Stove back puffing on cold start

[Donnydinero]

I didn't have a fire going for basically a whole 24hrs. Cleaned out some ashes and gave flue a little clean. I attempted to start a fire but it started smoking like crazy and filled the room with smoke after the paper got lit.
Is this because of a cold chimney? No blockage from the cap as far as I can tell. Everything has been running smoothly. It is night time so I'm going to make sure the cap is clear in the morning. I remember this happening the first time I used this stove. Upland 27
Thanks!

 

[jatoxico]

Yes a cold chimney can down draft. Post some info about your setup re; freestanding stove vs. insert. Is it exterior or interior brick or pipe etc. Couple different ways to go depending on what you have but it usually involves using some newspaper or something to heat up the flue and get things going in the right direction.

 

[Donnydinero]

Freestanding upland 27 stove. Rear exit to exterior double wall. Up the side of the house probably 15-18ft or so.

 

[begreen]

Before lighting the paper run a heat gun or hair dryer on high for a few minutes to establish some draft.

 

[LocustPocust]

Cold chimney. What you're experiencing is completely normal. As begreen said a hair dryer or heat gun would help. I also noticed that if I open a window or a door when starting my stove that also helps the draft. The cold air coming in from outside forces the warmer air up the chimney.

 

[Donnydinero]

Sounds good. Thanks. This is what I thought was the case. At least now I know where there are some leaks that need to be fixed.

 

[jatoxico]

I end up blowing ash all over with a hairdryer but others say it works. If you have a clean out tee outside you can remove that and burn a sheet of newspaper. I move a baffle plate out of the way to access the flue directly. Surprising how much heat a single sheet of paper throws.

 

[begreen]

Cold chimney. What you're experiencing is completely normal. As begreen said a hair dryer or heat gun would help. I also noticed that if I open a window or a door when starting my stove that also helps the draft. The cold air coming in from outside forces the warmer air up the chimney.

Sounds like the stove would benefit with some permanent outside air supply via an OAK installation.

 

[LocustPocust]

Sounds like the stove would benefit with some permanent outside air supply via an OAK installation.

Yes, it's something I've thought about. The house does seem pretty tight.

 

[Jay106n]

Yes, it happens. Its the cold chimney and down draft. On a cold start I open my basement door to let air in (messes with the down draft), and light a small piece of paper on fire and toss it into the stove pipe. It usually enough to reverse the downdraft and start a new updraft as I light the rest of the paper and kindle.