Rockland 550 smokes on refuel

[Jrodmt]

Looking for some help/info on refueling my new Jotul Rockland 550 insert. I'm new to burning wood for actual heat and just
had the insert installed this week. I trust the installers did a very good job based on the companies reputation.
My question is: After the insert gets nice and hot and throwing good heat with alot of coals in the bottom I went to
refuel and the house smells of smoke immediately after opening the door. I turned the damper wide open for several seconds
like instructed in the owners manual. It was bad enough my wife can be upstairs and ask me if I opened the door because
she smelled smoke. I readily admit it could be operator error because I am new to this. I would think when the stove is hot
though it she be drafting better than when it is cold. Any help is appreciated.

 

[fredarm]

Open the damper wide open for more than several seconds--like about 30, then crack the door open for 10-15 more seconds, then open SLOWLY. You can't open it like a regular door, you'll pull smoke into the house. Don't worry we all do it at first, and I still do occasionally if I'm not careful.

 

[EJL923]

I have the same insert. If you open the door slowly and let the room air slowly rush in, you shouldnt have any issues. You should do this anyway for safety reasons. Unlock the handle, just so the door is slightly cracked, wait a few seconds, and slowly swing the door open. Even when i open the door quickly, I get minimal smoke if i have a good fire going. Also, even under perfect conditions, you may smell a little bit of smoke from time to time. Now if your home is constantly filling with smoke, even with a good fire, then there may be an underlying issue.

 

[PeteD]

Had the same issue with my Lennox Brentwood over the past week until last night, even following the procedures above.

Try cracking a nearby window - worked great for me.

Pete

 

[Fsappo]

Open the damper wide open for more than several seconds--like about 30, then crack the door open for 10-15 more seconds, then open SLOWLY. You can't open it like a regular door, you'll pull smoke into the house. Don't worry we all do it at first, and I still do occasionally if I'm not careful.

That normally helps a lot.

 

[Jrodmt]

Thanks for the info. I was just opening the door and tossing logs in. I assumed the draft on a hot stove would not allow
smoke to escape. Hard to be patient when playing with our new toy. Thanks again for the quick responses and information

 

[High_Iron]

Hi. The biggest thing you are doing wrong is re fuelling too soon. When you open the door you should just have coals in there. no smoke. I think you need to let the fire cook down more before you add more. Its all part of the learning curve.

 

[fredarm]

Thanks for the info. I was just opening the door and tossing logs in. I assumed the draft on a hot stove would not allow
smoke to escape. Hard to be patient when playing with our new toy. Thanks again for the quick responses and information

Most of these EPA stoves, because of the baffle, send the smoke towards the top front of the firebox before it goes up the pipe. Therefore it's all too easy to pull it into the room when you open the door too quickly, since the smoke is right there. Pre-EPA stoves without a baffle generally sent the smoke straight to the back of the stove, making it much less likely to get smoke in the room. That's why you shouldn't burn a modern stove with the door open (save for those few models that are designed for it).

Edit: And of course we all play with the new toy too much at first. When I burned in a fireplace, I was a frequent fire-poker, rearranging the logs to get just the right burn. It took me a while to learn to just leave the fire in the stove alone to do its thing. Light it, let it burn down to coals, reload, repeat. Don't add a split or two every hour, don't poke it unless you have a piece of wood against the glass or it's totally out. You'll get the hang of it after a while.

 

[Jrodmt]

That was absolutely the case. I have been trying to keep the fire "pretty" and making sure all of the logs are burning etc. just like you stated. I had no idea
that you want the fire to burn down to coals before you reload. Thanks.