Hi. We just refurbished our Clydesdale (originally installed in in 2007, but came with the house and needed maintenance so we never used it): New fire bricks, gasket, blower, and baffle. It's practically a new stove. Also had the chimney inspected before we used it. Unfortunately, because of the unseasonably warm winter and my work schedule, I've only run it twice so far this year. Once in Nov. and once in Dec. We've noticed, though, on particularly damp days there's a smokey smell throughout the house now. Is this just something you live with if you have a wood stove (my inlaws have a fire place, and I never noticed a smell in their house) or are we doing something wrong? Thanks.
Smokey smell?
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Mine will do this on warm/damp days if I didnt burn the previous load all the way or if my wood was a little damp. Is the wood your burning good?
That's a good question and one I don't have the answer to. Any suggestions for how I might find out?
I think so? We lost several trees to storms a few years ago and are using that wood. It's been stacked around the yard for at least three years now, and we bring in a few loads to dry out next to the radiator when we think we might want to run the stove, so nothing has SEEMED particularly damp to me, and I'm trusting my husband's judgement since he grew up with a fireplace but all this is new to me. Nothing has been pine.
Woodsplitter67
Minister of Fire
I noticed you said stacked and not stacked and covered, if you putting it near the radiator to dry out.. its probably not dry
You should check your woods moisture content.. it should be sub 20%
Take your firewood and bring int inside and let it get to room temperature, split it open and on the freshly split face measure the wood with the pins going with the grain
There is absolutely nothing wrong with burning pine. In many areas it is the only wood they have.
bcarp
Member
I get this smoke/creosote smell if I don't keep my flue warm and if it's warmer with high humidity outside. Usually if I let my fire to go out, within a day or two I will experience the smell in the room where my stove is. I have a clay lined brick chimney running on the outside wall of my house (not ideal), and I've attributed this to the cold chimney funneling air into the stove once cooled down.
Also, I am one of those people that @kborndale mentions who burns almost exclusively pine
Also, I am one of those people that @kborndale mentions who burns almost exclusively pine
When you clean it, what do you see if you look up the flue with a mirror and flashlight?
There's a baffle, so I can't actually look up the flue. When I look up I just see the slate slab. Since I've only run it twice so far since October, I haven't had to do much cleaning except scooping out the ashes of the previous fire.
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