Hi, This forum saved me once, so I'm trying again. This is a Jøtul GF 305 DV IPI, converted to LP in a small 1-story adobe building. We were stumped when the stove suddenly started to go out after a few minutes every time we started it. My plumber disconnected the stove pipe and low and behold it stayed on! We figured out that a mouse made a nest in the stovepipe (we had other mice inside, sigh), and the theory is the stove goes off because the fire is starved for air. My handyman went on the roof and slapped the pipe until some debris fell out, and he vacuumed what he could from the indoor pipe opening. The stove now stays on, but it makes a medium loud boom when it first starts up. I'm guessing there is more debris in the pipe, probably in the outer part that is for air intake. Is there a tool or a method for cleaning the stove pipe? Is the boom dangerous? (This is a vacation home and short-term rental, so it's disconcerting at best.) How did the mouse get in the stove pipe? (All of this is in a rural area of New Mexico, so chimney professionals are hard to come by.) Any help or advice would be welcome!! Thanks in advance!
Eek! Mice in stovepipe.
- Thread starter Riverrock
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil. -
Super Cedar firestarters 30% discount Use code Hearth2024 Click here
Is the nest in an intake line or the exhaust?
The boom might just be the chimney expanding and contracting as it heats up.
The boom might just be the chimney expanding and contracting as it heats up.
Propane explosions are rarely a good thing.
You can try running a rotary cleaner through a solid pipe, some of the thinner ones could get torn up. Check the outside end of the intake for the mouse entrance.
You can try running a rotary cleaner through a solid pipe, some of the thinner ones could get torn up. Check the outside end of the intake for the mouse entrance.
yea ask an acquaintance of mine, partially blew off two of his legs cooking on a propane gas grill.
Check inside the firebox to make sure the burner is still correctly aligned with the burner orifice . If it is misaligned, LP, which is heavier than air, can be ejected through the air shutter & “puddle” in the base of the firebox. Once the burner supplied fuel ignites, that “puddled” fuel ignites with a BOOM.
