pneumatic temperature/draft feedback control on a wood stove. Horses for courses.
Eddy
![[Hearth.com] Automatic Controls for Wood Stoves](/talk/data/attachments/15/15103-a873c3a0c841f0ad5fcf439b9bc07739.jpg?hash=RI6tra2C74)
![[Hearth.com] Automatic Controls for Wood Stoves](/talk/data/attachments/15/15104-76d3b2e8cfc9fa271ad4bfe1155813a0.jpg?hash=PsFQgX2A19)
ShawnMD, I'm with you. I don't understand why thermostatic controls aren't a more common feature on stoves. I've had a VC Encore and a Sears wood burning appliance that both had thermostatic air controls. They worked great.
I agree they should be on more stoves, but as someone said earlier, bi-metallic thermostats have been around since the 70's. I have an unused wonderwood in the shed, and an old oval ashley at a camp which both have so called "automatic draft". Both stoves were purchased before 1980.
I had the bi-metallic thermostats on two Riteway 2000's from the early 70's. The problem with them on those stoves was that the thermostat was always trying to catch up. When the temp dropped, the door would start to open and the fire may or may not have taken right off. The thermostat was still slowly opening adding even more air, and more air, and more air, until it read that it was too hot and started to close, and closed a little more, then a little more. I had to watch it constantly with a full firebox which pretty much negated its usefullness.
I have thought before about how much better it would be on my Liberty because it doesn't react so quickly to small air changes and unless the flue by-pass is open, it's pretty much impossible to over fire. It's basically a whole lot more stable than the old stoves.
Now don't tell anyone but I still have one of the Riteways in the front room and if you guys keep going on like this, I think the thermostat would fit nicely on the Liberty with very little work and no major intrusions.
Stay tuned and I'll try to get a picture of the Riteway with the wife's cell phone when she gets home.
Ken
I have thought before about how much better it would be on my Liberty because it doesn't react so quickly to small air changes and unless the flue by-pass is open, it's pretty much impossible to over fire. It's basically a whole lot more stable than the old stoves.
Now don't tell anyone but I still have one of the Riteways in the front room and if you guys keep going on like this, I think the thermostat would fit nicely on the Liberty with very little work and no major intrusions.
Stay tuned and I'll try to get a picture of the Riteway with the wife's cell phone when she gets home.
Ken
![[Hearth.com] Automatic Controls for Wood Stoves](/talk/data/attachments/15/15117-4f9ae38c2b9ed7ca43bc8bead302e54c.jpg?hash=Zc_wpnShkN)
What are you finding objectionable with the Bi-metal thermostats that causes you to try & replace them? It's been my experience thay do the job beautifully, but perhaps I'm overlooking something?
kenny chaos said:
Ought to work fine. Ya just put a pipe on the OAK inlet of a new wood stove, mount that stat on the side of the firebox and the flap where it opens and closes the end of the pipe.
BrotherBart said:
Right now I set the air when the stove top is at 600 degrees, for these cold nights. It holds there and eventually drops lower and lower. I'm afraid that with a auto damper control set at a certain temp that I won't have much, if anything, left in the morning.
Any opinions? (stupid question but I want to hear them.)
kenny chaos said:
Sooooo are ya just burnin for looks. If you need the heat then you need it. Ive got no problem with leftovers in the AM on our cold nights. If your getting 8hrs of beauty sleep than thats a shorter burn on a good heat setting. If you want a longer burn then that just set the stat lower. Remember on the BK low is only 350f for most of the burn. You will get 8hrs @ 500 with your hardwood no problem. Thats from the little Princess with 6" flue.
N of 60
Stephen in SoKY said:
I may have given that impression but I didn't mean to...those thermostats worked well and were easy to change. I'm sure that with today's tech they could be made to last a few years longer.
As to why no more thermostats I suspect government regulations. When you see experienced stove companies suddenly abandon things like flue dampers and thermostats the answer must be in the regulations...
...and as payback for their meek compliance the regs were modified enough to legally advertise a 12 hour burn time for a non CAT stove... LOL!
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