What is a stove baffle plate and why might it need replaced?

Signs of a substandard stove installation

There are many relatively simple elements of a wood-burning/multifuel stove which make a massive difference to the efficiency and the durability of the stove in question. You will likely hear people discussing baffle plates on a regular basis but what is a baffle plate and what exactly does it do?

If you would like to contact us directly feel free to call on 01706 813393 or email us at sales@bowlandstoves.co.uk

What does a baffle plate do?

The simplest way to describe a baffle plate, which is placed at the top of the fire chamber, is a deflector shield which reflects heat back into the combustion chamber. This ensures that as much heat as possible is retained in the stove and emitted into the room in a controlled manner. If there was no baffle plate, which is simply a curved part made of cast iron, heavy steel, stainless steel or vermiculite, then heat would be lost through the flue system and not circulated around the room.

Once you understand exactly what a baffle plate does it is not difficult to see why it is a vital element of any stove. It is also interesting to learn that baffle plates are classed as “consumables” when it comes to your stove warranty and therefore not covered. We will discuss this issue in more detail but once you dig a little deeper it is a little easy to understand why this is the case.

Baffle plate

Replacement baffle plates

It is very easy to replace a damaged baffle plate but there are a number of reasons why it may need replaced. First of all, any baffle plate will have a natural life even when used under the correct conditions. However, we know that many stove owners seem to ignore instructions from the manufacturer about the correct type of fuel to use and the correct quantity.

Over firing your stove

Whether a relatively new stove enthusiasts or one who has been around for some time, there can often be a temptation to overstock your stove with fuel. This may make for larger relaxing flames and burning embers but this will not necessarily help the durability of your baffle plate. The fact that the baffle plate is placed in the hottest part of the stove, just above the combustion chamber, means that even under correct conditions it will come under extreme stress. However, over loading your stove with fuel will create large flames that will reach out and touch the baffle plate leading to constant temperature challenges.

When you overload your stove with fuel it is highly likely that some of it will escape up the flue therefore negating the benefits of stacking your fuel high. We know that some of the alternatives to wood fuel still create a significant amount of heat but the flames are not as high. This in itself will help with the durability of your baffle plate and reduce the amount of times it needs replaced.

Boiler stoves

Those who have boiler systems connected to their wood-burning/multifuel stoves will be well aware that these machines need to be used on a more constant basis to ensure the flow of hot water. As a consequence, working the stove “harder” over longer periods of time will place greater than average stress on the baffle plate which will eventually need replaced. This is a general consequence of using your stove in tandem with a boiler system but for many people the benefits still outweigh the need to replace the baffle plate on a more regular basis. However, there will be occasions where your battle plate is replaced far too regular as a consequence of effective misuse.

Refer to your user guide

Each stove will come with a user guide covering the specifics of the machine, what to expect and also what type of fuel to use and in what volume. As we touched on above, over stocking of fuel will create excess heat which escapes through the flue pipe and into the atmosphere outside. This is a complete waste of fuel and reduces the efficiency of your machine which is not built to deliver best results when overstocked. It is highly advisable to place a temperature gauge on your flue where the heat of the outgoing fumes can be measured.

These temperature gauges are very simple devices but will show whether your stove is running efficiently or perhaps overstocked. It is also obvious that extremely hot surplus fumes escaping through the flue will also impact the efficiency of the flue pipe and its longevity. So, it is fair to say that over stocking your stove with excess fuel has a knock-on effect not just to elements such as the baffle plate, and efficiency, but also the longevity of your flue pipe.

Read the guidelines!

The vast majority of us will fail to read manufacturers recommendations and advice whether we have bought a stove, new TV or any other device which seems on the surface to be fairly straightforward to set up. However, stocking your stove with too much fuel will cost you money in the long run, place extreme pressure on parts such as the baffle plate and reduce the overall efficiency of your machine. You have been warned – more is not always better!