Smoke Dragon finally living up to its name...but inside!! Need help!

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Mybooman

Mybooman

Member
Aug 25, 2015
26
Central NY
Installed a Resolute III this fall, replaced an old Black Bart. Bart was an 8" straight up single wall pipe through the cathedral ceiling and to the roof. Left the outside chimney alone, kept the ceiling box and purchased an adaptor to go from 8" -> 6" and ran single wall 6" black pipe to the Resolute. I have had creosote issues, so I have been using ACR regularly, since my last clean out approximately a month ago. I have also switched to only using wood bricks. For the last few weeks since I cleaned my chimney (I used a Gardus thing-a-ma-jig) any type of wind creates a massive down puff of smoke into the house. This is a huge problem because it is ALWAYS windy here. I have arrived home from work to find a smoke filled house on more than one occasion, thankful that we do not have a direct connection to the fire station and that the old adage isn't always true.....where that's smoke there's fire. If I burn with the damper wide open, there tends to be little to no smoke, but the stove gets awfully hot and unsafe. Please help me.
 
What's the total chimney height? Does it follow the 10-3-2 rule?

Otherwise, I'm wondering if you are closing the air down too far,,, too soon in the burn cycle and there isn't enough heat going up the chimney to keep the updraft, and it's reversing.

I walked into a "cabin" a few weeks ago, after another warmed the place up, and found it full of smoke. In this case, upon leaving, he knocked the remaining burning logs apart so they wouldn't burn well, and closed the draft supplies (one on each door type of stove) fully.

After finding this, before I even opened the door on the stove I thought it was a plugged cap. Ran out, looked,,,, clear as a bell. Came back in, opened the doors on the stove and saw the logs put into a position to not burn well inside.

I moved what was left in the stove back together, gave it a few quick breaths of air, opened the drafts up on the doors, and we were back in business..

In other words,,,, my guess is either you have more moisture in your wood than your stove can handle at the setting you are dropping it down to before leaving it alone,,,, or you are just dropping the air down too far on the stove, period (as what happened in this case I mentioned).

That's my best guess.... Anytime a new stove is used, there's a learning curve! Been there,,,, good luck and let us know how you make out!

ETA: if this checks out,,, then there are high wind caps available,,,, but they would only be of a good help if the wood is truly dry, and the air wasn't restricted too much, etc.

pen
 
It's also possible that the smoke chamber behind the fireback is plugged up and won't allow the stove to draft properly. If it works well with damper open,( "bricks" are of course good and dry) but falters when damper's closed, that's a sign of obstruction. Wind may be a red herring here, or you may need a vaccu-stack or something in addition. But clean out the back of the stove and see what happens. Least expensive things we try first.
 
I'm nervous for you, if you have a sensitive smoke problem due to wind, I'm nervous about after the fire burns to coals and the possibility of CO coming back into the room, especially at night while you may be asleep. How long is you total flu / chimney? measuring from stove collar to flue cap. What's the moisture content of your wood supply?
 
I'm a bit nervous for me, too. I have replaced the gaskets, cleaned out the stove-front, back and all through it as best as I can -I cut a piece of a hose taped it onto the end of my shop vac to reach a bit further into the innards of my stove, managed to suck quite a bit out, which leads me to believe there is even more still in there. Over the weekend I took the chimney apart and have discovered my problem...blockage of some sort. I cannot see daylight. Not good. Twas quite unexpected as I just cleaned it a month ago, and smoke has been getting through and out the top of the chimney so I really didn't think this was going to be the problem. Lesson learned. Even if smoke is coming out the top, the chimney may still be blocked. Yesterday I tried to unblock, but I was not able to. I am afraid of heights, so I will not be going up on the roof, any help here for bottom up cleaning tips would be greatly appreciated. :confused:
 
Soot eater - Now the main issue will be the going from the (2) different pipe sizes, I would buy a 6" brush for the black pipe section, then a soot eater setup for the 8" section. It might be wise in the summer to replace everything to 6" chimney, most new stoves require only 6" so if you replace that VC chances are the next stove only needs a 6" flue (I'm talking about newer epa stoves)
Also if you do replace the chimney to 6", replace that single wall black pipe to dvl black pipe, the flue gases will stay warmer, reducing creosote build up, and of course dry wood will reduce creosote.
As far as bottom up cleaning with a brush, I did that once last year due to snow / ice build up on my roof, I took a large trash bag and poked a hole on the bottom, I taped the open part of the bag to the black pipe and gently worked my brush up the pipe adding fiber glass lengths as needed, it was a little messy but got the job done. * if using that setup remember to put the brush in the pipe first before taping the garbage bag to it.
 
Lol, too funny, yes one does have to remember to poke the brush through first! Found that out the hard way, like most things. At least I remember them when I do that. I bought a soot eater, it has done a great job on the sides, as has my brush, I was able to shine a light up last night, I think it may be the cap. Both my brush and the soot eater focus on the sides of the chimney, neither have anything to address the top, they each seem to leave a gap between their bristles and their top. Granted it's not a large gap, and if I have that much build up dripping down I need a new top, but I am not entirely certain that what I was looking at was the top, either. I am hoping the weather will hold and I can figure out measurements and a way to scrape or brake through whatever creepy looking thing I am seeing. But the great news is how nice the chimney itself looks!!!
 
Mybooman said:
Lol, too funny, yes one does have to remember to poke the brush through first! Found that out the hard way, like most things. At least I remember them when I do that. I bought a soot eater, it has done a great job on the sides, as has my brush, I was able to shine a light up last night, I think it may be the cap. Both my brush and the soot eater focus on the sides of the chimney, neither have anything to address the top, they each seem to leave a gap between their bristles and their top. Granted it's not a large gap, and if I have that much build up dripping down I need a new top, but I am not entirely certain that what I was looking at was the top, either. I am hoping the weather will hold and I can figure out measurements and a way to scrape or brake through whatever creepy looking thing I am seeing. But the great news is how nice the chimney itself looks!!!
Click to expand...

Well finally, SUCCESS!!!! I extended the weedwhacker thingies on the soot eater to approximately the diameter of the cap and gave it a whirl, and it worked. I manipulated the tentacle-like appendages enough to clean the top and sides of the cap. Took a long time, a lot of patience, but it's clean and it worked. And we're safe and happy. And tomorrow it's going to be near 70. Upstate NY in early March. Figures. Lol.
 
do you still have the screen around the cap? if so get rid of it or you'll have the same issue later.
oh ya enjoy the nice warm march we are having here in the northeast.
 
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