Heco 420 Woodburning Cookstove

[AKheco420]

In the picture it looks like insulation has not gone up yet and everyone was in parkas so I thought the interior might be on the cold side.

That was an old picture, the house is mostly finished now.

I got a chimney sweep to go up there today. She said the cap was all plugged up with creosote. Probably from some pretty wet wood that i was burning earlier this winter. She cleaned it and put it back on.

She swept the chimney but there wasnt much that had built up.

There was a huge improvement in draft and not as much smoke spillage when i started a fire but it is still smoking a bit more than i would like.

She suggested a different cap. And yes it is windy here and the wind seems to swirl around a lot on my property. Ill look into vacustack but the vaned ones are popular here so maybe thats the way to go.

 

[begreen]

Great, that's progress. It's hard to tell what cap is currently on the chimney. What brand chimney and cap is this?

 

[AKheco420]

Great, that's progress. It's hard to tell what cap is currently on the chimney. What brand chimney and cap is this?

Its just the normal selkirk cap

 

[begreen]

The wind band is a bit restrictive. It's probably not the issue, but if there will be a dry spell, then it wouldn't hurt to run with it off for a few fires. However, if wind is the issue, then a chimney without a cap will be the most affected. Another issue may be the house location where the geography creates a pressure zone over the house or one that directs winds down on the roof.

How well sealed is the second floor? Are the windows all caulked in place, or is there any work that still needs to be done sealing off the second floor from the attic? If so, leakage on the second floor can create negative pressure on the first floor.

A non-commercial service in support of responsible home heating with wood - All About Chimneys

The Wood Heat Organization was formed to support the public in the responsible use of wood energy in the home. We fulfill our mandate by providing reliable information, by conducting research into wood heating-related issues and by representing the public interest in discussions of policies that...

woodheat.org

 

[AKheco420]

leakage on the second floor can create negative pressure on the first floor.

A non-commercial service in support of responsible home heating with wood - All About Chimneys

The Wood Heat Organization was formed to support the public in the responsible use of wood energy in the home. We fulfill our mandate by providing reliable information, by conducting research into wood heating-related issues and by representing the public interest in discussions of policies that...

woodheat.org

This may have been a problem i had while i was building the house. Everything is pretty well sealed off now but i will try opening the attic access to see if theres any change.

I have been pretty happy with the stove today after cleaning the cap. It smoked a bit when i started a fire this morning. It is about 10 degrees out and calm wind so i would expect a strong draft.

We will see what happens with a change of weather. I have suspected an issue with the topography here as well.

I have another roof project i have to work on this spring. I will mess around with the cap when i make it up there again.

 

[begreen]

It's go to hear there is some improvement. Though it's unlikely that new upstairs windows are leaky, if the attic door is not sealed, that is a possible leakage point.
For firestarting, have you tried top-down lighting? That warms up the flue faster.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Depending on the care when they put in the window there could be leaks around it.