Drolet NG1800 airflow/draft issue

[MongoMongoson]

Yeah I'm not sure why the glass says Aspen, maybe replaced or sold under a different name to certain stores?
No bypass damper on the side, just one air control at the bottom.

The firewood is pretty well seasoned, mostly 15-20%, downed trees I cut and split the year before. I do mostly smaller fires this time of year and choke it down at night, maybe the reason for buildup. I cleaned the pipes at the end of last season, but the problem was before that and didn't seem to make a difference.

Yes Begreen, the Cemi does pretty much eat anything with a good bed of coals. The Drolet does seem to be more picky on the wood. I'll try burning the driest stuff I have, maybe some 2x4s and see what that does.

The chimney has a clay liner, two holes at the top. Not sure what the other hole does.. And a cleanout hole near the bottom which is open.
Liner is 11"x7". From stovetop to chimney cap is 12'.
6" pipe from stove to liner, 6" chimney cap pipe on top. I have not had a company look at it, I use a whip attachement on a drill which works pretty good.

Thanks for the replies, I attached pics of chimney setup and wood split

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Close up the cleanout at the bottom. That should be sealed with a well fitting cleanout door. When it is open and your chimney is warm, it will suck cold air up the chimney. That can cut your draft but can also cool the exhaust gases, leading to more accumulation of creosote in the chimney. Adding a cleanout door is pretty easy. Just get a bag of premix (sand and cement) mortar, mix it with water and mud in the new door. I have had to do this on two chimneys in the past.

 

[OHWoodburner7]

Interesting points on the moisture meter, I haven't played around with it much, but looks like I will be using it more often to try and find the driest pieces.

I'll get the cleanout door put back on and sealed, and try also try it without the 6" cap and see if that makes a difference. The cap does seem to suffer from buildup, may need to upgrade to dual wall. Supposed to be cold front later this week so plenty of time to mess with it.

I also looked into stainless steel 6" liners, wow they are pricey with the insulation wrap.
Would make sense though that it would flow better, if all the pipe is the same diameter and insulated in the chimney. Right now its going from 6" to a 11"×7" area then back to 6".
I'll look into this more if above ideas don't help.

Thanks guys

 

[brenndatomu]

Would make sense though that it would flow better, if all the pipe is the same diameter and insulated in the chimney. Right now its going from 6" to a 11"×7" area then back to 6".
I'll look into this more if above ideas don't help.

So it goes from 28.26 sq inches, up to 77, then back to 28.26...has several 90* elbows, is uninsulated, and is at least 20% shorter than specs call for...yup, that's gonna cause trouble!

 

[Trevor Tahclep]

I'll get the cleanout door put back on and sealed, and try also try it without the 6" cap and see if that makes a difference. The cap does seem to suffer from buildup, may need to upgrade to dual wall. Supposed to be cold front later this week so plenty of time to mess with it.

I also looked into stainless steel 6" liners, wow they are pricey with the insulation wrap.
Would make sense though that it would flow better, if all the pipe is the same diameter and insulated in the chimney. Right now its going from 6" to a 11"×7" area then back to 6".

- The cleanout can be filled with Rockwool as it does not burn and will stop the leakage and cost you very little $$, available from most hardware or lumber yards.
- IMHO double wall stove pipe is far superior to single wall, I have used both for many years, that has been my experience.

 

[stoveliker]

Rockwool does not air seal well. The door with a bead of silicone around the frame and a gasket is best.