Possible draft problem.

[DamienBricka]

Sounds like the air intake lever on the stove could be broken

I am not sure I follow. Please explain.

edit: I opened the door and I took a piece of metal and the intake level seems to be moving correctly. Assuming you and I are talking about the same thing.

 

[DamienBricka]

ding ding! That for sure will cause a problem by slowing down the flue gases. Smoke does not like to go downhill. This must be fixed. If you switch to 45s inside as shown it will correct this problem. Or in the least, take some metal off of the 33" vertical pipe coming off the stove in order to accomplish good pitch uphill toward the chimney.

Begreen since I have to remove the mortar around the "quick T removal" to make sure the flue is moving upward. Would it be easier to remove the "quick t removal" and replace it by a 45 degree angle. By using this product : http://www.chimneylinerdepot.com/store/839/product/6-inch-45-Degree-Flex-Liner-Elbow.html

And then have another 45 degree angle by the stove. By doing so we would remove one 90 degree angle. Let me know your thoughts on that option.

 

[stoveguy2esw]

flue isn't the only thing , house is quite tight and in a basement he's below the zero pressure plane in the house, will need makeup air to really solve the issue long term.

reloads with the door open and a hot flue will pull a bunch of air in a hurry ,, in a tight house it may not be made up for a longer period of time, thus when the stove is reloaded and the door shut the negative pressure being higher robs the stove of more air than it would from a cold start.

a make up air source would be helpful an indirect OAK with a cold air well can do it without losing cold air into the room by cracking a window. I know a cheap way to do this if interested.

ohh and BG is right as well, fix da pipe too you have a couple things which by themselves wouldn't be too much a problem , but the combination of the two is too much for your flue to overcome. FWIW your install (other than the downward slant on the horizontal) is almost exactly like mine was when I ran a wood stove 18 ft flue 6 inch (SS with a perlite pour so im insulated all the way up) double 90 off the top of the stove. stove ran like a champ with that hookup until I started refinishing the house room by room, started losing performance (was slow but apparent) added an OAK bingo took right back off

 

[DamienBricka]

a make up air source would be helpful an indirect OAK with a cold air well can do it without losing cold air into the room by cracking a window. I know a cheap way to do this if interested.

I would be glad to install an OAK but my stove is not fitted for that.

I know a cheap way to do this if interested.

I am all ears.

 

[stoveguy2esw]

ok, this unit is in a basement right? best case for this little trick.

you will need some 3 inch PVC (legal for this as its not connected directly to the stove) a small patch of screen (anti critter type)and a 5 gallon bucket

locate a suitable position in relatively close proximity to the stove drill a hole in the sill plate that the PVC will pass through and screen it on the outside , elbow down along the wall and stop about 3 inches from the floor inside the bucket.

this will allow air to come in through the pipe but the air coming in will be cold , so it wont "rise" out of the bucket by itself, its trapped there because its colder than the surrounding basement air the house (and flue) need some air , the air will be sipped off the top of the bucket and more will come in to replace it so the house will only take what it needs for neutral pressure. this will give the flue a stable supply of air while at the same time you have control over where the cold air is when its not being drawn by the flue.

bonus, if you like a cold one while reloading the stove , the air in the bucket will be cold, almost like having a fridge down there, drop a couple beers in the bucket for a "reload reward"

I used this trick to defeat a negative pressure issue at my dads house. it worked quite well

 

[DamienBricka]

ok, this unit is in a basement right? best case for this little trick.

you will need some 3 inch PVC (legal for this as its not connected directly to the stove) a small patch of screen (anti critter type)and a 5 gallon bucket

locate a suitable position in relatively close proximity to the stove drill a hole in the sill plate that the PVC will pass through and screen it on the outside , elbow down along the wall and stop about 3 inches from the floor inside the bucket.

this will allow air to come in through the pipe but the air coming in will be cold , so it wont "rise" out of the bucket by itself, its trapped there because its colder than the surrounding basement air the house (and flue) need some air , the air will be sipped off the top of the bucket and more will come in to replace it so the house will only take what it needs for neutral pressure. this will give the flue a stable supply of air while at the same time you have control over where the cold air is when its not being drawn by the flue.

bonus, if you like a cold one while reloading the stove , the air in the bucket will be cold, almost like having a fridge down there, drop a couple beers in the bucket for a "reload reward"

I used this trick to defeat a negative pressure issue at my dads house. it worked quite well

I made a drawing of what I understood. Did I understand you correctly?

 

[stoveguy2esw]

yeah, pretty much though you don't have to get that close to the stove , how far is the stove from the wall you represented the pipe going through?

 

[DamienBricka]

yeah, pretty much though you don't have to get that close to the stove , how far is the stove from the wall you represented the pipe going through?

about 10 feet to the South Wall. I want to use that wall because the air intake will be protected from the wins since there is a floor above it

And since I have to remove the mortar around the 90 degree angle in the chimney I am thinking of changing it with a 45 degree angle. http://www.chimneylinerdepot.com/store/839/product/6-inch-45-Degree-Flex-Liner-Elbow.html

 

[stoveguy2esw]

thats probably close enough, remember its ambient pressure we're releaving down there not really providing direct air to the flue just allowing replacement air into the room should be sufficient, dads is about 8 ft away and it does fine , that way you wont have a longer pipe running along the ceiling.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Run a brush through your chimney while you have it apart. I bet you get more out of it than you think is in there.

 

[DamienBricka]

Do you think I can install a 45 degree angle in the chimney

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Maybe. You'll have to take it apart and get a look at it.

Given the over fire conditions you were getting earlier in the season I don't think the 90s or the slight downward slope of the pipe are your largest worries. Everything was working a little too good before. I think the gasses in the flue are experiencing more friction due to creosote or ash buildup and the smaller volume isn't helping either. If cracking a window didn't help the fire, than the airsealing of your office wasn't the main issue regarding draft. If your wood hasn't changed than the chimney is the main culprit in my mind. I'd fix the slope sometime when it got warmer though. I think I'd try chipping or cutting the brick a little lower and shortening the vertical section of stove pipe before I radically changed the setup of my system. It was working before, it should work now.

 

[DamienBricka]

The problem I have is cleaning the flue there is ice on the flue. I am relunctant on buying the sooteater because of the 90 degree. I really don't want the brush to break inside the flue

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Maybe the sun will be strong enough to melt the snow and ice on your roof in the next couple of days. There are products made to melt ice dams, but I've never used them. I think I'd be more apt to run a hose onto to the roof to melt any snow and ice off if I needed to get up there. I just checked accuweather and you are going into another couple weeks of cold weather.

 

[DamienBricka]

Yesterday I bought a creosote log from Lowes. http://www.lowes.com/pd_280314-8533...rSearch=creosote+log&productId=3030135&rpp=48
And I burned I today the fire in the stove is a lot better. I guess you were right Matt it is a chimney problem. I just checked the roof again and it is to risky in my opinion to get up there. And tomorrow and the rest of the week the weather will be real cold.
I will make some modification to the chimney over the summer but it will be nothing major.
I thank you again for your opinion. I guess next time I have a problem with the stove I will go to you directly

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I'm glad it is working better now. You may be able to remove some of the ash by leaving the air open and really getting the draft going when the temps are low. It's not a cure, but it could clean the chimney a bit.

I'd still go to the board. There are people here who have been burning 40 years. I'm pretty sure they've seen it all.

 

[branchburner]

The problem I have is cleaning the flue there is ice on the flue. I am relunctant on buying the sooteater because of the 90 degree. I really don't want the brush to break inside the flue

If you pull the pipe, you can clean that and the bottom of the flue, and use a mirror to look up and get an idea of whether of not it's getting thick in there. If you end up getting some buildup out from the lower part of the flue/pipe today or tomorrow and you might get better heat output before the cold snap.

(Although today is out by now, since as a Pittsburgh resident you are probably busy cheering on Tom Brady?)

 

[begreen]

I still say the plugged pipe is the symptom. The misleveled horizontal section is part of the cause. Wife burning a lot of paper and cardboard probably didn't help either.

 

[DamienBricka]

(Although today is out by now, since as a Pittsburgh resident you are probably busy cheering on Tom Brady?)

I am not a Football fan so I really do not care about Tom Brady

 

[DamienBricka]

I still say the plugged pipe is the symptom. The misleveled horizontal section is part of the cause. Wife burning a lot of paper and cardboard probably didn't help either.

That is why when the temperature will get warmer I will be removing the 90 degree angle in the chimney and replacing this by a 45 degree angle like this one: http://www.chimneylinerdepot.com/store/839/product/6-inch-45-Degree-Flex-Liner-Elbow.html.

Your opinion is welcomed on my planned modification.

 

[branchburner]

I still say the plugged pipe is the symptom. The misleveled horizontal section is part of the cause. Wife burning a lot of paper and cardboard probably didn't help either.

I don't disagree, but in the immediate present (1-2 days) it might be good to address the symptom, while realizing the disease must still be addressed in the long term.

(If I still visited the ashcan, I would be saying the same about 100 different topics, I'm sure.)

 

[branchburner]

I am not a Football fan

Sorry, but are you REALLY from Pittsburgh? I thought being a fan was required by law there!

 

[DamienBricka]

Sorry, but are you REALLY from Pittsburgh? I thought being a fan was required by law there!

Moved to Pittsburgh going on 14 years now. I would watch Soccer over Football any day. Required by Law Yes I got fine many times by My Spouse.LOL....

 

[DamienBricka]

I don't disagree, but in the immediate present (1-2 days) it might be good to address the symptom

I know I am a slow learner. So will ask again ............... what should I do in the next 1 or 2 days

 

[begreen]

I don't disagree, but in the immediate present (1-2 days) it might be good to address the symptom, while realizing the disease must still be addressed in the long term.

(If I still visited the ashcan, I would be saying the same about 100 different topics, I'm sure.)

Agreed as long as complacency and a chimney fire don't follow. Otherwise, get a pro out to clean the chimney. The problem is none of us are actually looking at the blockage or the condition of the chimney. We can't say if it will plug again soon or why it is plugging.