30-NC First Break in fire - No draft?

[Creek-Chub]

Okay fellas, just got the 30-NC totally installed, liner up the chimney, block off plate, etc. All good. Go to fire it up for the first break in fire, all looks good at first, and then the firebox fills with smoke and smoke starts spilling out of the OAK hole in the back of the ash pan.

My question: Is this simply due to the fact that it is 84 degrees here today and I am unable to establish a draft? It isn't possible for there to be a blockage in the liner.

The chimney is about 19' tall and it is interior. The fourth side buts up against an outside wall, but is enclosed within framing, insulation, sheething, and siding. My guess is that I'm trying to push that first fire, and it's just too dang hot out to be burning a wood stove.

Anyway, I shut off the air and closed the door, so it'll (eventually die out. Anything I can do to get a fire out of it yet this evening? Any tricks? I can't even really ball up some newspaper in the top because of the fiber board stuff in the top. Thoughts? Help me out and I'll get some first burn photos on here yet this evening... Thanks!

 

[BrotherBart]

It is gonna be tough. You will need to only use newspaper and really small stuff like splitting trash for kindling for a while to get any kind of draft going at that temperature. I have done it but these chimneys here have natural draft in the middle of the summer.

Is any smoke coming out of the chimney?

Your temp should be in the high 50's at the moment and it will probably be easier to try after sundown.

 

[Creek-Chub]

It is gonna be tough. You will need to only use newspaper and really small stuff like splitting trash for kindling for a while to get any kind of draft going at that temperature. I have done it but these chimneys here have natural draft in the middle of the summer.

Is any smoke coming out of the chimney?

Your temp should be in the high 50's at the moment and it will probably be easier to try after sundown.

False alarm. I guess I got a bit overzealous after having wrestled that beast into my fairly small fireplace opening and and performing a contortionist act to get the liner attached. I took the two splits out that I had put in, started with newspaper up in front of the tubes, worked it down, and commenced to build a slowly growing fire in the bottom. She's humming along nicely now. Just had to kick the wife and kids out to my folks down the street because she's starting to stink the place up a bit. A couple of teaser pics to come, and then I'll try to put together a thread with the install photos. My wife got a couple of me with the neighbor who was helping. He's black, I'm white. I was so covered in soot that you could barely tell the difference - at least that's her story...

Thanks! You guys in general, and BB in particular, are fantastic. I can honestly say that without you fellas I wouldn't be burning in this stove today, and that's something... Good on ya!

 

[fossil]

If the air inside your house is cooler than the air outside your house, it's gonna be tough to establish a draft up through your stove. It's all about density and gravity. I'd suggest being patient and waiting until the outside temp is below your inside temp...should make it a lot easier to get it up and running. You'll figger it out, I'm sure. In the meantime, it's an opportunity to find out whether or not those smoke detectors are working. Rick

 

[Creek-Chub]

Secondary burn is going nicely now. We're getting heated out of the house even with the windows open, but I'm loving it in my skivvies (kids are in bed). First ever burn in a wood stove, and it seems to be going alright. With some strategic fan placement, I think this beast is going to heat our place nicely. Got some nice pics, but it seems the mastiff puppy did a number on the USB cord, so they'll have to wait until I get another one tomorrow-ish. Thanks again, fellas!

 

[BrotherBart]

Please leave out the pics of you in your skivvies. :shut:

 

[crazy_dan]

so it was in the 80's when you started the fire?
Well if you got it going you sir have a good drafting chimney.

 

[Creek-Chub]

84 degrees per yahoo weather when I first tried. Waited a half hour for the smoke to vacate the great room, and went back at it. I would say a minimum of 80 degrees outside, but the second time around I took it very, very slow. Right now we're around 64 degrees outside, and the 30 has been rolling along for every bit of 4 hours. I got a solid couple of hours of secondary burn only, and I'm pretty pleased based upon the fact that it was 80 degrees out and I don't have a clue what I'm doing. The chimney, by the way, is 20 feet tall, with two semi-45 degree bends just above the stove - probably closer to 25's if you wanted to really get down to business. Then the liner just sort of snakes out and up to the top.

Pics of me in my skivvies to follow...

 

[DiscoInferno]

I'm planning to break in a new stove tomorrow with forecasted 80-something degree heat, but I'll be doing it outside with about 5 feet of stovepipe for a chimney. We'll see how that goes...