Another Chimney problem

[Doc C]

As some of you might know I have been having all sorts of problems with my Princess that came with the house when we bought it.

Now I am getting smoke pouring out of my ceiling support box.

I am pretty confident my cap is clogged and causing this. Everything was just cleaned about 2 weeks ago by a sweep and he said everything looked good. I will climb up there tomorrow and check it out.

My wood is well below 20% checked with 2 different moisture meters the proper way.

It has been pretty cold where I am at in North Idaho so we’ve been burning st a decent rate.

Any thoughts on what’s causing this?

 

[Rickb]

a fine holed spark arestor?

 

[Doc C]

a fine holed spark arestor?

Kind of what I was thinking. I have never seen it up close as I hired someone to do the first cleaning and inspection.

Is this even possible?

 

[Woody Stover]

I am pretty confident my cap is clogged and causing this. Everything was just cleaned about 2 weeks ago by a sweep and he said everything looked good.

Did it look good before he cleaned the cap, or only afterward?

Kind of what I was thinking. I have never seen it up close as I hired someone to do the first cleaning and inspection.

Can you see it from the ground with binoculars?
Mine isn't too fine..a mouse could probably squeeze through the mesh.

Any thoughts on what’s causing this?

BKs will run low, but some say if you run them with too little heat going up the chimney you'll get a rapid buildup of gunk from too-early condensation.

 

[Woody Stover]

I'm not sure you could clog it again in two weeks, though..

 

[begreen]

I'm not sure you could clog it again in two weeks, though..

It is possible if the wood has high moisture content or if the stove is being run very low so that the flue gases are cool. But by the description this is not the case here.

 

[kennyp2339]

Doc, I took some time and read a number of you previous threads going back to the old house and the NC30 all the way to last April with the new house with the BK.
I'm starting to wonder if you have an issue with you wood being to dry, you said you burn paper birch and pine, that's been split and stacked for a while, plus you had issues with the t-stat settings.
If it was me in this position I'd take a small risk; I'd clean the chimney and verify that I have a clean system from the cat chamber all the way to the chimney cap. I'd turn the t-stat clockwise until it cant turn and more and build a fire. I'd get that fire cranking on a full load and once the cat probe is in the active range I'd close the by-pass, I'd let it ride until the cat probe reads 3 o'clock and then turn the nob counter clockwise a quarter turn then wait 15 min to see if it had an affect, then do another quarter turn and wait 15min for full effect, after each turn I'd go outside and visually look at the stack and see what kind of smoke I have.
I just have a hunch here that the wood supply is super dry and full loads overwhelm everything, when you switched to the nc13 you said at smaller loads the fire burns more normal.

 

[begreen]

I can understand smoke overwhelming the cat (though he says he has been running the stove hot due to cold weather), but overwhelming the flue system?? Maybe. Is this a basement install and possibly a case of negative pressure?

 

[begreen]

Rereading the previous thread, it sounds like the flue was cleaned about month ago using a rotary sweeper, bottom up. Did the sweep go up on the roof and clean the cap also?

 

[kennyp2339]

I can understand smoke overwhelming the cat (though he says he has been running the stove hot due to cold weather), but overwhelming the flue system?? Maybe. Is this a basement install and possibly a case of negative pressure?

The pics make it look like it’s the first floor with a 25ft run of double wall to the ceiling.
Remember @Poindexter had a issue with excessively low moisture wood

 

[lsucet]

The pics make it look like it’s the first floor with a 25ft run of double wall to the ceiling.
Remember @Poindexter had a issue with excessively low moisture wood

Kenny I do have well dry pine and that is all I burn. I have some that is the fourth season since I css. I don't know how much that can create creosote at that degree. I should have plug both chimneys by now.

 

[Woody Stover]

It is possible if the wood has high moisture content or if the stove is being run very low so that the flue gases are cool. But by the description this is not the case here.

Yeah, didn't do my due diligence on the background story, shame on my arse.

Kenny I do have well dry pine and that is all I burn. I have some that is the fourth season since I css. I don't know how much that can create creosote at that degree. I should have plug both chimneys by now.

You probably don't even bother with a moisture meter, but with your humidity out there, that wood had got to be well down into the single digits.

 

[Ludlow]

Did something fall into the support box? Does it smell like rodents roasting on an open fire?

 

[kennyp2339]

Did something fall into the support box? Does it smell like rodents roasting on an open fire?

great question, these issues the Doc is having seems specific for his geographical area, read his posts when he had is other home with the nc30 that he changed out to a nc13.
His climate seems to be dry and in the winter he can have huge temp shifts like 40deg during the day to single digits at night. He needs help and we have to all collectively think outside the box.

 

[Highbeam]

I would hesitate to ever trust a chimney sweep. “Oh yeah, it’s good”

Smoke coming from the ceiling support box? Does it pour out of your stove too? Do you think you started your ceiling or roof structure on fire?

If it’s really cold you can ice up your flue too.

 

[webby3650]

Maybe this thread could be appropriately renamed “another chimney problem” not a BK problem. It’s misleading..

 

[Doc C]

Thanks everyone for the replies.

The sweep did not go on the roof when he cleaned it.

We left the wood at the old house. The wood I am burning now is mostly tamarack and red for. It was cut in March and seasoned this summer. I tested several pieces for moisture content before winter and everything was in the 15-18% range. I do have a little birch and maple that was cut a couple years ago but that was in the proper range as well.

Temps yesterday morning were in the low teens and it climbed about 18-20 degrees or so it seemed like but I didn’t look at the weather forecast yesterday

 

[Doc C]

Maybe this thread could be appropriately renamed “another chimney problem” not a BK problem. It’s misleading..

Done. Thank you

 

[Doc C]

I would hesitate to ever trust a chimney sweep. “Oh yeah, it’s good”

Smoke coming from the ceiling support box? Does it pour out of your stove too? Do you think you started your ceiling or roof structure on fire?

If it’s really cold you can ice up your flue too.

We did have a little smoke coming from the stove when I opened the door but other then that I didn’t see any.

I am pretty confident it didn’t start a fire at all. It just seemed like the smoke couldn’t get out of the pipe and it was backing up into the house

 

[Doc C]

I can understand smoke overwhelming the cat (though he says he has been running the stove hot due to cold weather), but overwhelming the flue system?? Maybe. Is this a basement install and possibly a case of negative pressure?

First floor install with a straight shot of double wall pipe.

We have been running about 2-2.5 on the thermostat and on occasion we will run it wide open for awhile. Mainly first thing every morning but also at our reloads at before bed

 

[webby3650]

I’m very suspect of the cap. Rotary cleaning does a fantastic job, but doesn’t fully clean some caps. Others, it just knocks off! You’ve got to be careful, sometimes sweeps are too careful though. He should have verified the cap is clean.
Did he pull the pipe up and sweep the junk that accumulates between the catalyst and the bypass?

 

[bholler]

Rereading the previous thread, it sounds like the flue was cleaned about month ago using a rotary sweeper, bottom up. Did the sweep go up on the roof and clean the cap also?

Rotary cleaners do a good job on the cap if done properly

 

[Doc C]

I’m very suspect of the cap. Rotary cleaning does a fantastic job, but doesn’t fully clean some caps. Others, it just knocks off! You’ve got to be careful, sometimes sweeps are too careful though. He should have verified the cap is clean.
Did he pull the pipe up and sweep the junk that accumulates between the catalyst and the bypass?

He did not disconnect any pipe at all.

 

[jatoxico]

Maybe this thread could be appropriately renamed “another chimney problem” not a BK problem. It’s misleading..

You BK guys are so touchy .

 

[bholler]

You BK guys are so touchy .

Yeah no stove owners of other brands would complain about it lol.