I have a wood burning stove insert, and smoke is pouring into the room. What’s going on?
We got a wood burning stove insert for our fireplace
about a month ago. When the glass door is closed, no smoke enters the room. Well, today, smoke started pouring out of the blower and below the stove, and filling the room!! What would be causing this? It was very scary. It is windy outside… does that have anything to do it? How am I supposed to get a fire going in the wind?Laptop Search Engine
Tags: Glass Door, Laptop, Scary, Search Engine, Wood Burning Stove, Wood Burning Stove Insert, Wood Fireplace, Wood Stove
I’m not sure what’s causing it, but I suggest getting someone out to fix it and investing in a carbon monoxide detector just in case.
The damper, flu is closed, wind….could be anything. Have it checked out by a reputable person.
Something could be blocking the flu. It could be the wind but I doubt it…see what it’s like when the wind isn’t so powerful. Sometimes birds could get caught up in the flu…I had an indian minor bird fly down mine. I put some chicken wire over the top of the flu and that solved the problem of anything getting in.
Good luck.
1) Is the top of your chimney above the rooftop? If not, the wind can ‘curl’ over the top of the roof, sending it ‘down’ anywhere it can go, including your chimney. Adding an extension to the top of the chimney should fix that - it’s a handy-man job.
2) how is the insert attached to the chimney pipe - is it screwed to it or clamped onto it? If they simply ‘meet’ (like putting your fists together, knuckle to knuckle), then the fitting would need to be secured to ensure airflow up and out.
The fact that smoke was coming out the blower suggests a chimney height issue (see suggestion 1) - a quick look from the front yard should tell you if you may find the solution.
Do you warm your chimney before lighting the fire? By warming the chimney first it will “draw” the smoke up. It is especially important during breezy days as the wind will create a “conversion” in the chimney which keeps the smoke from exiting. Think of smoggy days in a city when there is a weather conversion.
To warm the chimney….take a section of newspaper, tightly twist it into a torch. Light one end and stick it up beyond the flue. When the torch burns down to about 1/4 of the paper left, stick it with the paper under the kindling/logs.
Test for blocked flu. put some newspaper in the grate and light it. When burning, black ash should be seen coming out of the chimney