Clean pipe, slight smoke smell on startup, draft issue?

[PA. Woodsman]

Cleaned the 32 year old inside black single wall stovepipe in October and ran the brush up the same age double wall up top as we have done many times before, put the inside single wall back together, stuffed gasket in the seams so no smoke leaks out, the door gasket was replaced last year, but have noticed some slight smoke smell on startup more than before, but it has been windy on startups so maybe that is it. But I also am wondering if the soot that was on the pipe actually insulated it a bit and now since it has been cleaned down to the metal it is easier to smell the smoke until the pipe gets hot and draws better? I look around the stove and pipe with a flashlight and see no leaks, so this has me a bit baffled.

What do you think, draft issue because of the wind? I am using the top down starting method but if I close the door too soon it wants to die out, so that makes me lean toward draft issue, but if I leave the door cracked while starting I can smell smoke so I'm thinking it is lingering in the pipe until it gets warm.

Thank you

 

[cabinwarmer]

Lee, why not instal new double wall in place of the single wall? I did the 10' inside my place and noticed a big difference in draft, not to mention safety. This will eliminate any issue if it is around the inside flue. Not too expensive.

Dave

 

[begreen]

It does sound like this might be marginal draft. Is this on the Dovre? Was the top of the baffle cleaned when the stove pipe was cleaned?

 

[PA. Woodsman]

It does sound like this might be marginal draft. Is this on the Dovre? Was the top of the baffle cleaned when the stove pipe was cleaned?

I used the shop vac just a little bit inside the hole opening in the back of the stove when the pipe was off, but the top of the baffle is lined with insulation and I never have touched that in all these years. I read that I shouldn't mess with it so I don't.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

Lee, why not instal new double wall in place of the single wall? I did the 10' inside my place and noticed a big difference in draft, not to mention safety. This will eliminate any issue if it is around the inside flue. Not too expensive.

Dave

Is it in sections or 1 solid piece? The single wall is in sections so I can take it apart and clean it and put it back up from inside the house, if it was one solid piece it would have to be cleaned from the top and I have a Cape Cod and the way the roof is I wouldn't be able to get at the top of the chimney which would mean I'd have to hire someone to do it, although I know my wife would LOVE that idea, she really isn't fond of helping me with it lol!

 

[PA. Woodsman]

I made some "adjustments" before starting it tonight. I noticed the balck pipe was "shifted" a bit, the upper sections have always moved in towards the stove from the heat which tells me that it was cut too short, if it was proper length there wouldn't be play in it, it has done this for years and I just pull it back a bit but it always finds it's way back forward. I stuff little pieces of insulation in the places where the pipes meet to block any smoke but I don't think that was it.

I think a big culprit was I was trying to use up some kindling that I got from someone's porch and God knows how old this wood is, it is bug eaten and really dry but unsplit, so I think that was smoking more than newer split pieces of kindling and twigs so I'm just going to throw that old stuff in when the fire is already going, it burns okay that way but I think it was smoking too much as kindling so that is out. I thought since it was under a porch it would be okay but it is REALLY dried out and lots of sawdust from bugs eating it lol!

It is still windy today but using fresher wood to start it seemed to work much better, so maybe that was the problem. Time will tell.

THANK YOU both for your replies, feel free to add on to this if you want to!!

 

[PA. Woodsman]

I also read that the top of the stove chimney should be at least 2 feet higher than anything around it and mine is not, it is coming out of the add on room in the back of the house and the main roof is next to it and much taller so that doesn't help.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

Tonight I lit a piece of newspaper and just held it up towards the back of the stove to try to warm the pipe a bit, and it burned but kind of charred too, so I wonder if it is the draft or if the newspaper isn't burning that well, it's probably been recycled many times so who knows. Then after that died out I smelled a kind of metallic acidic smell for a few seconds, don't know what that was, the pipe maybe? But it isn't as windy today and I got the fire going but it took a bit of doing, very strange. Then once it is going and the pipe is hot it's fine.

 

[Hogwildz]

Could simply be a reverse draft during a cold start.