Well that didn't go as planned. Remember to check your flue

[EatenByLimestone]

At the end of last season I brushed the chimney and called it quits after cleanup. I went to light the stove for the first time this morning and no smoke came out the chimney. All of it is in my basement. Luckily the load was just starting and I could get all the wood outside onto the lawn. There must be a bee hive or something up there since the screen should keep animals out.

I'll know for sure when the smoke clears out and I can run the sooteater up there. It shouldn't be the temperature as I generally have enough draft to start a fire to dry out the basement if I get water in it during the summer.

Check your chimney!

Matt

 

[Grisu]

Too bad you swept already; a chimney fire would take care if it quickly. (Just kidding)

 

[Nick Mystic]

I guess I'm one of those overly cautious people who likes to go up on the roof and do a visual check down my flues before the first fire of each season, even though I've cleaned my flues after my last fire in the spring. When I used a Sooteater on my flex liner this summer I noticed quite a few spider webs in the cap for my second stove that runs through a clay tile liner. I waited until I was ready to fire up the second stove before I went back on the roof and pulled the cap to clean out the cob webs. I pulled my other rain cap on the flex liner, as well, to do another visual check while I was up there.
Matt, if you do have a bee hive your liner you better be careful if you are running the sooteater up from down below (or from up top for that matter). You don't want to tear open a hornet's nest and have them swarm down into your house!

 

[DanCorcoran]

You don't want to tear open a hornet's nest and have them swarm down into your house!

That was my first thought as well...a plugged chimney would seem like a minor annoyance in comparison.

 

[velvetfoot]

It still could be the draft.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I was ready to run... trust me! I got a bunch of yellow jackets, but no nest material. They were in the chimney and singlewall. The singlewall I cleared with carb spray and my lighter. The only thing I can think of was the nest was either in the stove or is smeared around the inside of the chimney. I suppose it could have been in the singlewall and been incinerated also. I didn't see any paper residue in it when I brushed it out. I lit some paper at the bottom of my T and it drafted like a son of a gun. There aren't any draft issues in the flue. I have a lot of paper burning in the 30 right now. Whatever the main obstruction was, it's gone because it's about 10 degrees warmer out now and drafting well.

Matt

 

[velvetfoot]

For whatever reason, I always seem to have downward draft when it cools off, and have to get it going in the right way, cracking open a window and burning some newspaper. That's with a 30' chimney starting at grade level. I have no idea why.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Matt, that is not too surprising. For some reason or another, those yellow jackets seem to be drawn to chimneys. Just one more reason to check before lighting up in the fall.

 

[My Oslo heats my home]

interesting read, something I haven't seen a lot of here myself. My only concerns in the spring is the stove itself when the season is ending. I will usually do a check and look for any summer repairs or replacements. I have the flue cleaned in September generally, I'm kinda glad I do after reading this.