Ceiling thimble leaking smoke

[RedGreen]

I have a 20ish year old Spectrum Classic that I use for heating. Last week smoke started spilling from it when the door was opened for fueling & occasionally the living room would fill with smoke, so I checked the door seal ,it was good so today I swept the chimney in reverse,up the flue from inside the stove, checking the baffle and the gasket/ insulation, it all looked good, and recovered a cup or so of soot from the cleaning. But after firing it up I saw wisps of smoke leaving this thimble & quickly put the fire out. Here's a photo of the fitting where the smoke was escaping from, there's a gap that upon closer examination looks to have some creosote stains, I'm not going to use it until it fixed obviously, but was wondering if anyone else has come across this before?

 

[RedGreen]

It's possible the wire screening I fastened around the chimney cap to keep suicidal squirrels out has become partially clogged with soot/creosote. It's been 4 years since I installed the screen but I remember it being 1/2" mesh.I don't
know how much blockage it takes to cause my problem but I'll get up there weather permitting and take a look...
Edited to add the photo .....here's that idiot squirrel....

 

[Ctwoodtick]

I would think that the screen could clog up causing smoke to back up. Like you said, have the system checked over good, including those creosote stains, to make sure things are proper at the cap and everywhere else.
The other thing would be to prevent pest intrusion as much as possible. Cutting down/ trimming trees is important for this. Squirrels can jump like 10 feet, at least the gray squirrels we have .

 

[RedGreen]

I would think that the screen could clog up causing smoke to back up. Like you said, have the system checked over good, including those creosote stains, to make sure things are proper at the cap and everywhere else.
The other thing would be to prevent pest intrusion as much as possible. Cutting down/ trimming trees is important for this. Squirrels can jump like 10 feet, at least the gray squirrels we have .

Yeah, I can see a bulge of sorts on one side of the cap/mesh assembly, almost like a black wasp's nest. Binoculars help to magnify it but there's no detail, like a black hole....
There's a maple close by that I never thought was close enough for a squirrel to leap from but apparently this one did. It wasn't wearing blue tights and a red cape, but it was a leap worth bragging about!

 

[Ctwoodtick]

Yeah, I can see a bulge of sorts on one side of the cap/mesh assembly, almost like a black wasp's nest. Binoculars help to magnify it but there's no detail, like a black hole....
There's a maple close by that I never thought was close enough for a squirrel to leap from but apparently this one did. It wasn't wearing blue tights and a red cape, but it was a leap worth bragging about!

Those squirrels are wild. I remember setting up a bird feeding station and the kit said to leave 10 feet I think from any object they could launch themself off of.

 

[begreen]

The first thing I thought was clogged screen. Give it a thorough cleaning and it should be good to go for another few years.

 

[RedGreen]

The first thing I thought was clogged screen. Give it a thorough cleaning and it should be good to go for another few years.

Yeah, I always thought the seams at junctions like wall/ceiling thimbles were tight enough to keep smoke from leaking in these situations, just shows me how much I really know about these things!

I'm considering removing the tree as it's old and dropping limbs /damaging my roof and removing the screen as I may well be past roof climbing in another few years!

 

[RedGreen]

Those squirrels are wild. I remember setting up a bird feeding station and the kit said to leave 10 feet I think from any object they could launch themself off of.

Yeah, a year after moving out here to Green Acres I set up a bird feeder & Presto I was inundated with these fuzzy tailed rats, also the same time I had one come down the chimney.

No more bird feeders for me after that.

 

[Ctwoodtick]

Yeah, a year after moving out here to Green Acres I set up a bird feeder & Presto I was inundated with these fuzzy tailed rats, also the same time I had one come down the chimney.

No more bird feeders for me after that.

Right. Without a good baffle to keep the squirrels away, you end up feeding squirrels

 

[stovelark]

Lots of folks are going to get this problem with cap screens, towards the end of season, warming up temps will lessen draft and make an issue more of an issue. Sounds like an easy fix though... Keep warm. Gonna be in the 70's this Saturday here in SE CT, looking forward to that.

 

[begreen]

Right. Without a good baffle to keep the squirrels away, you end up feeding squirrels

Our feeders are squirrel-proof. That eliminated the issue, though some still show up in early fall when the filberts are thick with nuts.

 

[RedGreen]

Our feeders are squirrel-proof. That eliminated the issue, though some still show up in early fall when the filberts are thick with nuts.

Mine was too as I had hung it from a clothes line that stretched 100 feet though the yard 8 feet high.
They never tried that high wire act....
But they were attracted by the partially eaten seed scattered on the ground below....in my area it's the acorns and apples in the fall.

 

[Ctwoodtick]

Our feeders are squirrel-proof. That eliminated the issue, though some still show up in early fall when the filberts are thick with nuts.

Those work very well. I opted for a baffle on the pole, so that I could use any feeder I wanted

 

[begreen]

Those work very well. I opted for a baffle on the pole, so that I could use any feeder I wanted

I tried that for several years, I even greased the pole. But the squirrels became flying squirrels instead with amazing leaps onto the feeder. We like to watch the feeder from the house and the removal of surrounding bushes that feed and protect the birds was not an option Our other feeder hangs right outside the dining room bay window. They would drop off the bay roof onto it and clean it out in an hour, thus the squirrel proof models entered. Peace has been restored to the wild kingdom. Now those chipmunks, that is a whole 'nuther chapter.

 

[begreen]

Those work very well. I opted for a baffle on the pole, so that I could use any feeder I wanted

This reminds me of our squirrels.

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[RedGreen]

this one is my favourite....

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[begreen]

The spinner is the most entertaining feeder for sure. I held off on getting one because I thought it needs frequent battery charging and it acts like a seed sprinkler when spinning. It also costs something like $150!

 

[vatmark]

Squirrels weren't our problem. We ended up just taking the feeders down. I still have the feeders and plan on putting them on a pole with a collar to see if that works.