Do Ashfords have a smoke smell problem?

[Ashful]

Several recent citings (or we could say, "sightings") of smoke smell problems from Ashford owners. In just the last week or two, I have read reports of smoke smell issues (some sounding very serious) from numerous Ashford 30 owners:

@shoot-straight
@Parallax
@Calentarse
@motorsargeT (sirroco 30)
@cannon
@Poindexter
@alforit

It's beginning to appear that there are as many people complaining about smoke smell from their Ashford 30's, as their are Ashford 30 owners on this forum. What's the deal?!?

 

[Vigil Igne]

I asked a question yesterday morning - Blaze King Updated Versions ? (Ashford 30.1, Chinook 30.1, etc.) - but never got any answers. I was thinking .... maybe they (Blaze King) addressed the problem???

 

[alforit]

Several recent citings (or we could say, "sightings") of smoke smell problems from Ashford owners. In just the last week or two, I have read reports of smoke smell issues (some sounding very serious) from numerous Ashford 30 owners:

@shoot-straight
@Parallax
@Calentarse
@motorsargeT (sirroco 30)
@cannon
@Poindexter
@alforit

It's beginning to appear that there are as many people complaining about smoke smell from their Ashford 30's, as their are Ashford 30 owners on this forum. What's the deal?!?

I don't think this is isolated to the Ashford's....I had a Chinook 30 that did the same thing. The Chinook 30 on display and running at the dealer near me also had that smell.
I even had the smell with my Progress Hybrid .

I think burning low on a cat stove , because it slows the draft so much , creates the potential for it. I think it's just a tendency.

But I think it can be overcome and in my case by sealing the stove flu adapter pipe and the ceiling adapter , it resolved it.

I think it mainly is a draft related and stovepipe and chimney set up issue. With wood quality also playing a factor.

 

[drz1050]

subscribing

 

[webby3650]

Mine has no smell.
I've installed about 8 Ashfords/or Sirricos, never heard of any issues at all. I even go back to clean a few of them seasonally. They had no complaints, just praise for the stove.

 

[webby3650]

Now I do know the smell. I had it on a few other down draft stoves. Mine has made a smell once or twice, but I know exactly when and why. I reduced the air too much too quickly. If you have poor fuel, or limited draft, wether it's from a poor chimney setup or from warmer weather, I feel that you just can't run these stoves really really low without a bit of smell. A small amount.

 

[Ashful]

Now I do know the smell. I had it on a few other down draft stoves. Mine has made a smell once or twice, but I know exactly when and why. I reduced the air too much too quickly. If you have poor fuel, or limited draft, wether it's from a poor chimney setup or from warmer weather, I feel that you just can't run these stoves really really low without a bit of smell. A small amount.

This is a better answer. I was going to have issue with this one:

...never heard of any issues at all.

... after all, you responded on each one of the threads I was referencing above!

What you say may be correct, this is just the price of running low and slow. However, in the case of Parallax and Calentarse, it seems their is some acknowledged issue with the stove. I also haven't seen nearly as many such topics with regard to the Princess or the King. I do suspect anything that affects the Ashford might also affect the Sirroco and Chinook, using the same internals.

 

[webby3650]

What I mean in my original response is that I have heard of no issues at all from ones I installed.

 

[Ashful]

What I mean in my original response is that I have heard of no issues at all from ones I installed.

Can you come install mine?

I will be pushing both the upper and lower limits on the chimney heights I see posted.

 

[webby3650]

Can you come install mine?

I will be pushing both the upper and lower limits on the chimney heights I see posted.

Sure! I'll bring the stoves with me. We've got plenty!

 

[Ashful]

LOL... I already have two on order thru a local joint.

 

[webby3650]

LOL... I already have two on order thru a local joint.

I tried to sell you 1 for nearly free that had no smoke issues.. It would have been a great test run for you. I sure hope you're happy with the jacketed design.

 

[Ashful]

I think and hope I will! These several people all having the same issue does concern me, tho.

 

[rdust]

I also haven't seen nearly as many such topics with regard to the Princess or the King.

My Princess used to have a light smoke smell on low burn at times then I fixed my chimney. I replaced a 90 with 2 45's and the smell magically went away. I ran a Lopi Endeavor on the same chimney/pipe for 2 seasons and never had an issue. I still get some spillage this time of year on reloads when I'm loading without enough fuel in the stove to warm the flue up enough before opening the door.

If a stove has a leak it should be sucking air in, I don't understand how smell is coming out if the flue is actually sucking. Maybe there is a space of void around the door gasket that has poor air flow that allows the smoke to "pool" up and leak out.

 

[motorsargeT]

If a stove has a leak it should be sucking air in, I don't understand how smell is coming out if the flue is actually sucking. Maybe there is a space of void around the door gasket that has poor air flow that allows the smoke to "pool" up and leak out.

This is exactly what i was thinking. And making draft perfect hides the small imperfection.

 

[cannon]

Several recent citings (or we could say, "sightings") of smoke smell problems from Ashford owners. In just the last week or two, I have read reports of smoke smell issues (some sounding very serious) from numerous Ashford 30 owners:
@shoot-straight
@Parallax
@Calentarse
@motorsargeT (sirroco 30)
@cannon
@Poindexter
@alforit
It's beginning to appear that there are as many people complaining about smoke smell from their Ashford 30's, as their are Ashford 30 owners on this forum. What's the deal?!?

Take me off the ashford 30 list I'm a princess owner. The doors on the ashford and the princess have the same design with the studs and nuts sticking up under the door gasket.The bottom line on guessing where the smokey smell comes from is this, if the door was airtight it wouldn't leak air in or let a smokey smell out no matter what kind of draft you have.

 

[DougA]

if the door was airtight it wouldn't leak air in or let a smokey smell out no matter what kind of draft you have.

I'm not a BK owner but that statement from my experience is not true. Stoves are not supposed to be that air tight. The normal 'dollar bill test' attests to that. If a dollar bill is supposed to slip through the gasket when closed, how can air not escape though the same opening???

The stove should have enough draft that it sucks air in, not pushes it out. I'm not saying the BK's are designed wrong or not, just that your assumption is incorrect.

I used to have a house that smelled of smoke in the winter with my old VC. When I finally replaced it, the smoke smell disappeared. New installation, new chimney, new location of the chimney and now I actually have too much draft at times. On warm, damp nights that we have had recently, the draft is considerably reduced but still OK. Difference? 90 deg elbow gone - now straight up 13' of double wall, then two 30 deg, then 8' chimney - chimney now is at the top of the roof peak, not on the leeward side - better designed stove - probably a lot of luck. I have no idea if one of those alone makes a difference and I am very lucky that I had a house design that allowed me a second choice of stove location that worked better, even though it is not where we can sit and watch the fire.

I wanted to add that now we are in the shoulder season here and we are burning smaller, less intense fires, I do have to be careful in not opening the door quickly as I am accustomed to. Smoke does come out if the door is jerked open with a low flame/warmer air outside combination, if the air control is closed. If the BK's are designed for low, slow fires, that's automatically providing less heat = less draft, especially in difficult weather conditions outside.

 

[alforit]

I'm not a BK owner but that statement from my experience is not true. Stoves are not supposed to be that air tight. The normal 'dollar bill test' attests to that. If a dollar bill is supposed to slip through the gasket when closed, how can air not escape though the same opening???

The stove should have enough draft that it sucks air in, not pushes it out. I'm not saying the BK's are designed wrong or not, just that your assumption is incorrect.

I used to have a house that smelled of smoke in the winter with my old VC. When I finally replaced it, the smoke smell disappeared. New installation, new chimney, new location of the chimney and now I actually have too much draft at times. On warm, damp nights that we have had recently, the draft is considerably reduced but still OK. Difference? 90 deg elbow gone - now straight up 13' of double wall, then two 30 deg, then 8' chimney - chimney now is at the top of the roof peak, not on the leeward side - better designed stove - probably a lot of luck. I have no idea if one of those alone makes a difference and I am very lucky that I had a house design that allowed me a second choice of stove location that worked better, even though it is not where we can sit and watch the fire.

Good post !

A lot of good points and info,

 

[Poindexter]

Since I am on the list I better re-iterate. Mine was very mild and at low throttle only.

I correctly suspected the DW-SW SP adapter that that my installers put in when installing the stove. They said with the the adapter I could sweep the chimney from my living room without having to lift the heavy enamel top plate off the stove. Mostly true, but I had a lot better shot at the screws between the adapter and the pipe with the top panel lifted off, and getting a paint brush onto the bypass door gasket with the adapter in place sucked muchness.

I pulled the DW-SW SP adapter gosh, at least a month ago. No more smoke smell at low throttle, 3 fewer screws to deal with at cleaning time and easier access to the bypass door gasket.

I am going to add 3-4 feet of stack height this summer (I'll go into next fall with minimum 16'6" of total stack, maybe 17'6"), but in the current shoulder season with no adapter between stove collar and DWSB - and wood at 18-20%MC- I am having no smoke smells in the house. That's with my telescoping DWSP sitting right on the stove collar, no adapter.

I dunno why folks run Ashfords for weeks at a time without taking enameled panels off to see where the leak is. Its pretty much got to be the collar/pipe joint, the door gasket or a gap in the box welding. Taking the panels off is explicated pretty clearly in the install section of the manual. They are heavy, but any teenager could do it with minimal supervision.

 

[brad wilton]

I lit my dover once with cold chimney smoke came out of every Crack

 

[cannon]

The stove should have enough draft that it sucks air in, not pushes it out. I'm not saying the BK's are designed wrong or not, just that your assumption is incorrect.

You are confused between a smokey smell and smoke pouring into the room when the load door is opened. Go to Firecats website read and learn about a cat stove,nobody knows better than the manufacturer of combustors how a stove should operate. The number 1 failure of a combustor is a leaky door. Cat stoves are designed to be air tight, period! If you think Firecat is incorrect in years of research and testing,then give them a call and tell them they are wrong. It's also hard to comment on what some blaze king owners are experiencing when you don't experience it first hand.

 

[Ashful]

You are confused between a smokey smell and smoke pouring into the room when the load door is opened. Go to Firecats website read and learn about a cat stove,nobody knows better than the manufacturer of combustors how a stove should operate. The number 1 failure of a combustor is a leaky door. Cat stoves are designed to be air tight, period! If you think Firecat is incorrect in years of research and testing,then give them a call and tell them they are wrong. It's also hard to comment on what some blaze king owners are experiencing when you don't experience it first hand.

I think you're working on several wrong assumptions, here. Firecat knows the material science of building combustors, but I do not think anyone has done more research on the design of catalytic stoves than Blaze King.

Additionally, cat stoves are NOT air-tight. There is always a fixed fresh air supply to the combustor, which can indeed back-feed to the firebox.

 

[cannon]

Additionally, cat stoves are NOT air-tight. There is always a fixed fresh air supply to the combustor, which can indeed back-feed to the firebox.

Of course there is a fresh air supply into the fire box,what you don't want is air being drawn through a leaky door,do you think firecat doesn't know what causes a combustor to fail,it's absurd to think that the company that manufactures a combustor doesn't know more about it than the company that puts it in their stoves.Nobody is questioning blaze kings research and design. This is about a smokey smell from stoves of some blaze king owners,if you don't experience it first hand it's hard to comment on it.

 

[DougA]

You are confused between a smokey smell and smoke pouring into the room when the load door is opened. Go to Firecats website read and learn about a cat stove,nobody knows better than the manufacturer of combustors how a stove should operate. The number 1 failure of a combustor is a leaky door. Cat stoves are designed to be air tight, period! If you think Firecat is incorrect in years of research and testing,then give them a call and tell them they are wrong. It's also hard to comment on what some blaze king owners are experiencing when you don't experience it first hand.

Firecat makes combustors. They don't make wood stoves. End of argument on that.

As I have posted and Joful says again, stoves are NOT designed to be air tight. Yes, if a door is leaking more than the 'dollar bill test' then it could cause an overfire and combustor problems. You are confusing the two. If a stove is running and designed properly, a leaky door will cause an overfire because it is sucking in too much air. The air is going into the stove, not going out. There will be no smokey smell, it's laws of physics, not voodoo science. IF your fire is low and you lose a good draft, smoke will go out the easiest route and that indeed could be the door.

No, I do not own a BK but I have had many many years of having a smokey house in the winter. I also thought my post might be helpful in that I have an unbiased opinion on BK. I get fed up with people who are cheerleaders for one brand and I sympathize with people who are experiencing problems. You seem to be hell bent on blaming BK, so I will bow out of this thread and allow you to continue with your problems.

 

[webby3650]

Firecat makes combustors. They don't make wood stoves. End of argument on that.

As I have posted and Joful says again, stoves are NOT designed to be air tight. Yes, if a door is leaking more than the 'dollar bill test' then it could cause an overfire and combustor problems. You are confusing the two. If a stove is running and designed properly, a leaky door will cause an overfire because it is sucking in too much air. The air is going into the stove, not going out. There will be no smokey smell, it's laws of physics, not voodoo science. IF your fire is low and you lose a good draft, smoke will go out the easiest route and that indeed could be the door.

No, I do not own a BK but I have had many many years of having a smokey house in the winter. I also thought my post might be helpful in that I have an unbiased opinion on BK. I get fed up with people who are cheerleaders for one brand and I sympathize with people who are experiencing problems. You seem to be hell bent on blaming BK, so I will bow out of this thread and allow you to continue with your problems.

Amen! Well said.