What is a baffle plate?

Are you not sure about what a baffle does in your wood heater? Let's cut through the all the baffle waffle! Here are the most common questions answered. 👍

What is a baffle plate and what does it do?

A baffle plate, also referred to a heat deflector plate, sits at the top of the fire box
chamber. Baffles can be made of cast iron, heavy steel, stainless steel or vermiculite.

The baffle plate is designed to deflect heat back into the fire box to prevent waste gases
and heat being lost through the flue too quickly. By reflecting heat back into the firebox this aids in secondary combustion of waste gases to produce even more heat.

In summery the baffle plate has TWO main jobs, the first being to PROTECT the main body of your stove from the intense heat of the fire. The second is to BLOCK flammable gas that is released by your fuel, to keeping it in the firebox for longer allowing more to be burned.

Can I use my fire without a baffle?

It is highly inadvisable to use a fire without a baffle in place. It can cause irreparable damage. The cost of replacing a baffle is much lower than replacing a whole wood heater.

There is also increased risk of a flue fire as intense heat and flame direct from the fire can ignite built up creosote in the flue.

With no baffle in place, more of the flammable gases from your flue are going to disappear up the chimney without being burned. This is bad for the environment. It’s far greener to burn the flammables than release unspent fuel into the air. It’s also bad for your hip pocket as you are losing valuable fuel that can heat your space.

Refer to your user guide 

Each wood heater will come with its own user manual covering the specifics of the unit, what to expect, what fuel to use and in what volume.

Contact us for advice and assistance.