Help!😩Smoke Billows in Room! NEW Majestic Biltmore 42”

[begreen]

The ovaling on the cap rim is not warping. It's just the flexing of the thin metal rim. The rim will conform to the roundness of the chimney pipe when attached. I came to the conclusion of negative pressure a while back and still think the restrictive cap design is not helping. This seems to have been proven by the test with it off.
Whether adding 4' of chimney pipe will overcome the negative pressure or not is to be determined. With 4 ft added the chimney will need 2 braces. one at 5' and one at 10'. If the chimney pipe is chased, then the bracing will be different. There it gets braced with the proper braces to the interior of the chase.

 

[Trevor Tahclep]

Now I understand why these products are not sold here in the province of Quebec.
I absolutely do not like that cap as it seems overly restrictive and needlessly complex to me.

 

[stoveliker]

I agree with the second part of the latest Majestic communication.

The first is then covering their behinds. There is nothing more fancy going on in chimney caps other than their impedance to air flow (unless you have one designed for high winds).
No venturi effects etc. Just "can the gas get out". It's a turbulent and/or diffusive flow (not laminar) and with varying wind and exhaust flows, that turbulence will be - turbulent. I.e. not consistent.
If one little bend is going to affect the efficacy of that cap, it's designed too close to the boundary of functioning. The safety margin is then too low and the cap sucks - and should be replaced by a newer one (without a larger range of operation, and thus less chance of exhaust going into the room - which is a safety issue too!).

 

[No More Smoke-Shows:(]

Guess what!?? 😳

The installer came out today. We popped the old cap, and just rested the additional 4' section with a new cap on top.

We had the windows sealed up and were 98% good. A bit of smoke on a couple occasions (especially when we moved around the wood and ash). But for the most part burned a 35 minute fire with the windows closed for 95% of the time.

So I think the plan should be to build up the chase so we can extend the chimney. Also, I'm wondering since the 4' made such a huge improvement, when we go to extend the chimney for good, if we shouldn't just add the additiaon 18" piece he had for good measure? In hopes that helps the tiny bit of smoking that we still saw?

BTW - all of your help has been a REAL blessing in getting to this point! So thank you, THANK YOU! 🙏🏻😁

 

[Wisco Shepherd]

I've been keeping up with this thread and I remember early on this was suggested. I know lots of other things had been suggested but this is probably a good example for folks that when you hear hoofbeats it's probably safer to assume it's a horse than a zebra.

 

[GG Woody]

Pics of the new cap?

 

[No More Smoke-Shows:(]

Pics of the new cap?

GG Woody, the new cap is exactly the same manufacturer's cap- just new and not dinged up.

 

[BigHappy534]

I have a new Majestic Biltmore SB100 wood fireplace. Excessive smoke rolling out of the fireplace under the smoke shield is a constant problem with this brand. Weather is not the problem. This is a constant problem. The fireplace and chimney were installed by an approved pro. Chimney flue and weather cap is manufacturer approved. Flue is 22 ft from fireplace floor to discharge height. Discharge is 8 ft above the highest roof point. 13 inch diameter, double wall flue. Insulated chase. Combustion air makeup ports were correctly installed. The installation is according to code and instructions. I purchased a wood moisture meter. My oak firewood is well seasoned and dry to 10% moisture. The cost of the fireplace and installation was almost $10K.

The factory does not seal weld or otherwise seal the sheet metal joints. I had to use high temperature caulk to seal sheet metal joints where smoke continually leaks into the room. I had to extend the smoke shield as much as 12 inches to finally stop smoke from rolling out of the fireplace. I have videos of the smoke rolling out of the fireplace. I purchased this fireplace to maximize the view of the fire. My fireplace window is now significanlty reduced to keep smoke from rolling out of the fireplace. The company does not allow direct contact forcing buyers to go thru the distributor and installer. Their only remaining idea is to purchase and install an assist blower atop the chimney for another $3,000. I conclude that the design of this fireplace is not only defective, it is dangerous to anyone who is not familiar with wood burning. Smoke is bad enough but the potential for carbon monoxide poisoning is real. Make sure to have a CO detector in the room.

I suspect you have experiencing the same problems I have. I recommend to anyone to avoid this product.

I recommended that the Consumer Product Safety Commission investigate the design and construction of Majestic brand wood burning fireplaces.

I am considering legal action as well.

 

[stoveliker]

I don't know your fireplace and the flue height seems fine. Not sure what the ID is of the flue (that matters), and what the fireplace needs though.

I do know firewood. And 10% is almost impossible to reach. That suggests you are not measuring correctly.
Did you get pieces of wood up to room temperature (leave it in the home for 1 day), then split them in half and measure on the freshly exposed surfaces that were inside before you resplit the piece? (And with the pins as deep as you can, parallel to the grain, in the middle of the split?)

 

[brenndatomu]

The factory does not seal weld or otherwise seal the sheet metal joints. I had to use high temperature caulk to seal sheet metal joints where smoke continually leaks into the room. I had to extend the smoke shield as much as 12 inches to finally stop smoke from rolling out of the fireplace. I have videos of the smoke rolling out of the fireplace

They don't seal the joints because it is not needed when everything it correct, and it sounds like something is not correct with your chimney...once a fire is built, the chimney should have a negative pressure that keeps smoke from coming out anywhere it shouldn't...do you have a screen on top that is getting dirty/partially plugged?

 

[Whitenuckler]

Isn't the combustion air vent supposed to be below the level of the firebox?

I agree, and with all the front open to the room, I don't see how even that will help. It would be better to be a wood stove or zero clearance air tight to get the draft going. Whenever I've had open fireplaces it's been hit and miss depending on what the "natural" draft setup will be at that time

 

[begreen]

Is the "sealing" referring to the exterior sheet metal cabinet joints? That is likely heat shielding and shouldn't affect front smoke spillage. It does look like the opening is too large on this fireplace. That may have been a result of overambitious marketing requesting the largest fireview for bragging rights.

 

[BigHappy534]

I don't know your fireplace and the flue height seems fine. Not sure what the ID is of the flue (that matters), and what the fireplace needs though.

I do know firewood. And 10% is almost impossible to reach. That suggests you are not measuring correctly.
Did you get pieces of wood up to room temperature (leave it in the home for 1 day), then split them in half and measure on the freshly exposed surfaces that were inside before you resplit the piece? (And with the pins as deep as you can, parallel to the grain, in the middle of the split?)

10% at the surface to prong depth is what was measured. Yes, that is doable. The point is my hardwood is effectively seasoned having been air dried and covered from rain for two years. I would have to store the wood in my house for several days to get the core temperature at room temperature. No one does that and should not have to. It's not the fuel. It's the fireplace design. I just ChatGPT'd if Hearth & Home Tech had a support number and CGPT listed a website called Pissed Consumer. PC listed a contact number. I will try that to see if they have anything to say.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

We don’t make the rules on how to use your moisture meter. All we can do is tell you how to get the most accurate results. If you decide that nobody does it that way, it’s on you.

Good luck with the number!

 

[stoveliker]

As above.
Tho the wood is likely fine after two years under a roof. (Oak may be marginal though as if often takes 3 years to get under 20%).

Anyway, good job on having it dry for two years. Good luck and Merry Christmas.

 

[BigHappy534]

We don’t make the rules on how to use your moisture meter. All we can do is tell you how to get the most accurate results. If you decide that nobody does it that way, it’s on you.

Good luck with the number!

The point that should be realized is that to get drier wood fuel I would have to kiln dry it. If that is what it takes for this fireplace to properly draft so that smoke does not continually billow into the room, that's nuts. Let me know if you have any helpful advice.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Ok, how about this:

If you’re considering legal action against the manufacturer, make sure, and document that you’re doing everything correct and that your fireplace was installed correctly. Don’t take anybody’s word on it. Using your moisture meter correctly is part of that.

Bluster will not get you far once attorneys get involved, and they can get expensive quickly.

 

[BigHappy534]

Ok, how about this:

If you’re considering legal action against the manufacturer, make sure, and document that you’re doing everything correct and that your fireplace was installed correctly. Don’t take anybody’s word on it. Using your moisture meter correctly is part of that.

Bluster will not get you far once attorneys get involved, and they can get expensive quickly.

I have a very good attorney. Before going that route, I finally found a contact number to Hearth & Home Tech on a website named Pissed Consumer. I will try that first to see if they have any advice. I was raised from a youth with a masonry fireplace. As a teenager I worked on a masonry crew who built masonry chimneys. This is not my first experience with an open wood burning fireplace. Building masonry chimneys is becoming a lost art. A knowledgeable brick mason is rare in my area. Which is why I purchased a factory made fireplace. Point is I have never experienced this sort of dangerous smoke problem with a well designed chimney and flue. Heatilator offers a wide fireplace, but with a lower opening. I see now why they have their design. Picking the Majestic design was wishful thinking on my part that their design is acceptably safe. I would like to know if they have conducted CFD modeling on their design. I don't think it's safe. And people should know about it.

 

[brenndatomu]

This chart shows that getting under 12% mc in Tennessee without a kiln is very unlikely...

 

[kborndale]

The 10% moisture wood east of the Mississippi seems unrealistic. Big happy seems to be here to rant about how bad majestic is and is not interested in constructive criticism. No skin off my back.