But I know why. Today we are in an unusual weather pattern with very steady northeast winds at about 15+mph; temps are in the high 30's. There are lots of whitecaps out on Puget Sound and I see a few branches got blown down overnight, so it's been pretty gusty at times.
Our flue is on the downslope of the northside roof. There is plenty of pipe, about 7ft above the roof to meet code, but to the west, there is a shed dormer. The wind direction and pressure appears to be just enough to cause turbulence and pressure around the flue. I slept in today and this morning's start was with a cold stove. Until the stove got hot, it was balky starting and would spill smoke when the door was opened.
Fortunately this is a pretty rare condition around here. Our prevailing winter winds are from the southwest. Now that the stove is hot, as long as I open the door a crack, let it equalize, then open it slowly, the smoke spillage has stopped. I won't be changing anything because this is quite rare. But it does show how when conditions are right you can get smoke out of the stove that normally is just fine. If you aren't paying attention to what is happening outside, you might think something is wrong with the stove, but there isn't. When these anomalies occur, pay attention to what is happening outside too. Every day is a new fire and a new burning adventure.
Our flue is on the downslope of the northside roof. There is plenty of pipe, about 7ft above the roof to meet code, but to the west, there is a shed dormer. The wind direction and pressure appears to be just enough to cause turbulence and pressure around the flue. I slept in today and this morning's start was with a cold stove. Until the stove got hot, it was balky starting and would spill smoke when the door was opened.
Fortunately this is a pretty rare condition around here. Our prevailing winter winds are from the southwest. Now that the stove is hot, as long as I open the door a crack, let it equalize, then open it slowly, the smoke spillage has stopped. I won't be changing anything because this is quite rare. But it does show how when conditions are right you can get smoke out of the stove that normally is just fine. If you aren't paying attention to what is happening outside, you might think something is wrong with the stove, but there isn't. When these anomalies occur, pay attention to what is happening outside too. Every day is a new fire and a new burning adventure.