Petit Godin leaking smoke around door

[Tulip]

I have an old Petit Godin 3730 that I had installed yesterday by a certified chimney person. It has a 4" insulated stovepipe that goes the length of my chimney, and there's cap on top. When I tried to light the fire today, smoke came out from around the door and the ash shaker handle.

The gasket around the inside of the door is white, flat, and does not appear to be the braided type. It is cracked in several places. This stove is from the 1970s; it was my parents' and has not been used in many years.

Do I need to replace the gasket with regular braided stove gasket rope or is there another type for these stoves? What about for the area around the shaker handle?

Thanks for your help. I grew up in a house heated by these stoves, but I was never the one to start the fires in them.

 

[Slow1]

Smoke exiting your stove into the house at startup is most likely due to not having a good draft established in your flue. Basically you want to warm it up to get the draft going so that it will suck air into the stove and head up and out of the house as quickly as possible. You can do this either by burning some newspaper or really dry tinder hot (standard recommendation) or my preferred method if you have a cold chimney is to just blow a hot air drier (hair type) up the flue for a minute before starting up. No smoke that way. Mind you this assumes your chimney is properly installed and not back-drafting for other reasons! If you have negative pressure in the room opening a window can help too.

Now as to the gaskets - I know nothing about that stove. However, leaky gaskets can cause a stove to run too hot once you get it going and make it generally hard to control. You should manage the air via whatever air control ports the stove has and any air leaking through the door is bypassing that which, well, can't be good. So, if your gaskets are in bad shape I'd look into fixing them.

 

[Tulip]

Thanks. The stove pipe was installed correctly--of that I'm sure. The first time I lit it, I saw smoke coming out of the chimney. But my kindling didn't catch so the fire went out. The second time is when the smoke began coming out from around the door. There are a couple of reasons I figure: it was a warm day so the draft might not have been great. And the gaskets might not be tight. But they might be okay because I closed the air intake and the fire went out. If the gaskets were leaking, it would seem like the fire would not have gone out.

I'll try again when it's colder and see if I have the same problem. Any other info about gaskets is appreciated. I like the hairdryer idea alot.

 

[smokingolf]

I'm shocked that no one has posted this since you posted earlier this afternoon, but have you tried the dollar bill test? Wow, I feel like an old timer on this forum now ;-P If the dollar bill can be pulled out easilly you may need to replace your gasket. I'm into my fourth season with my stove and the test is tight on the hinge side and top and bottom but slips out on the latch side. There is an adjustment for the latch so I'm going to do that first hopfully I can get another season or two with the origanal gasket. Do you have any adjustments you can do to tighten the door? If not then it may be time to replace your gasket.

Good luck.

Brian

 

[webbie]

As Slow said, it is probably not your gaskets, etc.
The chimney has to be properly started or primed......then it should pull hard enough that any holes suck smoke in as opposed to letting it out.

Check these articles for starters.
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/articles/start_a_wood_fire

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/articles/chimneys_an_unexact_science/

 

[Tulip]

Brian, thanks so much. I tried the dollar bill test per your suggestion, and the bill slipped right out on the latch side, but was tight on the top, bottom, and hinge side. I adjusted the latch to make it close more tightly, but the dollar bill still slips out on the side above the latch, although it's tighter than it was. It's tight everywhere else. Now I just have to figure out what kind of gasket to get! I'll also download the instructions from the Godin website. I have the original instructions from 1975, but they may have made some editorial improvements since then. Thanks again, Brian.
-Julie

Webmaster, thanks for those links. I'll study up. I'll try again when it's colder outside and I'll prime the stovepipe. I have alot to learn and I'm grateful for the knowledge and expertise on Hearth.com. I'll be sure to post after the next attempt.

 

[Tulip]

Is the best way to warm up the pipe by starting a fire and opening the vents an windows and hoping the smoke will make its way up the pipe? The pipe is closed off at the bottom, connected to the stove by horizontal piece, forming a T. I don't see how I can get a hairdryer or a burning piece of newspaper in the vertical part of the pipe that goes up the chimney.

Thanks for your patience with my elementary questions.

 

[Slow1]

What does the inside of your stove look like where the smoke exits? This is where I stick the hair dryer in my case - right in the stove. Clearly this will be more or less difficult with different stoves. I have seen others post about "adapters" they have made to pipe the hot air from the dryer to where it needs to be - you could use a cardboard tube or whatever, a bit of creativity perhaps comes into play. Post some pictures and maybe ideas will come into play.

If you go with the start a fire method just be sure it is a very hot and clean burning fire so that any smoke that doesn't go up the chimney isn't too annoying to you. There are degrees of draft problems from the mild "just not drafting strong enough" to a full blown "rush of cold air flowing down that keeps blowing out my match and the fire too boot" ok, I'm exaggerating a bit there, but you get the idea - not every situation is equal and from day to day it will vary too. My own experience is that I have no problem many days but on occasion with a cold stove (no fire for several days) I may have an issue - this will be either a "cold plug" that just is not moving or I have had cold air flowing down into the stove - the latter happens when it is about equal temp inside and out but humid outside it seems.

 

[webbie]

Is the best way to warm up the pipe by starting a fire and opening the vents an windows and hoping the smoke will make its way up the pipe? The pipe is closed off at the bottom, connected to the stove by horizontal piece, forming a T. I don't see how I can get a hairdryer or a burning piece of newspaper in the vertical part of the pipe that goes up the chimney.

Thanks for your patience with my elementary questions.

Best way is usually to hold a small match in the stove near the pipe first just to satisfy yourself as to whether it is down drafting.....if it is, you have to reverse it. You don't do it by starting a fire - that is how you will get smoke in the room!

Don't worry much about the gasket....the main thing is to get the chimney drafting up!

Various ways - a small piece of newspaper up in the flue inside the stove as close as you can get to it, etc.
The hair dryer is probably a tough one.....

If your chimney tends to reverse strong and often, I would suggest you install an easily removable TEE section in the stovepipe - you can then take the cap off the TEE and stuff a piece of newspaper in there, light it and close the TEE. Then, when you hear and see that paper get sucked up, start the stove.

 

[begreen]

The 4" flue diameter seems to be too small. I'm finding the current model of the Petit Oval, (3726 referred to earlier), requires a 125mm flue or 5" pipe.

(broken link removed to http://www.lawton-imports.co.uk/unitrader/shop/product/Godin-Cast-Iron-Multifuel-Stove-Petit-Godin-7kw-Small-Oval/46)

How tall is the flue pipe?

 

[Tulip]

It has gotten warm here again--in the 60s during the day, so I am going to wait until it gets colder to try again. I will do all that you suggest (checking for downdraft with match). If I still have trouble I will remove the bottom end of the TEE section of the stove pipe and try that with the newspaper. But I think the main thing is that it's not cold enough outside yet.

The 4" (97mm) flue diameter is what's recommended for the Petit Godin (round): (broken link removed to http://www.lawton-imports.co.uk/unitrader/shop/product/Godin-Cast-Iron-Multifuel-Stove-Petit-Godin-5kw-Small-Round/44)

The flue pipe is the height of my chimney, which I have not measured. But my house is one-story plus a full attic, so I'd say it's about 25'. I can ask my installer.

Thanks for the suggestions and I'll report back when it's colder outside.

 

[velvetfoot]

You can feel cool air coming in.
Mine does that a lot when it cools down.
I just crack open a window and light up some newpaper to get the flow going in the right direction.

 

[begreen]

I'm suspecting this is a combo of a too small pipe + warm temps. Single story flues usually run about 16 ft., which should be sufficient. Not sure why the round stove spec was used instead of the oval stove spec. The round appears to be a smaller stove (5KW vs 7KW).

 

[Tulip]

I'm suspecting this is a combo of a too small pipe + warm temps. Single story flues usually run about 16 ft., which should be sufficient. Not sure why the round stove spec was used instead of the oval stove spec. The round appears to be a smaller stove (5KW vs 7KW).

My stove is the small round one (5 kw), not the oval. For the first time I can remember, I want it to get cold!

Although my printed manual (typed from the 1970s) says 3730, I think it's a 3720. Small round one with 4" pipe connection in back. My parents had two stoves--one oval and one small round. I got the small round one. They kept the oval one.

 

[precaud]

I (briefly) had a small round Godin back in the mid-80's and it did have a 4-inch flue connector.

 

[begreen]

My mistake. In the other thread the OP indicated that the stove was a match for the Oval.

 

[Tulip]

So as not to hijack the other thread, I'll post my update on insurance here. I called the insurance company and had the stove added to my policy. Even though it's an old stove, it is UL listed and I have the original documentation. It increased my premium by $50/year, which seems quite reasonable. Still too warm out to fire her up. Maybe after Thanksgiving.

 

[pulldownclaw]

Another thing that needs to be addressed is your wood supply. Chances are if you're like most first year burners (including me a few years ago) you don't have a good supply of dry wood on hand. If you do, great, you're ahead of the game. If not, it will exacerbate your smoking problems. The point is, get started now finding your wood supply for next year (burning season '10/'11) so you are sure you have dry wood. Where we live, lots of tree companies are willing to drop off trees they cut down rather than having to haul them to the dump and pay a fee. Also, get the word out to friends and family, start your firewood networking pronto!

 

[Tulip]

Success!

It finally got cold enough here, and I lit up the stove today with no smoke and no issues at all. The flue draws beautifully, and the stove is heating up nicely.

I have a question about what to do when I go out, like to walk the dog or go to the post office (I work from home). Should I turn the air supply down all the way and relight it when I get back, or should I let it burn as normal, or something else? I have not yet done an overnight burn, and will wait until this weekend to do so after I get a CO2 monitor.

Thanks for all your help and patience. I can see this becoming an obsession.
-Julie

 

[Tulip]

Review of my Petit Godin

I've been burning for a couple of weeks, well almost. I'm feeling pretty confident about it, and so I thought I'd write a little review of my little stove.

First off, it's very pretty. Looks great in my livingroom. It takes up very little space, which is a good thing since I have a very small house.

When I got this stove (free), I thought it would heat my whole house and I wouldn't have to turn the heat on. Wrong! It's great as a booster, but it does not heat the whole house. It's a small stove, afterall. I am burning wood, and if I burned coal I think it would burn hotter and throw off more heat. But I'm burning wood, and I'm undecided about coal. The stove is really built for coal.

It's a small stove; too small for an overnight burn. That's okay, but if you want overnight burns, you're better off with another stove. The top-loading aspect is not ideal for wood, although I think it would be great for coal. The opening is on the small side, and I've had to put aside some splits to split further so that they will fit.

If I had to do it all over again, I would probably get a new stove, one of those little Jotuls perhaps. But I'll use this stove the best I can and at some point, perhaps I'll upgrade. Unfortunately, this stove takes a 4-inch stove pipe, and I can't find any others that take that size. So any upgrade will have to include new chimney liner, which is too bad because that was pretty expensive.

Julie

 

[burnmorecoal]

I have the exact same stove and have been using it for over 10 years. The stove works great with a good draft and works even better with good anthracite coal. It will not heat a house nor was it built to do so, mine heats a famliy room and kitchen very well. if you burn coal you should think aout getting a draft regulator as to not overfire the unit. Guy

 

[Tulip]

Burnmorecoal, it's nice to hear your story. My stove does great for my livingroom-diningroom-kitchen (all open). When I close off the other half of my house, it get's pretty toasty. I am on the quest for coal, although I don't know if I can get anthracite. Where do you get your coal? I'm in Virginia and frankly have not looked around much because I've been so busy at work. It would be nice to have longer burns, though.

 

[burnmorecoal]

its real nice to have long burns, now 18 to 24hrs. you might be able to burn bituminus coal, are you in southern part of our state?

 

[burnmorecoal]

i mean your state of Virginia? Guy

 

[burnmorecoal]

i mean your state of Virginia