Wood-burning stoves and fireplaces require a damper to control the quantity of heat that escapes via the stovepipe or chimney. A stovepipe damper is hardly more than a large butterfly valve inside the stovepipe having an outside grip you can turn to regulate the exhaust in the cooker. You can install a stovepipe damper sized to match the diameter of your stovepipe in only a couple minutes with some basic hand-operated tools.
Determine the diameter of the damper plate using a tape measure. Measure this distance in the un-crimped finish of this part of stovepipe. Mark the pipe in this location with an awl to make a slight indent.
Insert a 1/4-inch drill bit to your power drill. Drill a hole in the stovepipe in the marked site.
Place the damper plate inside the stovepipe and slide the tip of the grip rod through the hole you made from the outside of the pipe. Align the pole with the slots in the damper plate and slide the pole through until the finish touches the opposite side of the stovepipe. Hold the pole horizontally and rotate the damper plate to center it inside the pipe. Tap the end of the grip with a hammer to create a slight dent in the opposite side of the stovepipe. Remove the damper plate and handle pole.
Find the score on the stovepipe opposite the drilled hole. Tap on the place with an awl to undo the dent, so that it bulges inward. Drill a 1/4-inch hole via dent in the stovepipe.
Re-insert the damper plate to the pipe. Slide the grip rod during the first hole, in the damper slots and then out through the next hole in the stovepipe. Rotate the pole until the bend in the rod slides through the port in the plate. Turn the rod clockwise and pull slightly to lock the bend to the groove in the plate.
Turn the handle to adjust the angle of the damper plate. Confirm that you can flip the damper plate 360 degrees without interfering with the edges of the stovepipe before installing the pipe on the wood stove.
