Ok, so here is the story.
Just got my first ever woodstove installed, Quadra-fire Isle Royale, with top-loading door.
It was installed professionally (though I'm really beginning to question if he deserves that title).
Stove is located in the basement, no outdoor air kit, drawing from inside the house. Flue damper also installed.
Pipe goes up through the main-floor, into our bedroom where it takes two elbows (approx 45 degrees each), to hit the roof at the proper angle to pass between the joists etc.
For 3 weeks burned more or less continuously. About half scrap 2x4s, and half seasoned pine.
Kept the damper at minimum, and played with the flue damper to a point where the flames were blue and dancing.
Did not allow it to smoulder to restart from the embers, but used paper and bark/kindling each time to restart. Then added scraps, then the pine.
After 3 weeks of pure wood-burning pleasure, without any issues or concerns, there was a strong smell of burning-plastic in the main-floor bedroom. Then shortly after a strong smell of woodsmoke. Then the 2" insulated pipe was too hot to leave my hand on. THEN there was a dramatic decrease in draw in the stove. Carbon monoxide detector went off, reading of 89 PPM in the bedroom.
Contacted the installer, and we tried to light it again (a few days later). No-go. No draw at all. Took the flue damper off and put a straight pipe in instead. No-go, still no draw. Went up on the roof, and the cap itself was totally, completely plugged with creosote. Taking the cap off allowed us to get a fire going, but the draw was still terrible. No smoke or carbon monoxide exited into the bedroom during this fire.
Installer says it is an issue of negative pressure in the basement (our furnace also draws straight from inside the house). Says this has slowed down the ascent of the smoke, to the point that it is cooling and condensing on the pipe.
During the 3 weeks of burning, draw was never a problem. Never had smoke pouring out of the stove, trouble lighting etc.
Installer also says a major factor is the humidity in our house (+/- 45%, down to 35% after running the stove).
And the "punky" wood we have. I'm familiar with this term, and to my mind our wood is absolutely not punky. My brother has been burning from the same batch since September and has had no complaints. It is totally dry, well-seasoned for at least a year. The installer does not contest any moisture issue with the wood, but he says it has "lost all of its energy" and that some of it was cut from dead trees: "never ,ever burn deadfall".) I think he may be trying to shift the blame onto us to cover his butt.
I don't doubt that the negative pressure is part of the problem here, but my real question is: to your mind, does this explain how we somehow managed to completely clog our chimney with creosote in a matter of 3 weeks?!
Seems to me something in this system was grossly miscalculated. When originally purchasing the stove, sales rep said we would essentially never have to clean the chimney, because the stove burnt so clean. Install guy had said we should have it done once per year. I work from home and was at that fire every 1.5 hours having a great time with my new stove, tweaking and tuning the flue damper, keeping the flames blue and rolling: was this the issue?
Even the flue damper was covered in creosote. How is this possible in THREE WEEKS?!
Thoughts? Insight?
Will provide further details if helpful.
Thanks.
Just got my first ever woodstove installed, Quadra-fire Isle Royale, with top-loading door.
It was installed professionally (though I'm really beginning to question if he deserves that title).
Stove is located in the basement, no outdoor air kit, drawing from inside the house. Flue damper also installed.
Pipe goes up through the main-floor, into our bedroom where it takes two elbows (approx 45 degrees each), to hit the roof at the proper angle to pass between the joists etc.
For 3 weeks burned more or less continuously. About half scrap 2x4s, and half seasoned pine.
Kept the damper at minimum, and played with the flue damper to a point where the flames were blue and dancing.
Did not allow it to smoulder to restart from the embers, but used paper and bark/kindling each time to restart. Then added scraps, then the pine.
After 3 weeks of pure wood-burning pleasure, without any issues or concerns, there was a strong smell of burning-plastic in the main-floor bedroom. Then shortly after a strong smell of woodsmoke. Then the 2" insulated pipe was too hot to leave my hand on. THEN there was a dramatic decrease in draw in the stove. Carbon monoxide detector went off, reading of 89 PPM in the bedroom.
Contacted the installer, and we tried to light it again (a few days later). No-go. No draw at all. Took the flue damper off and put a straight pipe in instead. No-go, still no draw. Went up on the roof, and the cap itself was totally, completely plugged with creosote. Taking the cap off allowed us to get a fire going, but the draw was still terrible. No smoke or carbon monoxide exited into the bedroom during this fire.
Installer says it is an issue of negative pressure in the basement (our furnace also draws straight from inside the house). Says this has slowed down the ascent of the smoke, to the point that it is cooling and condensing on the pipe.
During the 3 weeks of burning, draw was never a problem. Never had smoke pouring out of the stove, trouble lighting etc.
Installer also says a major factor is the humidity in our house (+/- 45%, down to 35% after running the stove).
And the "punky" wood we have. I'm familiar with this term, and to my mind our wood is absolutely not punky. My brother has been burning from the same batch since September and has had no complaints. It is totally dry, well-seasoned for at least a year. The installer does not contest any moisture issue with the wood, but he says it has "lost all of its energy" and that some of it was cut from dead trees: "never ,ever burn deadfall".) I think he may be trying to shift the blame onto us to cover his butt.
I don't doubt that the negative pressure is part of the problem here, but my real question is: to your mind, does this explain how we somehow managed to completely clog our chimney with creosote in a matter of 3 weeks?!
Seems to me something in this system was grossly miscalculated. When originally purchasing the stove, sales rep said we would essentially never have to clean the chimney, because the stove burnt so clean. Install guy had said we should have it done once per year. I work from home and was at that fire every 1.5 hours having a great time with my new stove, tweaking and tuning the flue damper, keeping the flames blue and rolling: was this the issue?
Even the flue damper was covered in creosote. How is this possible in THREE WEEKS?!
Thoughts? Insight?
Will provide further details if helpful.
Thanks.
