Running the stove with the window open? Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of having a wood stove?
Need Help With Smoke Leaking Into Home
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There are quite a few threads about "backpuffing" already. The stove accumulates too much volatile gases in the firebox which is starved for oxygen. Once it hits air in conjunction with the hot catalyst it will set off an explosion-like rapid combustion. Since that is too much to go out through your cat into the flue, the pressure may push out some of the smoke through the air inlet and maybe gaskets if those are not quite tight. Giving the fire more air should stop that backpuffing.
Do you have an idea what the cat and flue temps are when you notice the smoke smell?
Do you have an idea what the cat and flue temps are when you notice the smoke smell?
Thanks for the description. That's exactly what it seems like. When the explosion comes, it then pushes exhaust out through the seam between the collar and the stove and between the collar and the stove pipe. But that's not the only source of the leak.
Just tried to reach Chris at Blaze King (BKVP around here). He's out of town for three weeks.
I am not talking about leaving it open as a final solution just as a diagnostic tool to see if the stove is starving for air. Also what side of the house is the oak inlet on? If it is away from the wind it can cause a negative pressure in the oak.
Sometimes the smell is worse than at other times but the correlation doesn't always seem clear. Probably worst when the stove is turned up high. We haven't used the fan because it made the smell worse.
Okay, makes sense. The air inlet is right under the stove, which is on the backside of the house (thus surrounded on all sides by trees and the house itself). The rear of the house faces west and a bit south.
With a manometer your installer should have one.
and where does the prevailing wind come from?
If the stove is starving for air it could help even with the oak hooked up. You could also try unhooking the oak and see how it runs like that.
It seems to come from the other side of the house (either north or east or some combination). Plus the yard sits in a negative pressure zone, surrounded by house and trees.
Interesting idea. Not sure I would pull off the pipe myself but something to run by the dealer. If the problem is draft, and the chimney can't go up any higher, what does one do? The draft is way better than before they raised the stack but we're still getting smoke. Perhaps less; I'm not sure.
It really sounds like it is starving for air to me but i am not there to see it in person. With the height you have your draft should be enough but again hard to say with out being there
If your stove is in a single story addition to an older house your house may be a better chimney than your chimney!! If the addition is more airtight than the original house the two storys of leakier house may be letting an awful lot of air out, especially on a windy day.
Quote from www.woodheat.org "Hearths installed in single story sections of two story houses almost always perform badly."
Quote from www.woodheat.org "Hearths installed in single story sections of two story houses almost always perform badly."
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And the fact that the oak is on the side away from the prevailing wind could cause a problem to. Personally i would measure the draft first but from your description i dont think that is the issue. Then unhook the oak and see what happens then crack a window or door. If none of that changes it then you need to start looking for other issues.
Yeah stack effect could be causing the issue for sure but a good oak should resolve that. I have a feeling it is a combination of issues.
The house is newer. It was built in 2006. There's no addition. It was just built with setbacks so the lower story could have skylights (we've got 12 of them). Seems to be well built. No drafts I can detect within the house.
Hopefully the dealer can come out and measure this stuff. Still trying to get hold of him. Also, unable to reach Chris, I called the other Blaze King office (in Canada) and left a message for their tech guy.
Hopefully the dealer can come out and measure this stuff. Still trying to get hold of him. Also, unable to reach Chris, I called the other Blaze King office (in Canada) and left a message for their tech guy.
Sorry, I must have messed you up with someone else. I though you had one. Agree with bholler, in your case having one would make the diagnostics easier.
Can talk to the dealer about drilling one in. My wife wanted to avoid it because she didn't like the look. The dealer suggested not compromising the pipe. Would give us another hole through which smoke could come. But if it makes sense to put one in, we will.
If you get it working right the chimney should be under a vacuum and no smoke will come out. What other holes do you have?
Yeah, well, getting it right; that's the thing, isn't it? The other hole is the probe in the top of the stove that measures when we're in range to engage the catalytic combustor.
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