Vogelzang Durango smokey with improper burn

[Phyreflie]

Hi all! New to the forum and am in need of help.

I purchased a place with a Vogelzang Durango installed as the only heat source. I have dry wood (juniper at 5-10% moisture if the meter is correct) and the stove had been working fantastically until a few days ago. It started being extremely smokey to the point where even closed up it is making the house really smokey. On top of that it is only burning wood at the very front of it resulting in very incomplete combustion. This is even after I have it going and up to temp for hours.

I took apart the stove pipe and cleaned it--it was in bad shape. Really full of creosote. Some had even dropped down into the stove and was sitting on the fiberglass that covers the burn box. I vacuumed that opening up and put everything back together. It is burning way better now since the draft is better but it is still really smokey and it is still not burning well or at all in the back of the firebox. I have read the manual for it I found on-line but can't find what other maintenance this thing needs or how to get it to go back to burning correctly.

Does anyone know what I can do?

 

[Vg3200p]

What moisture %is your wood. I know you said it's dry but that sounds like wet wood. Is it possible your air control has been stuck in closed position?

 

[Phyreflie]

What moisture %is your wood. I know you said it's dry but that sounds like wet wood. Is it possible your air control has been stuck in closed position?

Sorry about that. I had just edited my post to include moisture percent. It is juniper at 5-10% moisture. The only air control is a slider at the front of the stove and it moves back and forth fine.

 

[Vg3200p]

Have you cleaned your chimney? Potential blockage?

 

[Phyreflie]

Have you cleaned your chimney? Potential blockage?

Yes, I took the entire pipe apart and cleaned the whole thing. It had been really full of creosote and cleaning it did improve the burn but the same issues are persisting--incomplete combustion at the back of the stove and smoke coming into the house from the slide vent/air control on the door. This is even after I have the stove going at 700 degrees and the stove pipe at 300 for hours.

 

[brenndatomu]

Sounds to me like a plugged chimney cap (screen)
Which probably means the wood is not as dry as you think...

 

[Phyreflie]

Sounds to me like a plugged chimney cap (screen)
Which probably means the wood is not as dry as you think...

I can re-check the cap/screen and that section of chimney. I am just going off what my moisture meter says for moisture content. Some of the wood I have tried has been cut and seasoned for two years minimum and has had the same issue. This stove has air tubes in it so I am wondering if those are supposed to be cleaned somehow and if that would cause some of the issues.

 

[brenndatomu]

I can re-check the cap/screen and that section of chimney. I am just going off what my moisture meter says for moisture content. Some of the wood I have tried has been cut and seasoned for two years minimum and has had the same issue. This stove has air tubes in it so I am wondering if those are supposed to be cleaned somehow and if that would cause some of the issues.

Do you resplit the wood and check the MC in the middle of a freshly exposed face? Its not accurate otherwise...and wood should be close to room temp when checking it too...for best accuracy.
The secondary air tubes should not need cleaned...they pull clean air in, not smoke out.

 

[brenndatomu]

It really sounds like something is blocking the chimney, or stove pipe...possibly the exit of the stove itself

 

[Vg3200p]

Is this a really short chimney? Possible you have poor draft?

 

[Phyreflie]

It really sounds like something is blocking the chimney, or stove pipe...possibly the exit of the stove itself

I was checking both recently split kindling and the logs themselves (not recently split) and they all read about the same. I hear you on splitting the logs to check the interior. I will investigate later today. Everything I checked had been inside for days. Appreciate the reminder to split and check the insides.

I am curious if there could be creosote blocking part of the stove opening somehow. I did vacuum the opening while I had the pipes apart but I wonder if some could have moved further into the air gap at the top. There is a wool blanket or fiberglass panel that sits over the air tubes. No idea if creosote could have moved further towards the front of the stove.

 

[Phyreflie]

Is this a really short chimney? Possible you have poor draft?

It has at least 8' of interior stove pipe and I am not sure how much outside. It definitely rises far enough from the highest point of the roof. Have never had a draft problem before now and it used to burn really well and cleanly.

 

[moresnow]

As mentioned, if you have a screen on the cap it needs to be clean. Sounds like a good probability its dirty. Splitting a selection of room temp splits for a check on the fresh exposed surface is key.

Post pics and description of the stove install, complete venting system etc. Good luck.