So I have been experimenting with adding an automatic control to my Ideal Steel.
What you see in the picture is the primary and secondary inlets at the bottom of the stove. Both openings change when you open the main air control.
They are being regulated by two bimetallic strips being held up by magnets.
When you open up the draft, the cool air rushing in bends the strips to open. As you close the draft to 1/4 (base setting for my testing) the strips close as the stove warms up.
This sends the stove into a blackout cat burn. The cat takes over and the secondaries disappear.
Hours later when the cat starts to cool off the controls begin to slowly open allowing air into the coal bed to maintain the temperature. It never allows more air in then your base setting (1/4) so it can't run away.
Last night was my first run with this setup. It was very successful. The box was black when I went to bed and I had red coals glowing and mostly clean glass in the morning with plenty of temperature to the stove.
Usually if you close the air completely on this stove it will burn hot for a few hours then cool off fast. This way my base setting is basically for a medium burn but is automatically regulated down to a very low burn. I will continue to tweak and test it.
The first picture shows what it does at wide open throttle. The second picture shows how it reacts to 1/4 open. Also, this setup does not interfere with the main draft control operation. You can move the air control throughout its entire range and the strips are not affected.
What you see in the picture is the primary and secondary inlets at the bottom of the stove. Both openings change when you open the main air control.
They are being regulated by two bimetallic strips being held up by magnets.
When you open up the draft, the cool air rushing in bends the strips to open. As you close the draft to 1/4 (base setting for my testing) the strips close as the stove warms up.
This sends the stove into a blackout cat burn. The cat takes over and the secondaries disappear.
Hours later when the cat starts to cool off the controls begin to slowly open allowing air into the coal bed to maintain the temperature. It never allows more air in then your base setting (1/4) so it can't run away.
Last night was my first run with this setup. It was very successful. The box was black when I went to bed and I had red coals glowing and mostly clean glass in the morning with plenty of temperature to the stove.
Usually if you close the air completely on this stove it will burn hot for a few hours then cool off fast. This way my base setting is basically for a medium burn but is automatically regulated down to a very low burn. I will continue to tweak and test it.
The first picture shows what it does at wide open throttle. The second picture shows how it reacts to 1/4 open. Also, this setup does not interfere with the main draft control operation. You can move the air control throughout its entire range and the strips are not affected.