Common causes for smoke in house..

[Firedancer]

Please help!

For about a month now, whenever I open door on insert smoke enters house. It now POURS into house. I'm talking smoke in eyes when loading..yesterday smoke detector not in same room went off. It's also to the point where I can't keep door CRACKED to create a good draft after reloading. Smoke, smoke, smoke.

Two weeks ago we removed the soapstones and baffles so we could check out the SS pipe where it connects to insert. Beautiful. Super fine powder and VERY little. Hubby has been unable to get on roof due to snow/safety so not entirely sure what chimney looks like up top. IMO, but I could be wrong, the chimney cap does look like it may be sticky-but that's what I think I may see from the ground looking up.

We burn 24/7 (just about) since November...have yet to sweep the new pipe but did inspect where pipe connects to stove as stated. Our wood...ugh. We did get our hands on a load that was definitely on the wetter side of dry however we are currently burning good wood NOW and still...SMOKE in house.

Is it as obvious as "sweep the pipe" or is something else going on here?

Thanks in advance for all your input! So appreciated.

 

[razerface]

Is it as obvious as "sweep the pipe" or is something else going on here?

that should be first,,,sweep the chim, and go from there. Check the top good! The clean chimney is important.

Also, open a window near the stove,, and then see if it smokes when you open the door on the stove.

Then look around the house and see what else has draft, or access to outside that may be affecting your draft on the stove. Any unused chimneys, old waterheater pipes thru the roof?

 

[Firedancer]

that should be first,,,sweep the chim, and go from there. Check the top good! The clean chimney is important.

Also, open a window near the stove,, and then see if it smokes when you open the door on the stove.

Then look around the house and see what else has draft, or access to outside that may be affecting your draft on the stove. Any unused chimneys, old waterheater pipes thru the roof?

Opened window and a door...smoke POURS in still. I do have a fireplace a few rooms away but the flue is closed as are the glass doors.

We need to sweep i guess to rule that out. Smoke was never an issue when we started burning....new stove owners.

 

[jatoxico]

If the stove was running well before then you can be pretty sure it needs a sweep. Pay particular attention to the cap. Even with good wood a mid-season sweep is in order at least until you know how your system functions

The lack of build up low in the chimney is of little diagnostic value, it's hot down there.

 

[Nick Mystic]

Does your rain cap have a screen in it like many caps have? If so, the cap is probably clogged up with creosote. I wouldn't burn again until you have it checked out and cleaned, if necessary since if this is the problem it is only getting worse each time you burn your insert. It cannot get better on its own and will only get worse with each additional fire. Once you get enough of a smoke smell in your house it's pretty difficult to get rid of.

 

[KindredSpiritzz]

yeah it doesnt take long for that cap to clog up sometimes. Finally took the screen off mine cause it was causing problems.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

Please help!

For about a month now, whenever I open door on insert smoke enters house. It now POURS into house. I'm talking smoke in eyes when loading..yesterday smoke detector not in same room went off. It's also to the point where I can't keep door CRACKED to create a good draft after reloading. Smoke, smoke, smoke.

Two weeks ago we removed the soapstones and baffles so we could check out the SS pipe where it connects to insert. Beautiful. Super fine powder and VERY little. Hubby has been unable to get on roof due to snow/safety so not entirely sure what chimney looks like up top. IMO, but I could be wrong, the chimney cap does look like it may be sticky-but that's what I think I may see from the ground looking up.

We burn 24/7 (just about) since November...have yet to sweep the new pipe but did inspect where pipe connects to stove as stated. Our wood...ugh. We did get our hands on a load that was definitely on the wetter side of dry however we are currently burning good wood NOW and still...SMOKE in house.

Is it as obvious as "sweep the pipe" or is something else going on here?

Thanks in advance for all your input! So appreciated.

Yes

 

[razerface]

the chimney cap does look like it may be sticky-but that's what I think I may see from the ground looking up.

.

binoculars help look at the cap from the ground

 

[Firedancer]

Does your rain cap have a screen in it like many caps have? If so, the cap is probably clogged up with creosote. I wouldn't burn again until you have it checked out and cleaned, if necessary since if this is the problem it is only getting worse each time you burn your insert. It cannot get better on its own and will only get worse with each additional fire. Once you get enough of a smoke smell in your house it's pretty difficult to get rid of.

Yes to screen. And the smoke IS getting worse. As I said, we can no longer open door a crack to create a better draft after reloading w/out smoke coming in.

Hopefully hubby can get up there today and I hope that's the fix..to sweep.
I will post an update

 

[Nick Mystic]

I wouldn't take my screen out of my rain cap because it was getting coated in creosote and causing back puffing. I consider the back puffing, if it happens, a good thing because it is an early warning system that my cap is getting clogged. I want to know this so I can take care of the problem before the flue itself gets caked in creosote. Once the screen is removed you won't have the back puffing or smoke coming out the door when you load until the chimney itself is so clogged that you aren't getting enough draft any longer. At that point you are running a big risk of a bad chimney fire.

 

[begreen]

Get the chimney looked at asap. Sounds like the top is plugging. Might be just the cap screen, but you don't know until you look.