I can SMELL SMOKE but can't SEE SMOKE ??????

Every time I reload my heater, we can SMELL SMOKE. We were getting visible smoke out the heater on reload until we extended the flue. Now our flue is over 175cm above the roof opening and more then 5 meters from the hearth. The heater is working much better but still get smoke.

We are still getting the SMELL of SMOKE but we CAN'T SEE THE SMOKE coming out when we open the door to load new wood. We can't see smoke coming out any other place, like the flue etc. We only get the SMELL of smoke after we reload firewood.

The firewood moisture content is around 16%, so I don't think it is the wood.

I am burning hardwood on the Lopi Answer - and was told that these heaters were originally design to burn softwood and later modified for Australian hardwood. I wonder if this might be a problem?

I am also wondering if:

On startup, I can always see smoke coming out down the air inlet, while at the same time I cna see smoke going up pass the baffle and up the flue. The air inlet is at the bottom of the Lopi. So at the same time I see smoke going up the flue and down the air inlet.

I should now try and observe the air inlet while I reload the heater and after I close the door. I wonder if smoke might be escaping from there as well after reloading fresh firewood.

Is fore wood smoke always visible? If I am smelling smoke in the house, should I also be seeing the smoke coming out the heater?

In other words, can I rule out that the smoke smell is coming out from the heater, just because I can't see the smoke coming out from the heater?

For any one that might have read these posts. After insisting with the seller, and they coming several times to turn a fire on, and reporting very strongly that it was their unanimous professional opinion that the heater was working perfectly fine.... I had a representative of Lopi drive more than two hours to my house, and in less then 15 minutes, he inspected the heater and detected the problem. Yes There was a problem in the installation of the flue, which was placed in a manner that it landed a few millimetres off the baffle.

Had the installer come back, install a ring in the flue so it sits as it should --- and wow --- there is draft and now we are happy.

So the professionals that came to my house to burn a fire and see how it was working, really knew nothing about how a wood fire heater should work. Incredible.