This morning I started up my Englander 17-VL for the first time this heating season. I got a lot more smoke into the house than I can remember from past years. There were no exhaust fans running in the house at the time, so I'm wondering how this happened and if there is any way to prevent it in the future?
smoke rollout from downdraft
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SpaceBus
Minister of Fire
Sometimes when cold starting my stove on a windy day the draft will reverse for a second on a strong gust. Once my fire get going this doesn't happen. Rainy days with wind make this worse. I've seen some stack caps that claim to prevent this. Perhaps heating the flue with a propane torch would mitigate the issue entirely.
Yes, the chimney was cleaned and there is a bird screen on the cap.
I don't think there was much wind when I was starting, and certainly no rain, but I did notice the downdraft when I was loading the firebox. Like for you, there's no problem once the fire gets going. Would a hair dryer work as well as a torch? How many minutes is enough?
Anything to get a little heat in the stack and get a draft established. A torch a heat gun a hair dryer an electric heater etc. Or just let the door open for an hour or so
How does leaving the door open help? Air is always able to get into the stove via the air inlet.
Because the volume of air allowed in by an open door it usually enough to create a draft
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