2nd break-in fire on Englander 13 - lots of smoke

[RickBlaine]

Howdy,

It is 65 degrees here in Chicago and all the windows are open as I burn the 2nd fire in the Englander 13. This is a "break-in" fire and lots of smoke is coming off of the top of the stove. Not a "burning wood" smell, but a "paint-curing" smell. Really stinks something fierce.

As I am new to this, just wanted to ask is this normal?

Great way to check all 11 smoke detectors in my house (1 hasn't gone off yet- hmmmm?).

On the plus side, when I can get the nerve to stop staring at the stove (again, I am new to this and don't want to leave the fire alone) I text my across the street neighbors and they give me updates on any smoke coming out of the rain cap. No smoke! I guess I am burning the 2.5 year old black locust wood efficiently.

On another "plus side", it will be down to 29 degrees here for Monday to Wednesday- so I want to get ready for a real fire....thank goodness the windows are open today. I feel like a dog- just sitting in front of the fire and staring at it. This Englander 13 is easy to operate and beautiful to look at.

Man, I love this Hearth.com forum.....I see now that many of you were not kidding when you say "Welcome to the madness".....this is madness! And I want to be committed.

 

[HotCoals]

Since there is no smoke coming out the chimney all of it must be going into your house

Joking..sounds like all is good. You could put a fan in a window near the stove blowing out though,should help.

 

[RickBlaine]

Since there is no smoke coming out the chimney all of it must be going into your house

Joking..sounds like all is good. You could put a fan in a window near the stove blowing out though,should help.

Ha ha ha....Jumped out of my chair there....

Thank you for the fan suggestion...it cleared up the room in a minute!

 

[BobUrban]

some smoke more than others -probably due to date of manufacture. My 30 was relatively light on the burn in smoke and paint smell but my guess is it may have been on the shelf longer(so to speak) No worries - fire it up and let er' eat! Your not going to hurt that steel box. Enjoy the heat!

 

[Ram 1500 with an axe...]

The smoke could be from having a poor draft being it is 65 degrees outside....

 

[Slow1]

The smoke could be from having a poor draft being it is 65 degrees outside....

That was my first thought too - but if it doesn't smell like wood smoke then probably not.

I can't imaging firing up with it 65 outside - my draft would REALLY be bad.

On the bright side for OP - if you are able to get it to burn well at 65* outside, you certainly can expect you will not have insufficient draft issues, just wonder if you will have too much draft when it gets really cold....

 

[RickBlaine]

Thank you, Gents....

Definitely smoke from the curing paint.

I am about to run break-in fire #3 in a few minutes. Will be 65 degrees here for the next 6 hours, then drop to 35 degrees tonight. Lows will be 28 degrees for the following two days.

I was worried about draft issues as my run from the bottom of the Englander 13 to the rain cap is just 14 feet. I can't imagine too much draft- but am willing to try! Advice generously given to me here was to run an insulated liner, add an insulated 2 foot extension, block-off plate with Roxul mineral wool insulation above it, and even Roxul directly below the terra-cotta chimney cap cover (around the insulated liner).

The wood is dry- thanks to the tips I got here about 3 years ago....the locust wood was split, stacked, and seasoned properly in the wind/sun for the last 2.5 years. My goal is to finish the break-in fires (with windows open) today, light "real" fires the next two days when the lows will be 28 degrees, and call it quits until the fall.

Any thing I can learn now I want to apply immediately- BEFORE next winter. So if you think the draft is good now with 65 degree weather- I will sleep better knowing that it can only improve in colder weather. I was worried as I have a single story brick ranch home with a short 10 foot chimney run.

I have ten text messages from two different neighbors across the street saying they can't see any smoke coming out of the cap, but they do detect a slight (and pleasant) wood-burning smell.

Onwards.....

 

[BobUrban]

RB - just note you will get some paint smell for a bit as you reach new heights in burning temp to keep the house warm over the next 48hrs. Not to worry - just that each new threshold will off gas a little more and you may even get a little next fall(maybe) depending on how hot you get her. Pretty common for the first couple fires in the fall after a season off to be a lil smoky and smell as the dust that has settled in all the cracks burn off.

 

[Dix]

RB - just note you will get some paint smell for a bit as you reach new heights in burning temp to keep the house warm over the next 48hrs. Not to worry - just that each new threshold will off gas a little more and you may even get a little next fall(maybe) depending on how hot you get her. Pretty common for the first couple fires in the fall after a season off to be a lil smoky and smell as the dust that has settled in all the cracks burn off.

What Bob said. Very important to remember.

Our 13 had almost no smell as we did break ins.

Play with the air control in the 13. It can be a little persnikety, at times.

 

[Slow1]

And next fall remember that just about everyone gets the "roast dust" smell on the first fire of the season. I have tried vacuuming, wiping, brushing etc and no matter what I do I still get it the first fire of the season... dust settles somewhere on the system that I just can't get to. After the first fire or two it is over.

 

[osagebow]

Try opening that electrical service duct behind your drummer's riser.
Great avatar, welcome to the show.

 

[Rebelduckman]

Thank you, Gents....

Definitely smoke from the curing paint.

I am about to run break-in fire #3 in a few minutes. Will be 65 degrees here for the next 6 hours, then drop to 35 degrees tonight. Lows will be 28 degrees for the following two days.

I was worried about draft issues as my run from the bottom of the Englander 13 to the rain cap is just 14 feet. I can't imagine too much draft- but am willing to try! Advice generously given to me here was to run an insulated liner, add an insulated 2 foot extension, block-off plate with Roxul mineral wool insulation above it, and even Roxul directly below the terra-cotta chimney cap cover (around the insulated liner).

The wood is dry- thanks to the tips I got here about 3 years ago....the locust wood was split, stacked, and seasoned properly in the wind/sun for the last 2.5 years. My goal is to finish the break-in fires (with windows open) today, light "real" fires the next two days when the lows will be 28 degrees, and call it quits until the fall.

Any thing I can learn now I want to apply immediately- BEFORE next winter. So if you think the draft is good now with 65 degree weather- I will sleep better knowing that it can only improve in colder weather. I was worried as I have a single story brick ranch home with a short 10 foot chimney run.

I have ten text messages from two different neighbors across the street saying they can't see any smoke coming out of the cap, but they do detect a slight (and pleasant) wood-burning smell.

Onwards.....

I built my 3rd fire a few days ago
my englander 13 too! Like you I had a good bit of smoke in the house from the paint curing the first two fires. That third fire it was much less. I also have about 14' of pipe and have had no problems at all. Been burning since December with a 17vl. I decided the 13 would be better for my drafty old house and I wanted better burn times. It's supposed to be below freezing here tomorrow night so I'm hoping to turn her loose! Probably be my last for the year. Good luck fellow 13 owner!

 

[RickBlaine]

I built my 3rd fire a few days ago
my englander 13 too! Like you I had a good bit of smoke in the house from the paint curing the first two fires. That third fire it was much less. I also have about 14' of pipe and have had no problems at all. Been burning since December with a 17vl. I decided the 13 would be better for my drafty old house and I wanted better burn times. It's supposed to be below freezing here tomorrow night so I'm hoping to turn her loose! Probably be my last for the year. Good luck fellow 13 owner!

Ha ha ha! Thank you, sir! And good luck to you too. We should compare notes in the future. I ran the first real fire today (and yes, it is snowing outside here in Chicago right now!) and no more "paint" smoke nor paint smell.

1) Neighbors down the street can smell the wood burning and said it made the neighborhood feel nice.
2) The Englander 13 stove is in a masonry fireplace and WOW those fireplace bricks can heat up! About 4 hours AFTER the fire is out, those firebricks are still giving off heat.
3) The stove starts fast, heats up fast, and lasts about 6 hours (seasoned locust firewood to a couple of still-burning embers ready to ignite the next load).
4) I did one load with seasoned maple- it lasted just 4 hours (wood to two embers).

This summer my project will be to rewire the fan's switch to become a remote rheostat switch, add 2 temperature gauges (top of chimney liner and stove top), and add one of those switches that turn the blower on/off depending on the temperature.

 

[Rebelduckman]

Ha ha ha! Thank you, sir! And good luck to you too. We should compare notes in the future. I ran the first real fire today (and yes, it is snowing outside here in Chicago right now!) and no more "paint" smoke nor paint smell.

1) Neighbors down the street can smell the wood burning and said it made the neighborhood feel nice.
2) The Englander 13 stove is in a masonry fireplace and WOW those fireplace bricks can heat up! About 4 hours AFTER the fire is out, those firebricks are still giving off heat.
3) The stove starts fast, heats up fast, and lasts about 6 hours (seasoned locust firewood to a couple of still-burning embers ready to ignite the next load).
4) I did one load with seasoned maple- it lasted just 4 hours (wood to two embers).

This summer my project will be to rewire the fan's switch to become a remote rheostat switch, add 2 temperature gauges (top of chimney liner and stove top), and add one of those switches that turn the blower on/off depending on the temperature.

Sounds like a good idea. I'm interested in doing that with the fan too. Where are you looking at parts to do it?