HELP....kind of concerned about what just happened with my Fireview

[sailor61]

I've got a Woodstock Fireview and have had it for several years. In general the stove has been fool proof and I love it. Been burning since early October - letting it go down very low, so barely warm, during the day and then stoking it back up in the evenings. Today I added a few splits around 4 30 and it sort of smoldered a bit..I had the draft pretty open and the cat was off. Wood was oak splits, only about 9 months seasoned...tossed them in because they were gnarly stuff that was hard to keep in the stack and I wanted them gone.

Right about 6 PM the stove did what I'll describe as a backfire...there was some sort of small explosion inside the stove. I was sitting about 5 ft away when it happened, the top of the stove (which opens to access the cat) actually popped up a few inches.. And the wood load then erupted into large flames. I don;t see any damage or problem with the stove - but it's tough to tell.

It's in the 50s out after a day in the upper 60s. I know these temps mess with the draft.

This stove has been a 24/7 burner since it was installed with no troubles. I checked the flue in early Oct before starting up and it was perfectly clean. Stove is on the floor and vented into a stainless liner that runs to the top of the interior chimney, maybe 8 or 9 ft in total length.

I'm thinking I need to let the wood load burn out, the stove cool and then give it and the flue a good look tomorrow.

Anyone have a similar experience? Any ideas as to what occurred? Thoughts on what to do?

Haven't been around much of late...the new layout is GREAT.

 

[begreen]

Backpuff. Smoke ignited once a flame appeared.

 

[sailor61]

Ok so nothing to be overly concerned with then?

 

[begreen]

Most likely all is well. It's disconcerting but usually doesn't break anything. This is one of the reasons why pipe joints have three screws.

Give the stove a quick inspection. Make sure everything is still in its right place including the cat. If all checks out you should be good to go. Backpuffs can be prevented by not letting the fire smolder when starting and not closing the loading door too soon. Leave the door open a little until the wood is burning robustly enough so that when the door is closed the fire maintains flame.

 

[BrotherBart]

Yeah no worries. If you have burned in it "several years" without one you are unique. The flue and the lid popping took any pressure off that would have damaged the stove. You should hear what happens when a fireplace stove does that and you can hear the liner crinkle as it expands and contracts all the way to the top of the chimney.

It has a nickname. "Woofing".

And BG is right, the screws in the pipe keep it from ending up sitting next to the stove after it happens.

 

[HarvestMan]

Now that is an experience I hope not to have with my new Fireview . That must have set your heart to racing a bit!

 

[BrotherBart]

They have been known to require underwear changes.

 

[JA600L]

Mine does it every once in a while. It helps to have the screws tight and the joints sealed. I never had the lid pop though. Thats kind of crazy. I've heard that coal stoves can go off like gun shots.

 

[mellow]

This time of year we get tons of posts about this happening, the warmer temps affect draft so the smoke will pile up in the stove till... WHOOF.. you see smoke coming out of every seam. Of course that wet oak you were trying to burn didn't help matters, you will want to give it some more air than usual.

 

[kennyp2339]

Yup - you had all the smoke lite off at once, I witnessed this at my mom and dads a few years ago, the insert literally lifted about an inch off the ground, def was scary, especially since we were not expecting it. One way to avoid this is to keep the air opened until you get flames, I know its hard to do that when its warmer out.
As a firefighter I equate this as a small scale back draft, we are taught to read smoke from the outside of a home, brown / dark grey heavy oozing / puffing smoke that is coming out of soffits or ridge vents.
Flashover *different than a back draft - heavy flowing dark smoke ready to light off at any moment once the majority of the fuel hits its ignition temp.

You could see this to some degree in your wood stove - I sometimes have a small smoldering fire that has a decent wisp of smoke coming from one area (hottest smoldering part) that I will throw a lit kitchen match to, the smoke ignites then the rest of the pieces of wood start burning.

 

[sailor61]

Thanks guys....went through the stove this morning and no problems. Getting up on the roof to check the flue will have to wait...it's wet underfoot here plus any damage to liner I would expect lower down and there is nothing visible. I've burned for years and this was my 1st experience with this.

Scared me but the dogs were terrified. My pointer is a bit of a whoose at times and she scrambled to get behind the couch then spent about an hour peering around the corner...she's generally as close to the stove as she can get.. The Gordon sort of yawned and rolled over to ignore it..

 

[Highbeam]

I've had visible backpuffs where the stove bursts into flames and then goes black. Cycles a few times and then stays in flames, but never had an audible bang or woof. Guess I'm lucky?

 

[3fordasho]

Thanks guys....went through the stove this morning and no problems. Getting up on the roof to check the flue will have to wait...it's wet underfoot here plus any damage to liner I would expect lower down and there is nothing visible. I've burned for years and this was my 1st experience with this.

Scared me but the dogs were terrified. My pointer is a bit of a whoose at times and she scrambled to get behind the couch then spent about an hour peering around the corner...she's generally as close to the stove as she can get.. The Gordon sort of yawned and rolled over to ignore it..

I've had two different Fireviews in a previous residence and they both would do it from time to time, usually turned down too low with no flame in the box. Never any damage to anything other than some smoke smell in the house. I would open the air inlet slightly and it usually would cease. My Drolet Tundra will do it too, and Progress Hybrid has done it on a rare occasion.

 

[saskwoodburner]

I've had it happen a few times....nothing ground shaking, but always exciting. The few times it's happened I was to blame, trying to settle a fire in a little early. One of those lazy northern light secondaries (floating flames randomly all over the firebox) kind of situations where it proceeds to stall after you walk away, is another one for me.

 

[begreen]

Trapped wood gas can pack a lot of punch. When it ignites it gets your attention quickly. I had one with the Castine under a similar circumstance that was a major KAWHUMPH! Smoke blew out of every orifice.

 

[nikolays]

Had that happening alot with my non-cat Dutch West. It's just the way some stoves are.

 

[firefighterjake]

Happened to me a few years back when I tossed on some cardboard and kindling on to hot coals . . . and as mentioned it smoldered for a bit and smoke/gases built up until it ignited with a KA-Whoof! Now I always make sure to give the coals plenty of air and flames before I close the firebox door.

 

[sailor61]

Figured out at least part of the reason this happened ...my smoke cap was about 80% plugged with dead bee nest that then trapped creosote etc. So that also likely explains the pokey draft I have been blaming fully on the outside temps...the combination did it in. The pipe itself wasn't bad...it needed a cleaning but there was fairly minimal build up on the walls. Sort of surprised to see that much build up in the cap since it is in cat mode about 90% of the time and is clearly in secondary burn based on flame patterns and top temps. I do need to get a brush...swinging a chain in there is getting old...but it works

 

[toddnic]

I have the Progress Hybrid and have had that happen a couple of times now. It is definitely scary when it happens. Glad you figured out that you needed to clean your chimney as well. You definitely don't want a chimney fire....

 

[mellow]

I do need to get a brush...swinging a chain in there is getting old.

I am guessing by this statement you are venting into a terracotta liner, that for one will cool the already cooler exhaust gases and create even further buildup, that is one of the reasons we recommend an insulated liner especially for cat stoves. Once those gasses cool they stick to everything as you can see.

 

[sailor61]

It's a stainless liner to the top. Part of the problem with using a chain is to NOT get it swinging too hard and damage the liner

 

[mellow]

You would be better off running a paint can down the liner, you really need to get a brush, even a metal brush is better than chains, you can get the fiberglass rods at lowes and a 6" metal brush that would get you going.

 

[firefighterjake]

Cleaning a chimney with just a chain is like combing your hair with a screwdriver . . . it may sort of work, but it really isn't give you the result you want and may result in damage.

 

[Ashful]

Backpuffing was a daily event with my first Jotul 12. Problem was solved by implementing three changes:

1. Put insulated 6" liner down thru original 8" terracotta flue.
2. Burn dry(er) wood.
3. Never turn that particular stove down to its absolute minimum setting. In my case, the flue was too short for the requirements of that stove on minimum air. I had the same model on a taller chimney, with no such problem.

So, in short, improve draft, burn dry wood!

 

[Woody Stover]

Probably the result of a "perfect storm;" Weak draft on the short stack, exacerbated by the pluggage and warm outside temps, plus the wet wood. I never had a backpuff with the Fv but I have 16' of stack. Dutchwest is more prone to do it when draft is marginal. Don't cut the air too fast after startup, when you have a lot of wood gassing; Cut the air in stages until the load settles in and isn't gassing as much. That way, the flue is warmed well and volatiles in the box are lower. My BIL is running my old Fv on 13' and hasn't had a problem. I would add a section of chimney if possible...10' is really pushing it. And you need drier wood.