Woke up this morning and my entire house smelled of smoke...

[PelletGirl]

I thought we had this all figured out and it is working my last nerve - I am about to give up. The only place that didn't smell? The room where the vent pipe is so I know it's not coming from that. I'm thinking it got inside from outside the house somehow? There is absolutely no wind today. I think our install dimwits didn't extend the exhaust pipe far enough away from the house - can that be the problem? It is under a cantilever that extends about one foot from the house. The vent pipe extends just to the edge of the cantilever and there is a jet cap on the end. Should it extend further? Is the smoke entering through the soffit of the cantilever? The stove itself has been working fine and this is the first time the smell has been this strong. Otherwise, I don't know what else it could be. Any ideas? Thanks.

 

[Ranger72]

For starters, do you have CO detectors? Take a pic of the inside and outside venting.

 

[Tonyray]

I thought we had this all figured out and it is working my last nerve - I am about to give up. The only place that didn't smell? The room where the vent pipe is so I know it's not coming from that. I'm thinking it got inside from outside the house somehow? There is absolutely no wind today. I think our install dimwits didn't extend the exhaust pipe far enough away from the house - can that be the problem? It is under a cantilever that extends about one foot from the house. The vent pipe extends just to the edge of the cantilever and there is a jet cap on the end. Should it extend further? Is the smoke entering through the soffit of the cantilever? The stove itself has been working fine and this is the first time the smell has been this strong. Otherwise, I don't know what else it could be. Any ideas? Thanks.

you can see my pipe doesn't exstend all that much out..
just to the left is a porch with a soffice which is a No No FOR Installing an Exhaust as smoke could travel up the soffice and possibly into upstairs dwellings on a 2 story house.
anyways you can see that it doesn't have to exstend a great distance...but not sure if being UNDER a structure of any kind is correct...someone here with knowledge will pipe in soon.
I confess I don't know what a "cantilever is
was pro installed by Stove dealer..

 

[PelletGirl]

We have CO detectors - about three or four in the house, one right by the stove - they did not go off. This was installed by a so-called pro. I have to get outside to take a photo - will post soon.

 

[BrotherBart]

Sounds like it is collecting under the cantilever and seeping into the house somewhere along its length. It will be interesting to see pics.

 

[PelletGirl]

Ok here are the photos - one showing a side view to show how far it protrudes from the house, another showing how much distance is between vent termination and cantilever and another overall of the back to show all the soffits (there are three). I notice a little bit of dirt under the cantilever but not too much. I'm thinking it should extend further from the house. All distances (to ground, cantilever, window, etc) are all within limits according to the manual. If this isn't the issue, any other ideas?

 

[chken]

12" extending out is the minimum I believe. You are way shorter than that, since your overhang is about 12". Given the overhang, I'd think about extending it even further than the minimum required.

Come to think of it, it looks like you are just 2' below the overhang, which is just like an eave. 2' is minimum, so it meets that, but still, you minimum is just minimum.

 

[Ranger72]

Extend it further or reroute it up to the soffit and then out. The fact that it wasn't a windy night leads me to believe the exhaust went straight up into the soffit.

 

[chken]

Extend it further or reroute it up to the soffit and then out. The fact that it wasn't a windy night leads me to believe the exhaust went straight up into the soffit.

Yeah, that's the alternative, after the T, put a 45 up-n-out, past the overhang, another 45 to get the pipe vertical, then 2' up to terminatation, but make sure you have clearance to that window above.

 

[Ranger72]

Even then though, I don't like how the exhaust is still below a window.


Edit: wrote this before chken's response noting the same thing.

 

[Phoenix Hatchling]

Were you running a clothes dryer or any other appliance which would exhaust? Attached garage door open? It doesn't take much to direct the smoke towards a point of entry. Sometimes if there if no wind at all, the air/smoke will just sit stagnant and your bound to pull some in.

 

[johninwi]

was the second floor window open all night? or before the smell appeared?

Also is there discoloration to the siding above the vent up the the yard light or is that just the picture

 

[PelletGirl]

There was no window or garage door open overnight (the odor woke us this morning around 5AM-6AM). There is no vent over there (that one is blocked off - the dryer was moved to the top floor). Don't know if that is discoloration - don't think so but I'll have to check. It is two feet to the center of the vent termination from the soffit but our manual says minimum is 18" for ventilated and 12" for closed ( I think this is closed - solid pieces of vinyl and none with the vent holes). Either way, it is minimum or above. But I do think it should extend further out. We cannot put it through the soffit as there is a room there and my husband will not put it around and up the soffit as the window is there. I'm thinking extending further out might be the only option.

 

[BrotherBart]

We have the same soffit setup. Seal as we may there are still drafts through the soffit in the basement. That is where the smoke smell is coming from. The pipe needs to extend past the soffit with a few feet of vertical from there.

 

[Ranger72]

As BrotheBart stated, air will find it's way in. Now make it slightly hotter, it wants to go up. Up happens to be house in your case.
That nozzle you have, the connection looks really close to the house. It isn't made within the thimble, correct?

 

[gfreek]

Yes extend that pipe further

 

[Tonyray]

Pellet girl,
you can see by the pictures my stove is next to 2 windows but the outside exhaust exstends above the windows.. enough that smoke will not enter in..even on a still day the smoke will drift upwards..
I agree that you need to exstend out...
Also,
Is that an OAK next to the exhaust?
I'm always amazed that when exhaust and OAK are so close together that the OAK doesn't pull the smoke back into the stove along with the outside air..
then again, maybe it does Just to be exhausted right back out again.

 

[Ranger72]

Is that left window stuck ajar slightly?

 

[Tonyray]

Is that left window stuck ajar slightly? View attachment 156132

good eye Ranger..
[though maybe just today to vent the house a bit]

 

[Ranger72]

Regardless, that vent needs to be addressed. Haha

 

[Tonyray]

Regardless, that vent needs to be addressed. Haha

yes it does....i'm sure they will address it soon enough..
good that winter is phasing out now and not the other way around...

 

[Lake Girl]

A little amazed it was installed that way. The termination cap should not be that close to the house. With the end so close to the OAK, you may be pulling exhaust in too. Need to extend it at the very least...

 

[CapeMayDan]

I thought we had this all figured out and it is working my last nerve - I am about to give up. The only place that didn't smell? The room where the vent pipe is so I know it's not coming from that. I'm thinking it got inside from outside the house somehow? There is absolutely no wind today. I think our install dimwits didn't extend the exhaust pipe far enough away from the house - can that be the problem? It is under a cantilever that extends about one foot from the house. The vent pipe extends just to the edge of the cantilever and there is a jet cap on the end. Should it extend further? Is the smoke entering through the soffit of the cantilever? The stove itself has been working fine and this is the first time the smell has been this strong. Otherwise, I don't know what else it could be. Any ideas? Thanks.

Hello Pellet Girl, Just looking at the side shot. It looks like at least part of the joint is inside the thimble. It should be one pipe all the way thru the thimble. What can happen is the rodent guard get partially plugged and causes a restriction which can make smoke inside the wall. My old eyes ain't so good, so check it out.

Dan

 

[Lake Girl]

Page 9 from the manual ... 15" vented directly through a wall, minimal length of horizontal pipe
(broken link removed to http://hearthnhome.com/downloads/installmanuals/7034_106.pdf)

 

[rona]

Can't tell for certain but seems like there is electrical lines to prevent extending away from the house. personally I would go straight out through the wall ending 2 feet away from the house and forget the vertical system This will eliminate cleaning the exterior pipes you have plus you will keep the wall a lot cleaner. If your power supplier is dependable there is no real reason to go vertical.