Thanks for all the feedback in my last thread. It got a bit overwhelming, particularly since we kept getting backpuffs and both the dealer and Chris were out of town. It all seemed like too much (so much so that I found myself regretting the decision to go with a wood stove). It's been such a steep learning curve and things just haven't been easy at all. When a backpuff happens, my wife takes the baby upstairs to our room. We keep the door closed to avoid getting smoke in there. Whatever we've been doing -- talking, eating dinner, watching television -- is over. Then I scurry about trying to figure out how to clear the smoke and she goes to bed. But the dealer called this morning to set up an appointment to measure the draft.
I checked the cat this morning since the stove had burned out over night. It looked mostly clean. There was ash on the combs but they looked very much open. I'm no expert and will let the dealer check again when he comes out to do the draft test. Wouldn't be a bad idea to have the chimney cleaned but the dealer said it looked good so, for now, I'm trusting that.
In answer to other questions, I am burning pressed logs because my wood is just not dry enough. The backpuffs have only happened with the bypass door closed.
The dealer is trying to contact Chris over at Blaze King to ask some questions about running a draft test. They are heating experts but wood stoves are not their strength. The owner doesn't burn wood so he's mostly in the dark. Is there anything I (or he) should know before he begins the testing? Is there a reading that would indicate there is or is not a problem?
He asked me to have the stove cold when we begin. I guess he'll test it that way first and then we'll fire it up and see what happens.
I checked the cat this morning since the stove had burned out over night. It looked mostly clean. There was ash on the combs but they looked very much open. I'm no expert and will let the dealer check again when he comes out to do the draft test. Wouldn't be a bad idea to have the chimney cleaned but the dealer said it looked good so, for now, I'm trusting that.
In answer to other questions, I am burning pressed logs because my wood is just not dry enough. The backpuffs have only happened with the bypass door closed.
The dealer is trying to contact Chris over at Blaze King to ask some questions about running a draft test. They are heating experts but wood stoves are not their strength. The owner doesn't burn wood so he's mostly in the dark. Is there anything I (or he) should know before he begins the testing? Is there a reading that would indicate there is or is not a problem?
He asked me to have the stove cold when we begin. I guess he'll test it that way first and then we'll fire it up and see what happens.