Draft Problem? Smoke coming into the house.

[flamencogirl]

I have a Hearthstone Morgan fireplace insert that is about three years old. Other than an annoying vibration from time to time in the blower I have been happy with this insert and it seems to run well. I've been burning a mix of pine and various hardwoods. With my elcheapo moisture meter the wood is all around 20% or lower. Problems started a couple of days ago. A large amount of smoke is building up in the insert and doesn't seem to be drafting properly. At first I thought I just had some wood in there that was bad, and was smoldering but using good wood it still happens. When the door to the insert is opened smoke seems to drift off the top of the insert and up into the room. My boyfriend read something on here and cracked upon the door for 30 seconds and then opened it all of the way and not only smoke but flames came shooting off the top (inside) of the insert into the house! Scary. Could we have damaged something inside the insert that would cause this sort of reaction, such as the baffles along the top? All other conditions, such as weather, etc are the same.

A quick visual inspection doesn't reveal anything obvious, such as cracks or missing pieces. I've never taken anything apart in there, but am game to give it a go, if it will help find a solution to the problem. Any ideas or help would be great. Thanks. Johanna

 

[kwikrp]

same thing happened to me had a clogged chimney cap. Check yours

 

[remkel]

I agree with kwik- sounds like you have a blocked cap or partially blocked chimney.
Did this just suddenly happen, or did you notice the draft getting worse over time? If you saw it over time you could not use that as an indicator of a blockage developing. Not certain how often you do it, but you might want to consider a regular inspection schedule of your flue and cap.

Just thoughts.

 

[shawneyboy]

same thing happened to me had a clogged chimney cap. Check yours

+2 Check cap

 

[flamencogirl]

Thanks for the info. We did not notice a problem over time, just all of a sudden. We will try and get up and check the chimney cap. It's pretty snowy on the roof right now, so we may delay until the weekend when it is supposed to warm up. Thankfully we have oil in the tank.

Johanna

 

[VCBurner]

Thanks for the info. We did not notice a problem over time, just all of a sudden. We will try and get up and check the chimney cap. It's pretty snowy on the roof right now, so we may delay until the weekend when it is supposed to warm up. Thankfully we have oil in the tank.

Johanna

Sounds like lack of draft due to clogs somewhere. Have you cleaned the inside of the stove at leat once per season? Places that are behind the obvious can often build up ash and clog passage ways. Especially with an insert that you cant get behind. For maximum performance most folks around here clean up at least twice a year. There are products out there that allow you to clean from the inside of the stove all the way up the chimney, from the inside of the house. Check it out:
http://sooteater.com/chimney/

Other than that, give it as much air as possible without having an overfire. More air=more draft=less backpuffing! Try not to choke down the fire as much. Run smaller fires with the bypass open, primary on low and you should be fine for now until you can get outside to check. But don't delay, it could only get worse if unsolved!
Good luck!

 

[flamencogirl]

Yikes! My chimney cap was extremely clogged with creosote, which has me very concerned. I try to burn hot fires with good wood, per all the instructions on this website! I did have a cleaning and inspection this summer and they did warn me to watch out for creosote, but I had no problems like this year. We have had extremely cold conditions so far this year and I wonder if that helps contribute to the buildup? When I had this insert installed three years ago I had a 6" stainless liner installed. Originally they were going to line the chimney, but said that due to the tight clearances that they couldn't fit the liner in. I have since read a bit about pourable liners, such as vermiculite. Would this help with the creosote problem? I've also read about block off plates, but I admit to not entirely understanding what they do. Would that help?

Running the oil furnance the past couple of days reminds me of the advantage of wood. With oil all of the house is an even temp, but chilly. With wood stove my bedrooms are chilly, but the rest of the house is toasty! And that is what I like!

Thanks in advance.

Johanna

 

[begreen]

Is this an external chimney with an uninsulated liner? How tall is the chimney?

 

[flamencogirl]

Yes it is an external chimeny with an uninsulated liner. I can't remember the exact height off the top of my head but I think about 25'

Johanna

 

[begreen]

If the wood is not well seasoned, it is going to cool down the flue gases. When they travel 25ft in a cold pipe the gases cool further until they drop below 250F, then they condense. Get the flue completely cleaned. Do you have a thermometer on the stove for temperature guidance? If yes, what temperature do you see when the stove is at a steady burn? It sounds like it may be good to try to burn a bit hotter fires until it reaches the coal stage.

One way to improve burning for next year is to get your wood in early spring and stack it where the wind can blow through it. Cover, just on the top, leave the sides open. If you are buying it, try to avoid getting oak unless you can dry it for a couple years. It's great firewood, but needs time to season.

 

[bogydave]

From what I've read,
it's the wood. (Too wet)
Try to find some dry wood to burn. You'll notice a WORLD of difference
If you have to burn the wood you have, burn hotter & clean the chimney frequently (weekly)
Chimney fires are dangerous!

 

[Todd]

Many people run into this clogged cap problem mid season and find that it's only the cap collecting the creosote because the cap is exposed and cools faster. You still need to check the whole system but some cap screens have little space between and will clog up fast.

 

[flamencogirl]

Thanks for the replies. As I noted in my original post I have pretty decent wood. While I do not check every piece of wood that goes in my stove, I check enough to know that it is good, although a bad log can sneak in there. I have burnt some pine this year, that I got for free. But I try to burn it hot and generally use it to start a fire and then reload with hardwood. I don't run 24/7 most of the time, and I know that start up and cool down can contribute to the buildup of creosote. I didn't go up on the roof, and it is still snow covered, so no one got a good look down the chimney. We are going to try and do that this weekend, as it warms up and the snow melts. I still wonder if the extreme cold we have had this winter has contributed to this problem, and if some sort of insulation of the chimney would help.

Johanna

 

[begreen]

Sounds good. Pull the cap and look at the pipe too. If it's just the cap, knock out the crud and put it back. If the pipe has major build up or if glazed inside, get it cleaned. Bring a camera up and take some shots. And be careful! Set the ladder on solid soil (not hard pavement).

 

[remkel]

Thanks for the info. We did not notice a problem over time, just all of a sudden. We will try and get up and check the chimney cap. It's pretty snowy on the roof right now, so we may delay until the weekend when it is supposed to warm up. Thankfully we have oil in the tank.

Johanna

Sounds like lack of draft due to clogs somewhere. Have you cleaned the inside of the stove at leat once per season? Places that are behind the obvious can often build up ash and clog passage ways. Especially with an insert that you cant get behind. For maximum performance most folks around here clean up at least twice a year. There are products out there that allow you to clean from the inside of the stove all the way up the chimney, from the inside of the house. Check it out:
http://sooteater.com/chimney/

Other than that, give it as much air as possible without having an overfire. More air=more draft=less backpuffing! Try not to choke down the fire as much. Run smaller fires with the bypass open, primary on low and you should be fine for now until you can get outside to check. But don't delay, it could only get worse if unsolved!
Good luck!

+1 on the sooteater- just bought one and love it! Makes a quick cleaning easy and just that, quick.