possible stove problem question. smoke related...

[abj1969]

ok so i've been bruning 27/7 since like oct or nov. never had any problems with the stove at all.. clean it when the ashes get too high and continue burning...


seems like the last week or so when you open the door it wants to pour smoke into the room instaed of up the stack... it has never done that before.. i always opent he air full and slowly open the door and it has always gone up the stack. now for the last week or so it wants to come in the room... the air control still works fine, with the door shut i open the air all the way and it goes high fire like usual back off the air and the fire backs off....


this is a hearthstone tribute stove,


any ideas? could i have damaged something to make this happen? like i said it ha never done this before. at different temps outside it has been fine until this past week??



thanks in advance .
joe

 

[moondoggy]

my geuss would be up top. chk down the flue.
if you've been burning fine all along, maybe your gettng clogged now... got a sparkarrestor thing.. they clog easy.
you knwo a passed a house yesterday, ( i cant help buy look at peoples wood and roofs.) and notices the top of the cap was off and hanging sideways, blocking half the stack.
i'd check up top first.

you useing the same wood supply all along?

 

[abj1969]

yes same wood... good idea on the stack cap.. i'll go up tomorrow and check it out.. has to be something stupid.

 

[Robbie]

Check your cap, I bet it's clogged with hardened creosote.

Normally, your pipe/flu will draft enough even if it gets a lot in it but your cap can shut it down in a hurry.

You really should clean both cap and pipe if you can.

I can always tell when my cap/screen is getting clogged because smoke will spill into the room when I open the stove.



Robbie

 

[abj1969]

the screen on that looks pretty wide open so i never though of that.. but i guess it don't take much huh. anything special to clean it with? thanks guys...

 

[Robbie]

I use a pipe brush since I have to reach kind of high. This is usually enough to break that stuff loose.

You just never know about these things but most likely you have a clog somewhere. Everytime it's happened to me it's been the cap.

Robbie

 

[moondoggy]

if it looks bad take it off and brush it.
dont do it connected if you dont have to . you dont want it falling back in the flueor on the roof.
also look down w/a light.... never knwo whats in a flue

 

[abj1969]

thanks guys.. thats what it was... i can not believe how clogged that thing was... i pulled it off and took the screen out and cleaned the crap out of it... its back on now and i can open the door and no smoke inside the house. its all going right upo the stack....



anyway i can prevent this build up in the future? or just ahve to clean it every so often?


thanks again guys...

 

[moondoggy]

cool man, glad we helped out.

are you burning well seasoned, dry wood?
maybe run a little hotter flue temp if possible.
but you said you been burning 24/7 for 3-4 months.... thats kind of standard cleaning time i would thnk..or at least chk time.
i'm try to inspect every week or two.. pretty easy to chk for me though. + this is my first year and a self install so I'm watching things close.

 

[crazy_dan]

you just have to clean it every so often it is always exposed to the cold and short of over firing I don't believe you can get it hot enough to stay clean. That is pure speculation as I do not live in an area where I am required to have a screen so I do not have one just a rain cap no screen.

 

[dtabor]

Dont want to hijack the thread but is there an advantage to the screen? They installed one on mine, not required though. Just wondering if Id eliminate some headaches by switching it out. My other house didnt have one. I never had to clean my chimney or cap at all during burning season, only before the new season.

 

[moondoggy]

there is a grate.. that has holes big enough to stick your fnger through, but not a bird.
and/or
then there is screen... much finer holes obviously.i think that is more 'spark arrestor' type thing.. safer from that aspect, but also clogs faster.
dont know what ABJ had. my cap is only a grating on the side.

as for eliminating i think in some towns/states they require them... guess since you added one screen its not that biug a deal to take out... unless you feel "dang my stove throws a ton of sparks".
i guess its 'better piece of mind little more work needed to tend.

 

[abj1969]

cool man, glad we helped out.

are you burning well seasoned, dry wood?
maybe run a little hotter flue temp if possible.
but you said you been burning 24/7 for 3-4 months.... thats kind of standard cleaning time i would thnk..or at least chk time.
i'm try to inspect every week or two.. pretty easy to chk for me though. + this is my first year and a self install so I'm watching things close.

most of the wood seems well seasoned.. i know some wasn't though... i think backing it way down over night may be causing it some too i guess.... i'll just do what you said and keep an eye on it.. takes 10 minutes to get up there and pull it off... just don't want to have to do it with snow up there.. that could turn into a not so fun ride to the ground...lol


thanks again

 

[abj1969]

dont know what ABJ had. my cap is only a grating on the side..

mine resembles this one.. not the same one but looks kinda like it. same basic idea..

 

[jtp10181]

Did you have a lot of black gunk all over up there? How much of your chimney is exposed outside? Is this an exterior chimney? Is the chase insulated?

You either are burning wood with too much moisture or the chimney is too exposed and the gasses are cooling off too much before they get out of the cap.

 

[abj1969]

yea its probably too much exposed outside.. there is quite a bit exposed above the roof. i'd say atleast 7' yes it was all kinds of black crap. came off easy. i'll just have to check on it more often..