Something strange happened tonight

[MichaelS]

I am setting here reading and my stove is cruising at 550. My son says dad there is smoke blowing out of the stove. I get up and the secondary combustion that has been going for an hour or so has stopped all of the sudden and the stove has started to backpuff really bad. It never did that last year and the only difference I made was replacing the windows this past summer with new ones. I opened the one closest to the stove and it hasnt done it again and the secondary is still going. I thought Backpuffing was caused from no draft?

 

[Hogwildz]

Best check the cap for cloggage.

 

[MichaelS]

Best check the cap for cloggage.

Just took my spotlight out and there is no clog. A couple of things I think are happening
1. My chimney is only 13 feet from the bottom of my stove to the top, so draft is probably not the greatest. It is also a 50% exposed outside brick w/clay lining so that doesn't help. I thought by being an 8x8 I might get a little better but I dont know for sure.
2. It is only 40 degrees and raining tonight which I am sure probably adds to the situation.

Does an electric dryer use air from the inside of the house like a Natural Gas or Propane one? The wife is running the dryer pretty heavy tonight.

 

[Hogwildz]

Best check the cap for cloggage.

Just took my spotlight out and there is no clog. A couple of things I think are happening
1. My chimney is only 13 feet from the bottom of my stove to the top, so draft is probably not the greatest. It is also a 50% exposed outside brick w/clay lining so that doesn't help. I thought by being an 8x8 I might get a little better but I dont know for sure.
Why 8" x 8" ? Is the stove outlet that size? Can cause draft issue. More sluggish.
And out of that 13', you really only have about 11' of actually chimney? (not including stove height)
2. It is only 40 degrees and raining tonight which I am sure probably adds to the situation.
Warmer weather combined with a shorter chimney can be problematic.

Does an electric dryer use air from the inside of the house like a Natural Gas or Propane one? The wife is running the dryer pretty heavy tonight.
Yes, the stove and dryer could be competing for the same air.

 

[MichaelS]

Best check the cap for cloggage.

Just took my spotlight out and there is no clog. A couple of things I think are happening
1. My chimney is only 13 feet from the bottom of my stove to the top, so draft is probably not the greatest. It is also a 50% exposed outside brick w/clay lining so that doesn't help. I thought by being an 8x8 I might get a little better but I dont know for sure.
Why 8" x 8" ? Is the stove outlet that size? Can cause draft issue. More sluggish.
And out of that 13', you really only have about 11' of actually chimney? (not including stove height)
2. It is only 40 degrees and raining tonight which I am sure probably adds to the situation.
Warmer weather combined with a shorter chimney can be problematic.

Does an electric dryer use air from the inside of the house like a Natural Gas or Propane one? The wife is running the dryer pretty heavy tonight.
Yes, the stove and dryer could be competing for the same air.

8x8 is the masonry chimney size. The stove hooks into it with 6" black pipe through a wall thimble. The house is a rental and the people before me had a Vogelzang deathtrap installed so I bought this one to replace it. I have had zero problems until tonight and actually after opening the window slightly the Secondary came back and no more problems.

I am actually thinking of building a chimney extender like I saw on another post this afternoon. I am sure it couldn't hurt.

 

[eernest4]

Your electric dryer was creating a negative pressure inside the house.

Therefore, air flew down your chimney & puffed smoke out of the stove. If you can install a outside cold air intake kit on your stove, your wife will be able to run the dryer at the same time and if she creates negative air pressure inside the house, as she probably will, it will no longer affect the stove because of the outside combustion air kit.

However, you dont have to do the outside air kit if you dont opperate the dryer while the stove is lit. or lit the stove when wifey is drying,or open an outside window to relieve the negative air pressure.

The outside air kit has the benifit of preventing the wood stove from drawing in cold outside air through window sills,under door jams and any place else it can draw in cold air into the house from. And this will keep the house a lot warmer a lot longer.

 

[begreen]

Was the smoke incident coincident with the running of the dryer? If yes, that's the answer. Sounds like the stove needs an outside air kit.

 

[MichaelS]

Thanks again guys. Yes the dryer was running non-stop last night with the wife trying to get caught up from the Thanksgiving weekend. There is no way to install an O.A.K. with this stove so I will just have to crack the window in the stove room a little next time she runs the dryer.

 

[FiremanBob]

Is an outside air kit something you can fit on any stove, or only certain models?

 

[WILDSOURDOUGH]

Is an outside air kit something you can fit on any stove, or only certain models?

Maybe. You have to check the manual, or ckeck the stove- If the stove has an air intake fitting (mine has what looks like a 3" pipe fitting on the bottom, but really it's a part of the caseing) then you can hook up 3-4 inch alumunum pipe to it and run it out a wall. Don't forget to cover the outside end of the pipe w/screen to keep out the kritters.

 

[gpcollen1]

So, you do not have a liner in the chimney? With that short chimney, I would think having a liner would help quite a bit. 8 x 8 square is big as compared to 6" round...

 

[Corey]

Sounds like you had every check mark in the "poor draft" category.

Relatively short chimney (less draft)
Exposed outside house (cools off flue gases a little more)
Relatively warm temps (harder to draft)
Humid air (harder to draft)
Replacement windows (tightened up 'natural' air leakage)
Dryer pulling air out of the house (forced air out, creating a stronger force than the natural draft which was already reduced by all of the above factors.

About the only other thing you could add would be bathroom fans and/or a cook stove vent hood that actually vents outside. I'd say you're definitely on the right track by cracking a window in the stove room. You might look into either adding an outside air kit for the stove or the dryer or both. Or just keep an eye on the appliance usage and crack the window accordingly.

 

[Jimbob]

Thanks again guys. Yes the dryer was running non-stop last night with the wife trying to get caught up from the Thanksgiving weekend. There is no way to install an O.A.K. with this stove so I will just have to crack the window in the stove room a little next time she runs the dryer.

You can still install the outside air kit, just have the duct end close to the stove. This will result in a "passive" outside air inlet, as opposed to a "direct to combustion chamber" outside air supply.

(broken link removed to http://www.woodheat.org/outdoorair/outdoorairmyth.htm)

 

[daveybrnr]

there's a very good chance i don't know what i'm talking about but, why not...

can you rig up an outside air supply to the dryer? -leave the stove as is.

-just a thought.- maybe a bad one.

 

[Jimbob]

there's a very good chance i don't know what i'm talking about but, why not...

can you rig up an outside air supply to the dryer? -leave the stove as is.

-just a thought.- maybe a bad one.

You could do that. Most dryers take their air in through a series of slots on the back of the unit, so you would have to run a duct from outside to the area close to the back of the dryer.

Would make more sense to run the duct from outside to the area near the stove, IMHO.

 

[stoveguy2esw]

cracking a window in the room with the dryer will help if feasable, the gang is right on with the prognosis, negative pressure exascerbated by the dryer running, outside air kit would be best solution direct connected to the stove if possible, 8X8 flue is 64 sq inches , 6"round is 28.87 inch ,so you are just a shade over 2X cross sectional requirement , an interior chimney should be ok up to 3X but exterior is marginal at best , also , do you have an exterior cleanout door on the flue? if so , make sure its gasketed , chimneys are lazy they will only pull through the stove if they have no other choice , a leaky clean out door gives the flue an option that will lead to cold air intrusion and stalled draft in some cases. never fear though you are in good hands and have gotten great advice, heed it and check the additional things ive mentioned, should be ok considering that the flue is working when window is cracked, you are just a tick tight.

 

[MichaelS]

Yes it does have a cleanout and I made sure it is sealed tight. I am going to try and fix the dryer up with its own supply of fresh air this weekend. I know the chimney isnt optimal but like I said it is a Rent House and I dont want to spend a fortune lining and insulating the chimney. I am hoping to have our house bought before this winter is over and I am going to be putting a better set-up into it. Thanks again for taking the time to help. Michael