Stovepipe Smoke leak

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THE WOOD MASTER

THE WOOD MASTER

New Member
Aug 15, 2013
12
mankato Mn 56001
Hello

Does anyone ever get a bit of smoke leak from seems on stovepipe, only when door on stove is open and refiring from a bed of coals, just untill the door gets shut then it stops instantly. Once a good draft is going this will not happen. Early morning starts and after work starts when away from stove for several hours chimney cools down. If so any idea's on how to prevent or minimize smoke backdraft, thanks?

The Woodmaster
 
How much chimney is on the stove? What stove top temps are you normally maintaining?
 
I would consider adding 3-4ft to the chimney. Stronger draft should make this go away.
 
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its gonna be tough to stop this from happening on such a short chimney especially with the 45 degree elbows in there to boot.
 
Are the pipe joints sealed with furnace cement?
xtrordinair said:
its gonna be tough to stop this from happening on such a short chimney especially with the 45 degree elbows in there to boot.
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My BIL has only about 13' with a Fireview, so there's a 90 since it's rear-vented (I'm not sure you count that first 90, though.) Anyway, the only thing sealed is the elbow to the flue collar. No smoke leakage so far, even if it's rather warm out or the stove is cold. I guess each setup is different....
 
Woody Stover said:
Are the pipe joints sealed with furnace cement?
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If the black pipe joint were sealed the lower joints of chimney would likely leak because they are not sealed either and shouldn't be. It sounds like a cold air layer at the top of the chimney. Another section may help. What make/model of chimney are you using?
 
Fireshoppe said:
If the black pipe joint were sealed the lower joints of chimney would likely leak because they are not sealed either and shouldn't be. It sounds like a cold air layer at the top of the chimney. Another section may help. What make/model of chimney are you using?
Click to expand...


Ok Great, Thanks for all the input. My seems are not sealed, I may add 3 or 4 feet of chimney to see if it helps. Thanks again !!
 
Fireshoppe said:
If the black pipe joint were sealed the lower joints of chimney would likely leak because they are not sealed either and shouldn't be.
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I never figured the joints would be leaking all that much to hurt the draft but I've seen that some posters here have done it.
What make/model of chimney are you using?
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I'm wondering that as well. OP mentions "seams" instead of joints. The only seams I've seen are on the cheap snap-together or machine-crimped stove pipe.
 
just wondering, since it only happens when the door is open, wouldn't it be more likely its coming from the box, especially since it quits when the door is closed? my summit smokes a little when I open the door and feed the monster. my pipe smokes, I think because I can smell it but not see it) if I try and close my key damper (optional installation) down too much. otherwise, all is good.
 
Problem solved:cool: I went up on the roof to add a section of chimney only to find my spark arrester I added to cap just about completly plugged with creasote, I removed the spark arrester completely, checked chimney,looks fine. (I had added the arrester thinking I needed it). Now get plenty of draft again and no smoke in house. at this point im just going without the spark arrester. Anyone else ever experience this?
 
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glad to hear you solved your problem.....I've had that happen before most of the time it happens about the same time its time to ream the pipe. so far this year, its been pretty good. just checked a couple of days ago with the bino's....screen is clean as a whistle.
 
THE WOOD MASTER said:
Problem solved:cool: I went up on the roof to add a section of chimney only to find my spark arrester I added to cap just about completly plugged with creasote, I removed the spark arrester completely, checked chimney,looks fine. (I had added the arrester thinking I needed it). Now get plenty of draft again and no smoke in house. at this point im just going without the spark arrester. Anyone else ever experience this?
Click to expand...

Yup, first year we got our stove. Had no wood laid in yet so we purchased a load of "seasoned" splits from a dealer. Half-seasoned was more like it. I was on the extension ladder about twice a month, clearing the cap screen. What a PITA that was.

We're burning 2-year-old splits now. Haven't had to clear the cap at all this season.
 
THE WOOD MASTER said:
Problem solved:cool: I went up on the roof to add a section of chimney only to find my spark arrester I added to cap just about completly plugged with creasote, I removed the spark arrester completely, checked chimney,looks fine. (I had added the arrester thinking I needed it). Now get plenty of draft again and no smoke in house. at this point im just going without the spark arrester. Anyone else ever experience this?
Click to expand...


Good to hear that was all it was. There are lots of plugged screen stories here. Maybe a dozen a month?
 
Happy to hear you have it solved.

I have never had any smoke from my joints. I have single wall pipe (lots of clearance) that dumps into masonry. My joints are only screwed in four places. Having just done a smoke test, I had zero intake on my pipe joints.
 
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