Jotul F3 CB: Smoke coming out door when fire established.

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drew

New Member
Nov 21, 2005
4
I've had the stove since Thanksgiving and have been very pleased with performance and have enjoyed the heat very much. I have operated the stove successfully without incident.

Within the last week, a couple of times when I have attempted to reload with fuel, smoke began billowing out of the open door into my house. Even with the stove heated up to 400+ the smoke came out.

I plan to check the chimney bacause this seems to be a draft issue. Maybe my chimney cap is clogged. The entire flue needs cleaning? Anyone had this issue before?

I am wondering if there could be some clogging in the secondary burn chamber? As you look up into the stove, you can't actually see the flue pipe. Thanks for any tips you have.
 
Sounds like you are on the right track Drew. Check the draft. Does the stovepipe have a draft damper? If yes, this must me opened first. Also, you might try opening up the primary air intake a minute before opening the door. If the problem directly correlates with the winds then Dylan is likely right. FWIW, our stove, with a strong draft has done quite well in 30+ mph winds as long as I remember to open the stack damper first.
 
What where the conditions during this event,Not real cold out,damp,strong winds from which direction.I live along the coast when its mid 40 or warmer damp or rainy high ne winds coming off the ocean i get the same problem.I have gotten around that problem w/ small hot fires,opening all air vents and open door all the way then reloading-Pat
 
i would think those atmospheric conditons would have quite a bit to do with it too. Where i live there is never more then 10 percent humidity, and its usually less, and its rarley that warm here in the winter. My summertime nighttime lows are usually in the high 40's! So i might not be the best to comment on that chimney set up.
 
What kind of chimney is your stove hooked up to? Before and after I had my exterior masonry(sp) chimney fully lined (with direct connect to stove), I had to make sure my cleanout door was shut tight or the extra air comming in from the bottom of the chimney would affect my draft, spilling smoke when I opened the stove door. It still does happen occasionally, maybe due to wind or what not. Just crack the door an inch or so for a few seconds before loading. This works for my setup anyway.

hth....
 
Thanks for the help. I've thought about the conditions....last night temp at 40 with humidity around 45% also. The reason I think it may be the chimney or cap is that the draft has been adequate in many types of conditions up to this point. Just recently has smoke entered.

I have a dura-vent-plus metal chimney system.
 
You might want to run a brush down the chimney if you have been burning since Thanksgiving. Maybe your chimney is a little dirty and reducing the draft a bit. I like to clean mine once or twice during the burning season.
 
drew said:
I've had the stove since Thanksgiving and have been very pleased with performance and have enjoyed the heat very much. I have operated the stove successfully without incident.

Within the last week, a couple of times when I have attempted to reload with fuel, smoke began billowing out of the open door into my house. Even with the stove heated up to 400+ the smoke came out.

I plan to check the chimney bacause this seems to be a draft issue. Maybe my chimney cap is clogged. The entire flue needs cleaning? Anyone had this issue before?

I am wondering if there could be some clogging in the secondary burn chamber? As you look up into the stove, you can't actually see the flue pipe. Thanks for any tips you have.

Tell us more about the chimney. I suspect just a pile of burned soot in an elbo or perhaps on top of the stove baffle.
 
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