No Draft

[Cockshutt]

I recently purchased a new Osburn 1600 woodstove. I had it professionally installed in the basement of my 1000 square foot home. The chimney is masonry with a stainless liner and is in the centre of the house. I am about 100' above sea level, 1/4 mile from the water. After the installation, I was told to do a couple of small fires so I would not burn off the paint. I was also told the first couple of fires would be difficult. Well I did all that, and I getting an unacceptable amount of smoke spillage when I open the door. There is also a lot of smoke rolling about in the firebox. I have been burning softwood construction cutoffs. Someone told me it could be because I am in a valley? Any advice would be helpful. Thanks in advance!

 

[Heatsource]

try cracking a door or window downstairs to see if you are having any negative pressure related to stack effect in the home.
turn off any draft fans in the home, be sure the furnace is off, etc

then, call the pro who did the install for any help they can offer.

 

[Grisu]

A1stoves gives some good recommendations. In addition, are you opening the air control fully for at least a few seconds before opening the door? And check the manual whether the baffle board is positioned correctly on the burn tubes. Also, how dry is your wood? How long has it been sitting stacked and split in your yard?

 

[Cockshutt]

Wow! Quick responses! Ok, we called the pro, he told us to open a basement window. There was no improvement. My wife and I then went upstairs to argue about it. When I went back downstairs my drywaller said he opened the basement door and the fire picked up! Would an open upstairs window contribute to stack effect? This morning the outdoor temp was 12c.

 

[Grisu]

Sorry, missed the lumber cut-offs. Unless they have been rained upon they should be dry.

When do you see the smoke developing? Are you starting the fire with lots of newspaper and kindling to get a good fire going? Once the fire is burning well, are you then closing the door with the air control fully open? What happens when you then close the air control stepwise? How tall is the chimney?

There should not be a big difference between opening the window or opening the door. maybe the fire just needed some more time. It is not that cold yet and it may take some time for the flue to warm up sufficiently to allow good draft. Has the liner been insulated?

 

[Jags]

Opening a window up stairs probably won't help the stove in the basement. Do you have a basement window that you can open?

Edit: I may have misread the window upstairs question. I will assume that you already tried the basement window.

 

[Cockshutt]

Opening a window up stairs probably won't help the stove in the basement. Do you have a basement window that you can open?

 

[Cockshutt]

Sorry. The main floor window had been left open by accident. We were starting the fire with newspaper and the draft fully open. The fire however, does not want to burn once the door is closed. My mother in law says we need a chimney extension? This can't be.

 

[bholler]

How tall is the chimney? Is the liner insulated? Did you check the placement of the baffle?

 

[Grisu]

Sorry. The main floor window had been left open by accident. We were starting the fire with newspaper and the draft fully open. The fire however, does not want to burn once the door is closed. My mother in law says we need a chimney extension? This can't be.

Are you letting the fire burn for several minutes before closing the door? It takes some time to warm up the flue. How much smoke do you see coming out the chimney when burning with the door open?

 

[8ball]

Your stove is probably sitting on a pedistal and these pedistals normally have at the back a circle about 4" in diameter and it needs to be open,it's a knock out plate,if the installer forgot to open it then your stove is getting almost no air for combustion.Please check this out.
cheers

 

[1kzwoman]

What are inside and outside air temperatures?

 

[Cockshutt]

The

Your stove is probably sitting on a pedistal and these pedistals normally have at the back a circle about 4" in diameter and it needs to be open,it's a knock out plate,if the installer forgot to open it then your stove is getting almost no air for combustion.Please check this out.
cheers

What are inside and outside air temperatures?

Outside is 10 C inside is 17 C
There is an intact 4" square knockout plate on the back of the pedestal

 

[Jags]

It would not be unheard of that a chimney needs another couple of feet added. It is unusual when going up two stories but without fully knowing the install it is possible that you have something (trees, a taller part of the house, another building,etc.) that is causing a downdraft (or stalled draft) to happen. Wind direction can also change this depending on surroundings. This would probably be at the end of the list of things I check, but it can happen.

 

[Cockshutt]

My fire at 10 minutes and at 20 minutes. It's pretty well out

 

[8ball]

The


Outside is 10 C inside is 17 C
There is an intact 4" square knockout plate on the back of the pedestal

Open the knock out...your stove will start working properly instantly
heers

 

[Heatsource]

Open the knock out...your stove will start working properly instantly
heers

NOPE, the knock out is for outside air, if he removes the knock out but doesn't connect it to an outside air kit there will be no difference.

 

[Heatsource]

Wow! Quick responses! Ok, we called the pro, he told us to open a basement window. There was no improvement. My wife and I then went upstairs to argue about it. When I went back downstairs my drywaller said he opened the basement door and the fire picked up! Would an open upstairs window contribute to stack effect? This morning the outdoor temp was 12c.

yes an upstairs window ope can contribute to stack effect, as can draft fan vents and anything else that leaks air out of the upstairs.

Install the OAK and you should be fine.

 

[Cockshutt]

I was hoping it would be that easy. I haven't done it yet. Supper!

 

[Heatsource]

I was hoping it would be that easy. I haven't done it yet. Supper!

not that easy... must connect it to an outside air kit, is the stove on an exterior wall>?

 

[Cockshutt]

By OAK , I'm assuming you mean outside air kit. Can't do that based on stove location.

 

[Heatsource]

first, be sure the negative pressure downstairs is the problem.
if opening the downstairs door makes the unit draft right everytime, then find and reduce the leakage upstairs
if that doesn't correct the problem you could install:
(broken link removed to http://www.humidex.ca/products/air-supply-ventilator-asv-90/)

 

[Cockshutt]

No it's in the centre of the house. Not sure if I mentioned the fires go out after about 20 minutes. This is all

 

[begreen]

Wow! Quick responses! Ok, we called the pro, he told us to open a basement window. There was no improvement. My wife and I then went upstairs to argue about it. When I went back downstairs my drywaller said he opened the basement door and the fire picked up! Would an open upstairs window contribute to stack effect? This morning the outdoor temp was 12c.

Yes, opening an upstairs window will create negative pressure in the floor below. It sounds like the stove may benefit from hooking up an outside air kit. (OAK) In the short term, open a basement window a little bit and be sure all upstairs windows are closed and there are no exhaust fans running. If the stove is still breaking in the paint, open the basement door too and send the wife out on a long errand. It will be stinky until the stove has a chance to bake the paint which will require getting it up to about 500F on the stove top. She will probably not appreciate the temporary smell. It goes away completely after a few good fires.

Your stove is really going to want to burn only fully seasoned wood. Do you have a good supply that has been stacked and seasoning for at least a year? (Two years for oak.)

 

[Cockshutt]

It will barely burn a dry 2x4! Like I say it is smokey, then it settles in and starts to burn, then 20-25 minutes in, it dies.