Drolet HT-2000 - Smoke coming out of top draft intake vent when reloading fire

[htman]

Hoping someone might be able to advise me on why smoke is coming out of the TOP AIR INTAKE VENTS on my drolet ht-2000 wood stove when I open the door for reloading?

From what I can tell, it seems that smoke is going into the secondary burn tubes for some reason and exiting out the top draft control vent, no smoke comes out of the open door just out of the draft intake vents. Very strange problem that has me stumped on how to possibly resolve it. Any help or tips would be greatly appreciated. Also FYI - the chimney has just been completely cleaned and the stove itself was just disassembled and cleaned up completely so there is no blockages

 

[begreen]

It sounds like something in the flue system may be blocked or the draft is reversing. When was the flue system last cleaned? Is there a screen on the chimney cap?

Is this the first time burning in the stove or has this happened frequently or once in a while in the past?

 

[moresnow]

Describe the complete venting system. From stove to cap.
Are you using this for the first time or have you been using this setup prior?

 

[htman]

Happened since I've owned it (3 years),just last week took apart the stove completely and cleaned everything top to bottom and reassembled using the instruction manual on drolets site to make sure its all put back exactly as its supposed to be, also installed brand new pipes from the stove to the chimney and cleaned the chimney / liner / cap out completely with a stovepipe brush. so everything is as clean as it could possibly be. Its burns completely fine and the draft control works perfectly, its almost like when I open the door the air drays smoke in through the door and pushes a small amount of smoke back out through the 3 secondary burn pipes with the majority of smoke exiting properly out of the chimney

 

[begreen]

The stove could be in a negative pressure area or there could be issues with the hook up. Can you answer moresnow's request and maybe post some pictures of the stove and connector pipe, and the exterior chimney?

 

[htman]

heres a few pics, the air vent with the slider is what im pointing to and where the small amount of smoke comes from , the one above is just a chamber/ warmer with no air intake

 

[begreen]

It looks like there is a 6" liner in the chimney and this is a 2-story chimney, correct? This could be negative pressure.
How well sealed are the upstairs windows? Is there an attic door that is leaky? Have you tried opening a nearby window an inch to see if that improves things?

Does this improve with colder weather? Does the smoke puff out on occasion or is it continuous? If it puffs out, the issue may be that the wood is poorly seasoned, causing puffbacks. Do you sometimes hear something like a mini explosion in the stove?

 

[htman]

It looks like there is a 6" liner in the chimney and this is a 2-story chimney, correct? This could be negative pressure.
How well sealed are the upstairs windows? Is there an attic door that is leaky? Have you tried opening a nearby window an inch to see if that improves things?

Does this improve with colder weather? Does the smoke puff out on occasion or is it continuous? If it puffs out, the issue may be that the wood is poorly seasoned, causing puffbacks. Do you sometimes hear something like a mini explosion in the stove?

Yip, 6 inch liner, 2 story house, no attic, no windows open upstairs but the house is old and can be a bit drafty. a small amount of Smoke puffs out of just the air intake when its smokey from reloading but not the open door. Only been burning the past 2 days so ill keep an eye on it as the weather gets colder, no popping/mini explosion sounds

 

[begreen]

Try opening a nearby window an inch to see if that improves things.

 

[htman]

Try opening a nearby window an inch to see if that improves things.

Thanks for the tips, ill open the window next time I reload and report back.

 

[begreen]

Also, make sure that the insulation blanket is laying flat and not bunching up toward the back. There should be a round weight on the blanket too at the back.

Drolet recommends not having the 90º turn in the flue. Instead, they suggest a pair of 45s with an offset. This helps the stove draft easier.

 

[htman]

Also, make sure that the insulation blanket is laying flat and not bunching up toward the back. There should be a round weight on the blanket too at the back.

Drolet recommends not having the 90º turn in the flue. Instead, they suggest a pair of 45s with an offset. This helps the stove draft easier.

View attachment 317850

insulation blanket is flat and has the metal weights on but Im thinking it might be the elbow as shown in your pic as its the only thing I can see that's out of place

 

[htman]

Thanks a million for all your help, ill post back and keep you updated once I change that out

 

[begreen]

Thanks a million for all your help, ill post back and keep you updated once I change that out

Great. While changing it out, take a flashlight and make sure the tee snout is securely attached with no gaps. Is there a cap on the bottom of the tee fitting in the chimney?

 

[htman]

Great. While changing it out, take a flashlight and make sure the tee snout is securely attached with no gaps. Is there a cap on the bottom of the tee fitting in the chimney?

Tee snout is securely attached with 0 gaps and there is a metal pull out soot collector just behind the stove at floor level attached to the chimney/pipe but its a little loose, definitely not a perfect seal. should I work on making that air tight?

 

[moresnow]

Is the bottom of your liner capped in the chimney?

 

[begreen]

Tee snout is securely attached with 0 gaps and there is a metal pull out soot collector just behind the stove at floor level attached to the chimney/pipe but its a little loose, definitely not a perfect seal. should I work on making that air tight?

@htman this could be the issue if the tee has no bottom cap. That will dilute draft considerably. You don't want that because of poor performance, but also it can lead to creosote buildup.

The proper way to install is to either cap the bottom of the tee or to add a length of liner to the bottom of the tee and cap it there. A good way to do this is to have the bottom of the tee liner connect to another tee at the cleanout door. This lower tee would have a cap on the bottom and the snout end facing the cleanout door.

 

[10-cc]

Also make sure the two pieces of the buffles have no space in between them and they are pushed all the way to the back of the stove.

 

[Rancher22]

@htman Have you noticed any improvement?
I have the same stove, exact same problem. I think it's a bad design to have the air control above the firebox.
I inherited the stove with the house and my "decorative grill" is stained black in spots, so the previous owners were no better at this than I apparently.