I've held off. Crocuses are in full bloom and daffodils are starting to open up. This is early, even for us.
Need Help With Smoke Leaking Into Home
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firefighterjake
Minister of Fire
It's not funny
But you watch . . . sometime in March someone out that way will be posting pics of crocuses and other flowers popping up . . . while we still look out at a yard full of half melted snow.
firefighterjake
Minister of Fire
WHAT
OK, it's official. You stink BeGreen.
OK, I've reconsidered. Could you post a pic or two to at least give us some hope?
jatoxico
Minister of Fire
Actually I could use a tangible few signs of spring considering the groundhogs were all split, although the one one that bit the mayor is my sentimental favorite.
Here you go, I just stepped outside and grabbed a few quick shots. It's been very wet outside so the garden beds are still messy. I need to walk over to our neighbors to gets some blooming daffodil shots. They get more sunlight than ours do.
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/its-coming-soon.140887/
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/its-coming-soon.140887/
Winters like this concern me. I don't want my cold and dank little paradise to turn into Anaheim.
Swedishchef
Minister of Fire
Then why in the H3LL do you have a wood stove? You have what, 6 days below freezing? LOL
Had a chance to speak with Dennis out of the Blaze King office in B.C. Chris (BKVP) is out of the country right now, but Dennis was equally helpful. We talked extensively about my problems and he gave me some ideas about running the stove in ways likely to reduce the draw problems I've been experiencing. Between the extra 4 feet of chimney pipe, disconnecting the OAK and his advice, we may be alright. Each change has helped so the question is whether there's a remaining smoke problem to address. Should know in a few weeks.
He said this is a particularly challenging time given how warm it's been. He suggested cracking a downstairs window when running the fans in the upstairs bathrooms. Same thing if running the range exhaust. That could be the source of the problem (in the sense of making a challenging situation worse). He said it would be best not to reconnect the OAK, with or without the right adaptor. He also had some ideas about the issue of constant smoke from the chimney. Said it's essentially impossible to damage the bypass gasket. Said the stove is designed to run for extended periods at high temperature and cannot be over-fired because the t-stat will prevent it from getting too hot. Said I could not have damaged the cat gasket without pulling out the cat. He thought most likely the smoke is just water vapor from the burn. He gave me some ideas for testing this. At worst, I'll have to tighten up the bypass plate or brush out (or replace) the cat (which is well under warranty).
Worst case, if we keep getting smoke in the house, he said we could install something like this: http://www.pricefalls.com/product/6...ive=44869806631&device=c&matchtype=&network=g
It's a heating element attached to a piece of stove pipe. Not the ideal solution because it burns electricity whenever the stove is running. But there's no noise and it would improve draft. Would also get rid of that ugly stove collar adaptor, albeit with something else not entirely attractive.
He said this is a particularly challenging time given how warm it's been. He suggested cracking a downstairs window when running the fans in the upstairs bathrooms. Same thing if running the range exhaust. That could be the source of the problem (in the sense of making a challenging situation worse). He said it would be best not to reconnect the OAK, with or without the right adaptor. He also had some ideas about the issue of constant smoke from the chimney. Said it's essentially impossible to damage the bypass gasket. Said the stove is designed to run for extended periods at high temperature and cannot be over-fired because the t-stat will prevent it from getting too hot. Said I could not have damaged the cat gasket without pulling out the cat. He thought most likely the smoke is just water vapor from the burn. He gave me some ideas for testing this. At worst, I'll have to tighten up the bypass plate or brush out (or replace) the cat (which is well under warranty).
Worst case, if we keep getting smoke in the house, he said we could install something like this: http://www.pricefalls.com/product/6...ive=44869806631&device=c&matchtype=&network=g
It's a heating element attached to a piece of stove pipe. Not the ideal solution because it burns electricity whenever the stove is running. But there's no noise and it would improve draft. Would also get rid of that ugly stove collar adaptor, albeit with something else not entirely attractive.
Begreen, you did a review a while back on homefire logs: (https://www.hearth.com/talk/wiki/home-fire-prest-logs/). Dennis thought they might not be safe to burn (in terms of possibly damaging the cat), not knowing what additives or binders might be used. Did you have a chance to analyze them? Clayton, the owner, swears they're just held together under high pressure with zero additives. Do you have any sense of this?
Was just thinking about your question. We have a room upstairs where we get a bunch of condensation on the underside of a skylight. So much so, it often drips down onto the bed. There appears to be no leak. I had a roof inspector come out and he said the condensation is on the inside of the pane. I wonder if this is the spot where hot air is somehow squeezing out.
Dennis? There are no binders in HomeFires. They and Northern Idaho Energy Logs are formed with precision dies under incredibly high pressure. Heat releases the natural lignens in the wood bind them.
I hear you. I knew something was up when I had my dog down at the lake for a swim and there was a bunch of kids swimming along side of him.... This was a couple weeks ago back in January.
I know... I'm just reporting what I witnessed, it was a warmish Sunday, low 60's, and there were some children swimming Lake Washington, goggles and all, while their parents watched.It's not that warm.
Pretty sure his name is Dennis. Out of the Penticton, B.C. office.
Clayton over at HomeFire swears they're the same as the Northern Idahos. Dennis said the Northern Idahos are alright but that they're the only ones he approves of.
I know it sounds crazy, but honestly it really wasn't. It was a very nice day, and I was even thinking to myself that if I had my bathing suit I for sure would have waded in a bit. The park was packed, and there were lots of people down by the water which was really not that cold, a few kids splashing around didn't seem out of the ordinary at all... until I rememberred it was January.
Things seemed to be going well since they pulled off the OAK. The improvement had been small but we were doing a bunch of things that seemed, with the increased air flow, to be helping. There was very little smoke smell in the house.
Then two days ago, we got a major back puff which blew smoke through the collar at the base of the stove pipe and up through the cat probe hole. After that, we began getting wood smoke smell again coming off the top of the stove. I was giving it time to see if things got better. Tonight, as we were watching television, the room was getting cold so I went over to the stove. It was crashing so I turned the dial up just a bit -- from about 2 to about 2.5. Ten or fifteen minutes, there was another back puff explosion, sending a plume of smoke into the room. It was bad. We turned off the television and went up to our room to get away from the smoke. That was maybe 15 minutes ago.
This should not be happening. Perhaps a draw collar is the next thing to try. Here's a link for this device: http://www.pricefalls.com/product/6...ive=44869806631&device=c&matchtype=&network=g
Right now it's 47 degrees out. Perhaps when it gets colder we wouldn't have to run the draw collar. Perhaps it could just be used when the temperature differential is inadequate. What'd y'all think?
Then two days ago, we got a major back puff which blew smoke through the collar at the base of the stove pipe and up through the cat probe hole. After that, we began getting wood smoke smell again coming off the top of the stove. I was giving it time to see if things got better. Tonight, as we were watching television, the room was getting cold so I went over to the stove. It was crashing so I turned the dial up just a bit -- from about 2 to about 2.5. Ten or fifteen minutes, there was another back puff explosion, sending a plume of smoke into the room. It was bad. We turned off the television and went up to our room to get away from the smoke. That was maybe 15 minutes ago.
This should not be happening. Perhaps a draw collar is the next thing to try. Here's a link for this device: http://www.pricefalls.com/product/6...ive=44869806631&device=c&matchtype=&network=g
Right now it's 47 degrees out. Perhaps when it gets colder we wouldn't have to run the draw collar. Perhaps it could just be used when the temperature differential is inadequate. What'd y'all think?
It sounds like you are trying to run the stove with too little air. The fire had gone out. Increasing the air finally caused a flame to start and that ignited a stove full of smoke. Try running the stove at a higher air setting in these mild temperatures or let the stove go out. In our stove for the past 2 days we've only been doing a short hot morning fire, then let it go out. Then another small hot evening fire.
I think theres something wrong with that stove. As long as the stove is even warmish, it should be pulling smoke up out the chimney.
I have not seen a simple answer to one question. Are you positive that your cat is not clogged? If you have enough surface ash on the entry side of the cat you will not have adequate air flow through the cat, you will get sluggish burning no matter your air setting, you will be subject to backpuffing,
If you have not done so, check your cat now to be certain it is clean. On the side here the air enters the cat from the firebox. The other side can look fine when the surface is coated with ash.
Does your stove run with flame at a relatively low air setting if the cat is not engaged? If you only have a problem being able to maintain a flame when the cat is engaged, then the cat is blocking your draft.
And, if you have not done so, get the chimney sweep out to sweep the chimney. It cannot hurt, and you are near enough to the end of the burning season that if you get the chimney cleaned now, AND find that it IS clean, then you do not need to repeat the clean at the end of the season. There is no reason that I can see to delay this simple step. And, as others have pointed out, the sweep may have some advice and should be able to easily check the draft. Just let them know when you call to make the appointment that you have had some issues and would appreciate their most knowledgeable/troubleshooting sweep, and also a check of the chimney draft.
You should have the cat disengaged whenever you have the door open, so the fact that you get flame/improved draft at that time does not rule out the cat needing cleaning being your problem.
Without rereading the thread, I believe the issue was not present when you first used the stove?
If you have not done so, check your cat now to be certain it is clean. On the side here the air enters the cat from the firebox. The other side can look fine when the surface is coated with ash.
Does your stove run with flame at a relatively low air setting if the cat is not engaged? If you only have a problem being able to maintain a flame when the cat is engaged, then the cat is blocking your draft.
And, if you have not done so, get the chimney sweep out to sweep the chimney. It cannot hurt, and you are near enough to the end of the burning season that if you get the chimney cleaned now, AND find that it IS clean, then you do not need to repeat the clean at the end of the season. There is no reason that I can see to delay this simple step. And, as others have pointed out, the sweep may have some advice and should be able to easily check the draft. Just let them know when you call to make the appointment that you have had some issues and would appreciate their most knowledgeable/troubleshooting sweep, and also a check of the chimney draft.
You should have the cat disengaged whenever you have the door open, so the fact that you get flame/improved draft at that time does not rule out the cat needing cleaning being your problem.
Without rereading the thread, I believe the issue was not present when you first used the stove?
drz1050
Minister of Fire
Another way of wording one of the questions Rideau asked:
Do you ever get backpuffing with the cat bypassed?
Do you ever get backpuffing with the cat bypassed?
drz1050
Minister of Fire
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