Hello. First year burner. Ashford 30.1 with total of 16 feet of pipe, double wall stove pipe With 2 45s then class a chimney. Every time I load the stove I get smoke back into the house. When I'm ready to reload I turn the thermostat to high. Wait about 2 min then Open the bypass and wait a few more minutes. Then I open the door latch then slowly open the door and I alway get smoke back in the house. I always turn the ceiling fan off when loading. I have tried with a window open. I have tried with multiple windows open. Outside temps have been in the 50s and 60s. Any help would be great.
blazeking smoke coming back inside house.
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Woody Stover
Minister of Fire
When it's that warm out, draft will suffer. You might try letting the stove burn with bypass open as you've been doing, with some flame (or with just coals) for a longer time to heat up the flue more, before you open the door to load.
Outside temps in the 50 & 60s are the cause of your back-puffing.
Tough to get a good draft going in those temps& the smoke flows
easier into your home than up thru your chimney.
Tough to get a good draft going in those temps& the smoke flows
easier into your home than up thru your chimney.
Highbeam
Minister of Fire
Total of 16 feet of flue including two bends and some horizontal. Sounds like you don't hit the minimum.
Woody Stover
Minister of Fire
Yep, the 90s reduce the effective height. I know how it is when you get a new stove, but you might just have to wait until it actually gets cold out.
It's 2 offsetting 45sYep, the 90s reduce the effective height. I know how it is when you get a new stove, but you might just have to wait until it actually gets cold out.
Woody Stover
Minister of Fire
Oops.
Still, any turns will reduce the effective height to a degree, so it will be a little tougher to get good draft when it's that warm outside. Once temps drop a bit, you should be good...won't be long now. 
alforit
Feeling the Heat
First , why are you running it when its in the 60's outside ?
.................BK'S need a good draft.Second, your chimney height is just at the minimum for a BK stove.,.....That's the height I am at with my Ashford but mine is a straight shot up.
Because you have 2 elbows you will have to compensate for that loss of draft and add more height.
The BK's require MORE DRAFT than any other non-cat and secondary tube stoves to operate properly. If you don't get adequate draft with these BK stoves you will run in to all kinds of trouble. Like for example : Massive creo buildup inside the firebox caused from improper combustion of the wood because of lack of draft . Also you will have a smoke filled firebox a lot of the time which Is also caused by lack of draft in pulling up the smoke to combust the wood. That smoke in the box will also cause a smoke smell coming from the door . Especially if you have the t-stat turned too low.
And also the problem you mentioned with smoke coming in the house when you open the door
The t-stat relies on a good draft to maintain proper ignition of the wood . ...... without proper draft the t-stat will just keep opening to let more air in from your partially ignited wood and cause a smokey and too cool firebox with lots of creo buildup and in the chimney too.
Its the proper draft that keeps that t-stat opening and closing correctly , that gives you the quick ignition of wood so the t-stat can open and close effectively and work to keep the burn going the longest and most efficiently.
The t-stat is only as good as your draft...........And that's everything in BK technology
If there is no way you can increase your chimney height then I would run the stove on a higher t-stat setting to try and compensate for lack of draft.
Congrats on the Ashford by the way..........Great stove !
What
That last few days I have been opening the t stat and waiting a few min then opening the bypass and wait about 6 to 8 min. That has helped a lotFirst , why are you running it when its in the 60's outside ?
Second, your chimney height is just at the minimum for a BK stove.,.....That's the height I am at with my Ashford but mine is a straight shot up.
Because you have 2 elbows you will have to compensate for that loss of draft and add more height.
The BK's require MORE DRAFT than any other non-cat and secondary tube stoves to operate properly. If you don't get adequate draft with these BK stoves you will run in to all kinds of trouble. Like for example : Massive creo buildup inside the firebox caused from improper combustion of the wood because of lack of draft . Also you will have a smoke filled firebox a lot of the time which Is also caused by lack of draft in pulling up the smoke to combust the wood. That smoke in the box will also cause a smoke smell coming from the door . Especially if you have the t-stat turned too low.
And also the problem you mentioned with smoke coming in the house when you open the door
The t-stat relies on a good draft to maintain proper ignition of the wood . ...... without proper draft the t-stat will just keep opening to let more air in from your partially ignited wood and cause a smokey and too cool firebox with lots of creo buildup and in the chimney too.
Its the proper draft that keeps that t-stat opening and closing correctly , that gives you the quick ignition of wood so the t-stat can open and close effectively and work to keep the burn going the longest and most efficiently.
The t-stat is only as good as your draft...........And that's everything in BK technology
If there is no way you can increase your chimney height then I would run the stove on a higher t-stat setting to try and compensate for lack of draft.
Congrats on the Ashford by the way..........Great stove !
Highbeam
Minister of Fire
First , why are you running it when its in the 60's outside ?
Second, your chimney height is just at the minimum for a BK stove.,.....That's the height I am at with my Ashford but mine is a straight shot up.
Because you have 2 elbows you will have to compensate for that loss of draft and add more height.
The BK's require MORE DRAFT than any other non-cat and secondary tube stoves to operate properly. If you don't get adequate draft with these BK stoves you will run in to all kinds of trouble. Like for example : Massive creo buildup inside the firebox caused from improper combustion of the wood because of lack of draft . Also you will have a smoke filled firebox a lot of the time which Is also caused by lack of draft in pulling up the smoke to combust the wood. That smoke in the box will also cause a smoke smell coming from the door . Especially if you have the t-stat turned too low.
And also the problem you mentioned with smoke coming in the house when you open the door
The t-stat relies on a good draft to maintain proper ignition of the wood . ...... without proper draft the t-stat will just keep opening to let more air in from your partially ignited wood and cause a smokey and too cool firebox with lots of creo buildup and in the chimney too.
Its the proper draft that keeps that t-stat opening and closing correctly , that gives you the quick ignition of wood so the t-stat can open and close effectively and work to keep the burn going the longest and most efficiently.
The t-stat is only as good as your draft...........And that's everything in BK technology
If there is no way you can increase your chimney height then I would run the stove on a higher t-stat setting to try and compensate for lack of draft.
Congrats on the Ashford by the way..........Great stove !
I disagree with most of the above. Yes, you need to meet minimum draft specs and adding bends means you need more than the minimum chimney height. No, there is no problem burning when it is 60 out. If your house is cold you can have a fire.
It is normal to have smoke in the firebox and heavy creosote accumulation in the firebox when running the stove low. That's how a cat stove works. So long as the cat remains active, your emissions will be clean and flue will only require normal cleaning.
Your stat opens and closes based on stove temperature, not draft. It's a bimettalic spring.
Read the manual. Low draft from your subpar chimney will cause smoke to roll out of the door if you open it during combustion, and will force you to use higher thermostat settings to maintain an active cat. If you have gasket leaks or flue leaks, a very low draft can result in smoke smells from the stove even with the door closed.
Colder outside temps improve draft. Taller chimneys improve draft.
alforit
Feeling the Heat
Yes, the t-stat opens and closes based on the temp in the stove .......That's why they call it a thermostat ...heh
But with improper draft the t-stat wont control the burn efiiciently and wont work correctly.
Creo buildup does happen in the BK stoves .....But massive amounts of buildup in the stove and in the chimney are a sign of poor draft. ( also wet wood ), If the load is not ignited properly , it creates a lot of smoke and creo on low burns.....But then you have to find your sweet spot on the t-stat dial also. Found this out from trial and error.
Improper draft on a BK stove creates a lot of potential issues. I have run into all of them and found out that first hand ...First and most important is getting the proper draft by increasing chimney height , it resolved most every problem....Sealing the stove pipe also helps, but it cannot overcome an inadequate chimney..........Also finding the right t-stat setting for your unique environment and setup is KEY. You can set that t-stat too low. ...And if you do you will get a smelly burn.
And burn as dry of wood and you can .
And once you get the proper draft then yes, go ahead and burn when its in the 60's outside...
alforit
Feeling the Heat
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drz1050
Minister of Fire
I get smoke inside as well during reloads until the flue warms up... much less when it's cold outside.
I have an ashford as well. And have an issue with smoke smell in the house. Does anyone have an eternal masonery chimney that is aprox 16 to 18 ft tall. I do have a ninety degree bend as it leaves the house and i count another bend where it goes straight up the chimney. i am thinking i need a liner.
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