Hi, we just got a New Englander Wood Burning Stove and we are having lots of issues with backdraft, we are at a very high elevation and it is windy alot. Even with a good fire going we are still getting smoke come out the back of the stove. Any suggestions or help would be appreciated, this is our first wood stove and are not too happy with our purchase so far.
Help... Major Backdraft on New Englander Stove
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cmonSTART
Minister of Fire
What's your chimney like? How far above roofline does it terminate? Is is shorter than the tallest point of the house? Any tall trees adjacent to the home?
We have a 2 story home and 12 pitch roof, the pipe out of the roof is 13' long, its 12' away from the roof but is still lower than the top of the roof. We have been told it can't go any higher, there isn't enough support.
cmonSTART
Minister of Fire
How much lower than the peak is it? Just a gut reaction it sounds like a positive pressure/wind induced downdraft issue. Do you have any pictures?
It's approx 6' below the peak, we were thinking we could run flex pipe out the back of the stove and out through the wall? would that work?
Is your entire pipe 13 ft?
You might want to try hooking up an Outdoor air kit to your stove as well. It might help equalize the pressure more, and much less smoke would blow back in your house if you got any puff back. I know my englander did not get a very good draft until I hooked up my OAK.
You might want to try hooking up an Outdoor air kit to your stove as well. It might help equalize the pressure more, and much less smoke would blow back in your house if you got any puff back. I know my englander did not get a very good draft until I hooked up my OAK.
cmonSTART
Minister of Fire
IF it is indeed the issue I'm thinking of the cause of the issue is the chimney terminating below roofline, in an area where there is a slightly higher pressure due to the wind blowing against the rising roofline and compressing, forcing air down the chimney into your home where the pressure is then slightly lower at that point in time. The best solution would be to lengthen the chimney above roofline and above the zone of positive pressure. I realize you have support issues which make this impossible.
An OAK might help or it might not. OAKs can create issues of their own during windy days.
The above may or may not be your issue. I'm a few hundred miles away sitting behind a laptop, so who knows. You may want to pick a local sweep's brain eventually, at which time you can visit csia.org to look one up.
An OAK might help or it might not. OAKs can create issues of their own during windy days.
The above may or may not be your issue. I'm a few hundred miles away sitting behind a laptop, so who knows. You may want to pick a local sweep's brain eventually, at which time you can visit csia.org to look one up.
It's pretty windy here today. What you are going to have to do for tonight is to get that flue direction reversed. Sometimes this is real hard with a chimney that is shorter than your roof. It might be impossible with the heavy winds. Try loading the stove with newspaper and lighting it off. That will create a burst of hot air that charges the flue. Then you should be able to quickly load the stove and light it up.
When they put your chimney up, did they put any supports on it or brace it in any way? Another thing you can do is work to seal up the house. For this a caulk gun is your friend. Any electrical outlets, skylights, attic openings, windows, etc above your chimney need to be sealed so your house does not become a better chimney than your chimney.
Pics would help answer questions if you happen to have any.
Matt
When they put your chimney up, did they put any supports on it or brace it in any way? Another thing you can do is work to seal up the house. For this a caulk gun is your friend. Any electrical outlets, skylights, attic openings, windows, etc above your chimney need to be sealed so your house does not become a better chimney than your chimney.
Pics would help answer questions if you happen to have any.
Matt
Thank you for all the replys.
Pyro... we can get 60+ mph winds on a daily basis up here, my husband is extremely weary of adding more chimney (although we believe that is the ultimate answer) is hooking pipe to the back of the stove and out the wall ok to do? The stove is ok 90% of the time, when its windy out we are nervous to go to bed an be woken by alarms.
Pyro... we can get 60+ mph winds on a daily basis up here, my husband is extremely weary of adding more chimney (although we believe that is the ultimate answer) is hooking pipe to the back of the stove and out the wall ok to do? The stove is ok 90% of the time, when its windy out we are nervous to go to bed an be woken by alarms.
Yes there is a support brace up there. We have the fire going now, its been going all day and we had 2 smokeouts.
learnin to burn
Feeling the Heat
In your situation this might be your cheapest way to resolve the issue. Do some research and see if it will work for you.
http://www.woodlanddirect.com/Chimney/Wind-Resistant-Chimney-Caps
http://www.woodlanddirect.com/Chimney/Wind-Resistant-Chimney-Caps
cmonSTART
Minister of Fire
A few question like:
What stove do you have?
What connector pipe from the stove to the ceiling and how tall is it?
What chimney pipe do you have from there on up and how tall is it?
How dry is the wood you are burning in the stove?
How about a picture of the setup that we are shooting at in the dark?
What stove do you have?
What connector pipe from the stove to the ceiling and how tall is it?
What chimney pipe do you have from there on up and how tall is it?
How dry is the wood you are burning in the stove?
How about a picture of the setup that we are shooting at in the dark?
Renovation
New Member
BrotherBart said:
BB, you're the chimney pro. Do you think he could add supports to lengthen his chimney?
I've seen them in the makers' catalogs--a collar with two metal braces that triangulate on the roof.
Renovation
New Member
cmonSTART said:
+2. I saw one in one of the manufacturer's parts catalog. Can't remember which one, but at least one of the two major brands makes one.
We have just the barest clue what we are dealing with here. Need a lot more detail or we are just throwing nerf balls into a windstorm.
In addition to the previously asked questions, it would also be helpful to know how the stove it connected to the chimney? Are there any elbows or tees?
SlyFerret
Minister of Fire
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