Smoke from exhaust vent?

[Jambruins]

What does it mean if I have smoke coming from my exhuast pipe? I cleaned the inside of my stove (Kozi Cast Iron Previa) over the weekend and used my shop vac to clean out the exhuast pipe (same method as using the leaf blower discussed in this forum). I noticed smoke coming from my exhast pipe yersterday. If I have a clean stove why would I be getting smoke? Too much air? Too little air? Something else? Thanks.

 

[crausch]

I am not familiar with your stove but the reason would probably be the same as most stoves. Your air/fuel ratio may be too rich. Check to see if the feed rate is too high? Since you just cleaned it, maybe your draft is too low which could be due to a gasket leak. Is you door, ash pan, and hopper seals all tight?

 

[Jambruins]

I high five heat output levels I can select between so I don't believe I can change my feed rate, I just select 1 for lowest thru 5 for highest (usually run the stove on 3). I belive my door and ash pan are are sealed tight? How would I know if they weren't? My hopper doesn't seal tight as it is a top loading stove but it doesn't seal tight and I don't believe it is supposed to.

By air/fuel ratio too rich does that mean I am giving it too much air or not enough air?

Thanks

 

[crausch]

Too rich would be too little air and would cause a black smoke out the exhaust. Your glass would also soot up black too. If it is white/gray smoke coming out, then it may be a little too much air. Is the smoke continuous after start up? Some smoke on initial startup is not a problem if it disappears after the pellets get burning.

Maybe someone with a Kozi can help with how to adjust this if possible with your stove.

 

[Jambruins]

thanks for the help. It doesn't smoke all the time but I usually run my stove on high/low so it runs on setting 3 until it reaches the thermostat temp and then drops down to 1 until the thermostat calls for heat again. It doesn't smoke all the time so it may be just when it bumps down to 1. I will keep a better eye on it and try to identify exactly when it is happening.

 

[crausch]

I took a look at a Kozy manual and it looks as though it has an auger trim which adjusts fuel feed rate in the #1 heat setting only. If you have an air intake damper, maybe that needs a little adjustment now that the stove has been cleaned. That or after it runs awhile, it may work itself out.

 

[j00fek]

when you burn wood it smokes, same as every kind

 

[Metal]

Next time it smokes open a nearby window and see if that helps. You may have negative pressure in your house pulling the smoke out of the pipe.

 

[Jambruins]

Just to clarify, the smoke is coming out of my exhaust pipe on the outside of my house. It is not leaking into my house.

 

[sydney1963]

I get smoke on start up. Sometimes when the fire dies way down to embers, the new pellets coming into the burn pot ignite and cause smoke like at start up.

 

[woodsman23]

Just to clarify, the smoke is coming out of my exhaust pipe on the outside of my house. It is not leaking into my house.

Is it coming out of the round hole at the end of the pipe, if so thats normal ;-). I would use some metal tape and seal all the joints where they connect that will take care of that problem.

 

[JaCharr]

looks like JAMBRUINS & i are having the same problem. I have a Mt. Vernon insert and have noticed black smoke coming from my exhaust pipe as well. I am burning a softwood pellet and have the flame height adjusted to +5 (as instructed by my local dealer) I am thinking about installing an OAK but it seems to me that i didn`t have this problem before when i was burning the American Biomass premium hardwood pellet. I`m burning Freedom Fuel now ( depot brand ) until i can find some more quality pelletsto burn. Any suggestions why this may be happening? Any thoughts/ideas would be appreciated.

 

[sydney1963]

My smoke is never black, always white.

 

[Jambruins]

Yes, the smoke is coming out of the round hole at the end of the exhaust pipe. It is not black smoke, it is more of a gray/white smoke. My glass gets a gray tint to it so I think my air is set right. It is not constant so I think it may just be when the pellets drop into the burn pot and the flame dies down a bit. Once the flame perks back up it seems to be ok. Thanks for all the replies.

 

[Raven20]

JaCharr, I just bought a few bags of Freedom's also and noticed that my firebrick is turning black....It didn't do that with the Stove Chows....Thankfully I have only 1 bag of Freedoms left.....