I have a woodstove with a double wall metal chimney going straight up through the roof. The house is a modified A-frame, with a very steep roof. When we added 8 feet onto the house, the stove that was in a corner is now 8' from the end of the house. Now the smoke blows down or just settles on the house and yard. We don't want to move the stove into the "new" corner. I am thinking about putting a 90 degree elbow on the chimney where it exits from the roof, running about 8 feet of horizontal pipe, another 90 degree elbow, and straight up as high as the chimney needs to be. We have already increased the height of the existing chimney to about 5 feet to 11 feet, above the peak of the roof, but that didn't help. Any thoughts on my idea, or any other suggestions?
Weird chimney bends
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Dang, that is a strange one. If it is 11 feet above the peak, how much total is sticking out above the roof line??? Or does it exit the house through the peak? Man that must be tall.
Sounds like the way that the wind is traveling over the house now is the issue.
The idea of outside 90's just won't work. Even if you could find the chimney components to do it, a horizontal run like that would be a creosote trap. Also, horizontal runs naturally reduce draft which could negatively impact the stoves performance.
Have you tried running this system w/ no cap at all to see how it works or if there is any difference? I'm wondering if a different cap design might help you out.
I'd also like to see a picture of what's going on outside.
Also, is this 6 inch or 8 inch chimney? What type of stove is it connected to?
Also, welcome to the site.
pen
Sounds like the way that the wind is traveling over the house now is the issue.
The idea of outside 90's just won't work. Even if you could find the chimney components to do it, a horizontal run like that would be a creosote trap. Also, horizontal runs naturally reduce draft which could negatively impact the stoves performance.
Have you tried running this system w/ no cap at all to see how it works or if there is any difference? I'm wondering if a different cap design might help you out.
I'd also like to see a picture of what's going on outside.
Also, is this 6 inch or 8 inch chimney? What type of stove is it connected to?
Also, welcome to the site.
pen
The chimney is a 6" Selkirk, with what seems to be their standard cap. It's not 11 feet above the peak, but 11 feet above the roof, on the side of the house. Because of how steep this roof is, the chimney is only 2 - 3 feet above the peak, which is about 10 feet away. This morning, the smoke was rising the way it should. Clearly it's the breeze or atmosphere. But something changed when we added 8 feet to the house, and I can't figure out what to do. I agree, I don't want to run horizontal pipe on top of the house. Thanks for your reply.
Stump_Branch
Minister of Fire
Sounds like wind is rolling over the peak of your roof pushing the smoke. Maybe you even have some smoke roll out when you load. I cannot think of the name brand, but there is a cap that is designed to draft in "windy" or other difficult draft situations. The cap has bent stainless baffels that allow the smoke to exit before getting effected by outside conditions.
I dont have one myself, but know of folks who do and swear by them. They are kinda funny looking.
Good luck.
I dont have one myself, but know of folks who do and swear by them. They are kinda funny looking.
Good luck.
tovi5375 said:
What is the pitch of the A-frame roof? That ratio will allow you calculate how far
your chimney has to extend from the surface to be code compliant. Even if
you meet code, you may need to add a Vacu-stack style chimney cap...
Thanks for all the replies and suggestions. The roof is steep, 10/12 or so. We get good draw in the woodstove, the smoke just tends to settle instead of rsing away from the house. I really feel like it is due to wind current, especially since this didn't happen before we did the 8 foot addition. I guess I'll try a Vaccu-stack cap.
This could be simple atmospherics. Yesterday I shut down the fire too early after the morning refill. It started smoking and I saw it because our property is sloped and the smoke was heading downhill across the field. If you are seeing smoke, give the fire more air until the stove burns hot enough to not smoke.
PS: What is the make/model stove?
PS: What is the make/model stove?
BeGreen said:
+1 on the hotter burn. My insert makes some smoke for a bit after refills or during a cold start but after that you can't see the smoke at all. My neighbors don't even know I burn unless the fire is cool enough for smoke. My next door neighbor made the comment that he smelled the fire one day and couldn't tell where it was coming from so he drove the neighborhood looking for smoke and couldnt find any. I told him I burn my smoke for extra heat. I don't think he understood.
The additional 8 feet of roofline is no doubt causing some different wind outside your home. It would be cool to see a video of it. I like it when I throw some smoke on a calm day and see a little cloud in the back yard. But as I said before a hot fire in my stove results in zero smoke.
Of course your wood could be the culprit as well. Wet wood will throw more visible smoke and even steam.
The stove is a Hearthstone Heritage. Yes, hotter fires and more seasoned wood would help. But, it's not so much seeing smoke, it's the smell of the fire coming in our second floor window, the smell of our laundry after it hangs outside, etc. The real issue is what changed when we did the 8 foot addition, and what can we do about it now? Thanks for all of your suggestions.
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