Greetings all, new user here 
I'm learning wood stoves aren't what I'm used to from some 30+ years ago...
I'm in a new home and I had a Gateway 2300 installed when the hose was finished in Feb of this year. The stove is in the basement, and our house is on a slope. The pipe is a double walled 6" (I think the inside is SS, but I'm checking). The pipe exits the wall, is enclosed in a chase, and I believe the stack is about 20' high, and on the backside (Southside) of the house. There's a 45° & a 90° bend, but no damper in the flue pipe.
Due to my prior traveling, I've only been able to have a couple of fires since we've moved in, one earlier this year, and one the other week. It was not pleasant, and unfortunately I did not document the entire experience, but there was a lot of smoke pushed back into the house when the fire was built and trying to get hot air up the stack, and also when door was opened to add logs. It seemed to be a juggling act of how far the door could be opened before smoke began pushing back into the room. The fire was started with very dry 2x4 pieces split into kindling. Some of the wood I was burning was more than a year old, and some of it was supposedly seasoned. It sounded dry when tapping two pieces together, but my experience is more with softer wood than the oak and other hardwoods here in the greater KC area.
From what I can see, there's just a single small lever on the front of the stove that operates a small plate underneath the firebox, and somewhat covers a small opening that enters the firebox in the very front bottom, via a small squarish tube with 3 (aprox 1/8') holes. Also underneath the firebox is a small piece of square pipe with an opening that has no damper control on it at all, and it feeds a square pipe inside the firebox that's connected to air tubes above.
Is this all the air control I have? It feels odd, especially after being used to my parents Buck stoves of the late 1980's.
Also, a week after having the smoke bomb in the basement, there's still a lot of smoke odor lingering. Any tips on how to eliminate it? I've had doors and windows opened frequently, but it is in the 30°'s... We've vacuumed many times, used neutral Febreze, vinegar in bowls, etc...
So with all that said, I know I need a fresh air kit to bring in additional oxygen, and I need a damper installed to help block downdraft into the stove after the fire is out, but I'm not sure if that alone will solve my smoke issues. Is a fan on the top of the stack going to be needed to help offset the 20' of pipe? And will the damper in the flue help eliminate what I feel is residual smoke odor from cold air coming out of the stove.
One other item I need to mention is that even with the sliding back door cracked open, while it seemed to help the burn and to eliminate smoke being pushed back into the room, I didn't seem like it provided all that air that was needed.
I know that's a lot, and I have additional questions, but I feel this is a good start.
I appreciate any guidance given.
Thanks,
David
I'm learning wood stoves aren't what I'm used to from some 30+ years ago...
I'm in a new home and I had a Gateway 2300 installed when the hose was finished in Feb of this year. The stove is in the basement, and our house is on a slope. The pipe is a double walled 6" (I think the inside is SS, but I'm checking). The pipe exits the wall, is enclosed in a chase, and I believe the stack is about 20' high, and on the backside (Southside) of the house. There's a 45° & a 90° bend, but no damper in the flue pipe.
Due to my prior traveling, I've only been able to have a couple of fires since we've moved in, one earlier this year, and one the other week. It was not pleasant, and unfortunately I did not document the entire experience, but there was a lot of smoke pushed back into the house when the fire was built and trying to get hot air up the stack, and also when door was opened to add logs. It seemed to be a juggling act of how far the door could be opened before smoke began pushing back into the room. The fire was started with very dry 2x4 pieces split into kindling. Some of the wood I was burning was more than a year old, and some of it was supposedly seasoned. It sounded dry when tapping two pieces together, but my experience is more with softer wood than the oak and other hardwoods here in the greater KC area.
From what I can see, there's just a single small lever on the front of the stove that operates a small plate underneath the firebox, and somewhat covers a small opening that enters the firebox in the very front bottom, via a small squarish tube with 3 (aprox 1/8') holes. Also underneath the firebox is a small piece of square pipe with an opening that has no damper control on it at all, and it feeds a square pipe inside the firebox that's connected to air tubes above.
Is this all the air control I have? It feels odd, especially after being used to my parents Buck stoves of the late 1980's.
Also, a week after having the smoke bomb in the basement, there's still a lot of smoke odor lingering. Any tips on how to eliminate it? I've had doors and windows opened frequently, but it is in the 30°'s... We've vacuumed many times, used neutral Febreze, vinegar in bowls, etc...
So with all that said, I know I need a fresh air kit to bring in additional oxygen, and I need a damper installed to help block downdraft into the stove after the fire is out, but I'm not sure if that alone will solve my smoke issues. Is a fan on the top of the stack going to be needed to help offset the 20' of pipe? And will the damper in the flue help eliminate what I feel is residual smoke odor from cold air coming out of the stove.
One other item I need to mention is that even with the sliding back door cracked open, while it seemed to help the burn and to eliminate smoke being pushed back into the room, I didn't seem like it provided all that air that was needed.
I know that's a lot, and I have additional questions, but I feel this is a good start.
I appreciate any guidance given.
Thanks,
David
![[Hearth.com] Empire Gateway 2300 Free Standing Wood Stove Air Intake? (and more)](/talk/data/attachments/343/343215-515c86791ad8a25a7a9e533249a1a7be.jpg?hash=uaK8BOTL8h)
![[Hearth.com] Empire Gateway 2300 Free Standing Wood Stove Air Intake? (and more)](/talk/data/attachments/343/343216-b636047b1377fbb1f6eabcf7bc5eef70.jpg?hash=XEN_Sttt5C)
![[Hearth.com] Empire Gateway 2300 Free Standing Wood Stove Air Intake? (and more)](/talk/data/attachments/343/343217-33535af900af23ecb2df110236c95abe.jpg?hash=L4Ua3wbzpa)
![[Hearth.com] Empire Gateway 2300 Free Standing Wood Stove Air Intake? (and more)](/talk/data/attachments/343/343218-ca2e2a3e87b5683b1cd030f1ec4caaf8.jpg?hash=-2lfHEa-yh)
