How to minimize smoke into the house when creating updraft from kindle fire

[Crazy Ivan from CT]

My co worker just bought this stove which he runs in his basement.

Regency
Hampton®
HI300
Medium Wood Insert

He is having issues with smoke coming out of the door when he lights his starter fire. He has a raised ranch and since the stove is in the basement has between 25 and 30' of cold pipe that he believe is causing the smoke not to rise. He is looking into buying a torch blow inside the stove and heat up the pipe so he can then start his fire without having smoke come out.

Is this the proper way to handle what I would think would be a common problem?

I did do a search on "Creating Updrafts" but did not find any threads that match his issue.

thank you in advace.

Crazy Ivan from CT

 

[velvetfoot]

Hi. I have that problem, only when the stove is stone cold, and it's on the first floor. I load up the stove, crack open a window, which really helps, light the then light off some pieces of newspaper. I'm confident this will get the draft going in the right direction in my case, then (or before) I'll light a fire starter square and crack open the stove door.with air rod pulled out fully. Then close the window. I've heard of the torch thing, but never used it. Cracking the window open is key.

 

[wtb1]

I have a HI300 and used to ahve some of the same issues. My chimney is about 2 and half stories and when lighting cold I would have to crack a window. Now I use this method:
- Stack two or three small spits running N/S (front to back)at the bottom
- stack two or three smaller splits running E/W (side to side) on top of the bottom layer
- Then I stack in my kindling (old wooden pallets that have been cut up) going N/S and then E/W till I am near the top. If his stove is like mine that is about one layer N/S and one E/W
- I then use two fire starters I buy from Lowe's or Wal Mart. I put one near the back and one near the front on top of the kindling. I light the two fire starters and leave the door cracked open. As the fire build from top down it should heat up the chimney as it grows and should be hot enough to have a good draft buy the time the fire hits the wood. I have been using this method since last year and never had an issue. Takes longer to get going but works for me.

If you use this method you will have to play around with how much to crack the door and when to start closing it and when to close the door completely. I did this method this past Friday night and by the time the wood was burning well stove top temps were cruising

 

[Crazy Ivan from CT]

Thanks for the input. I am really jealouse of the stove my co worker has. Its a a beauty for sure. If I had someone home part of the day I would consider a stove like that but being single my pellet stove works great.

Keep them coming until I can get Maurice to join up to this site! Great info!

 

[JA600L]

crumple up a lot of newspaper and crack open the window. Use fine split dry kindling. Before you light it if you stick your hand in the stove you can feel heavy cold air coming down the pipe. It seems a little wasteful but a lot of times I just keep feeding it newspaper until it heats up and burns on its own. I try very hard to avoid cold starts.

 

[USMC80]

try a top down fire with supercedar or newspaper. Use small dry kindling

 

[Baker_Falcon]

I can't speak for that specific stove but I know with my insert and some other inserts (depending on your chimney, outside temperature, etc..) you need to "prime" the flue. Before you light your fire, take half a piece of newspaper and roll it up like a cigar, light the end of it, and stick it up inside your stove near the exhaust. You should be able to see when it starts to draft properly (about half way through the piece of newspaper) when you see the smoke taking off up the chimney and not outside the stove. Then light your fire and grab a beer.

 

[Crazy Ivan from CT]

My friend wants to buy a torch and shoot hot air up there. I guess you could use the torch to start the fire too.

When I had my wood stove I packed it with news paper and kindling and closed the door and opened the damper so it had no other place to go but up!

I kinda miss that stove as it had a nice brass door and looked good to watch a wood fire burn.

 

[wayneg]

Some use a hair dryer to warm up the chimney before lighting the kindling. May be a bit safer than a blow torch.

 

[Sprinter]

you need to "prime" the flue.

Some people have success with using a hair dryer or paint stripper to get the draft going. Or the propane torch.

Oops, wayneg got there first...

 

[begreen]

I'd recommend not burning Kindles to warm up the flue. It pollutes and could get very expensive.

 

[Slow1]

Some use a hair dryer to warm up the chimney before lighting the kindling. May be a bit safer than a blow torch.

This is what I did for a while before finding that 3' of additional pipe on top fixed my draft problem. I liked it much better than the rolled newspaper as the smoke would come in the room until draft started (I don't like any smoke smell, much less paper burning). I found it took only a short blast of the hair dryer to get the draft flowing the right direction.

Now my wife wasn't too happy to find her dryer sitting next to the stove when she went to use it...

 

[Crazy Ivan from CT]

Well, The torch/flame thrower my co worker is considering seem it would no problem........ But if he burns his house down I am sure he will have a tough time collecting on insurance.



My idea.............Is put a small amount of lighter fluid in a bowl inside the stove. Light the pool of lighter fluid and close that door. That should head up the pipe and get a draft going. Once it burns out, take out the bowl with fire gloves and begin your fire. I would try it that way.........

 

[jeff_t]

I find a sheet of newspaper put in as flat and open is possible works best for me. It burns quick and hot, where a crumpled or rolled sheet burned slower and smoked up my basement.

 

[firebroad]

try a top down fire with supercedar or newspaper. Use small dry kindling

That's what I do. the Supercedars work best because they stay lit the longest of anything.
Air wide open, door shut but not latched.

 

[tcassavaugh]

with my summit in my basement, i have to use starter (supercedars) and some good small kindling to get up and going quick.....that gets the stack pulling. depending on outside conditions, I might even have to crack the door to get a little air flow for no more than a couple of minutes. upstairs with my jotul, it could care less.

 

[ddahlgren]

Crack a basement window or door to get the pressure equal then newspaper.