Can my Fire pot area be so dirty that it blows out a smokey smell

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
My stove was bought off someone, quite old, can the inside where the fire burns be so dirty that it smells smokey when the air come out for distribution
So the air produced from the blower had a smokey smell? No matter how dirty the stove is inside you shouldn't smell it. It's either a sign of poor draft, or possibly a cracked stove.
 
So the air produced from the blower had a smokey smell? No matter how dirty the stove is inside you shouldn't smell it. It's either a sign of poor draft, or possibly a cracked stove.
So the air produced from the blower had a smokey smell? No matter how dirty the stove is inside you shouldn't smell it. It's either a sign of poor draft, or possibly a cracked stove.
So it's in a basement, without an outside air kit. When I start the stove without opening a window I get a puff back and smoke enters back in through the pipe. When I start the stove with a window open I don't see any smoke. When the stove gets really hot I don't smell the burnt pellet smell. Any thoughts? How would I locate a crack? Thank you
 
So it's in a basement, without an outside air kit. When I start the stove without opening a window I get a puff back and smoke enters back in through the pipe. When I start the stove with a window open I don't see any smoke. When the stove gets really hot I don't smell the burnt pellet smell. Any thoughts? How would I locate a crack? Thank you
Also the door shuts a little firm like. Tight
 
It's sounding more and more like a draft problem. Basement installs are plagued with problems. What kind of stove is it? What's the chimney set-up like?
 
Can you describe your chimney, or post a picture of it?
 
20170404_202839.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
So it's a horizontal termination? Is it possible the smell I'd being sucked in an adjacent window?
 
I witnessed the smoke coming back in the pipe on a few startups. When I draft a window I hadn't seen any.
 
I crack my sliding door every time I start my stove from cold or I get smoke in the room unless its very cold out.

Just for a few minutes till the flue warms up.
 
Your distribution fan draws air down low in that stove. If your vent cap, T or stove connector joint is leaking the fan picks up the fumes and blows it out the room vents. This is most common on start up, once fire is established and the pipes warm up you get better draft and you won't notice the smell so much if at all. However, the key is more the leak in the pipe that needs to be sealed. And yes, basement installs are all the more prone to this. Modern basements are very tight, not all leaky and loose like mine LOL ! And any appliance , heaters etc running in the house can cause a negative pressure situation in the basement. So ya, when you crack that window you break the seal. An OAK would solve that part but you still need to seal up that pipe.

Pretty much an expanded version of your other thread, in which we also concluded that your venting is very close if not over on EVL. For the unaware in this thread, that venting doesn't just end outdoors, it takes another 90 and goes up another 4 ft. So that's a lot of bends and straight runs for 3" venting. I'd be very surprised if it's under EVL 17 which I think is the max for an Accentra ( I haven't looked at the install instructions).

For OP: My P61 did the same thing on cold start up in the right weather conditions regarding smoke smell coming out the room vent. It was the T as I described in your other thread. I had to use a flashlight in the dark to find the vapor trail LOL. I could not see it in natural or room light.

As far as the burn pot goes, if it's dirty then clean it.
 
Last edited: