Stove, pipes and chimney temperature and smoke monitoring - Arduino

[rickj]

I’m planning to make a temperature monitoring system for my new wood stove using Arduino and thermocouples etc. (I can program Arduino and do electronics). Have already seen some projects here. Has any of you made a smoking chimney detector yet? I’d like to be alerted when my chimney is emitting smoke.

Noticed that sometimes the chimney smokes while I see nothing obviously out of order with the fire, at first glance. But, looking more carefully I noticed yesterday that, at the end of a burning session, part of a log was a bit on the side of the stove, but not actually burning with flames. Such a situation makes the chimney smoke. Not a huge cloud, but very noticeable, and you could smell it well. (The neighbors!)

Would a regular smoke detector be usable, outside, to detect actual smoke, but not regular exhaust fumes?
Have you built something that detects an actually smoking chimney?

 

[rickj]

I’m going to try an IR-led + IR-detector, like in obstacle detection.
I hope the smoke will reflect sufficient IR light when illuminated with an IR led.
Please let me know if you already tried this?

 

[stoveliker]

But warm but clear exhaust may emit IR and set off the detector without smoke...

 

[rickj]

But warm but clear exhaust may emit IR and set off the detector without smoke...

I’ll experiment. See if I can read a *change* in reflected IR. I’ll point an IR led(s) at where I want to detect smoke, when no smoke I expect a different value than with smoke.

 

[Smokey-the-Canuck]

I’m planning to make a temperature monitoring system for my new wood stove using Arduino and thermocouples etc. (I can program Arduino and do electronics). Have already seen some projects here. Has any of you made a smoking chimney detector yet? I’d like to be alerted when my chimney is emitting smoke.

Noticed that sometimes the chimney smokes while I see nothing obviously out of order with the fire, at first glance. But, looking more carefully I noticed yesterday that, at the end of a burning session, part of a log was a bit on the side of the stove, but not actually burning with flames. Such a situation makes the chimney smoke. Not a huge cloud, but very noticeable, and you could smell it well. (The neighbors!)

Would a regular smoke detector be usable, outside, to detect actual smoke, but not regular exhaust fumes?
Have you built something that detects an actually smoking chimney?

I monitor temperature: RTD encapsulated in a SS tube on the stove surface and a snap disk on the stove pipe where I have single wall pipes. Interior to the stove pipe would probably be nasty dirty environment to have a sensor even if you had a pitot type setup. I can see some coalition and comparation from smoke flow to temperature. A carbon monoxide or other sensor could work but you would have design so that the readings are temperature and humidity compensated.

 

[BlueRidgeMark]

Temperature monitoring is easy. Just buy one of these and install it: Auber Instruments Temperature Sensor



I installed one last February, and I love it. Laboratory grade temperature measuremnts, and an alarm set where you want it.

Of course, with an Arduino, you can do all kinds of fancy stuff that the Auber sensor won't do, but if you just want an accurate measurement with an alarm, this is is a pretty easy way to get there.

 

[Smokey-the-Canuck]

Temperature monitoring is easy. Just buy one of these and install it: Auber Instruments Temperature Sensor



I installed one last February, and I love it. Laboratory grade temperature measuremnts, and an alarm set where you want it.

Of course, with an Arduino, you can do all kinds of fancy stuff that the Auber sensor won't do, but if you just want an accurate measurement with an alarm, this is is a pretty easy way to get there.

 

[Smokey-the-Canuck]

In my setup, the feedback from this temperature sensor goes to two controls that drive individually two circulation fans as well as a duct-in air intake damper via a stepper motor. The activation of each fan as well as the damper are each setpoint programmable. I'm suggesting that your setup will permit you to control various peripheral if you wish. Right on.