draw/smoking problem with fireplace insert with pictures

[wilm245]

So I moved to a new house a year ago and was very excited because it had a fireplace since my last house did not. The previous owner had LP gas logs hooked up but informed me that the fireplace was a double wall wood burning fireplace so I could get rid of the gas if I wanted. Since i'm a huge fan of burning wood I had the gas logs removed. I did install a gas log lighter. Now my problem is I have burned several fires and they all smoke into the living room. I am certain I have been burning good seasoned firewood. I had a chimney sweeper come out and sweep and inspect and he said that he has no idea why I am having the smoking problem because everything looked good and my flue size and chimney height were all correct. I have tried turning off all fans and heat systems when the fire is burning and cracked a window and this fireplace will still occasionally spill smoke even when it is hot. I have even ordered the "grate wall of fire" and I still have smoke. The dimensions of my fireplace are 36"wide at the front 23"wide at the back, and 15.5" deep. My opening is approx 36"wide by 20" tall and it looks like I could gain another 2.5" in height if I remove a metal smoke deflector piece. My flue is 8" round with a push button half plate style damper. The distance of the chimney pipe from the top of my firebox to the chimney cap is approx 14 feet. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions of something I can try or may have missed? Possibly one of those flue extenders? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[bholler]

HAve you tried cracking a window near the fireplace while it is burning? It sounds like you may not have enough makeup air which is causing a negative pressure in the house. And no you cannot modify the fire place in any way other that adding another section of pipe to the top. But you would need to check the manual to see what the required height is to see if that could be an issue.

 

[webby3650]

You definitely don't want to remove that smoke guard. It will just make it worse.
Have you tried closing the mesh curtains while it's burning? It sounds like yours wants to work and only struggles occasionally? Sometimes the mesh is enough to make a difference. Give it a try.

 

[melloyello]

Could the problem be there is no funnel effect because you have a huge rectangle for smoke to build up in but only that small tube for it to magically enter? Is the "smoke deflector" resting where a rectangular damper used to be? I don't see how it could function properly. If there was a transition from wide rectangle to 8" round I wouldn't see a problem. This would create a funnel for the smoke to travel up. I think your smoke is sitting there rolling at the top of the firebox hunting for somewhere to go. I believe the setup you have now was designed to work with the vented logs that were there. It looks to be a block off plate with a liner and a cap on top. Originally the chimney/firebox was a wide open 36" hole probably going almost all the way to the top at that width. There may have also been some terra cotta in there. Just using my chimney as an example.

 

[bholler]

There are many thousands of units out there like these that work well i would say it is doubtful it is a fireplace design issue i would bet it is an air supply issue

 

[begreen]

What floor of the house is the fireplace on, first or basement?