Frustrated with my Sirocco 30.2

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Birds nest, bee hive, squirrel nest, dead bird or something in the flue perhaps?
Or that bypass door you said seems not quite right? Maybe a gasket loose or something is out of alignment?
When the guy from the shop came by I was told he ran rods up the chimney and they came out clean and even commented on how clean the chimney was. But I'm guessing that they didn't get up on the roof and look at the cap. Currently with the bypass open and thermostat wide open I'm barely getting anything but a glow from the firebox and no smoke coming out of the chimney.
 
These are classic insufficient air flow symptoms.
If your OAK is not obstructed (snow?), it has to be your flue.
Either obstructed or air leaking into the flue.
 
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These are classic insufficient air flow symptoms.
If your OAK is not obstructed (snow?), it has to be your flue.
Either obstructed or air leaking into the flue.
Pretty much what I've narrowed it down to, but really I dont know anything and am new to owning a wood stove. When I was outside I checked the outside air intake vent and wasn't obstructed and could see all the way through the exterior wall, through the brick and could see the flexible pipe going to the stove, so it has to be in the flue/chimney, and would have to think it's the chimney cap.
 
6" liner disconnected or partially disconnected from stove while they cleaned it?Xxxxxxxxx

Oh yeah no liner sorry. perhaps bad connecting pipe in ceiling box?

But i'm betting something is wrong inside the stove.
 
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Can you zoom into the cap to get a good look?
 
What's that wire from behind the stove for? a blower?
 
Just another thought: can you hear the flapper close?

Open up fully. Then dial back in a second or so and listen for.a ting.

I wonder if there is a loose screw someplace on the thermostat system?

Did the dealer open the back of the stove to look at flapper movement?
 
Just another thought: can you hear the flapper close?

Open up fully. Then dial back in a second or so and listen for.a ting.

I wonder if there is a loose screw someplace on the thermostat system?

Did the dealer open the back of the stove to look at flapper movement?
The dealer said they did take the back of the stove off and checked everything.

I just went outside with some binoculars and really think there's an obstruction somewhere in the flue, most likely the cap. I could swear before I could see daylight through the cap from one side to the other when I looked up at it in the past, but now no daylight, and there's only a very faint trickle of smoke coming out of one part of the cap.
 
Just a thought. Can you light an incense stick in front of the stove and use it to check for draft issues while tinkering with the controls?
 
The dealer said they did take the back of the stove off and checked everything.

I just went outside with some binoculars and really think there's an obstruction somewhere in the flue, most likely the cap. I could swear before I could see daylight through the cap from one side to the other when I looked up at it in the past, but now no daylight, and there's only a very faint trickle of smoke coming out of one part of the cap.
Just a thought. Can you light an incense stick in front of the stove and use it to check for draft issues while tinkering with the controls?
Never mind......
 
I betcha they installed the optional cap that has a bird screen in it. That bird screen will need to be cleaned frequently, perhaps multiple times per season, especially when burning a cedar/juniper species and especially in the cold with so much external flue. Some people call this bird screen a spark arrestor but we all know the holes are too big to trap sparks. The screen might trap big floating chunks of burning garbage like cardboard.

With your cap being so far above a slick steep steel roof, a bird screen is a maintenance nightmare.

The optional screen is removable. There is rumor that some local jurisdictions require the bird screen but it is not a standard building code requirement.

I had a screen and it kept clogging while burning very dry typical pnw species. No screen anymore!
 
From your pic it looks as if your cap will be difficult to access, even with a hook ladder.
It may be worth finding someone with a bucket truck.
 
And another thing I forgot in my post is from what others say in the PNW getting wood below 10% is just about impossible (@begreen) How you are checking your wood may be the culprit. Care to explain?
I get my wood green in early spring. It's exclusively doug fir. Some splits measure >35% mc on arrival. I always test after resplitting, on the freshly exposed face of the wood, prongs parallel with the grain. The wood is stacked in the shed by June. I test again in early September and then in October. By the time I am burning it settles down in the 17-18% range with some splits as low as 14%. I don't think 10% is possible without kiln drying.

If you want to do an interesting experiment, take some thick green splits and weigh them. Mark down the weight on the split. Ours come in around 7.5 lbs. Then, take them into the house and let them sit on the wood rack for a month. Weigh again. You will be surprise how much water weight has evaporated in that time. 2 lbs. is not unusual in our dry summer.
 
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Just finished splitting some wood and checking the moisture content. Took three pieces outside with me that have been indoors and next to the stove since Tuesday evening and split them and then split three pieces that were outside in the pile. Everything was between 6%-9.5%, so I think I can rule out subpar, wet wood.
Something is wrong with this reading. That is below fine cabinetry wood and kiln dried flooring's moisture content.
 
He is in desert highland country.

At the very least it likely rules out the wood imo.
 
Definitely keep those windows in the loft closed when using stove. Make sure any exhaust fans are OFF while starting fire and prior to reloading. May sometimes require cracking open an outside door or window at stove level until your fire is well established. Exhaust (warm air) will always take path of least resistance. If your home makes for a better chimney than the chimney, smoke will spill out from around loading door or from gaps in joints within flue.

Check height of your stack height where it penetrates roof. Follow 3/2/10 rule.

With cat stoves, you need to inspect/monitor deposits closely within flue connector and chimney to determine appropriate sweeping intervals. Might have to look every few weeks initially. Depending on what you burn, where you burn, and how you burn; requirements will vary. Even your higher altitude has impacts.

In the end, if your chimney or cap are partially plugged, will impact performance. Any “crackling”, tinkling, or oil-canning sounds coming from within the chimney could be originating from a fire within the chimney. Best to have that checked.
 
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Those windows are this at a higher story than the stove? Having them cracked may be exacerbating the issue.

With colder weather and therefore a relatively warmer home, your home will "draft" more, leading to lower pressure at the stove.

The flue is all inside the home until it reaches the roof?
Yup, the ole "Florida bungalow syndrome"
I am back at an obstruction on the exit side of the air flow.
IMO chances are good that cap is getting plugged...but I still say having those loft windows cracked is not gonna help any, even with the OAK...without the OAK its possible that you couldn't get a fire going at all!
If the OAK is sealed tight to the stove (not likely IME...and it seems most stoves get at least some of their air from the room anyways) then the windows wouldn't have the same affect.
 
Is the cap higher than the ridge? Tough to tell in that picture.
 
Is the cap higher than the ridge? Tough to tell in that picture.
No. Still had a massive draft and still follows the 3/2/10 rule. My understanding is the cap doesn't have to be higher than the ridge in every circumstance as long as it follows the 3/2/10 rule. Also, if the cap had to be higher than the ridge would mean it would have to be a huge chimney, and wouldn't that mean by the time the time everything would get to the top of the chimney it would be even cooler than a shorter chimney, making it even easier to plug up?
 
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No. Still had a massive draft and still follows the 3/2/10 rule. My understanding is the cap doesn't have to be higher than the ridge in every circumstance as long as it follows the 3/2/10 rule. Also, if the cap had to be higher than the ridge would mean it would have to be a huge chimney, and wouldn't that mean by the time the time everything would get to the top of the chimney it would be even cooler than a shorter chimney, making it even easier to plug up?
I was just wondering because I’ve read on here where other people have had issues with that setup and down drafting. Basically if it’s windy and the wind is coming up and over the ridge it will push cold air down your flue.