# embers shooting out chimney



## medit8b1 (Jan 30, 2009)

Hello, I just had a Lopi Leyden installed about a month and a half ago. Got stuck with the Athens pellets and basically have to clean the stove on a daily basis, but that's beside the point. Last night the wife and I noticed that embers were shooting out our chimney outside the house like little fire works, and traveling quite far. The wife started panicking that the house was burning down and our stove has sat dormant since. I called the company that installed our stove and they said this was "normal". I was traipsing about the internet looking for other "opinions" when I came across this forum and thought I would give it a shot. Thanks!


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## woodsman23 (Jan 30, 2009)

Totally normal, the embers are so small they have little chance of igniting anything. They should not be a problem at all. Run the stove....


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## mark d fellows (Jan 30, 2009)

woodsman23 said:
			
		

> Totally normal, the embers are so small they have little chance of igniting anything. They should not be a problem at all. Run the stove....



A few things, 

One, when I had mine installed and read the manual it was clear that the vent pipe must be at least 3 feet from any combustibles.  Is yours?

Two, normal or not, I would put a spark arrestor on the output. Maybe a metal screen not to fine but not large enough to let the embers out?

I can tell you that the design of my stove and vent pipe are such that a live ember would have to make approximately five 45 degree turns and one 30 degree turn to get out of the fire box.

I have only two 45s in the vent pipe but the design of the stove incorporates that many turns before exhaust can get out.

1. Float straight up out of the firepot.

2. Make one 180 degree turn and fall back down to the bottom of the heat exhanger before the combusionfan.

3. One 45 degree turn back up to midway on the bottom were the square exaust por is.

4. One 45 degree turn into the exhaust port

5. one 45 degree turn from out of the vertical section of exaust pipe into the 5 foot verticle section.

6. another 45 degree turn into the final vertical section

7. a 30 degree turn down and out.

EDIT: Please replace 45s with 90s


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## hossthehermit (Jan 30, 2009)

How far is "quite far"? "embers", or "occasional sparks"? How will your wife react if you say, "Chill out, Honey, it's normal"?


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## jtakeman (Jan 31, 2009)

medit8b1 

Post some photo's of the exhuast. Let the guys check it out. Maybe an issue with it??

Jay


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## woodsman23 (Jan 31, 2009)

We all wnet through this with slickplant remember?. It is normal for a few hot ashes to escape the flue, they just go out they are so small. It is also winter so it is either snowing or raining. I hardly think a tiny ember is going to start a roof on fire. As long as there is no gas can around your fine. If your wrooied then by all means show us a pic and we can evaluate the situation.


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## StoveMiser (Jan 31, 2009)

I have the same problem with embers too. Not a lot come out of the stack, but I have seen embers travel from 20 feet high all the way to the ground. People can say this is normal, but it is not a good thing and I am not happy about it. I will make some kind of arrestor in the off season. Where I live there are times when there is no snow and the roof is dry. I don't care what others say, it is not a good thing. My vent setup goes through two 45s, a 90, a cleanout and 20 feet of vertical. I never thought embers could live that long, but they can.


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## krooser (Jan 31, 2009)

If you were running your stove in summer, in the California desert or during a prolonged drought, I'd be concerned... otherwise, no.
You'd really be uptight if you had a woodstove.

relax and enjoy the heat.


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## bungalobob (Jan 31, 2009)

I've got a direct vent on mine, goes out about two feet and points at an angle downward. When I go out at night to let the dog do his business in the backyard I purposely watch the exhaust for sparks/embers. I have yet to see one come out. They may know I am watching and jump out when I turn my head, who knows. I tried to sneak up on the exhaust real quietly from around the corner and still have seen none. Looked out the window way past midnight once, figuring those embers thought I was sound asleep, and would be flying all over, but nope, no embers. If the embers can fly out a stack that is 10-20 long, maybe there is just to much air flying through the system. Beats me, but I'll catch sight of one of those little bastards one of these days.


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## tinkabranc (Jan 31, 2009)

bungalobob said:
			
		

> I've got a direct vent on mine, goes out about two feet and points at an angle downward. When I go out at night to let the dog do his business in the backyard I purposely watch the exhaust for sparks/embers. I have yet to see one come out. They may know I am watching and jump out when I turn my head, who knows. I tried to sneak up on the exhaust real quietly from around the corner and still have seen none. Looked out the window way past midnight once, figuring those embers thought I was sound asleep, and would be flying all over, but nope, no embers. If the embers can fly out a stack that is 10-20 long, maybe there is just to much air flying through the system. Beats me, but I'll catch sight of one of those little bastards one of these days.



LMAO- you are too funny :lol:


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## woodsman23 (Jan 31, 2009)

This is a ember alert, ember alert!. I seen this on my way home on the interstate.....


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## mark d fellows (Jan 31, 2009)

bungalobob said:
			
		

> I've got a direct vent on mine, goes out about two feet and points at an angle downward. When I go out at night to let the dog do his business in the backyard I purposely watch the exhaust for sparks/embers. I have yet to see one come out. They may know I am watching and jump out when I turn my head, who knows. I tried to sneak up on the exhaust real quietly from around the corner and still have seen none. Looked out the window way past midnight once, figuring those embers thought I was sound asleep, and would be flying all over, but nope, no embers. If the embers can fly out a stack that is 10-20 long, maybe there is just to much air flying through the system. Beats me, but I'll catch sight of one of those little bastards one of these days.



This reminds me of a Patrick Mcmanus story in the back of Outdoor Life, when he is talking about trying to take a picture of a bird.  He says when he drives up the driveway with the music playing and the horn blowing the bird doesn't budge but if he tries to walk up quetly to take a picture the bird spooks and flies off.  If he even slows down the car to take a picture out the window the bird spooks and flies off.

I loved those little stories in the bag of the magazine.  Your story was really funny and reminded me of reading those when  I was younger.

Mark


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## MCPO (Jan 31, 2009)

I would have to think that anything more than an occasional pellet ember coming out of a chimney is a problem that should be addressed , assuming the said chimney is verticle and not a straight thru the wall vent. 
  I`m thinking that if the stove draft is strong enough to carry burning pellets up and out the chimney this is an indication that the combustion air/draft is way too strong. At the point where the burned pellet is light enough to be lifted and blown it should be nearly expended and not heavy enough to continue burning along the flue path . Efficient stove design dictates a complete burn of pellets in the burn pot and not exiting the flue while burning.


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