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[intensedrive]

Hi,

I checked the forum and very little information or much of a debate is on this topic.  I have a natural draft system and I must say its the most frustrating situation I have ever encountered.  Constantly opening the door for 30 minutes to get the fire going properly.  After closing the door the temp drops 10 degrees very fast.  I have a ridgewood and the natural draft is joke.  I'm tired of opening the door to get temperature up and to close the door to loose water temp.  Honestly I'm loosing my mind, I can't keep opening my door to achieve proper operating temps.  I hear they are now offering a upgrade with a blower.  What are the advantages of natural draft vs forced air?  In very cold temps it seems I need to be home all day to open the door to get temps back up.  I'm mixing green with seasoned...   maybe its my wood.  Lets not talk about the temp drop after the damper opens for heat.  In my situation the water temp with drop near 20 degrees before it gets the fire going to increase water temp.

[Chas]

I'm burning mostly ash and cottonwood that was cut last winter and I'm having absolutely no issues with the natural draft on my Ridgewood. I'm glad to see they are now offering a forced draft fan option but I have no intentions of getting one.

[fryedaddy]

My setup has draft and forced air as well.

I can either open the draft on the doors or use the forced air.

I've been experimenting with both this year and it seams the forced air is better for me.

You can always dampen the fan to blow the exact amount of air.

[yotehunter66]

I think the main difference between them is time to temp and flue heat loss. While the draft blower brings the temp up quicker in the fire box I think a lot of heat is lost out the flue. With a natural draft more heat may be retained in the fire box but you can have slower recovery times during higher heat loads on the system. To me an ideal unit would be a system that drafts naturally until there is a specific drop in temp such as 15 degrees, I'm pulling numbers out of the air so don't be critical, and then would kick the draft lower on.

[jamesbodeis]

Have you added any chimney? I added six feet of pipe and opened the plate at the bottom of the stack just a bit. Mine take's off and runs no problem. I have a decent fire within a minute or two.

[free heat]

Keep a good coal bed. Always pull your coals to the front and load right behind it. Seasoned wood outperforms green wood always. You could also shorten up your interval of when your draft door opens. I run mine at 12 degrees. A stack extension will drastically help your recoup times also. Keep your plate inside your stove shut. If you open it at all your wasting heat up the chimney, and will burn more wood. Keep dialing it in you got a great stove there!

[jamesbodeis]

Yes you will lose more heat up the stack if your stove is running optimally before. But it can be used to control draft also. Mine opened up a touch isn't using any more wood or running any longer than when it was shut all the way.

[artbaldoni]

I have a Natures comfort so not apples to apples but, I am set up with forced air over natural draft. I always have a minmal amount of natural draft by propping the flapper open a small amount then when the stove aquastat calls the blower will come on and get my water temp back more quickly, like when everybody is showering and there is a increased call for omestic hot water. This is my latest setup in my quest to burn coal as well as wood and it seems tob working well.

More chimney and remove any restrictions sounds like a first step to solving your issue. Good luck!

[hondaracer2oo4]

With a natural draft set up a coal bed is very important. Your wood is your other issues. What are you burning? How long has it been drying? What size pieces?

[BoilerHouse]

I have a home built system with a hybrid draft system.  On initial fill its forced draft on a timer.  Once things get rolling, ts natural draft.  As long as it keeps temperatures up (both water and flue), and doesn't smoke, I am quite happy to leave it on natural draft until next fill up.

[browncty]

I have an American Royal wood boiler with a blower and I would recommend one with a blower system. I feel it burns the wood more efficiently than my friends with ones without a blower system.  It's all preference in my opinion.

[wissel12]

My first year with my stove was great. My wood was dry. No problem with the stove coming up to temps fast

I remodeled a house last year and took all my time. I got my wood cut, but did not pick it up. So some of the wood is wet. I could use a fan this year.

But i prefer natural draft. 

I love boilerhouse's set up! I would love to see pictures.

[Vincent Paul]

Scott7m said in a post some time ago ( which actually sold me on a natural draft ) that if natural draft didn't work so well, Central Boiler would never have got off the ground.  We have had zero issues with our natural draft Ridgewood.  I believe the key is dry wood.  We cut our wood a year in advance and it sits under a lean to.  I understand not everyone can do that, but for a natural draft, it is nearly a must.  We literally load ours between 5 & 6 am and then again around the same time 12 hours later ( white oak, red oak, locust, poplar, ash, cherry and elm ).  All of this wood is either standing dead or already blown over so it is drier than some.  By the way, I love cutting wood in our woods!!