My stove is only a few months old, Drolet Escape 1800. For the first month I would always notice flames comming from the air holes in tubes which i believe is called the secondary burn. This no longer happens and the ash doesnt seem to burn down as well. And I have to leave my draft open longer to get the fire hot enough. I cant imagine my chimney needs to be cleaned already, burning dry hardwood. Anyone have any ideas as to what might be the problem?
Stove not burning secondary air?
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LLigetfa
Minister of Fire
It sound like either the wood isn't as dry as you think it is, or you have reduced draft. The wood could be coming from another part of the pile that was closer to the ground or got less sun and air. The loss of draft could be creosote buildup in the chimney or cap. It could also be from a colder chimney or from stack effect inside the house if you don't feed ouside air to the stove.
SlyFerret
Minister of Fire
Also check to make sure that there aren't any exhaust fans running (like bathroom fans or clothes dryer) until you get the stove up to speed.
I agree though that it sounds like a wood issue.
I also ran into this type of issue when I would get in a hurry try to get a cold stove going with splits that were too big, or damp back the air to quickly. I'm still learning to be patient and give the stove time to get rolling.
-SF
I agree though that it sounds like a wood issue.
I also ran into this type of issue when I would get in a hurry try to get a cold stove going with splits that were too big, or damp back the air to quickly. I'm still learning to be patient and give the stove time to get rolling.
-SF
The wood is stored in my garage and so is in out of the weather. Using pretty much the same wood as i was using in a few months ago when the stove worked perfect. I even keep wood stockpiled next to the stove for no less than 24 hours before burning it just to give it a little extra drying time. As for exhaust fans.. dryer is in the basement below and only runs about an hour a day, and dont run the bathroom exhaust fan much at all. When putting up christmas lights on the roof i did notice some creosote around the cap but didnt think it was enough to cause a problem. Will have to check this a bit closer. Supose I will just give the chimney a sweep to elimate that for starters
WoodButcher80
Feeling the Heat
if theres a change in temperature outside that could do it as well . do you have a moisture meter? if so, split a stacked piece of wood in half, then measure it from the inside of the fresh cut . i measures mine and it was 22% on the outside , then split it, and it was 34% .. check that out. you can get a crappy one from harbor freight or a nicer one from some other places including ebay. just seems like a wood issue or temp issue. . . nice point Ferret , i too have to learn to wait before putting on the hickory chunks!
savageactor7
Minister of Fire
Brian you're talking about the tubes on top of the firebox than re-burn the smoke right?
Well if you're convinced your wood is OK and split small enough then check for smoke coming out of the chimney. If it's not smoking the secondary burn is working ...if the chimney is smoking when you know it shouldn't be I suppose you can check the manual for cleaning out the tubes which usually requires removing that fireproof blanket before vacuuming...but it does sound like it's a wood issue. Does the glass stay mostly clean?
Well if you're convinced your wood is OK and split small enough then check for smoke coming out of the chimney. If it's not smoking the secondary burn is working ...if the chimney is smoking when you know it shouldn't be I suppose you can check the manual for cleaning out the tubes which usually requires removing that fireproof blanket before vacuuming...but it does sound like it's a wood issue. Does the glass stay mostly clean?
Check your flue and particularly the flue cap to assert that it's not clogged or partially clogged.
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