1st burn issues!

[The Dali Lima]

Hi everyone... I got the Oslo installed yesterday and tried a small burn last night. What a disaster! I'm sure I must have done something wrong... the entire stove was billowing smoke - from the from door, side door, rear... is this normal with a first burn? I've heard that the enamel finishes give off odors the first few times you use them, but this was disable smoke. Did I burn too much newspaper? Man, the stove doesn't seem very airtight... I can feel cold air from the air flow valve... any help would be appreciated!

 

[cmonSTART]

Sounds like a draft issue. Refresh our memory what your chimney setup is.

 

[The Dali Lima]

I have the Oslo vented out the back and through the wall and then directly up 24 feet. It is a metal chimney - just installed!

 

[ansehnlich1]

Indeed Steve, tell us what you have in terms of a chimney setup. Post some pics so we can see what this Oslo looks like

Sounds like a problem with draft, as already said.

 

[dkf5]

check the gasket on the door. Make sure it was installed properly. Other than that you may have a draft problem like these others have mentioned.

 

[WOODBUTCHER]

few questions.......

Are you using good seasoned wood? dry kindling?
Start small...med...then after a good bed of coals....use large splits
Is your stack interior/exterior?
How far (in terms of inches) does your stack vent out the back of the Oslo
How much experience do have with wood stoves?
Good insulation in the house nice and air tight? try opening a window to vent some air to the stove.
Use some lumber scarps or store bought wood to rule out other problems

WoodButcher

 

[BrotherBart]

With that tall cold outside chimney is is going to take a lot to get a draft rolling in it. Small hot kindling fire with the door open is the best way to get it to take off and draft. You may have to keep feeding small pieces to it for a little while. You will know it is ready to go when the chimney starts pulling all of the smoke out of the firebox.

 

[The Dali Lima]

ok... here are some photos... I'll answer your questions in a moment.

(broken image removed)

 

[The Dali Lima]

few questions.......

Are you using good seasoned wood? dry kindling? dry wood, but I think I used too much newspaper


Start small...med...then after a good bed of coals....use large splits
Is your stack interior/exterior?
How far (in terms of inches) does your stack vent out the back of the Oslo - about 20 inches
How much experience do have with wood stoves?this is my first fire!
Good insulation in the house nice and air tight? try opening a window to vent some air to the stove.
Use some lumber scarps or store bought wood to rule out other problems

WoodButcher

 

[savageactor7]

Cause of the scroll factor I'm confused on whether it's the manufacturing process that's burning off....which is normal. Or the draft is not working and all the smoke is pouring out the stove like a blocked chimney.

If it's a draft problem try letting some newspapers burn first to establish a good draft...and if it don't happen at least they will go out quickly or you can grab them with a gloved hands and secure them in an ash bucket. The burning newspapers will also determine if the chimney is blocked.

Now if it's the manufacturing process burning off...well that just has to happen. Opening up some doors and windows are the only option.

Hopefully the issue has resolved itself by now.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Not sure what kind of smoke you are getting but are you sure this isn't just smoke from the exterior of the stove with the first burn?

First burn should be very small. Kindling only.

Second burn a little larger fire but still nothing big.

Third burn with maybe 3 splits.

After that, all should be fine.


Open a window or two on those first burns.


I hope this is what the problem was. btw, too much newspaper would not cause this problem.

 

[WOODBUTCHER]

With that tall cold outside chimney is is going to take a lot to get a draft rolling in it. Small hot kindling fire with the door open is the best way to get it to take off and draft. You may have to keep feeding small pieces to it for a little while. You will know it is ready to go when the chimney starts pulling all of the smoke out of the firebox.

Agreed.....Thats definatly a cold stack problem (in my opinion), a couple weeks learning curve Dali and you should be all set.
People will chime in on different ways to heat her up . We've all been in your shoes at some point...keep plugging away and asking questions.
Btw...My Oslo's paint smoked pretty good during the break in fires.

WoodButcher

 

[The Dali Lima]

I'll fix that second picture.

Thanks for all the suggestions! I'm trying my second fire now...

 

[The Dali Lima]

Here is the updated internal picture...



ok--- I can't fix that photo... but in any event I'm having much better luck this time around

 

[Hanko]

You guys remember the I'm worried post a few months back

 

[The Dali Lima]

Clearly, my total ineptitude regarding fire led to my results last night. After reading your thoughtful responses and talking with my old man I appear to have things under control. Almost finished with my first burn in good order!

 

[jjhof0306]

I had the same problem before I started burning 24/7. For me, the less newspaper the better. I crumpled up one piece of newspaper, and put lots of VERY small kindling on top of it. I used one of those long barbeque lighters so I could hold the fire to it until it caught well. The trick is to heat the chimney up fast so it will start drawing fast. Start very small with the kindling, then keep adding larger pieces until you can put 2 or 3 small splits on it. Then let it burn to coals, and add more wood in the normal way.

 

[Summertime]

Glad to see you have things under control, did your manufacturer suggest small break in fires before really firing it up? You may want to (season) the stove before serious use.

 

[The Dali Lima]

Hi everyone, thanks again for your help!

Yes, I'm on my second break-in fire. Keeping her around 300 degrees for the next 20 minutes or so... then I'll let her cool down and go to 400 tomorrow evening. Once I figured it out, the stove draws beautifully.

So far the enamel "break in" smell hasn't been too bad.


(broken image removed)

 

[savageactor7]

That's a real nice set up you have there...good to hear everything is under control too.

 

[ansehnlich1]

Oh yeah! You won't have any difficulty running that Oslo. She'll draw just fine! I'm runnin' mine on an outside brick chimney and it does a great job, I guarantee you'll be ok with that setup.

These new EPA stoves take some gettin used to for sure. If you have a chimney cap with a screen keep an eye on it for cloggin' up.