Need wood stove/insert consultation

[Hogwildz]

Excuse me Not sure how asking you to clarify your statement pissed you off but you need to lighten up. I know some inserts heat fairly well without the fan. Yes a fan will increase the output on them but as you say in some cases they are not vital. Am i not allowed to ask questions about stoves i have little experience with?

I miss read your reply to my original post, and posted my reply. Then I saw your question afterwards. I owe you an apology, I fkd up. I think we are on the same page. Sorry brother, no excuse, I jumped before I read and thought.

 

[bholler]

I miss read your reply to my original post, and posted my reply. Then I saw your question afterwards. I owe you an apology, I fkd up. I think we are on the same page. Sorry brother, no excuse, I jumped before I read and thought.

No prob

 

[schwaggly]

I have the same issue. We moved into a split 2.5 yrs ago that is prone to outages. I put in a beautiful enamel regency insert upstairs. Downstairs is a nightmare. I has to block flue on both ends with roxul to keep basement from smelling like soot. The down draft is brutal at 25ish ft. The hearth extends 8 inches. Im hoping an exhaust fan does the trick. An insulated 6 inch liner might not fit, the 6 on first insert barely fit. Pics and measurements forthcoming. I do like hogwildz counter point on insert fans. I do use one and find it necessary but there is no be all end all solution.

 

[schwaggly]

Chimney is on exterior and I want a cook surface.

 

[Ashful]

Downstairs is a nightmare. I has to block flue on both ends with roxul to keep basement from smelling like soot. The down draft is brutal at 25ish ft. The hearth extends 8 inches. Im hoping an exhaust fan does the trick.

Maybe I’m reading you wrong, but wouldn’t an exhaust fan in the house make any downdraft issue worse?

 

[begreen]

I have the same issue. We moved into a split 2.5 yrs ago that is prone to outages. I put in a beautiful enamel regency insert upstairs. Downstairs is a nightmare. I has to block flue on both ends with roxul to keep basement from smelling like soot. The down draft is brutal at 25ish ft. The hearth extends 8 inches. Im hoping an exhaust fan does the trick. An insulated 6 inch liner might not fit, the 6 on first insert barely fit. Pics and measurements forthcoming. I do like hogwildz counter point on insert fans. I do use one and find it necessary but there is no be all end all solution.

Do both chimneys terminate at close to the same height? If so that could be the problem. Elevating the 1st floor's flue may address this issue.

 

[schwaggly]

Inline exhaust fan would be on the back of stove before cleanout to push smoke up chimney. Stack height would be a possibility but upstairs stove was not lit, this is more of a barometric pressure thing. It smelled like wet soot on a cooler overcast day, gross. Alot of people use a balloon contraption to remedy this but I had roxul on hand and didnt want to spend X amount of dollars and wait a week.

 

[schwaggly]

Thanks for input. Im looking at a russo c/w or a nightingale both rear vent and will fit and both are cheap from my buddies massive collection of guy stuff. Any thoughts.

 

[bholler]

Inline exhaust fan would be on the back of stove before cleanout to push smoke up chimney. Stack height would be a possibility but upstairs stove was not lit, this is more of a barometric pressure thing. It smelled like wet soot on a cooler overcast day, gross. Alot of people use a balloon contraption to remedy this but I had roxul on hand and didnt want to spend X amount of dollars and wait a week.

You dont want a fan in the pipe.

 

[schwaggly]

You dont want a fan in the pipe.

Why? I thought that was a thing. Inline draft inducing fan.
Are there any other work arounds?

 

[bholler]

Why? I thought that was a thing. Inline draft inducing fan.
Are there any other work arounds?

It is a thing yes. But it is a horrible thing that tries (usually unsuccessfully) to fix a problrm that should be addressed in other ways.

 

[Hogwildz]

Agreed on no fan inline on the pipe. BeGreen brought up a good question, that I am not sure was answered. If both flues same height, side by side, one will down draft the other that is not being used. If the issue is during warmer months that they are not being used, I'd block it off at bottom, or cap it off at top till burn season. Both stoves should have their own stacks. I think you may have some negative pressure going on in the basement, as the basement is typically cooler, and that stack wouldn't normally be down drafting in the warmer weather at least. Appliances in basement may be sucking air down that flue?

 

[missedbass]

When I ran my insert 24/7 for a few days with my boiler off I would get a downdraft in the boiler chimney. Now I crack a window in the basement to provide some make up air and all is good

 

[schwaggly]

Thanks for responses. I have a better gameplan now.

 

[schwaggly]

Just picked up a very nice clean Nightingale 101 for short money.
For my basement insert. Wifey says
its not as pretty as our enamel Regency/Hampton upstairs. Came with nice glass. It was wrapped in a blanket and tucked away before the dolly was unloaded, I learned that lesson the hard way years ago.

 

[begreen]

It won't be as pretty in the fuel consumption dept either. Are you going to call it Florence?

 

[Freep]

Update: I went with the Lopi Revere. I decided to have it professionally installed: If there's ever something I don't want to mess up, it's installing a fireplace. Maybe next time. My initial impressions are positive. It's smaller than I expected, but does seem to crank out the heat. I'm having a hard time getting it to burn without smoke coming from the chimney (outside), but the draft is great. I've had, like, half a wisp escape into my house in four burns, and that was my fault. Thanks for the suggestions, All!

 

[begreen]

How far down are you able to close down the air once the fire is burning well? Are you seeing good secondary combustion?

 

[joshuaboston]

When I ran my insert 24/7 for a few days with my boiler off I would get a downdraft in the boiler chimney. Now I crack a window in the basement to provide some make up air and all is good

So, if you want a fire going a window needs to be open? That sounds like me, I need about two windows open to get the draft going up my fireplace.

I have contracted to put in a insert with a insulated liner and I am hoping this will solve my problem.

But, having a window open to me is not solving the problem.

 

[begreen]

So, if you want a fire going a window needs to be open? That sounds like me, I need about two windows open to get the draft going up my fireplace.
I have contracted to put in a insert with a insulated liner and I am hoping this will solve my problem.
But, having a window open to me is not solving the problem.

The insert may need an outside air supply to remedy this situation.

 

[Ashful]

“May,” begreen? Let’s not treat it too lightly, couldn’t such a situation be potentially dangerous for things like CO, if the window were closed without an OAK?

 

[Hogwildz]

Just picked up a very nice clean Nightingale 101 for short money.
For my basement insert. Wifey says
its not as pretty as our enamel Regency/Hampton upstairs. Came with nice glass. It was wrapped in a blanket and tucked away before the dolly was unloaded, I learned that lesson the hard way years ago.
View attachment 229606 View attachment 229607

That thing will have a serious hunger for wood.

 

[Freep]

How far down are you able to close down the air once the fire is burning well? Are you seeing good secondary combustion?

I'm still getting used to it, so it's hard to tell for sure. This is the first modern wood stove I've used, so I'm having to learn to use it properly.

Thus far, it seems not to like the air control being fully closed. I start out fully open, then spend most of my time at around 1/3 or 2/3 open. There's a big different between 2/3 and fully open: In terms of stove temp, it goes from 400-ish to over 600. It's been difficult for me to dial it in just right, so I tend to reduce it as far as I think I can, then have to open it back up because it dies down more than I bargained for. Again, though, I'm very new to the whole process. Also, temps are pretty mild currently so I can't really load up the stove fully without creating problems. Most of the fires are about 1/3 to 1/2 capacity of the fire box, at most.

The thing will heat, though. I am not sure how to tell if I am getting good secondary combustion.

I'm burning bigleaf maple almost exclusively at this point. I have a bunch of alder, but the maple is the only wood below 20% moisture. Most of it is from standing dead trees that I prepped over the summer.