Excessive smoke at start of fire

[Seastrike]

So, the new insert has been terrific...until this weekend.
What changed ??

Previous fires started beautifully. At the light of the 1st match the stove has drafted beautifully.
Absolutely zero smoke back into the house-everything right up and out the liner. No Issues at all.

Then, since last thursday, both fires Ive lit have been a problem.
When lighting the newspaper and kindling-major smoke backs up and right back into the house.
After ~1 minute, the stove begins to drafts very well, but for that 1st minute, nothing drafts and all smoke comes pouring back into the house.

Again, this wasn't happening until this weekend - Any ideas what causing this and how to fix ?

Thanks,

 

[ansehnlich1]

Well, it's hard to say what's going on here. Make sure your chimney cap is NOT clogged.

Then take in to consideration temperature and barometric pressure can change draft considerably....warm weather makes draft sluggish.

Also, each time I fire my stove from a cold start I'll throw some loosely crumpled newspaper in the fire box on top of the load, close to where the pipe exits the stove, and light that first, letting 'er burn for a spell before lighting the newspaper at the bottom of my new load.

 

[BroadCove]

My first guess would be weather. I don't know what the temperatures have been like at your house, but the last several days in southern Maine have been unseasonably warm, windy and humid. It's still in the high 50s right now. Not good burning weather (and it's 70 degrees in my house right now without any heat anyway).

 

[DAKSY]

After you've prepared your firestarter, kindling & starter splits in the fire box,
try wadding up a piece of newspaper & jam it up on the top of the baffle,
leaving enuff hanging down to get it lit with a match...
Light THAT first. You SHOULD be able to hear the draft start - with a roar.
If it doesn't, crack a window or door...
Once you hear the roar, light your fire as you normally would...

 

[littlesmokey]

Try starting the fire with a close by window cracked. Also, make sure the dryer, bath fans and kitchen hoods are off. Sounds like a little negative pressure won't let the air flow.

 

[edthedawg]

almost certainly the weather. it got humid and windy and warm. draft-killers! i actually had some smoke intrusion thru my roof ridge-vents on a weekend exactly like this last year. freaked me the heck out.

i let the Heritage just burn out Friday night - it was 80 downstairs... been 70 in the house all weekend... nary a match lit (outside of the pumpkins)

 

[kalevi]

I learned really quickly to put some crumpled newspaper at the top of the load near near the exit from the stove and light that first. It gets the draft going in the right direction.

 

[wsorg]

Did any moisture get into the wood?

 

[oconnor]

How long has the stove been installed? All the pieces above make sense to check, with one more vote for checking your flue cap for clogging.

 

[Highbeam]

Sounds like a typical cold flue and slow draft. Even with a liner, your chimney still gets cold and you need to get that slug of cold air moving up the chimney to get a draft which will suck the smoke out of the box. I notice that when the stove is even slight warm and I blow into the box to dust off the bottom of the glass, that the blown ash dust goes right up the flue. If the stove is stone cold and I blow the dust around, the dust lingers in the box just like that cold smoke you describe.

 

[Seastrike]

Thanks all for the replies.
The stove has been perfect for the previous 8 fires before seeing this issue.

I'll be a bit more careful when lighting and try yto create a draft 1st, but it does sound like the warmer temps may have also playted a role.

Also, yes- I believe the stove exhaust fan was ON at the time I lit the stove and had the issues ( another lesson learned)
I put some newspaper in last night and lit it - no smoke problems.

Great site, forum and participation. Thanks All !