Smoke from Chimney from Tarm Gassifier

[JayDogg]

I have used about 3 or so cords of mixed: oak, maple, birch, cherry, pine and poplar through a new tarm solo plus 40 this year. It pretty much always seems to have good gasification and runs hot. Between 375-475 in the smoke box, but when the draft fan is on and its buring there still seems to be a good amount of smoke coming out of the chimney. I have an exterior chimney and from the boiler to the top of the flu is roughly 35 feet or so. I was just curious if I should be concerned with any creosote build up in the chimney, the smoke worries me a little bit so I was wondering if anyone has checked the flue with a gassifier like mine. Any comments would be great so I can go back to sleeping worry free at night again. My roof is so high and steep that I will need to find someone with a 36-40 foot extension ladder to go up and look down the chimney. I was told with this gassifier that I should never have to worry about creosote, but also was told there wouldnt be much smoke either.

 

[Chris Hoskin]

Hi Jay,

sounds like everything is running fine. My guess is that what you are seeing is in fact steam. You have good stack temps at the boiler, but with such a tall, cold chimney, it is very likely you are cooling your exhaust enough to see steam coming out of the stack.

That being said, make sure your bypass damper is closed and sealed properly. If it is not, smoke can get out of the upper firebox and go straight up the chimney. Second, make sure your secondary air setting is properly adjusted. Should be AROUND the half way point. Insufficient secondary air will result in incomplete secondary combustion and you could see some smoke as a result. As you say, if everything is in order, you should not see smoke coming out of the chimney during normal operation (you will see it when loading wood with the bypass damper open, of course).

Good luck and give us a call if you have any other questions,
Chris

 

[taxidermist]

I dont get any buildup with my eko I would assume if the unit is working right then yours would be the same. Are you sure it is smoke and not steam from the wood? If it is smoke your unit needs adjusting= more air. Do you have storage? and is your boiler idling? if it is idling then you will get smoke and build up.

Rob

 

[ChiefChicken]

Is it smoke, or condensation? I've been running my Tarm for 6 seasons now. I get some smoke on startup, but then it burns clean. Sometimes I will see some condensation coming out the chimney, but that depends on the moisture content of the wood and the outside air temp/humidity. In the six years I've been running, I have brushed the chimney once. All that was there was a little dust, no creosote at all. If you are still concerned, how about pulling the flue pipe off at the bottom and having a look up? Might be easier than climbing up and looking down!

 

[Chris Hoskin]

one more thing: If you can inspect the clean-out port at the bottom of the chimney, open it up and look for signs of moisture. If you see significant moisture, this is a clear indication of condensation and I would recommend you pull in an insulated stainless chimney liner next Summer.

 

[JayDogg]

I have pulled the flue pipe from the chimney in the cellar and looked up with a mirror and flashlight. However I can only see about 8 feet up since the flue angles at that point where the chimney gets narrower. Where I could see it was very clean, still red clay flue tiles. Im not sure if it is smoke or just condensation coming out. But I can see a little bit of black on the top of the flue from standing outside looking up. I do not have any storage so it does idle a little bit when the house is not calling for heat or hot water. I get about 8 hours out of a full overnight load, but when i'm home I do shorter 3-4 hour burns.

 

[taxidermist]

Check to see if when you are burning well that there is no smoke coming the chimney. If it is smoke it will travel, if it is steam it will dissipate very close to chimney. When your boiler is idling you can expect some smoke.

Rob

 

[Tony H]

You could probably use the charcoal test to see if it's smoke or steam .
Next time you are down to coals load in some charcoal and check for smoke the charcoal has very little moisture so the stuff you would see is probably smoke and then if you do see it use the charcoal to adjust the air setting and gasification so you no longer get smoke.

 

[Singed Eyebrows]

Jay; I get the same thing with my Atmos. It appears to be steam. The only thing I get in the chimney & exchanger cleanout is fine powder. I've tried to light this & it doesn't burn. Good luck, Randy

 

[flyingcow]

I get "steam"or vapors, about 20 maybe 30ft from the chimney, in a light wind. On a day its above freezing you should see almost nothing.