Ya spend six or seven years giving maybe fifty or more people a year advice about flue reversal starting up a wood stove. And it hasn't happened to you in years and years.
Then one day, oh say today, ya decide to finally light off the first fire of the season. Same old drill as always. Two medium splits of rock hard two year dried fresh cut pine N/S with a quarter of a Super Cedar between them and three smaller ones E/W on top. Light the Super Cedar and leave the door cracked a bit. When the SC starts and the flames are licking the smalls on top, step out to the deck and into the back yard to watch the ritual first smoke of the year from the chimney.
WTH?!! No smoke. Zip back inside to moisture covered glass in the door and smoke pouring out of the cracked door and the stove primary inlet and the kitchen and den full of smoke. Grab the gloves and ash bucket, warn the wife upstairs that the smoke detectors are going to go off and don't worry about it, Pull the wood out of the stove because it ain't burning yet anyway and haul it outside. Open the doors and windows after securing the indoor cat and go sit on the deck and think about it.
The chimney ain't plugged. Ya cleaned it two days ago. Ya just hit the perfect storm. Cold stove and chimney with firebricks that soaked up moisture this summer. Dead still outside with a high pressure front that has stalled overhead for two days. 60 degrees outside with a stove colder than that hooked to the bottom of that liner. Whoops!
Let the SC keep burning to warm the flue, put the wood back in. Get'er burning and close the air down two thirds and go take the outdoor cat for her nightly walk
And remember the next time somebody posts the question that it can happen to anybody smart guy. >:-(
Then one day, oh say today, ya decide to finally light off the first fire of the season. Same old drill as always. Two medium splits of rock hard two year dried fresh cut pine N/S with a quarter of a Super Cedar between them and three smaller ones E/W on top. Light the Super Cedar and leave the door cracked a bit. When the SC starts and the flames are licking the smalls on top, step out to the deck and into the back yard to watch the ritual first smoke of the year from the chimney.
WTH?!! No smoke. Zip back inside to moisture covered glass in the door and smoke pouring out of the cracked door and the stove primary inlet and the kitchen and den full of smoke. Grab the gloves and ash bucket, warn the wife upstairs that the smoke detectors are going to go off and don't worry about it, Pull the wood out of the stove because it ain't burning yet anyway and haul it outside. Open the doors and windows after securing the indoor cat and go sit on the deck and think about it.
The chimney ain't plugged. Ya cleaned it two days ago. Ya just hit the perfect storm. Cold stove and chimney with firebricks that soaked up moisture this summer. Dead still outside with a high pressure front that has stalled overhead for two days. 60 degrees outside with a stove colder than that hooked to the bottom of that liner. Whoops!
Let the SC keep burning to warm the flue, put the wood back in. Get'er burning and close the air down two thirds and go take the outdoor cat for her nightly walk
And remember the next time somebody posts the question that it can happen to anybody smart guy. >:-(