Changed cat

hughmyster said:

RenovationGeorge said:

hughmyster said:

RenovationGeorge said:

hughmyster said:

I got a cleaning service coming out. Stove is still backpuffing. Im thinking maybe too much creosote buildup in chimney slowing down draft causing backpuffing? Any ideas? When i first got this stove i never had a problem for the first year and a half. Does the type of wood make a difference? Is there such thing as too dry wood?

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Hi HM,

What stove, chimney, etc?

Would you put it in your signature ("Your Control Panel" up above)

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44 elite. Air insulated chimney 30 ft. The stove had the option of posi pressure but i did the interior option. I have been trying to figure out why the it has been acting this way. I built this house 3 years ago and the problem is getting progresively worse. Its having those explosions when the air is all the way down and cat ingaged. the smoke exits the door seals and smells up the house.
I put a new cat in. It improved it a little but not enough.Im almost thinking negative pressure? Stack effect?

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Has it been a year and a half since you had your chimney inspected and cleaned? If so, I'd certainly start there. Otherwise we can discuss other possibilities.

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I never had it cleaned. I was told the cat stoves burn clean so they dont need cleaning.

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Nossir, you were told wrong.

You should have it inspected at least once a year, and cleaned as needed. Your chimney is unsafe. It could be full of creosote, and at risk of a dangerous chimney fire.

That's the right place to start--it may fix your other problems.

From the 3rd page of your owner's manual:

The chimney must be inspected twice a year for creosote build-up or chimney damage. Creosote build-up must be removed and damage fixed prior to using the fireplace.

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hughmyster said:

RenovationGeorge said:

hughmyster said:

RenovationGeorge said:

hughmyster said:

I got a cleaning service coming out. Stove is still backpuffing. Im thinking maybe too much creosote buildup in chimney slowing down draft causing backpuffing? Any ideas? When i first got this stove i never had a problem for the first year and a half. Does the type of wood make a difference? Is there such thing as too dry wood?

Click to expand...

Hi HM,

What stove, chimney, etc?

Would you put it in your signature ("Your Control Panel" up above)

Click to expand...

44 elite. Air insulated chimney 30 ft. The stove had the option of posi pressure but i did the interior option. I have been trying to figure out why the it has been acting this way. I built this house 3 years ago and the problem is getting progresively worse. Its having those explosions when the air is all the way down and cat ingaged. the smoke exits the door seals and smells up the house.
I put a new cat in. It improved it a little but not enough.Im almost thinking negative pressure? Stack effect?

Click to expand...

Has it been a year and a half since you had your chimney inspected and cleaned? If so, I'd certainly start there. Otherwise we can discuss other possibilities.

Click to expand...

I never had it cleaned. I was told the cat stoves burn clean so they dont need cleaning.

Click to expand...

This is the problem, I'd put money on it!

hughmyster said:

I got a cleaning service coming out. Stove is still backpuffing. Im thinking maybe too much creosote buildup in chimney slowing down draft causing backpuffing? Any ideas? When i first got this stove i never had a problem for the first year and a half. Does the type of wood make a difference? Is there such thing as too dry wood?

Click to expand...

It seems odd to ask about dry wood at the same time as you are asking about backpuffing and creosote. But no, you have no worries about wood being too dry. We've burned 10 year old wood with no problem and I know of others who have burned 20 year old wood. No problem.

I doubt it.

Please let us know what your chimney sweep reports.

Is he/she coming soon? A chimney fire would suck, pun intended.

Guys, so how much creosote buildup does it take to cause this kind of backpuffing? I'd think something more along the lines of a blocked cap or something else???

Hughmyster, when the stove cools down, slide the metal deflector plate at the back of the box out (it just slides forward, it's resting on 2 little tabs), open the bypass then stick yer head in there and look up with a flashlight to see what you see...

FPX Dude said:

Guys, so how much creosote buildup does it take to cause this kind of backpuffing? I'd think something more along the lines of a blocked cap or something else???

Hughmyster, when the stove cools down, slide the metal deflector plate at the back of the box out (it just slides forward, it's resting on 2 little tabs), open the bypass then stick yer head in there and look up with a flashlight to see what you see...

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It often doesn't take much build up to cause problems with Pre-fab systems. If you already have a system that has other things competing for air, even a quarter inch of build up can reduce the draft drastically. A blocked cap is very likely as well.

Backwoods Savage said:

hughmyster said:

I got a cleaning service coming out. Stove is still backpuffing. Im thinking maybe too much creosote buildup in chimney slowing down draft causing backpuffing? Any ideas? When i first got this stove i never had a problem for the first year and a half. Does the type of wood make a difference? Is there such thing as too dry wood?

Click to expand...

It seems odd to ask about dry wood at the same time as you are asking about backpuffing and creosote. But no, you have no worries about wood being too dry. We've burned 10 year old wood with no problem and I know of others who have burned 20 year old wood. No problem.

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Yes, yes b.s. your 10 or 20 yr. old wood is always better to burn, no question. You can never season your firewood long enough, really, IMO. But you can burn 86 yr. old wood and if you don't operate and maintain your stove correctly you can still have problems.

hughmyster said:

I hate to go to the person who installed this unit and expect them to fix this right.

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Why not?

If I were you, I'd get a pro--chimney sweep or stove shop person--to check your entire chimney post haste. This may just be the tip of the iceberg--there could be other problems, and this might have been *caused* by your backpuffing, not the other way around.

My point is, we just don't know, and it takes a pro on site to make sure everything is right.

But I may be wrong--what do experts think?

But on the bright side, you're getting on top of things, before a fire started. You should have your chimney inspected at least once a year, and since you're having problems, probably every six months like your manual specifies. I'm sure glad that deferred maintenance didn't cause more problems than it has. All and all, it's an inexpensive lesson.

Is that an offset right in the top of the unit in the pic? It is kinda weird to see those screws in the pipe, I know this hasn't always been the case, but Duravent has special Travis FPX pipe that is to be used and it has no screws in the interior pipe. If that is an offset in the pic, it might not be supported properly and has settled, it should also have an adapter in the top of the unit, maybe they left that out.

Wow, kudos to you for finding the cause of the problem! You should absolutely go to the installer with that pic. Having built and installed one of these myself, I know how daunting it is to think of opening up the installation to get at that particular part of the chimney, but what choice is there really? If the installer is a professional, they should have done it right to begin with, knowing that it would all be enclosed and virtually inaccessible. If they weren't professionals, were they friends? Did you pay them? Whoever they are, you have to get them to own the problem now.

Man, I am bummed for you having to deal with this!

-Speak

My VC cat stove used to "puff" now and then. More often it was a function of draft (or lack of it) than creasote. I'd get it going good then shut it down for a long burn and the gasses wold sometimes build up and i would get a little secondary and a "puff" of smoke back through the air intakes. I'd open the draft again for a while and close it down slower and it would go away and be ok.

I'd certainly get someone to come in and check that for you. if its up on top, couludn't you just get some high temp calk and close the hole. At the far end, the temps aren't that high anyway.

jmho

cass

hughmyster said:

This was installed by a fpx dealer. This will be a nightmare to fix.

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I'm not so sure.

Experts--might it be possible for someone qualified to fill the gap with refractory cement or the like (thermal expansion could be an issue)?

Might that be an easy fix, as long as the fixer is qualified and makes sure the whole system is safe?

tcassavaugh said:

My VC cat stove used to "puff" now and then. More often it was a function of draft (or lack of it) than creasote. I'd get it going good then shut it down for a long burn and the gasses wold sometimes build up and i would get a little secondary and a "puff" of smoke back through the air intakes. I'd open the draft again for a while and close it down slower and it would go away and be ok.

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tcassavaugh said:

I'd certainly get someone to come in and check that for you. if its up on top, couludn't you just get some high temp calk and close the hole. At the far end, the temps aren't that high anyway.

jmho

cass

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That happens more then people will admit to.