Night time damper down causes smoke?

It sounds correct for early season burning. The trick is to run the stove in such a way that you don't blacken the glass. It can be done. When it gets a bit colder, to keep the house warm, you will need to run a hotter fire with more wood. It will burn much cleaner then.

Tom

Is smoak like smores?

If burning Ash that has been seasoned 1.5 years is blackening the glass, either it's not as dry as it should be or you are choking it down way too far. Could be that you don't have enough draft either.

My stove won't let me choke it down too much.

I would agree that getting a lot of smoke suggests you are dampening down too much. The dampening down is meant to make it burn more slowly, but you shouldn't have it down so low it is smoldering. We have a good draft, so don't have to worry much about turning it down too far. Last night I turned it all the way down since the fire was burning so vigorously, and it burned cleanly. Of course we also have secondary burn tubes that bring air in even if the air control we do have is turned all the way down.

Maybe when you pack the wood in for an overnight burn an air hole is getting blocked, or the wood is right up against the glass.
I'm not sure what it means if you're getting good secondary burning and the stack is still smoking.

precaud said:

Is smoak like smores?

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No...Smoak is the name of my dentist. No kidding.

IPLUMB said:

LLigetfa said:

If burning Ash that has been seasoned 1.5 years is blackening the glass, either it's not as dry as it should be or you are choking it down way too far. Could be that you don't have enough draft either.

My stove won't let me choke it down too much.

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It doesn't blacken the glass, It just gets that white haze to it. The ash is dry it was almost ready to burn when I split it. I think I'm just choaking it down to much and the real mild weather we have been having. This is my fifth year with this stove so I feel like I know it pretty good. I was just supprised last night we I was out side a saw smoke in the moonlight.

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The white haze is normal for me. Think it maybe minerals from moisture burning off? Comes off with water and paper towel.

Every stove and every installation is different so one cannot necessarily set their draft the same as their neighbor.

One thing I've noticed is that many folks just load up the firebox before retiring and set the draft low. The wood just smolders all night long. That is fine if you have a cat stove but is not necessarily the thing to do with other stoves. They simply need a little more air.

One big key to wood burning during spring and fall is to use only the amount of wood required instead of just packing the wood in each time. Even if we have to put wood in a little more often during the warmer periods we just do not load up the stove until the weather get cold outdoors.

I know many have posted on this forum about some stoves that have to burn hot in order to burn right. Okay, then burn it hot, but not with a full firebox! Wait until it gets cold outdoors before getting that stove cooking fully. Perhaps I am wrong but it seems to me that any stove should be able to work right no matter if the firebox is half full or full. One just needs to learn what his own stove needs in order for it to function correctly.

So, if the stove is smoky, give it more air. You may not get as long of a burn but you have to do whatever your stove and fuel requires.

IPLUMB said:

flash49 said:

precaud said:

Is smoak like smores?

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No...Smoak is the name of my dentist. No kidding.

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That's what I was trying to say.....

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My vet is Dr. Pepper.
Did I speel that right?

Let your fire burn a little longer on high before shutting down.

Methinks you guys should get back on track. Instead of mocking, try answering the OP.

What temp is your stove at before you damp down? I get mine up to full 550-600 before going to bed. If I burn cool I get smoke. I get that sucker fully engulfed and kicking before putting the air all the way down for the night.

IPLUMB said:

LLigetfa said:

If burning Ash that has been seasoned 1.5 years is blackening the glass, either it's not as dry as it should be or you are choking it down way too far. Could be that you don't have enough draft either.

My stove won't let me choke it down too much.

Click to expand...

It doesn't blacken the glass, It just gets that white haze to it. The ash is dry it was almost ready to burn when I split it. I think I'm just choaking it down to much and the real mild weather we have been having. This is my fifth year with this stove so I feel like I know it pretty good. I was just supprised last night we I was out side a saw smoke in the moonlight.

Click to expand...

A white haze will always accumulate on your glass over a period of a day or two, but if your glass is getting covered in creosote and then burning off when the stove finally heats up, you'll get more white haze from that. If you don't have a stove thermometer on there, you need to get one so you can be sure to close off the draft at consistent temperatures. Try leaving the draft open a bit more, as you are already suggesting. Keep experimenting, and you'll figure it out.

IPLUMB said:

precaud said:

Is smoak like smores?

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What are you the spelling police?

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Schuur. whada ya thunjk?

If you had good secondary flames then it might have been steam and not smoak ;-) . I see it too from my chimney on cold nights, nothing to worry about. Look at an efficient natural gas furnance or water heater when its running, bet you will see steam.

White haze on the glass is normal after a day or so of burning for me. Comes clean very easily.

Black gunk on the glass typically indicates that the wood is not seasoned enough, wood (or ash) is right next to the glass or the fire is smoldering from not getting enough air.

Smoke in the chimney . . . typically I get very little smoke out of the chimney (or even white smoke indicating possible moisture) . . . but then again I'm only closing off the air at night after having had a fire going for all day or all evening long. I do get smoke on reloads. On my final reload of the night I typically will wait after closing off the air to make sure the seconedaries have engaged and will stay engaged . . . after 5-10 minutes if they're still firing I can go to bed and leave the air control where it is (i.e. all the way shut or almost all the way shut) . . . if the fire sputters then I have to add more air and monitor.

IF not alot of wood in there how do you get it to 500 degrees or more? I have a heck of time getting there but once there, the hot coals keep me going with the new wood somehow hot enough to allow the wood I think is wet or not well seasoned to burn through. To warm yet to try and allnight burn and then burn again in the day time and need more good dry wood.