Need Help With Smoke Leaking Into Home

[tarzan]

Things seemed to be going well since they pulled off the OAK. The improvement had been small but we were doing a bunch of things that seemed, with the increased air flow, to be helping. There was very little smoke smell in the house.

Then two days ago, we got a major back puff which blew smoke through the collar at the base of the stove pipe and up through the cat probe hole. After that, we began getting wood smoke smell again coming off the top of the stove. I was giving it time to see if things got better. Tonight, as we were watching television, the room was getting cold so I went over to the stove. It was crashing so I turned the dial up just a bit -- from about 2 to about 2.5. Ten or fifteen minutes, there was another back puff explosion, sending a plume of smoke into the room. It was bad. We turned off the television and went up to our room to get away from the smoke. That was maybe 15 minutes ago.

This should not be happening. Perhaps a draw collar is the next thing to try. Here's a link for this device: http://www.pricefalls.com/product/6...ive=44869806631&device=c&matchtype=&network=g

Right now it's 47 degrees out. Perhaps when it gets colder we wouldn't have to run the draw collar. Perhaps it could just be used when the temperature differential is inadequate. What'd y'all think?

I know all setups are different but running on 2 and 2.5 when it's in the mid 40's outside don't sound right. I'm running mine on 2 at the moment but it's 0*f. I have active flames in the box and a stove top (steel) at 525*.

Do you have active flames when running at 2 or 2.5 with backpuffing I'm going to guess not much.

 

[alforit]

Things seemed to be going well since they pulled off the OAK. The improvement had been small but we were doing a bunch of things that seemed, with the increased air flow, to be helping. There was very little smoke smell in the house.

Then two days ago, we got a major back puff which blew smoke through the collar at the base of the stove pipe and up through the cat probe hole. After that, we began getting wood smoke smell again coming off the top of the stove. I was giving it time to see if things got better. Tonight, as we were watching television, the room was getting cold so I went over to the stove. It was crashing so I turned the dial up just a bit -- from about 2 to about 2.5. Ten or fifteen minutes, there was another back puff explosion, sending a plume of smoke into the room. It was bad. We turned off the television and went up to our room to get away from the smoke. That was maybe 15 minutes ago.

This should not be happening. Perhaps a draw collar is the next thing to try. Here's a link for this device: http://www.pricefalls.com/product/6...ive=44869806631&device=c&matchtype=&network=g

Right now it's 47 degrees out. Perhaps when it gets colder we wouldn't have to run the draw collar. Perhaps it could just be used when the temperature differential is inadequate. What'd y'all think?

Any update Parallax ?

Did you get the chimney sweep out to your place to clean and check the chimney and draft ?
Also check your cat for any blockage ?

My sister has a Woodstock Progress Hybrid and she lives down south of you and east of the area I live in .... She has a similar setup , situation. Has tall timbers surrounding her home and her chimney is around 27 feet. She was getting almost the same symptoms that you have been reporting on your posts. IE: Backpuffing....Smoke coming out at the collar of the stove and the cat and fire choking out.
She found out it was her cat screen and cat that were clogged. And when she cleaned them out she was back to a normal burn and draft.

The PH has a tendency toward this problem of screen and cat blockage and the BK's do not.........But ........The similarity in these symptoms with your stove and her stove points to the obvious possibility of blockage somewhere In your stove pipe or chimney or possibly your cat.

I have seen that you have been looking for other fixes to the problem other than taking care of the obvious and ruling that out first.
I know its frustrating but in order to help , it has to be done one step at a time .........Ruling out the most important first and then going to the next.....If you don't follow this process it will only lead to more frustration.

So first is the draft and chimney check and clean by a chimney sweep. ( Unless you have already done that of course) But haven't heard anything back from you yet. Just waiting. Heh


P.S The Ashford is a fantastic stove and has exceeded my expectations .(And I am a pretty picky guy.) And I have had a few different stoves , but this stove is by far my favorite.
I know what its potential is and I want that for you. So don't give up until you have ruled out the basics first.

 

[alforit]

Things seemed to be going well since they pulled off the OAK. The improvement had been small but we were doing a bunch of things that seemed, with the increased air flow, to be helping. There was very little smoke smell in the house.

Then two days ago, we got a major back puff which blew smoke through the collar at the base of the stove pipe and up through the cat probe hole. After that, we began getting wood smoke smell again coming off the top of the stove. I was giving it time to see if things got better. Tonight, as we were watching television, the room was getting cold so I went over to the stove. It was crashing so I turned the dial up just a bit -- from about 2 to about 2.5. Ten or fifteen minutes, there was another back puff explosion, sending a plume of smoke into the room. It was bad. We turned off the television and went up to our room to get away from the smoke. That was maybe 15 minutes ago.

This should not be happening. Perhaps a draw collar is the next thing to try. Here's a link for this device: http://www.pricefalls.com/product/6...ive=44869806631&device=c&matchtype=&network=g

Right now it's 47 degrees out. Perhaps when it gets colder we wouldn't have to run the draw collar. Perhaps it could just be used when the temperature differential is inadequate. What'd y'all think?

One more thing Parallax ,


After reading through the thread I haven't seen any info on how you are loading and reloading your stove,


When you are reloading a new load of wood at the end of a burn cycle , if you don't let that load of wood ignite and burn until well charred for bit then what will happen is that new load will smolder and will cool the stove off and stall the cat after some time has gone by ...., The smoldering of the wood will increase and start the wood to offgass too much . ( This tends to happen with a large load of those compressed logs and a large load of regular splits and wood that is not dry enough ). So you have all this offgassing happening but the temp in the stove is not high enough to light off the cat . So then you turn up the t stat and that adds the air to the gasses and the smoldering wood and BAM ! backpuff explosion. This doesn't happen all the time. Conditions have to be just right. But your taking a risk by loading this way.

It doesn't matter if the cat is still in the active zone when you reload. That doesn't mean its going to stay that way with the new load of wood , unless you give it some good flames and char that wood for a bit.......(.Experience and stove temp and wood quality will dictate how long to do this).


If you are adding wood in the middle of a burn cycle you take the risk of backpuffing with these stoves.....That wood you are adding drops the temp in the stove and can stall the cat....And the coals from the existing load smolders the new wood all at once creating too much offgassing.... ...Not all the time but sometimes.. .....Its best to leave it alone and let it burn through the whole cycle,



The reason I am asking is because I have experienced backpuffing a few times when burning with these cat stoves and what I learned is that after you load you gotta let some good flames char that wood for a bit and let it get up to temp (cat in the active zone ..even if its still in the active zone on reload ) and then shut the bypass and turn down the stat to around the normal range ( or whatever setting works best for you.). Then leave the stove alone and let it burn through the cycle of wood until its down to enough coals to relight and the cat is dropping close to inactive.

Those compressed logs will offgass a lot . expecially if you load a lot in at once. Gotta char them good with some good flame before you shut down the stat and close the bypass.

Like Begreen said , use a smaller load of those compressed logs . At least until you get used to them and know the limit for your setup.

TIP: Do smaller loads of whatever type of wood you are burning until you get the learning curve down to this stove,

 

[Tenn Dave]

Parallax, I know this is not what you want to hear, but perhaps it's time to change stoves. Not all stoves work well in all situations. Not long ago there was a member from Illinois posting here about a smoke smell problem with a BK (I believe it was the Ashford) who tried everything to correct the problem but failed. He changed his stove out for another brand and the problem was solved. Just a thought.

 

[BrotherBart]

Over four hundred posts on this over at least three threads. Closing this one.