PE Alderlea T5 air intakes

[SkidKid]

So I can confirm, PE sent me the same document stating how to test draft, the tools, and the acceptable range. If it’s over the range they suggest a damper.

Within the last week I replaced the door gasket again and doubled up the baffle gasket. I’d say the fire behavior definitely looks different but still too hot.
I tested my draft and it was bouncing around .12 and .13 inches of water.

I installed an ICC brand damper and have been playing around with covering the intake holes. The damper definitely lowered by flue temps but I was hoping it would have reduced it by more. Currently I have 3 oak logs and two splits on top. Flue temps 900, stove top 650. I covered both the boost and other hole as well. If I loaded the stove this full without the damper and covering holes it would probably be 1300 flue temps and not sure stove temp. But hot!

I can only measure my draft above the damper so I don’t know if it’s actually accurate if I have the damper closed. But with damper closed, both holes blocked off, stove lever down it’s measuring .14..

Maybe I’m doing something wrong but how the hell do I lower the draft? I feel like the damper only slightly helped in that aspect. Maybe the ICC damper has to many holes?

Or maybe I’m done tinkering and this is how it’s gonna run. Is 900 degrees flue temps and 650 stove temp too hot?? That’s the best I can seem to do on a loaded stove.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Have you tested the door for warping? Try resting a straight edge along the stove around the opening where the gasket presses against it. I imagine it’d be harder to do it on the door with the gasket on, but if you need to change it, it could be measured then.

How did your gasket come? I see you had to use an adhesive. The OEM gasket has adhesive already on it.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Gasket part numbers

 

[SkidKid]

Have you tested the door for warping? Try resting a straight edge along the stove around the opening where the gasket presses against it. I imagine it’d be harder to do it on the door with the gasket on, but if you need to change it, it could be measured then.

How did your gasket come? I see you had to use an adhesive. The OEM gasket has adhesive already on it.

I have not tested the door for warping. I’ll pick up a straight edge and see if I can tell if it’s warped. Maybe it’s still leaking at the gasket. This morning the bottom corners of glass are pretty dirty, in a L shape on both sides.

When looking at the gasket, it is definitely flattened out on the hinge and door side compared to the top and bottom but that’s probably normal?

Yes I used a big ol bead of red rtv this time to maybe fill any void. I bought the gasket from stovepartsforless and it states it’s OEM but I am questioning that now when I see your pics. It just came in a little clear package with a part number sticker on it that is correct. But it not it not have Pacific Energy logos anywhere. It also didn’t come with the little piece that you wrap the two ends of gasket together like the factory gasket had. Do you know if legit PE gasket comes with that little piece? Maybe I got bamboozled and it’s not oem. It did have the sticky side that I had to peel of tape from.

 

[MongoMongoson]

I believe, for accuracy, you need to measure draft between the damper and the stove. I am in the same boat in that regard. My damper sits directly on top of the stove so I have not measured draft with the damper in place.

I have found, with my stove, once I get up over 700 degrees of flue temperature, it might want to take off and can be hard to control. Sometimes it has gotten above 700 when we were not on top of things, and the only way to cool it down is to run the blower on high and turn on the range hood . The blower helps by cooling the stove directly. The range hood lowers the house pressure to lower draft. When it gets back to a reasonable temperature, we turn off the range hood. This has happened only a handful of times and the 600 cfm range hood only needs to run for a few minutes.

On days when I know I will have a high draft (cold, windy), I will start the stove and use the damper immediately after closing the door. This helps me keep the stove under control by slowing the ramp to high temperatures.

If you haven't already, I would give that a try. Light your fire with the damper open and close the damper as soon as you close the door. That should give you a slower ramp up to high temperatures and give you more time to respond. Turn the air control down quickly if the fire is burning aggressively. When I see my temperature increasing by 2-3 degrees per second, I turn it down to get a lower ramp rate, even if the fire is in the 300s. I like to see 1 degree per second or less. As it gets hotter and I approach the temp where I want the stove to run, I want the rate of temperature increase to continue to drop to 1 degree every 2 or 3 seconds. I am using a thermocouple to watch the temperature, so I can see the temperature change with minimal lag. For me with this stove, 900 flue temp would be scary hot. Our rule is "under 700". 650 STT would not concern me at all.

As suggested by EatenByLimestone, check your door for warp. If that is good and you can't find any other leaks... some people with high draft put two dampers in series.

 

[MongoMongoson]

This morning the bottom corners of glass are pretty dirty, in a L shape on both sides.

The lower two corners are the places where I get a little accumulation. I remember my manual states that can happen and is normal. Mine is a Summit, not T5. Maybe your manual says the same. Still, it is good to check the door with a straight edge and dollar bill check the new gasket, especially where you see the creosote.

 

[begreen]

I tested my draft and it was bouncing around .12 and .13 inches of water.

That is very strong draft. It needs taming, idealy in half to around .06 to .08". The issue is not gaskets, it is too much suction via the flue.

 

[SkidKid]

That is very strong draft. It needs taming, idealy in half to around .06 to .08". The issue is not gaskets, it is too much suction via the flue.

I can hear air being sucked in through the intake holes underneath. Do you have any suggestions on how to tame the draft? I thought the damper would help a ton but I think it only slightly helped. Double up on dampers? Maybe try a different style that’s more blocked off? Or can I do something at the chimney cap like changing it?

 

[begreen]

It's possible 2 key dampers will be needed to knock the draft in half. A more restrictive chimney cap might work.

 

[SkidKid]

I believe, for accuracy, you need to measure draft between the damper and the stove. I am in the same boat in that regard. My damper sits directly on top of the stove so I have not measured draft with the damper in place.

I have found, with my stove, once I get up over 700 degrees of flue temperature, it might want to take off and can be hard to control. Sometimes it has gotten above 700 when we were not on top of things, and the only way to cool it down is to run the blower on high and turn on the range hood . The blower helps by cooling the stove directly. The range hood lowers the house pressure to lower draft. When it gets back to a reasonable temperature, we turn off the range hood. This has happened only a handful of times and the 600 cfm range hood only needs to run for a few minutes.

On days when I know I will have a high draft (cold, windy), I will start the stove and use the damper immediately after closing the door. This helps me keep the stove under control by slowing the ramp to high temperatures.

If you haven't already, I would give that a try. Light your fire with the damper open and close the damper as soon as you close the door. That should give you a slower ramp up to high temperatures and give you more time to respond. Turn the air control down quickly if the fire is burning aggressively. When I see my temperature increasing by 2-3 degrees per second, I turn it down to get a lower ramp rate, even if the fire is in the 300s. I like to see 1 degree per second or less. As it gets hotter and I approach the temp where I want the stove to run, I want the rate of temperature increase to continue to drop to 1 degree every 2 or 3 seconds. I am using a thermocouple to watch the temperature, so I can see the temperature change with minimal lag. For me with this stove, 900 flue temp would be scary hot. Our rule is "under 700". 650 STT would not concern me at all.

As suggested by EatenByLimestone, check your door for warp. If that is good and you can't find any other leaks... some people with high draft put two dampers in series.

I will check the stove with a straight I picked up later today. Also I will turn the damper closed immediately. I just ordered the electronic thermocouple to see in real time what’s going on. The mechanical probe is definitely laggy I’m sure.

 

[begreen]

Good move. Having real time feedback on flue temps is a game changer. I think you will be amazed at the difference. The missus likes it too. It gives her more confidence in running the stove.

 

[SkidKid]

It's possible 2 key dampers will be needed to knock the draft in half. A more restrictive chimney cap might work.

I’ll look into maybe a different cap. Ive got another same brand ICC damper coming Monday. I ordered before I knew my dealer had one on hand. I could play around and double it up as well.

 

[begreen]

In some cases, reducing down to 5" at the cap can help. I would do this experimentally at first, caps are not cheap. Maybe try pop-riveting in a partial blocker in the cap that restricts it say 50%. The benefit would be that this is reversible if it doesn't work out well. Long ago I remember reading about a fellow that put a stone in the stove's flue collar that blocked it about 50%, but I never heard whether that worked long term.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

For the door gasket I had a little flat piece of material to wrap around the end.

 

[SkidKid]

For the door gasket I had a little flat piece of material to wrap around the end.

Hmmm Interesting. Mine didn’t come with one. Maybe I should use the dealer to buy it and try replacing again.

 

[SkidKid]

In some cases, reducing down to 5" at the cap can help. I would do this experimentally at first, caps are not cheap. Maybe try pop-riveting in a partial blocker in the cap that restricts it say 50%. The benefit would be that this is reversible if it doesn't work out well. Long ago I remember reading about a fellow that put a stone in the stove's flue collar that blocked it about 50%, but I never heard whether that worked long term.

I’ll look into if I can easily modify my cap. What do you think about this ICC damper? It seems pretty open. I see other dampers that are way more closed off. Could I try sealing these holes a bit and see what happens?

 

[EatenByLimestone]

My key damper pretty much closes off the whole pipe.

 

[SkidKid]

My key damper pretty much closes off the whole pipe.

Yeah yours looks way more restrictive. Why did I buy an expensive ICC one when I coulda got a $15 one you drill yourself. Time for more experimenting… maybe I could throw some foil tape over a hole or two on mine and see if it makes any difference

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Mine came from the local hardware store.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

US Stove 6 in. D Cast Iron Damper Mfr# D-6 - Ace Hardware

This durable 6 inch cast iron damper is designed for use with any wood stove. Featuring a spring loaded removable steel shaft, it is closed by a formed spring wire button on the shaft end. The damper is easy to install and fits all standard single wall pipes.Find the CAST IRON DAMPER 6 at Ace.

www.acehardware.com

 

[begreen]

I’ll look into if I can easily modify my cap. What do you think about this ICC damper? It seems pretty open. I see other dampers that are way more closed off. Could I try sealing these holes a bit and see what happens?

That damper seems to allow a lot of flue gases to pass by it. Looks like it passes 50%. Ours blocks more off.



Maybe pop rivet a semicircle of stainless steel scrap over the ICC opening?

Why did I buy an expensive ICC one when I coulda got a $15 one you drill yourself.

The standard hardware store one may have a 1" shorter shank because it is designed for single-wall stove pipe. Measure the shaft length at the local hardware store to compare.

 

[SkidKid]

That damper seems to allow a lot of flue gases to pass by it. Looks like it passes 50%. Ours blocks more off.

View attachment 338061

Maybe pop rivet a semicircle of stainless steel scrap over the ICC opening?


The standard hardware store one may have a 1" shorter shank because it is designed for single-wall stove pipe. Measure the shaft length at the local hardware store to compare.

What brand damper is that? I should try to cover like you say and test it out. Should I be seeing a change in the fire behavior when I open and close it? Because I don’t.
I’ll keep that in mind about the hardware store ones, thanks for the heads up.

 

[SkidKid]

Mine came from the local hardware store.

Do you see a change in the fire behavior if you open or close the damper?

 

[EatenByLimestone]

It definitely slows it down. I only use it when it’s negative F temperatures to stretch out burn times a little and keep some more heat in.

I have forgotten to open it and was able to start the fire. It wasn’t a happy start. It took a lot longer than it would normally have, but exhaust does pass through and around the damper.

The best way to control the temp I’ve found is to start cutting the air back before it starts to get warm. I use what the flame is doing to help me decide when to cut back.

 

[moresnow]

Have all measures to regulate/restrict incoming combustion air been exhausted. Or?
If it isn't coming in it's tough to believe too much would be going out.
Does not sound like your installation should exceed recommended parameters.
Perhaps you have done all you can in this respect.