Englander 50-shssw02 (Madison) Stove Replacement

  • 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.

WoodGirl

New Member
Oct 18, 2021
47
Virginia
I have an Englander 50-shssw02 (Madison) wood stove and I have used it for about five years now. The stove has always spilled smoke into the room; in fact, the smoke made me rather sick last year. I have increased the height of the chimney (through the wall) so it is 15 feet above the tee that comes out the wall. The additional three feet of chimney hasn't helped much with the draft of the stove and it still spills smoke. I was told that with such a large door that the smoke would spill even with a higher chimney. I am ready to abandon this stove and get something that will be nicer to use. I have been looking at the Drolet 3000 as a replacement but thought I should ask here on the forum for recommendations. I would like to keep the price to something close to the Drolet 3000 price.
 
Has anyone had any issues with Drolet stoves spilling smoke?
Unfortunately, some of that additional height is negated by the out the wall installation. Every 90º turn reduces draft and there are two 90º turns in this system. Can you post a picture of the installation? Post one of the whole indoor setup and also of complete the outdoor chimney system.

Several Canadian stoves work well with shorter flues. However, make sure the issue is not something other than the flue height first. Eliminate other potential issues like chimney location relative to the roof and local terrain, potential negative pressure in the house, air leaks in the flue system, etc.

Does opening a nearby window a inch help reduce the issue?
 
  • Like
Reactions: rottiman
I keep a window beside the stove open about an inch to two inches since I have owned the stove. I think the main issue with the Madison is that the large door is the reason that the stove spills smoke. I could live with this stove but the smoke is enough that it is making me sick; I got very sick last year and I may have even gotten some lung damage. Plus the house stinks of smoke the whole heating season. I could not go through the roof because it is a double wide with a vaulted ceiling; there is no way to easily hang the ceiling box and there was a ceiling/roof truss in the way. I am not looking to spend money but if I can get a stove that doesn't spill smoke then I would consider replacing the Madison. In the chimney photo below there is 15 feet above the tee.
stove-flue-nov-28-2021.jpegchimney-nov-28-2021.jpeg
 
Does it smoke out the door when the fire is burning hard? What kind of flue temps do you see when heating normally?
 
It looks like you have done everything possible to improve the situation. The solution may be to start over with an easier breathing stove from Drolet, Regency or Pacific Energy.