Cold Stove, Wood Smoke Leaking into Home

[Parallax982]

You could put a smoke stick inside the stove and see if any smoke leaks out.

Sounds like a great idea. What's a smoke stick?

 

[bigealta]

There are various smoke devices.
U could try an incense stick, or a few at a time to make more smoke.

Possibly dry ice
Or Smoke pencil/pen they can be a bit costly though.

 

[Prometeo]

the smell makes me think that the chimney is dirty and the wood is damp, you do not let the stove heat up well. For the rest, when the stove is not used, closing the air completely should avoid reverse draft

 

[Parallax982]

Just swept the chimney before the stove was installed and have hardly used it. There's of course some creosote; there always is. But it is by no means dirty if we're thinking in terms of chimney fire potential. It's nowhere near needing to be swept again.

 

[begreen]

Do you still have the extra lengths of chimney pipe that were removed?
Was a magnahelic put on this flue with the BK to measure draft strength?

 

[Parallax982]

Do you still have the extra lengths of chimney pipe that were removed?
Was a magnahelic put on this flue with the BK to measure draft strength?

At some point they did measurements but I have no idea what they were. I do have the removed length but getting it back up there would be anything but easy. There's really no place to stand and there's no room for a cherry picker. The first time, it took two guys and was super challenging. One guy got it back down but I was scared just watching him, as he had to lay a ladder against the chimney from my steep roof. It was kind of him to be willing to risk his neck like that. The solution cannot be putting that thing back up.

Here's a photo of the chimney AFTER it was shortened. Imagine that thing with one more section.

 

[BillBurns]

Good luck is all I can say. That looks WAY too high for me.

 

[begreen]

At some point they did measurements but I have no idea what they were. I do have the removed length but getting it back up there would be anything but easy. There's really no place to stand and there's no room for a cherry picker. The first time, it took two guys and was super challenging. One guy got it back down but I was scared just watching him, as he had to lay a ladder against the chimney from my steep roof. It was kind of him to be willing to risk his neck like that. The solution cannot be putting that thing back up.

Here's a photo of the chimney AFTER it was shortened. Imagine that thing with one more section.

Yes, that would be challenging for anyone.

 

[TradEddie]

A slight smoky smell is almost inevitable, I get it sometimes in Summer as a front passes though, it's all about pressure. I modified my air inlet to allow me to close it more completely when not in use but the best defense is burning cleanly so that creosote is minimized and not leaving it choked down at the end of a burn. If that picture was taken any more than a few minutes after lighting or reloading, you may not be burning cleanly, no smoke should be visible for 90+% of your burn time. Also it's odd that blocking the outside air didn't make it much worse, we've heard stories here of knock-outs inside the stove not being removed when an OAK was fitted, is that possible?

TE

 

[Parallax982]

A slight smoky smell is almost inevitable, I get it sometimes in Summer as a front passes though, it's all about pressure. I modified my air inlet to allow me to close it more completely when not in use but the best defense is burning cleanly so that creosote is minimized and not leaving it choked down at the end of a burn. If that picture was taken any more than a few minutes after lighting or reloading, you may not be burning cleanly, no smoke should be visible for 90+% of your burn time. Also it's odd that blocking the outside air didn't make it much worse, we've heard stories here of knock-outs inside the stove not being removed when an OAK was fitted, is that possible?

TE

As much as I hate to admit it, that is possible. When I return from my trip, I'll check.