Hampton 300 insert problem

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cocey2002

Member
Dec 28, 2007
179
Central PA
Hey guys, been awhile since I posted here but I am having major problems. It seems that my installer didn't do a good job and did not seal the top of the chimney well. All the rains this Fall ended up down my chimney. In trying to start a fire I am not getting any air into the box. Maybe the vents are clogged with rain/crud? Smoke is going up the chimney somewhat but when I open the door smoke spills out. Any idea where these damper vents are? Any ideas or help appreciated.
 
cocey2002 said:
Hey guys, been awhile since I posted here but I am having major problems. It seems that my installer didn't do a good job and did not seal the top of the chimney well. All the rains this Fall ended up down my chimney. In trying to start a fire I am not getting any air into the box. Maybe the vents are clogged with rain/crud? Smoke is going up the chimney somewhat but when I open the door smoke spills out. Any idea where these damper vents are? Any ideas or help appreciated.


Post some pics. How do you know the rain came in? Did you pull the surround?
 
I did not pull the surround but about 1/2 inch was in my firebox and some around the bottom. Without the door mostly open a fire wont stay lit. Though smoke is going up the chimney I'm not getting any draw. Also, any idea if the two baffle are snug against the back or front of the firebox. Where does the smoke go up the chimney front or back of box?
 
cocey, is this the same insert you have had all along? IIRC, this has been going on since 2008? We need to see what you are seeing. It's hard to tell whether this is the installation or perhaps failing mortar in the chimney itself. Are you able to get up on the roof safely to take a picture of the cap? Have you pulled the surround off to look at the stove liner connection and to see if water is dripping on the outside of the stove?
 
Sorry can't get up on roof. I had the chimney sweep come yesterday to clean the chimney as I wanted to start burning. He stated that the installer did a poor job of sealing the top. The plate he said was flexible and the cap was not sufficient. He also said nothing was sealed at the top. Yes, same stove since 2008 with no problems. The sweep said its very wet and building fires should help dry it out but I am unable to start one. He wants $375 to correct the top of the chimney and thats fine but my stove doesn't even work. House/chimney built in 2006.
 
It's been a wet summer and you may have had a lot of moisture in there if this problem has been ongoing. The cap sounds like it needs immediate attention and should be done.

It's possible that the air control has rusted up. If the air control was in the closed position, that will make it very hard to start. How wet is it inside the stove now? Does the air control work freely or not at all?
 
Its not wet anymore on the inside as far as I can tell. The air control rod moves with no problem but no air is getting in it seems. Could the air vents be directly on top of the stove and clogged up? The rod was left in the open position. When I peek behind the surround on top of the stove I see insulation I wonder of that is now wet and stopping air flow.
 
My next guess would be that the cap was clogged, but you said that the sweep just came, right? The wet insulation is a sign of the leakage and should be removed and replaced. But that is external to the flue system and can't affect draft. What are you using to start the fire? Do you have plenty of nice dry kindling? How is the wood supply this year, seasoned and dry?
 
cocey2002 said:
I did not pull the surround but about 1/2 inch was in my firebox and some around the bottom. Without the door mostly open a fire wont stay lit. Though smoke is going up the chimney I'm not getting any draw. Also, any idea if the two baffle are snug against the back or front of the firebox. Where does the smoke go up the chimney front or back of box?

The baffles should be back are far as they can go and spread apart so the baffle is tight against the sides.

The smoke travels to the front of the stove and then over the top of the baffle and out the stove pipe.

Look at page 6 of your manual. It shows a side view. The air intake is on the bottom sides of the stove. Make sure these ports are not blocked.
 
cocey2002 said:
Okay thanks, were does the air intake come into the stove?

I don't know for sure, but there is an outer shell on the sides of the stove. On the other side of the shell is a gap, then the actual side of the stove. There are air ports for the secondaries which I would think are towards the top of the stove on the other side of the shell. The next two air intakes are somewhere behind this shell and I can't find them. The draft control which washes air down the front of your glass. There's also another air port right in front on the other side of the door. Open your door and you'll see a port near the stove floor. There's a little hole that flows air along the stove floor from the front to the rear of the stove. Make sure the hole isn't plugged up.
 
Is your chimney lined? Sometimes right where the insulation stops you can get a plug of creosote which can prevent your stove from drafting, and actually this plug can fool a sweep because they think they are hitting your cap with the brush and in reality they are hitting the blockage. I had this happen once, it took the sweep a second visit tonrealize what was going on.
 
Thanks, actually smoke is going up and out of the chimney with no problem but the fire is just smoltering with no oxygen. Is it possible that water and ash clogged these air ports up?
 
cocey2002 said:
Thanks, actually smoke is going up and out of the chimney with no problem but the fire is just smoltering with no oxygen. Is it possible that water and ash clogged these air ports up?

How does it draw with the door open? That should provide plenty of air, if air supply is the problem.
 
The intakes are behind & to the sides of the blower assembly.
Pull the blower straight out to disengage the tabs from the slots under the ash lip.
Push your baffles ALL the way to the REAR & then as far apart (to each side) as
you can get them. There should be a minimal overlap at the middle seam...
As far as the draft goes, did you try stuffing a wadded up piece of newspaper
up on top of the baffle & lighting that first? You should be able to HEAR a "whooshing"
sound when the draft starts...
One other question: Did your sweep clean the debris off the top of the
baffles when he brushed the liner? If he didn't all that crap could be blocking the flue...
You should be able to pull the baffles out - after removing one of your air tubes- &
you may possibly be able to see up the liner with a hand mirror...
 
The fact that you are not getting a decent draft even with the door open seems a clear indication the problem is not your air supply. - an open door provides plenty of air coming in. The problem must be getting the air out i.e. the draft.
I would ask the chimney sweep to come back and take a closer look when he does the rebuild of the chimney cap.

In the meantime, you said there was a half-inch of water INSIDE your firebox! Wow. Was there ash in the firebox at the time? If so, the HI300 primary air supply could be clogged with wet ash. You might check it with your fingers, and vacuum it out if it's not clean. It's located in the front, center, bottom of the box, as I am sure you know.

I hope these relatively non-invasive things do the trick because it seems like the next step would be to pull it out and start taking it apart.

Good luck,
Jim
 
Baffles were taken out and cleaned. Yes there was some ash in the firebox and that is what I'm thinking is clogging the air from going in the box. The sweep cleaned the chimney from bottom to top. Smoke is coming out of the cap as I write. Have had some logs in all day and the fan came on but no flame just smoltering. Can you be more descriptive on where to find the primary air? Is it under the door on inside? Thanks for all the help.
 
How tall is your chimney? One or two story? Are your local temps in the mid-50's right now?
 
I'm not sure where exactly the air first enters the insert air system, but it enters the firebox through an approx. 4mm hole which is located just inside the door on the bottom, in the center. The hole is located in a steel plate inside the steel "shroud" that you can see from the outside. You can see it if you stick your head inside the firebox and use a flashlight. If you haven't checked it already, it's worth a look. You could easily clean it out with a drill bit, or a toothpick, or some such thing.
 
Okay came home today and cleaned the air ports out. Tried to start a draft with no luck- smoke poured into the room. Could be that it is warm here but I remember burning last year some in the high 50s. As the sweep was cleaning his brush was wet. The pipe going up the chimney I guess is pretty damp but mostly clean. As I did build a fire yesterday and all it did was smolter but smoke was coming out of the chimney so I am not sure what is going on. Maybe someone here can give me a clue of what is going on? Thanks
 
Does your liner have a cap? My guess is the cap may be all gummed up with a few areas to pass the smoke through.

With you stove door wide open, you should have a draft. Have you tried opening a window near the stove?

Have you confirmed the base of the stove doesn't have anything blocking the openings on the stove shell near the bottom allong each side?

The other question would be a negative pressure. Do you have appliances running like a dryer, exhaust fan, or anything else that could rob air from your stove room?
 
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