I thought we had this all figured out and it is working my last nerve - I am about to give up. The only place that didn't smell? The room where the vent pipe is so I know it's not coming from that. I'm thinking it got inside from outside the house somehow? There is absolutely no wind today. I think our install dimwits didn't extend the exhaust pipe far enough away from the house - can that be the problem? It is under a cantilever that extends about one foot from the house. The vent pipe extends just to the edge of the cantilever and there is a jet cap on the end. Should it extend further? Is the smoke entering through the soffit of the cantilever? The stove itself has been working fine and this is the first time the smell has been this strong. Otherwise, I don't know what else it could be. Any ideas? Thanks.
Woke up this morning and my entire house smelled of smoke...
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Ranger72
Minister of Fire
Tonyray
Minister of Fire
you can see my pipe doesn't exstend all that much out..
just to the left is a porch with a soffice which is a No No FOR Installing an Exhaust as smoke could travel up the soffice and possibly into upstairs dwellings on a 2 story house.
anyways you can see that it doesn't have to exstend a great distance...but not sure if being UNDER a structure of any kind is correct...someone here with knowledge will pipe in soon.
I confess I don't know what a "cantilever is
was pro installed by Stove dealer..
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Ok here are the photos - one showing a side view to show how far it protrudes from the house, another showing how much distance is between vent termination and cantilever and another overall of the back to show all the soffits (there are three). I notice a little bit of dirt under the cantilever but not too much. I'm thinking it should extend further from the house. All distances (to ground, cantilever, window, etc) are all within limits according to the manual. If this isn't the issue, any other ideas?
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12" extending out is the minimum I believe. You are way shorter than that, since your overhang is about 12". Given the overhang, I'd think about extending it even further than the minimum required.
Come to think of it, it looks like you are just 2' below the overhang, which is just like an eave. 2' is minimum, so it meets that, but still, you minimum is just minimum.
Come to think of it, it looks like you are just 2' below the overhang, which is just like an eave. 2' is minimum, so it meets that, but still, you minimum is just minimum.
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Ranger72
Minister of Fire
Extend it further or reroute it up to the soffit and then out. The fact that it wasn't a windy night leads me to believe the exhaust went straight up into the soffit.
Yeah, that's the alternative, after the T, put a 45 up-n-out, past the overhang, another 45 to get the pipe vertical, then 2' up to terminatation, but make sure you have clearance to that window above.
Ranger72
Minister of Fire
Even then though, I don't like how the exhaust is still below a window.
Edit: wrote this before chken's response noting the same thing.
Edit: wrote this before chken's response noting the same thing.
Phoenix Hatchling
Minister of Fire
Were you running a clothes dryer or any other appliance which would exhaust? Attached garage door open? It doesn't take much to direct the smoke towards a point of entry. Sometimes if there if no wind at all, the air/smoke will just sit stagnant and your bound to pull some in.
was the second floor window open all night? or before the smell appeared?
Also is there discoloration to the siding above the vent up the the yard light or is that just the picture
Also is there discoloration to the siding above the vent up the the yard light or is that just the picture
There was no window or garage door open overnight (the odor woke us this morning around 5AM-6AM). There is no vent over there (that one is blocked off - the dryer was moved to the top floor). Don't know if that is discoloration - don't think so but I'll have to check. It is two feet to the center of the vent termination from the soffit but our manual says minimum is 18" for ventilated and 12" for closed ( I think this is closed - solid pieces of vinyl and none with the vent holes). Either way, it is minimum or above. But I do think it should extend further out. We cannot put it through the soffit as there is a room there and my husband will not put it around and up the soffit as the window is there. I'm thinking extending further out might be the only option.
Ranger72
Minister of Fire
As BrotheBart stated, air will find it's way in. Now make it slightly hotter, it wants to go up. Up happens to be house in your case.
That nozzle you have, the connection looks really close to the house. It isn't made within the thimble, correct?
That nozzle you have, the connection looks really close to the house. It isn't made within the thimble, correct?
Tonyray
Minister of Fire
Pellet girl,
you can see by the pictures my stove is next to 2 windows but the outside exhaust exstends above the windows.. enough that smoke will not enter in..even on a still day the smoke will drift upwards..
I agree that you need to exstend out...
Also,
Is that an OAK next to the exhaust?
I'm always amazed that when exhaust and OAK are so close together that the OAK doesn't pull the smoke back into the stove along with the outside air..
then again, maybe it does Just to be exhausted right back out again.
you can see by the pictures my stove is next to 2 windows but the outside exhaust exstends above the windows.. enough that smoke will not enter in..even on a still day the smoke will drift upwards..
I agree that you need to exstend out...
Also,
Is that an OAK next to the exhaust?
I'm always amazed that when exhaust and OAK are so close together that the OAK doesn't pull the smoke back into the stove along with the outside air..
then again, maybe it does Just to be exhausted right back out again.
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Ranger72
Minister of Fire
Tonyray
Minister of Fire
Ranger72
Minister of Fire
Tonyray
Minister of Fire
yes it does....i'm sure they will address it soon enough..
good that winter is phasing out now and not the other way around...
Lake Girl
Moderator
A little amazed it was installed that way. The termination cap should not be that close to the house. With the end so close to the OAK, you may be pulling exhaust in too. Need to extend it at the very least...
CapeMayDan
Member
Hello Pellet Girl, Just looking at the side shot. It looks like at least part of the joint is inside the thimble. It should be one pipe all the way thru the thimble. What can happen is the rodent guard get partially plugged and causes a restriction which can make smoke inside the wall. My old eyes ain't so good, so check it out.
Dan
Lake Girl
Moderator
Page 9 from the manual ... 15" vented directly through a wall, minimal length of horizontal pipe
http://hearthnhome.com/downloads/installmanuals/7034_106.pdf
http://hearthnhome.com/downloads/installmanuals/7034_106.pdf
rona
Minister of Fire
Can't tell for certain but seems like there is electrical lines to prevent extending away from the house. personally I would go straight out through the wall ending 2 feet away from the house and forget the vertical system This will eliminate cleaning the exterior pipes you have plus you will keep the wall a lot cleaner. If your power supplier is dependable there is no real reason to go vertical.
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