Kitchen exhaust fan. Drastic effect on insert. What to do?

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Brian26

Minister of Fire
Sep 20, 2013
694
Branford, CT
So my wife turns on the kitchen exhaust fan while cooking last night. Ours is one of those old wall mounted ones. House is from the late 60's. The fan is quite powerful.

I was outside gathering more wood and noticed the smoke smell was way more than usual. Go inside and the Drolet 1800 glass was blackened. I had the air all the way in and the stove was hot. Even had some smoke smell in the house.

My guess is the exhaust fan was choking out the air supply to the stove? Is there anything to do to allow the kitchen exhaust fan to run while the insert is going? Maybe crack a window to equalize pressure?
 
Crack a window. I have a commercial exhaust fan over our propane cooktop and at high speed it can reverse the draft in the chimney if we don't crack a window. Don't ask me how I know!
 
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glennm said:
Crack a window. I have a commercial exhaust fan over our propane cooktop and at high speed it can reverse the draft in the chimney if we don't crack a window. Don't ask me how I know!
Click to expand...
C'mon Glennm, you can't end post like that....we wanna know:cool:
 
Ok, the fan moves a lot of air, wife turns fan on full, smoke comes out of the drafts on the wood stove. Wow, really stunk up the house, now we just open a window a crack when the fan is needed!
 
You'll need be careful with exhaust fans, clothes dryers etc especially when the flue is not fully warmed up. Always run your first fire our the day hotter than usual, not so much to "burn off" creosote, but to heat the flue. In some situations, exhaust fans can be wired to intake fans that bring in make air to avoid depressurizing the house.
 
Brian, what stove is this? It sounds like an outside air kit may be advised if the stove will accommodate one and perhaps a less powerful fan or one within a ducted hood over the cooking area?
 
Brian26 said:
So my wife turns on the kitchen exhaust fan while cooking last night. Ours is one of those old wall mounted ones. House is from the late 60's. The fan is quite powerful.

I was outside gathering more wood and noticed the smoke smell was way more than usual. Go inside and the Drolet 1800 glass was blackened. I had the air all the way in and the stove was hot. Even had some smoke smell in the house.

My guess is the exhaust fan was choking out the air supply to the stove? Is there anything to do to allow the kitchen exhaust fan to run while the insert is going? Maybe crack a window to equalize pressure?
Click to expand...


An OAK make sense. Good for you for keeping a tight house.
 
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