Smoke at start-up

[NiftyB]

Hi! I'm kind of new to this (after a stint many years ago running a Blaze King Princess). I had my brick chimney sleeved and an Osburn 2000 fireplace insert installed last January. So I am still getting acclimated to the whole thing. So far I am very happy with the stove.

The wood I'm burning is nicely seasoned, I think: <15% (on the moisture meter) for the hickory, maple and birch, and 18% or less on the oak. I'm in southern New England. I assume the draft is good as I never get smoke inside the house when I open the door of the stove. I had the chimney swept over the summer and all looks well. My chimney runs up two stories and well over the roof line (I have no clue how long/tall that makes it).

What I am wondering about: is it normal to have a good deal of smoke (or is it steam?) coming out of the chimney when I first start the fire? It seems to happen all the time: when I start from scratch, or upon reloading on coals. It doesn't last too long...15-20 minutes maybe. Once the fire really gets burning and I close the air vent, it seems to slow down and stop. And the fire burns all day and you'd never know it by looking at my chimney outside. But initially, it's significant. So much so that my neighbor texted me out of concern. Oops. The smoke is white (from the view outside). Inside the stove it looks grayish.

Am I doing something wrong? Or is this normal for the beginning of the fire?

Thank you!

 

[begreen]

Yes, when starting cold, the firebox is not hot enough to for secondary combustion. This can take 10-15 minutes depending on how the fire is started. Once the top of the firebox reaches 1100º and the air is starting to be turned down, secondary combustion starts igniting the unburnt wood gases (smoke). The best way to reduce a smokey startup is to start the fire with top-down lighting.

 

[bigealta]

Hi! I'm kind of new to this (after a stint many years ago running a Blaze King Princess). I had my brick chimney sleeved and an Osburn 2000 fireplace insert installed last January. So I am still getting acclimated to the whole thing. So far I am very happy with the stove.

The wood I'm burning is nicely seasoned, I think: <15% (on the moisture meter) for the hickory, maple and birch, and 18% or less on the oak. I'm in southern New England. I assume the draft is good as I never get smoke inside the house when I open the door of the stove. I had the chimney swept over the summer and all looks well. My chimney runs up two stories and well over the roof line (I have no clue how long/tall that makes it).

What I am wondering about: is it normal to have a good deal of smoke (or is it steam?) coming out of the chimney when I first start the fire? It seems to happen all the time: when I start from scratch, or upon reloading on coals. It doesn't last too long...15-20 minutes maybe. Once the fire really gets burning and I close the air vent, it seems to slow down and stop. And the fire burns all day and you'd never know it by looking at my chimney outside. But initially, it's significant. So much so that my neighbor texted me out of concern. Oops. The smoke is white (from the view outside). Inside the stove it looks grayish.

Am I doing something wrong? Or is this normal for the beginning of the fire?

Thank you!

Yes that's way to long for for smoke at start up. This is what "Old School" starting creates. Try Top down Starting loads and you will see a big difference. Here's a video on how i set mine up.

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[NiftyB]

Thank you!

When I light it from scratch I actually do something similar, though admittedly not as nicely and carefully laid-out as you've shown it. I wonder if I am just throwing too much more wood on too soon? And when I start from coals (after overnight, for example) maybe I am adding too much wood too soon. I'm impatient, and feel like once it's stuffed and burning, I can move on with life.

At what point do you add more wood? And do you stuff it? Or add a little at a time?

 

[bigealta]

How Dry is your wood? That makes a Huge difference. After that you are probably closing the draft control to fast or too much?