House got smoked out... Hoping for some answers

[GreyWolf2112]

Hi all.

Any thoughts on this matter are appreciated, to start with.

I have a wood burning insert in my basement. Timberwolf make, professionally installed about 3 months ago.

We've been using it consistently since we've had it. It's not large enough to heat the whole house, so we don't run it constantly, but often enough.

Today I had the fire going and had to go out for a few hours, so I made sure the air adjustment was turned down, and off I went. I do this all the time, no problem.

This time however, we came home to a house completely full of smoke. We had to open all the windows for hours to get the smoke and smell out.

I still have no idea what happened. The fire was burning well, it's the same wood we've been using and had no problem with, and the fire had been going for hours before I went out, with no problem.

Has anyone run into this before, or have any idea what might have caused this?

 

[Woody Stover]

Tommy, is that you??
As far as the smoke-out, the draft in basement installs can be problematic in some conditions. Have you ever had the stove "back-puff" before? Was it an exceptionally warm day? Would you describe your chimney system, from stove top to cap?

 

[GreyWolf2112]

Tommy, is that you??
As far as the smoke-out, the draft in basement installs can be problematic in some conditions. Have you ever had the stove "back-puff" before? Was it an exceptionally warm day? Would you describe your chimney system, from stove top to cap?

I occasionally have a bit of smoke come back in when I'm putting a new load in the stove, but very little. Overall its been pretty good. I open a small window nearby when I'm starting the fire, but can close it after It's going.

It was about 2C here, so a little warmer but not 'warm'

Insulated 6" pipe running in the existing masonry chimney from the insert to about 8"above the chimney top with a cap. The guy who installed it told me to make sure I stay on top of the cleanings because there's an 'offset' in the chimney, but like I said, it's only been 3 months and we don't use it 24/7.

 

[weatherguy]

Is your cap plugged? Check there first, if your wood isnt really dry it can build up quick, happened to me one year.

 

[begreen]

One possibility is that the air was adjusted too low and the fire eventually went out leaving smoldering wood.

 

[maple1]

I occasionally have a bit of smoke come back in when I'm putting a new load in the stove, but very little. Overall its been pretty good. I open a small window nearby when I'm starting the fire, but can close it after It's going.

It was about 2C here, so a little warmer but not 'warm'

Insulated 6" pipe running in the existing masonry chimney from the insert to about 8"above the chimney top with a cap. The guy who installed it told me to make sure I stay on top of the cleanings because there's an 'offset' in the chimney, but like I said, it's only been 3 months and we don't use it 24/7.

My first thing on a list would be clean & inspect the chimney. All of it. 3 months is a long way from 'on top of it' even if not burning 24/7. A new-to-me setup, I would be checking it every 2 weeks at first until getting a handle on how it is doing.

 

[jetsam]

There's no substitute for 'get up there and look'. ( Well, maybe a boroscope if it's long enough to go all the way to the top and check the cap!) Inspect the whole thing for damage or blockage, but creosote problems happen in the coolest part of the pipe , which means the top for most people.

If your flue turns out to not be obstructed, look to other airflow problems. Plugged OAK? You ran the dryer and left the bath fan on on your way out the door?

I plugged a freshly cleaned bird mesh cap in about 3 weeks my first year in this house.

 

[GreyWolf2112]

Hi all,

Thanks for the replies.

I went up on the roof this morning, checked the cap (no build up to speak of) removed the cap and inspected the pipe (looks good, a little creosote, but definitely not enough to block the pipe. ) Went inside, pulled out the baffles and inspected the top of the stove/as much of the start of the pipe as I could see (all looked good)

Put everything back together and lit some newspaper in there. Draft started pulling nicely, checked for smoke outside, all good. So I lit a quick small kindling fire and it burned nicely with no smoking issues.

The only thing I can figure is that maybe 'Begreen' is right and the fire choked itself out and started smoking. Seems strange as the fire was on for a few hours previous to this and should have been hot enough to sustain itself, but for the life of me I can't think of anything else it would be.

Thanks for all the suggestions, I feel better now that I've inspected everything and (short of having someone out to inspect the pipe top to bottom) feel pretty confident that there isn't a build up problem.

Any other thoughts are always welcome.

 

[Woody Stover]

only thing I can figure is that maybe 'Begreen' is right and the fire choked itself out and started smoking.

That seems the most likely. For whatever reason, draft was a little weaker than normal, fire started smoldering and not generating enough heat to keep the flue drawing.

 

[jetsam]

I'd be looking at airflow in the house next. Maybe your house is sufficiently tight that other appliances are creating a draft problem for you.

Next time the stove is cold, run the dryer and then light a match in the stove and see which direction the wind is blowing...

 

[spudman99]

Couple things could have happened but I think you are right. My initial thought was perhaps you had 1 or maybe 2 pieces of wood that had a higher moisture content, such than when the fire started to die down they remained in tact, thus starting to smolder and create more smoke. With lower firebox temps and it being warmer outside, you lost draft and the smoke just piled up in the flue and pushed downward.

Is your liner insulated?

 

[Rickb]

reverse draft. I had it happen a couple times when the kids started the dryer and the bathroom vent right after I started a fire with not so dry wood. I wasnt paying close attention and was doing other crap. Opened the sliding door for a couple minutes while I cracked the stove door fixed it. I try to use better wood and watch it while the stove is coming up to temp now.

 

[Nick Mystic]

If the fire had been burning fine for a couple of hours, as you said, then when you left to go out there shouldn't have been any reason to turn the air down. With my stoves after the fire has started to burn down I generally do the opposite, start opening the air back up to increase the final burn and get a little more heat out of the load. I can see where you might not want to increase the air when you are going out, but shutting it down is a bad idea if it's been burning in a good operating temperature.