Frustrated with my Sirocco 30.2

[Mustard Tiger]

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.

Makes sense, but have never had any draft issues before. Really, if I cracked the door on a cold start, once it started warming up the draft would try to pull the door shut. Didn’t matter if it was windy out or not.

 

[Dieselhead]

Makes sense, but have never had any draft issues before. Really, if I cracked the door on a cold start, once it started warming up the draft would try to pull the door shut. Didn’t matter if it was windy out or not.

What’s the plan for cap inspection?

 

[Mustard Tiger]

What’s the plan for cap inspection?

Well, I went to the dealer on Saturday but they were closed (usually open on the weekends but were closed for the holiday). I’ll be in town this morning running errands and will stop by and talk to them about it. My guess is that spark arrester is not helping the case but I doubt they’ll agree to remove it from the cap. I looked at the code requirements for the county and that’s one of the requirements. Other than that I’ve just been running the forced air in the meantime. It’s been cold here. In the teens at night and low 30’s during the day. Hate doing that since it costs me on average $20/day to run the furnace. Probably more lately since it’s been colder.

 

[Dieselhead]

That sucks man, those spark arrestors are a nightmare. Keep us in the loop, should be interesting ti see what comes of this.

 

[GG Woody]

My Sirocco is new this year as well. I can attest to the draft being so strong that it howls and even tries to pull the door shut a bit.
Yours looks like a nice install, too bad the cap is unreachable. I wonder if you can get up high enough to take off the top length of pipe with the cap attached to it, even if you had to make some sort of strap wrench to twist it apart.
Possibly not the best opinion... but... I'd get that cap off and cut out some material so it is less likely to plug, while being so diligent I would not burn in forest fire season. (not that I would)
I don't believe that a bit of bird screen/spark arrester is going to catch sparks, I believe it will catch material and make a chimney fire more likely. I did once build a bat screen enclosure for a chimney pipe and I caught it glowing pretty much on fire once.
Bats can get down my chimney and out of our P.E. insert and get free in the house, three, maybe four separate times... What a chit show chasing bats around in the middle of the night...

 

[Tron]

Bats can get down my chimney and out of our P.E. insert and get free in the house

How do they get out of the stove?
We (luckliy) don't have a cap screen, which I'm glad about, and only once a bird found it's way into the chimney. We only heard scratching noises in the flue and then it plunked out of the bypass (open for the spring at the time, not running the stove) and into the stove. With the door closed, it was trapped in there. We carefully caught it and released it.

 

[Murray01]

How do they get out of the stove?
We (luckliy) don't have a cap screen, which I'm glad about, and only once a bird found it's way into the chimney. We only heard scratching noises in the flue and then it plunked out of the bypass (open for the spring at the time, not running the stove) and into the stove. With the door closed, it was trapped in there. We carefully caught it and released it.

I wish I knew how a bat got into my air intake

 

[GG Woody]

How do they get out of the stove?
We (luckliy) don't have a cap screen, which I'm glad about, and only once a bird found it's way into the chimney. We only heard scratching noises in the flue and then it plunked out of the bypass (open for the spring at the time, not running the stove) and into the stove. With the door closed, it was trapped in there. We carefully caught it and released it.

I dunno, but I have heard scratching noises in the insert during not burning season , then within a day (night) I am chasing bats inside. Not a coincidence, and more than twice...
Wife doesn't like bats in the house, the noises she makes are quite primitive🤣

 

[bigealta]

My Sirocco is new this year as well. I can attest to the draft being so strong that it howls and even tries to pull the door shut a bit.
Yours looks like a nice install, too bad the cap is unreachable. I wonder if you can get up high enough to take off the top length of pipe with the cap attached to it, even if you had to make some sort of strap wrench to twist it apart.
Possibly not the best opinion... but... I'd get that cap off and cut out some material so it is less likely to plug, while being so diligent I would not burn in forest fire season. (not that I would)
I don't believe that a bit of bird screen/spark arrester is going to catch sparks, I believe it will catch material and make a chimney fire more likely. I did once build a bat screen enclosure for a chimney pipe and I caught it glowing pretty much on fire once.
Bats can get down my chimney and out of our P.E. insert and get free in the house, three, maybe four separate times... What a chit show chasing bats around in the middle of the night...

Yikes Bats, watch out for rabies with the bats.
I was going to suggest the same idea of trying to get that top section off to get at the cap.

Those old ladder steps built onto roofs in snow ice country to access the chimneys would be ideal here but don't know if they are feasable

 

[Highbeam]

My guess is that spark arrester is not helping the case but I doubt they’ll agree to remove it from the cap. I looked at the code requirements for the county and that’s one of the requirements.

Welcome to California! In that case you need to leave it in and maintain it. Perhaps see if there is a specific mesh size that is acceptable as a "spark arrestor" to the idiot making this requirement. If your mesh is smaller then you can cut out parts of the mesh so that your screen is as large as possible while still being legal.

Since it is a requirement, you removing it will make you extra liable if any sort of fire pops up. Even in the winter, in parts of your state, it can be very dry.

Chimney sections are 4 feet or less each and you can unscrew the chimney at any of those section joints. It is possible to take down your chimney from the roof deck without having to go to the height of the cap but on that steep steel roof it takes a special kind of person.

 

[Mustard Tiger]

Welcome to California! In that case you need to leave it in and maintain it. Perhaps see if there is a specific mesh size that is acceptable as a "spark arrestor" to the idiot making this requirement. If your mesh is smaller then you can cut out parts of the mesh so that your screen is as large as possible while still being legal.

Since it is a requirement, you removing it will make you extra liable if any sort of fire pops up. Even in the winter, in parts of your state, it can be very dry.

Chimney sections are 4 feet or less each and you can unscrew the chimney at any of those section joints. It is possible to take down your chimney from the roof deck without having to go to the height of the cap but on that steep steel roof it takes a special kind of person.

Don't live in California. I fled that communist country earlier this year.

Dealer came out and checked everything out. Turned out that the cap was blocked. Easily remedied with a brush on the end of a drill up the chimney. Was told the flue itself was very clean and was just the spark arrester that was clogged. The spark arrester seems to just create and increase the chances of another problem which is a chimney fire. I dont get it, because it seems like the spark arrester is a fantastic way to increase your likelihood of a chimney fire, which seems way likely compared to having something fly up the chimney and out the cap and set everything around it on fire.

Either way, the stove roars again! On startup the draft was trying to pull the door closed. Everything on the stove checks out and works as it should and it was all done with me present.

 

[begreen]

Well, I went to the dealer on Saturday but they were closed (usually open on the weekends but were closed for the holiday). I’ll be in town this morning running errands and will stop by and talk to them about it. My guess is that spark arrester is not helping the case but I doubt they’ll agree to remove it from the cap. I looked at the code requirements for the county and that’s one of the requirements. Other than that I’ve just been running the forced air in the meantime. It’s been cold here. In the teens at night and low 30’s during the day. Hate doing that since it costs me on average $20/day to run the furnace. Probably more lately since it’s been colder.

Have them replace it with a coarser screen. Hopefully that will satisfy the local regulations still.

 

[moresnow]

Booyaaa

Sounds like a potential flow reduction due to buildup on a cap screen

If you have a Sooteater you can leave the whips long/uncut and run the head up the pipe from inside the stove.

 

[Tron]

I second the sooteater. Works great on my flue and would probably be enough to un-clog the spark arrestor screen.

 

[spudman99]

My thoughts:

If it was working fine, then not now, what are the differences. Same wood (not an issue). Same operating procedure (not an issue). Mechanical failure (shop says not an issue and a new stove so unlikely). Temperature or external conditions (possible but should not be that dramatic). Flue liner (unsure if it is insulated and how long is your flue - not mentioned in your post)

That would point to one major issue, and that is the draft or flue system. I have a 30' exterior brick lined chimney. I always burn 4 or 5 crumpled pieces of paper when starting from cold and bypass open to warm the liner. Then I light the starter bricks to get the kindling going. I have a manometer so I can see the draft and by then it easily gets to the 15 wc range which is well above the 3 wc at room temperature. Then I know I have a good draft.

Depending on your skill level, you could purchase a soot eater and clean your liner yourself. That would eliminate liner issues. You could also get a sweep out there to inspect, possible clean or diagnose any issue. Or you could purchase one of the scope cameras to visually inspect the liner, but that is not as cheap and then you have a 30' tool laying around that won't be used often.

My unprofessional read is that you have some upstream condition that is affecting draft. Check the bypass opening (when stove is cold obviously) and above for possible restrictions. Smoke only billows inside when it can't rise above the stove.

I hit it on the head early on. I am glad you figured it out and now have a functioning stove. You did well by seeking help, isolating the possibilities and being patient for the installer to get out there. You can be a real asset here in this community. How did the installer identify and correct the spark arrestor? Did they use a bucket lift, ladders and climbing gear? Perhaps you can copy that set up in the future if you want to do it yourself, as it will likely be an annual or bi-annual cleaning.

Happy holidays and I look forward to some pics of a happy stove and happy BK owner.

 

[Mustard Tiger]

I hit it on the head early on. I am glad you figured it out and now have a functioning stove. You did well by seeking help, isolating the possibilities and being patient for the installer to get out there. You can be a real asset here in this community. How did the installer identify and correct the spark arrestor? Did they use a bucket lift, ladders and climbing gear? Perhaps you can copy that set up in the future if you want to do it yourself, as it will likely be an annual or bi-annual cleaning.

Happy holidays and I look forward to some pics of a happy stove and happy BK owner.

The guys from the dealer tied off a static line on the opposite side of the roof and ran it over the apex. Used a ladder to get up in the roof while tied into the static line.

Not going to say what we did with the spark arrester .

 

[brenndatomu]

Not going to saw what we did with the spark arrester

 

[stoveliker]

Not going to saw what we did with the spark arrester .

That (saw instead of say) might have been a Freudian slip...

 

[begreen]