All materials, including steel expand when getting hot. Start with the cleaning, then lubricate again. If all fails you can always bypass the stove damper using a pipe damper. Try not to modify stove if not necessary.
Kent tile fire
- Thread starter Nbourque
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Thanks for all your help. Also I have never really used the air control knob much on this Kent stove. Always leave it on full air and I use the damper to control the fire. Your thoughts?
The damper should be closed after staring a burn. The air control is to control the fire. Start full open and reduce air intake when fire is going. With air always open you will over fire and destroy the stove. A few weeks ago I sent you the link to the manual. Have you read it?
My stove pipe temp is always in the burn zone. I did not get the link to the manual.
Yes but where in the burn range and what are your stove temps? The fact that you have to run the air wide open tells me you have weak draft or wet wood. Can you describe your chimney setup? And what moisture content is your wood at?
Low to mid range in the burn zone for the most part. I will run it close to 500 upon initial startup. I don’t have to run the air wide open I have always just left it on full air and controlled the fire with the damper. My wood is right around 20 %
That is not at all how the stove is intended to work. That damper is a bypass. It doesn't stop flow it redirects it.
The damper in your stove if it is like all of the Kent's I work on is not blocking the exhaust it simply redirects the air through their secondary combustion chamber. A damper in the pipe just restricts flow.
Pardon my ignorance but I believe the damper open and closes to allow air in from the chimney. No?
Not in the Kent's I work on. And the manual clearly calls it a bypass damper. Not to mention you say it blocks the whole opening when closed. If that were the case and there was no other passage your house would fill with smoke
In the center of the bypass damper is a hole drilled about 1/2-1 inch diameter. That will let the smoke through.
Ok but doesn't it redirect the exhaust through their combustion chamber when closed?
I really thought it was a bypass but I could be wrong I haven't worked on one in a while. But if it is just a flue damper why do they call it a bypass?
It looks like I can control the fire quite a bit with the damper fully open and just using the air control.
Yes that is what the air control is for. But the damper is meant to be closed once up to temp.
I understand that but for now I can at least control the fire without the damper getting stuck. I will clean and inspect stove tomorrow when it cools down.
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