Lots of smoke all of a sudden

[danham]

Last night it was in the upper teens with a strong, gusty NW wind. Using the same batch of dry 2-year-old wood I've been burning all along with no issues, once the fire got going, the firebox in the Jotul insert filled with dense smoke. Draft was wide open and plenty of flame. I've never seen so much thick smoke swirling around the firebox. It would periodically clear out, then smoke up again. The glass stayed clean. Once the stove top got up around 400 the smoke vanished and the rest of the evening's fire was fine.

Clogged cap popped into my mind, but I doubt it would magically un-clog part way through the burn, and the whole installation (2-story internal brick chimney with insulated liner) is pretty new.

Any ideas? One "bad" split, perhaps?

-dan

 

[Nigel459]

Perhaps one bad split yes. But strange that smoke “lingered”. Maybe draft compromised by a small reduction/clog starting somewhere in the flue. Or an exhaust fan running

 

[Woodsplitter67]

most likely wet wood.. once the moisture was driven out and stove go to temp all was good..

 

[Cliff2448]

My F600 does the same thing its wet wood my stove is hooked to a 6inch lined 28ft masonary chimney it pulls draft like a train I've been off from work and chewed thru my 5cord stack for the season so I bought wood locally from someone I know to get me thru well as usual it's just shy of being fully seasoned it takes about 20 minutes to get the stove cranking in that 20 minutes I get that thick swirling smoke then all of a sudden the moisture is pushed out and she rips