Also, I would keep the fans off when you are starting the insert; no hot air available yet to blow into the room. Let it heat up a bit before switching the fans on.
Advice needed, go new or fix what I have
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Yea I think you’re right. I think if I left the door open longer I would have been better off. I rushed it
thank you all so much for the advice. I still have to deal with the carbon monoxide issue from the additional fan behind the unit. I’ll double check the chimney connections and report back. I just think that fan is too strong because it only happened at night after the fire went out. I tried lowering the speed at night and had no issues with CO after.
Thank you all again.
Are you sure this was a backdraft, or wa it a backpuff instead? The latter is common with poorly seasoned wood. It happens when a fire is smoldering badly and then a flame appears that ignites a firebox full of unburnt wood gas. What ensues is a mini-explosion that will push smoke out of every orifice.
This definitely should be taken into account. Many people test the firewood for moisture content incorrectly. I have seen this often including with firewood sellers. The wood must be resplit first, then tested in the middle of the face of the freshly exposed wood.
I think it was backdraft, but I could be wrong.
Would you say this is the same issue for pinless meters? When I test with the pins from the outside of the wood it’s higher than when I test pinless. I tried to split it and test with pins it’s normally somewhere between. That’s why I’ve been trying for 16 or less.
I’ll try splitting a couple more pieces and try double checking.
My understanding is that pinless meters only work to a fairly shallow depth. Maybe .75". Grab a few of the thickest splits on the wood pile from random locations, split in half, and retest using the pin meter.
If you have some 2x4 scraps, try starting a fire with them to see if it behaves much better.
If you have some 2x4 scraps, try starting a fire with them to see if it behaves much better.
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It the draft is poor then it could be due to one or more factors.
1) a cold, uninsulated liner.
2) negative pressure in the fireplace room. This can happen if there is a lot of air leaking on the upper floors. Leaky or open windows there or a leaky attic door. As a test, open up a window close to the stove an inch and see if the fire perks up.
3) a gap or obstruction in the liner. This could be due to a disconnect or gap at the flue collar, a tear or crimp in the liner, a coupling that has come apart.
4) competing appliances (exhaust fans typically) or an imbalanced HRV system
5) mild outside temps (50º or above)
6) geographic location can exacerbate this
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