Not all cases are a blocked flue. Sometimes, like in my case, it's operator error. I am new to wood stoves and have been dealing with smoke pouring into the house every time I loaded. I just found out that I am supposed to open the air draft all the way before slowly opening the door. This might sound idiotic to anyone who has experience with wood stoves, but this is my first stove and I don't even know anyone else that owns one. I am figuring everything out on my own and with help from youtube.
...and how do we know which way is open and which way is closed? I just spent $350 USD to have the pipe cleaned and stove cleaned in this old house I got last summer - and it's happening no matter which way I push the damper lever on front. It's an old Century wood stove, setting off smoke alarms...and cannot.even get the first fire started.
I burn wood as my only source of heat in Maine and you right you need positive draft. Also when its warmer and foggy moist air 40 is degrees its hard to make draft on start up cause outside air is heavy fyi
Open the damper/ air control all the way, open the door very slowly, to about 1/2 inch or so… wait a few seconds, again continue to open door very slowly
In MOST cases nothing is wrong. Wood stoves with a baffle that directs the hot gases TOWARD the front and toward the glass should not be opened when the fire is burning. They are not meant to be opened. It's not a fireplace. You must prepare the fire properly at the beginning, and then wait until it's just coals to reload. Nothing is wrong.
Make sure to increase air intake to stove before opening door; make sure chimney damper is open to allow stove to exhaust smoke; raise the height of your chimney pipe higher above the roof line as this will always improve drafting; make sure chimney has as few elbows as possible and is as vertical as possible; clean chimney as often as needed to remove creosote (especially level 3 "tar"/"glazed" stuff); burn seasoned wood as burning wet wood is wasteful of BTUs and will result in creosote building up incredibly faster. If you burn overnight and damper down the chimney to maintain a long-burning fire, creosote will build up faster as the chimney exhaust temperatures are reduced allowing creosote condensation on the inside chimney surfaces.
I have cleaned the flue every year and it still smoked when the door was opened. So no it isn’t in all cases a blocked flue. I had to work on the down draft, an had extra tubing added and a down draft cowl.
Is it a new problem or one you have always experienced? If it's something that just started it is likely a dirty chimney or chimney cap. If it has always done it, it could be an inadequate chimney for the stove. Chimneys should ideally go straight up from the stove without bends. Exterior part of the chimney should be double walled and should top out at least three feet above nearby obstacles (such as the high point of the roof). Finally, when opening the stove to add wood, whenever possible wait until it has burned down to a bed of hot coals. Then, open the flue 100% and turn the thermostat to maximum. Unlatch, but do not open the door. Wait until the coals are burning brightly, or there is a good flame (if you have to open it before it has burned down to coals.....not recommended, but sometimes unavoidable because you are going to bed or leaving and don't want the fire to go out while you sleep or are gone). Then, and only then, slowly open the door. This process allows the flue to warm up which increases draft prior to fully opening the door.
You forgot improperly operating air intake or the air intake is closed. Or a stove pipe damper set improperly or detached inside. And use good firestarters, not paper which also smokes like crazy.
This fire pit is one of a few covered pits that is on the list ru-vid.comUgkxAU9pOCSV9Y5JprooHvfxTpOrt4hx8uRM of approved products for Disney Fort Wilderness. The product served its purpose well and provided excellent fires throughout the evening. We were able to open the door and do s'mores, but I had to be careful because the handle was a bit hot on occasions. Additionally, I wish they had replaced some of the standard nuts with lock nuts in some places. We lost the door handle after just a couple of days of usage. Not a deal breaker, just a recommendation. I still give it 5 stars.
My stove and chimney were brsnd new and this happens. The inside of 'roof' of my woodstove is slanted. Its low in the back and high in the front. Seems the smoke hits the 'roof' and moves toward the door. Even with a sneak attack of opening slowly and getting the flow moving. The ceramic board on the 'roof' has gaps around it and ive tried moving it to see if it would change the direction of the smoke and it doesnt.
Matt Seymour depends on how much you use it. At least once a season. If you have a horizontal pipe going out Of the room , the horizontal pipe will need cleaning more often. I clean mine twice a season.
I had one fire that never had a smoke problem and wasn't often cleaned. however we have a new one in a new house that has a flue that is a good 6-7 metres, and it has smoke problem.One time smoke on a smoldering fire poured into the room when the door was closed, coming out of the air intake vent holes.
Consider leaving a window cracked open to increase air pressure in the home. Smoke, like water, will take the path of least resistance. Also, have the chimney cleaned and checked by a certified professional chimney sweep.
@@rudymental9993 If you don’t have fresh/outside air directly to your stove, when you open the door it will backdraft. If your house is to sealed up, your stove is starving for air. The easiest way to check this is to crack a window anywhere in your house, just slightly. Also check your flue and chimney cap for any obstructions or damage.
Both stove and flues in my house are newly installed, and yet this happens. Can it be that the flue has a rather large horizontal segment? From the stove it goes up 1.5 meters, then a horizontal segment of about 4 meters, then lastly perpendicular for about 2.5 meters.
A nice tall chimney keeps this problem away, also before placing wood in, open draft so smoke an dust go up chimney, we use a long log chain to knock chimney suit out , also , don't burn walnut unless outside boiler, and don't burn cardboard, gets chimney to hot too fast when cold will crack yr flu lining
you should go to a big box store and get the cleaner size for your chimney and enough rods to be longer then the chimney clean it every year just before burn season . cheep insurance . we sleep with a fire so better safe then sorry #blazeking
@@mrsmel269 Excellent advice. Alternatively, if you don't want to climb up on the roof, hire a certified chimney sweep to do it. They can also examine the chimney for safety.
yes go to a big box store and get the cleaner size for your chimney and enough rods to be longer then the chimney . clean it once a yr on the low end i try to do it mid season to just let the fire go out and clean it then spark it back up were lucky we shoot out the house ant i have a tea so just go from there . #blazeking
Yes, though maybe not as often. But at least once a year is a good idea. Very easy to do yourself, or you can hire a chimney sweep who can also check everything out for you. They aren't very expensive.
