Stove problems

[KPI]

Ok I have come here because I am lost !!this is my first post so thank you for replies, I live in northern Ohio and have a enerzone solution 1.8 wood burning insert woodburner ,I had the chimney cleaned in sept and the past two or three times I have had issues with my burner.first off it seems like the burner is not as efficient as the heat coming out of blower is not keeping the temp in the room temp up,so after some checking the blower cages were caked with dust and debris I cleaned these and noticed some of the plastic on the cage for blower was melted blower is running fine just not as much heat as last year and lastly,my wife went to start a fire today put a load in the fireplace it burnt got a good bed of coals going she then had to get kid at school when she came home the whole house was full of smoke I am concerned about using the unit again what could be the issue it is a sealed unit the blower was running and throwing smoke into the whole house any suggestions of what I should do

 

[White ash]

A crucial step here is determining if the smoke was due to your faulty blower or actual wood smoke..

 

[KPI]

It was wood smoke my wife stated! the cages were melted a little when I cleaned amd reinstalled them last week I had one fire they were running fine today the fire had no flames inside of fire box she said and the whole house was full of smoke

 

[begreen]

If your fire was fine tonight, then it sounds like she had a bad fire start and the wood ended up smoldering. Maybe she was too busy to tend the fire?

 

[KPI]

Not sure but it was doing fine I thought the blower was messed up it because it was so dirty before and then the fin had melted I am worried about using it I will start the fire get it going good then wait to turn on blower

 

[EatenByLimestone]

The draft might have reversed if the chimney is marginal or there could have been a downdraft.

Make sure you have a good CO monitor.

 

[KPI]

Question about the chimney being minimal this wood burner is about 13 years old and is swept annually but I was wondering when I had the chimney swept could the chimney not be cleaned properly meaning there could be build up reducing the size of the chimney liner never had a issue until this year and it has happened twice first was not as bad as the second and what could cause a reverse downdraft in the chimney

 

[MMH]

What was the weather like at the time? I’ll second possibly a down draft or reverse draft issue

 

[KPI]

It was 39 degrees out no rain and the wind was 12-14 mph per my weather station at the house MMH could you explain HOW either of these things could happen in my wood burner

 

[stoveliker]

Is it possible the melted part had nothing to do with the smoke?
Is your wood moisture content different this year? (did you measure it?)

I'd clean the blower assembly each time you have the chimney cleaned to avoid mucking it up too much overtime - which possibly leads to overheating.

 

[KPI]

I measured the wood it has 16-18 percent moisture there were a couple pieces I measured that were a little higher then I would like but the rack I have been using was first cut last spring I thought to it could be the wood the melted cage has me worried a bit

 

[stoveliker]

Not to doubt your measurement, but how did you measure this MC? (just trying to rule out things, not to be a pain in the rear)

 

[KPI]

Not to doubt your measurement, but how did you measure this MC? (just trying to rule out things, not to be a pain in the rear)

I measured with a general tool brand moisture meter and tested several pieces at several locations on different logs it was a two point moisture meter

 

[KPI]

Is it possible the melted part had nothing to do with the smoke?
Is your wood moisture content different this year? (did you measure it?)

I'd clean the blower assembly each time you have the chimney cleaned to avoid mucking it up too much overtime - which possibly leads to overheating.

The melted part was noticed I had two fires since I had cleaned the blower motors and noticed the melted cage

 

[stoveliker]

I measured with a general tool brand moisture meter and tested several pieces at several locations on different logs it was a two point moisture meter

On a freshly split (exposed) surface?

 

[KPI]

No sir I will try that just tested ends and different areas

 

[stoveliker]

Then your wood is (way) too wet. Ends don't mean much, and the outside is the driest part..split them thru the middle and measure onnth newly exposed surface along the grain. And do that on room temperature wood (I.e. leave it in the home for a day before you split it.)

 

[MMH]

It was 39 degrees out no rain and the wind was 12-14 mph per my weather station at the house MMH could you explain HOW either of these things could happen in my wood burner

Eh depending on the chimney/pipe set up but I’d think those winds likely wouldn’t, however, starting a fresh load or possibly even reloading in a cooler stove, the winds may have overpowered the draft, which would push the air back down your pipe causing down draft which could explain the smoke. Has this ever happened before? Have you ever had problems with winds before?

 

[stoveliker]

Wood that's too wet is notorious for both smoking a lot and not having much heat output because you're using all the energy from the burn to boil away the water (and for mucking up your flue).

 

[EatenByLimestone]

It was 39 degrees out no rain and the wind was 12-14 mph per my weather station at the house MMH could you explain HOW either of these things could happen in my wood burner

In your manual, it'll give you a recommended chimney height and diameter. Depending on the stove, you may have troubles with draft if the flue is too long, too short, wrong diameter, has buildup inside, etc. Some stoves are pickier than others.

Wood stoves run off draft, or the temperature difference between the inside of the house/stove at startup and outside. If these are close to the same, you may have issues with the chimney pulling the smoke out. 39° is warm. Your chimney might have trouble pulling a draft.

Now let's look at the wood. It appears to be wet. Any heat that the burn provides will be going toward boiling off more water so it can burn the wood. Your fire is throwing water on itself, further hurting the temperature difference and draft.

And then there's wind. A gust of wind could direct itself down your chimney. With a strong draft it can be pushed back out. With a weak draft, it could fill your house with carbon monoxide and smoke.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

One other thing, your blower may be pulling too much heat off a marginal fire and further hampering things.

So, the short answer on how to fix things is to try new wood, at a known dryness. But a pack of wood from the supermarket or some sawdust logs and burn them. See if it's different.

 

[Rickb]

If my wood tests 18% on the outside its like 30% on the inside.