Smoke and haze...quadrafire 5700

[poorboy08]

Bottom line...

I have a 2004 Quadrafire 5700 and have been burning on and off for the past ~month. I had my burn setup inspected and everything was good to go. Anyway all the sudden over the past couple of days we have been getting a very strong smoke smell and sometimes a haze in the basement that eventually makes it way to the upper levels. I've been around the stove and I'm not seeing any visible smoke emitting from the stove or the stove pipe and I've been keeping the stove pipe temp 350 to 450*F. The draft appears to be fine....what else should I look for?

I currently have the stove shut down and cooling. I was planning on opening it up and getting it cleaned up and verify the seal on the door is good as well as inspecting the stove pipe/flu pipe going into the chimney, is there anything else I should be looking for?

 

[jeff_t]

Sounds like a negative pressure from something. Anything else in the basement drawing air? Dryer, water heater, furnace, etc? What's your chimney like? Masonry or insulated class A? How tall?

Weather conditions? Milder temps will make for a sluggish draft at times, and windy conditions can do funny things.

Any buildup in the flue or cap? How's your fuel supply? Did you cut, split, and stack your own? Buy 'seasoned' wood? Most wood should be split and stacked out in the open for at least a year, two for oak. EPA stoves need dry wood.

With proper draft, a leaky gasket will let air in, not smoke out.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I agree with Jeff. Many folks do have problems with drafting when installing a stove in the basement. Is there a window in the basement? If so, have you tried to crack it open just a bit?

The two big suspects are negative pressure and poor fuel.

 

[poorboy08]

Sounds like a negative pressure from something. Anything else in the basement drawing air? Dryer, water heater, furnace, etc? What's your chimney like? Masonry or insulated class A? How tall?

Weather conditions? Milder temps will make for a sluggish draft at times, and windy conditions can do funny things.

Any buildup in the flue or cap? How's your fuel supply? Did you cut, split, and stack your own? Buy 'seasoned' wood? Most wood should be split and stacked out in the open for at least a year, two for oak. EPA stoves need dry wood.

With proper draft, a leaky gasket will let air in, not smoke out.

There is a dryer in the basement and there is a furnace although it doesnt run while I'm burning and the hot water heater is electric. My chimney is masonry and I'm going to guess approximately 30' to 40' from the basement where the stovepipe inserts to the top.

Weather conditions havent been that bad, lows in the ~30*F highs in the upper 40s low 50s (Maryland), I do get some wind but nothing serious or out of the ordinary.

I have not been up to look at the flu cap...yet, going to take a look this weekend.

Fuel supply is good (maybe not the best, but definitely not burning anything "fresh")...I have 2 cords that are supposedly minimum 1 year split/seasoned oak that I purchased and I have another 2 to 3 cords of mixed wood that I have cut and split. That wood was dead laying or cut down early this year, I'm 95% burning the oak and every once in a while throw a piece of locust on.

 

[poorboy08]

I agree with Jeff. Many folks do have problems with drafting when installing a stove in the basement. Is there a window in the basement? If so, have you tried to crack it open just a bit?

The two big suspects are negative pressure and poor fuel.

I do have a window in the basement (basement is a walk out, front half is underground rear half is open) and last night I did crack it open, but the damage had already been done so to say.

I'm starting to suspect my fuel supply a little more, but the wood (oak mentioned above that I'm mostly burning) appears to be good and dry, not really getting a lot of rolling smoke and initial startup has gone smoothly.

Some other things are that I do have an attic fan on the 2nd story and it's not insulated and or sealed other than the louvers that open when it's turned on. We also typically leave the basement door open so that the heat will more easily make it up through the rest of the house.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

2 cord of oak a minimum of 1 year split is not good. We will not burn oak that is not 3 years past being split and stacked. This, of course makes one wonder how the wood was handled after being split? In a heap? Stacked in a row so wind can hit the stack and dry the wood. In a shed (the worst), etc. Also, never assume dead wood is ready to burn. Most times it is not.

Once again, oak is one of the best firewoods you can buy but it give up its moisture much, much slower than any other wood.

 

[daveswoodhauler]

2 cord of oak a minimum of 1 year split is not good. We will not burn oak that is not 3 years past being split and stacked. This, of course makes one wonder how the wood was handled after being split? In a heap? Stacked in a row so wind can hit the stack and dry the wood. In a shed (the worst), etc. Also, never assume dead wood is ready to burn. Most times it is not.

Once again, oak is one of the best firewoods you can buy but it give up its moisture much, much slower than any other wood.

Second this with Oak. I have some that has been split and stacked for 2 years, single rows, and its still reading high on the moisture meter. Oak is great if you have 3 years plus

 

[jeff_t]

I have a few cords of oak that was split last summer ('11). Not long ago, I grabbed a split that had been baking on top of a stack for this whole hot, dry summer, and it was still mid 30s on the meter.

 

[poorboy08]

Any meter recommendations?

 

[jeff_t]

Any meter recommendations?

I have an $11 meter from Harbor Freight. I don't really put much faith in it, but it seems in line from what I would expect. Most of the time.

Is there another flue in the chimney that could pull smoke back into the basement?

 

[poorboy08]

I have an $11 meter from Harbor Freight. I don't really put much faith in it, but it seems in line from what I would expect. Most of the time.

Is there another flue in the chimney that could pull smoke back into the basement?

As a matter of fact yes the oil furnace.

The chimney has 3 flus, 2 basement (wood stove and furnace), 1 main level for my wood stove insert.

 

[corey21]

As a matter of fact yes the oil furnace.

The chimney has 3 flus, 2 basement (wood stove and furnace), 1 main level for my wood stove insert.

I think you found the problem that stove needs its own chimney.

 

[poorboy08]

I think you found the problem that stove needs its own chimney.

Sorry, let me be more specific. The chimney has 3 flus...3 separate flus that go up through the chimney. 2 of them start in the basement and 1 on the main floor.