I hate to ask, but I think I have a draft problem.

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Relocation is not an option. My wife is fed up with it as it is. The floor would have to be redone as well as the tile. The holes plugged and relocated.

My next option is going to have the contractor open the ceiling up like I asked when the thing was being built. He said it wasn't an option but we had the architect over and he said it was no problem at all to box the rafters. I will hold him to it if that's what it comes to.

I saw those fans, like $900.

Yeah the stove guy really hasn't been too helpful on selection or looking ahead for problems on this one.

He is on his way over now. I told him I wont be here at 415, but when is he coming? that's right, 415. I give up.
 
burnout said:
Relocation is not an option. My wife is fed up with it as it is. The floor would have to be redone as well as the tile. The holes plugged and relocated.

My next option is going to have the contractor open the ceiling up like I asked when the thing was being built. He said it wasn't an option but we had the architect over and he said it was no problem at all to box the rafters. I will hold him to it if that's what it comes to.

I understand about the wife being fed up. We were going to save money and install a $400 Amesti N380 stove but the clearances weren't quite good enough. I was convinced that with shielding we could cut down the clearances but it turns out I hadn't read all of NFPA 211 and you can't go lower than what's listed in the manual. Anyway, long story short, the wife was upset, we returned the $400 stove and bought a $700 one that will fit the local we want it. The wife isn't happy yet, but I think she will be when we start burning.

As to the opening up of the ceiling, do you mean you'd be doing a straight up shot instead of all this other chimney?
 
I see in effect 3 90s. One inside, one at the T and the two 45s. Never should go over the 2 90s rule. Second, yes chimney is not tall enough. If anything i wouldnt think you could vent on the same level as a living space ie that corner bedroom. Id fear carbon monoxide.

I wouldnt fret too much here, youll get it, just keep having to deal with your installer. Worst case find another.

If it were me...id be building a nice statly looking chase around your pipe, first will help keep pipe warmer, and quite the wife in the summer. also the higher you go, youll be braced effectivly by the chase...

Good luck.
 
OK he put another 5 feet on the pipe, Eureka!!! WAY better. The only thing is that it looks absolutely ridiculous. I am going to have to have the thing put through the ceiling like I wanted. Will have to talk to the contractor.

I can actually almost open the top of the stove all of the way before smoke starts coming out. In catalytic mode, there are actually little flames dancing around. Also, I can now use the damper to control the flames. This is wonderful, well marginally better that is. Unfortunately, staying in cat mode cools off the fire a lot. I will need to fill the box completely and see what happens to temperature.

Now I just have to straighten out that pipe. I am sure if I am getting results by adding pipe, I am sure that I won't need all this pipe sticking out if I straighten it.

Thanks for everyone's help. I will keep you posted on what happens.
 
Glad to hear that as it sounds like you are headed in the right direction, enjoy the heat.
 
I think straightening the pipe is the way to go. It will look better outside too.

Nice to see somebody from nearby me on this site.
 
Any luck? The colder weather will help your draft. The Mrs. will be more understanding when she gets warmed by the stove too.
 
Contractor will be by tomorrow to fix the roof. The guys is charging his base labor rate to do it. Don't know how this is going to work out with the installer though. Will let you know.
 
burnout said:
Contractor will be by tomorrow to fix the roof. The guys is charging his base labor rate to do it. Don't know how this is going to work out with the installer though. Will let you know.

By "fix the roof" do you mean "pass the chimney through the roof"?
 
Yeah there were some issues with rafters, that is why I couldn't go straight up. The way the addition was built he said he couldn't box out the rafters for the stove to pass through. The architect came by and said that he could have done it, so now I am holding him to it. The stove guy will hopefully be by later to finish the job. It is starting to get cold here.
 
The builders always seem to know better than the architect. I know this because my father is an architect and has been doing home alterations for 40 years now. I have been hearing about it my whole life and was dragged to many jobs on my youth.

It was just under freezing in Croton this am.
 
The draw collar won't help here. Often it is just a bandage to treat the symptoms and not the actual problem. It also uses a fair amount of electricity.
 
I had the exact same problem, with a VC model 1945 CAT stove. After a season of backpuffing and other draft related issues, the installer finally agreed to replace the 6 inch flue with an 8 inch, which completely solved all the issues. Another dealer who sells a lot of VC stoves, said that the Defiant for the most part really works better an 8 inch flue, which is why it is built with an 8 inch flue collar.
 
The stove isn't back puffing at all. I have let it die out on several overnights while in cat mode. No issues as of yet with that.

I have been amazed to see all the wood I have packed in hours ago, not even touched by flame. It is really odd for me to see them all still sitting there waiting to be burned. The stove is still CRANKING though but yet using so little wood.

On Tuesday they will be coming to finish the job, hopefully. The stove is working for now. I can open the door almost all the way. I think if the pipes get straightened I will really be good to go, the installer thinks I will have to have the same height of chimney though. Guess I will find out on Tuesday.
 
OK, so now I have the pipe running straight through the ceiling. What a difference it has made. I wasnt here when they installed, but I think they left the 16 feet of pipe and just unbent the pipe. Unfortunately it cost me a little $$ to have the contractor change the rafters to accommodate the stove, but what a difference it makes. I can actually open the stove top completely with little or no smoke coming out of the stove.

I would like to thank all the people who have responded to my dilemma. With your support, I was able to tell this guy to stuff it in no uncertain terms. And you gave me ammo to ward off any rebuttals from this guy. Was actually a clear cut problem, but someone(installer) was too lazy to deal with them. With your help I was able to take care of business. Thanks again.
 
burnout said:
OK, so now I have the pipe running straight through the ceiling. What a difference it has made. I wasnt here when they installed, but I think they left the 16 feet of pipe and just unbent the pipe. Unfortunately it cost me a little $$ to have the contractor change the rafters to accommodate the stove, but what a difference it makes. I can actually open the stove top completely with little or no smoke coming out of the stove.

I would like to thank all the people who have responded to my dilemma. With your support, I was able to tell this guy to stuff it in no uncertain terms. And you gave me ammo to ward off any rebuttals from this guy. Was actually a clear cut problem, but someone(installer) was too lazy to deal with them. With your help I was able to take care of business. Thanks again.

Do you have new pics of it now? I'd love to see what it looks like.
 
Good news! Do you have power? We are still in the dark up near Croton on Hudson.
 
Flatbedford said:
Good news! Do you have power? We are still in the dark up near Croton on Hudson.

Sorry for the delay guys. We lost power for three days. Had the generator running until it died on me 1.5 days into the 3. The house was toasty warm, even though we had no electric. It sucks when you work four 12 hour days in a row and have the power go out on your wife starting on the first day. Can't be home to help her out.

As an update, I have the pipe straight up through the roof. I still can't open the top door completely without a ROARING fire going and not get a little smoke coming in. I have to load the fire one handed and hold the top griddle partially closed while loading. I think it may be the burning particulate that is stuck to the underside giving off a small amount of smoke. I can live with this though.

I will post pics as soon as I can. Wife isn't happy with the re-painting/drywall that needs to be done, but a small price to pay for getting the job done right, finally.

Oh, by the way, the stove guy didn't install the flashing under my shingles, he put it on top and nailed it right through them. What an idiot. The contractor had to come by and fix his mistakes, pulling about a square yard of shingles up and putting new down. Glad I never have to deal with that guy again.
 
Just out of curiosity, are you loading in cycles or throwing a piece or 2 of wood on every few hours?

If I open the door up at the wrong time in the burn cycle, I'll wind up w/ a bit of smoke in the house too. But if I load the stove, let it go until I have just enough coals to get the next load going, then I don't have a problem.

pen
 
Update: After burning for a while, the stove is working ok. It is keeping the house toasty warm. I am going to need to put another few feet on the stack to mitigate the effects of the puffs of smoke when i open the stove, but in all I am content for now.

As far as loading, I load that sucker full most of the time. When the coals are low, I usually don't have a problem. If I put a log in and come back to put another on, I will get smoke out of the stove unless there is actual flame in the box.
 
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