Draft/Draw Fix

[backinthelab]

When we bought our home 4 years ago, it came with a 1980's Dutchwest stove. I've been fighting with it every year, with the biggest issue being back-draft. I can feel it come down the chimney when the stove is cold (hard to even light a lighter at times!) and I've tried everything to keep the house from smelling like smoke every time we use it. I cannot, for the life of me, reload wood without smoke spilling back in to the room. For the record, I do know how to use the air vents and bypass. ;-) Our house was built in 1988 and isn't exceptionally tight. I always open a window and turn off our furnace, as well.

In addition, I find that it's very difficult to keep the chimney temp in the "orange" zone after activating the cat. It drops very quickly. You can see in the pic that the temp gauge is right at the borderline of too cold. Here, the cat is running about 1300 degrees and the damper is wide open.

The 6" dumps into a masonry chimney so I'm wondering, if I had the chimney lined with 6" all the way up would that help? Or could there be other issues present? (Btw, the thimble leaking down the brick is a whole other issue that I haven't been able to solve)

I'm looking into replacing the stove with a Blaze King but the thimble height is an issue at present (they require 2' from the top of the stove, we have about 1.5'). Want to get the draft situation fixed first.

Thanks in advance for any advice, I've been lurking here for a long time and appreciate all of the knowledge on these forums!

 

[jatoxico]

Questions before anyone could really answer. What size is the chimney tile the pipe "dumps" into. Is the stove installed on the first floor or basement? What is the total length?

Almost any stove will run best with a full liner but it needs to have enough length (typically around 13-15') and basement or 1st floor of multi story homes can sometimes be subject to a phenomenon known as the stack effect. Something I deal with it to some extent myself.

 

[begreen]

Cooler flue temps with an active cat are not untypical. As long as the cat is actively burning the smoke it is ok. An insulated liner should make a difference. The chimney also looks to be on the short side, especially with the two 90º turns in the flue path. Dutchwest recommends that for proper draft and good performance, the chimney should extend at least 16’ (5 m) above the flue collar of the stove.

 

[backinthelab]

Cooler flue temps with an active cat are not untypical. As long as the cat is actively burning the smoke it is ok. An insulated liner should make a difference. The chimney also looks to be on the short side, especially with the two 90º turns in the flue path. Dutchwest recommends that for proper draft and good performance, the chimney should extend at least 16’ (5 m) above the flue collar of the stove.

Thanks for your reply!

Do you recommend that I try to increase the flue temp before reloading, then? The back draft that I get is almost making the stove unusable at this point.

The chimney is a bit short, without a doubt. I'll have a liner installed and see how it goes. Hopefully they can extend the length out of the top of the chimney? Maybe this will resolve the thimble leaking, as well.

Do you think that the thimble height is an issue if I went with a Blaze King? I know they spec 2' just not sure if that's a loose spec or if it will severely impact the stoves performance.

 

[begreen]

Try opening the air control and bypass for a few minutes to raise the flue temp before opening the stove door. Changing the 90º turn in the stove pipe to a pair of 45s with an offset will help a little, as will switching to double-wall stove pipe. But it looks like there may be only about 12' of flue from the stovetop to chimney cap. And the two 90º turns effectively are reducing draft by about 4' of chimney.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I'd also air seal the ceilings. Theres a good chance your house is acting like a chimney and overpowering the draft your chimney produces.

 

[begreen]

Is the stove installed on the first floor or basement? What is the total length?

Good point. I was assuming the stove is on the main floor, which may be incorrect. @choosetoshrug what floor is the stove on?

 

[backinthelab]

Good point. I was assuming the stove is on the main floor, which may be incorrect. @choosetoshrug what floor is the stove on?

It's on the main floor.

 

[jatoxico]

The back draft that I get is almost making the stove unusable at this point.

If this problem is getting worse over time and not just sluggish die to relatively warm temps then you may need to sweep. Could also be that you have a cleanout at the base of the masonry chimney which is leaky/open and diluting with cold air.

 

[backinthelab]

If this problem is getting worse over time and not just sluggish die to relatively warm temps then you may need to sweep. Could also be that you have a cleanout at the base of the masonry chimney which is leaky/open and diluting with cold air.

Sorry, I misspoke with that sentence, I should have said I don't wish to use it anymore due to the smoke coming back. It's always been an issue, but I've grown tired of trying to work it. I had a sweep before last season and also sealed the basement cleanout with foil tape and fire-proof insulation.

I'm a bit fed-up with babysitting it, as well, that's why I was looking at replacing it with a Flame King. Slightly easier to manage.