diminishing returns.

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playswithmatches

New Member
Apr 20, 2023
3
new york
i got an epa stove, the kind with the fenestrated bars blowing air on the fire from above. it was working reasonably well over the winter, thankfully. then i ran out of wood and had to go with another supplier whose wood was not as well seasoned. i noticed over time that my draw was getting less and less. the stove is basically unusable now since every time you open the door you are blasted by smoke that ought to be going up the chimney. something is definitely not kosher here since the fire will lose its flame and smolder away if the door is closed. is the decreased draw due to creosote from the green wood clogging up the internal oxygen supplying plumbing? i have checked my chimney and it is not obstructed. is there a way to fix this?
 
i got an epa stove, the kind with the fenestrated bars blowing air on the fire from above. it was working reasonably well over the winter, thankfully. then i ran out of wood and had to go with another supplier whose wood was not as well seasoned. i noticed over time that my draw was getting less and less. the stove is basically unusable now since every time you open the door you are blasted by smoke that ought to be going up the chimney. something is definitely not kosher here since the fire will lose its flame and smolder away if the door is closed. is the decreased draw due to creosote from the green wood clogging up the internal oxygen supplying plumbing? i have checked my chimney and it is not obstructed. is there a way to fix this?
It is very unlikely the stove intake is clogged I have only seen or heard of that once other than few from mice. Could be warmer Temps combined with wet fuel. Or you could have missed something in the venting system
 
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I'm seeing the same, as we always do this time of year. Combination of reduced draft from warmer outside temperature, plus a little crud on the cap screen from six solid months of burning. It doesn't take much.

Wet wood is obviously another hinderance, and can be easily proven/disproven with a test on a few dollars worth of 2x4 lumber. If successful, you may find a mix of dry lumber (eg. pallets) with your cord wood hits the needed sweet spot.

What type of chimney cap are you running?
 
I'm seeing the same, as we always do this time of year. Combination of reduced draft from warmer outside temperature, plus a little crud on the cap screen from six solid months of burning. It doesn't take much.

Wet wood is obviously another hinderance, and can be easily proven/disproven with a test on a few dollars worth of 2x4 lumber. If successful, you may find a mix of dry lumber (eg. pallets) with your cord wood hits the needed sweet spot.

What type of chimney cap are you running?
i dont have a cap on it. i did get a few blowbacks on windier days but it was not bad. i think something is amiss with the o2 delivery since the fire will be blazing when the door is open but then goes out when you close it. i used a mirror to look up the chimney from the waste door at the bottom and did not see any obstructions or even creosote buildup. this leads me to believe the stove is the issue.
 
i dont have a cap on it. i did get a few blowbacks on windier days but it was not bad. i think something is amiss with the o2 delivery since the fire will be blazing when the door is open but then goes out when you close it. i used a mirror to look up the chimney from the waste door at the bottom and did not see any obstructions or even creosote buildup. this leads me to believe the stove is the issue.
How tall is your chimney? What size and type is it? What pipe temps do you run at? Did you pull the pipe when you checked the chimney?

Your symptoms are very typical of weak draft and or wet wood. Also what stove are we discussing
 
It's a tube stove not a cat stove
We need to know what stove this is. It might be a hybrid? A description of the flue system would also help.
 
We need to know what stove this is. It might be a hybrid? A description of the flue system would also help.
True it could be hybrid
 
i got an epa stove, the kind with the fenestrated bars blowing air on the fire from above. it was working reasonably well over the winter, thankfully. then i ran out of wood and had to go with another supplier whose wood was not as well seasoned. i noticed over time that my draw was getting less and less. the stove is basically unusable now since every time you open the door you are blasted by smoke that ought to be going up the chimney. something is definitely not kosher here since the fire will lose its flame and smolder away if the door is closed. is the decreased draw due to creosote from the green wood clogging up the internal oxygen supplying plumbing? i have checked my chimney and it is not obstructed. is there a way to fix this?
The only changed variable in your case is wood that you know isn't seasoned.

I got the same when I burned wet wood.

Get a moisture meter and test your new batch of wood. I bet it's well over 20% moisture content.
 
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I vacuum my dog in summer. He hates it.
My dogs used to attack our vacuum with a fury that was endlessly entertaining. Good memories. Now one is coming up on her 20th birthday, and needs a doggie wheelchair to eat or poop, and the other is dead. :(
 
How tall is your chimney? What size and type is it? What pipe temps do you run at? Did you pull the pipe when you checked the chimney?

Your symptoms are very typical of weak draft and or wet wood. Also what stove are we discussing
i think that is the consensus. with the wet wood being the main culprit judging by the large amount of creosote that has built up in the firebox since i got the inferior wood.
my 2¢

vacuum your cat

the cat was cool, he never said a mumblin word.