Puff Of Smoke Out Of The Side Of My New Mansfield... Normal?

[ckdeuce]

Ok, forget the fact that I was emptying my ash pan after putting in a fresh load of wood..... But, I was. When I opened the ash door, I got the quick burst of air that fired things up for a second or two until I closed it back. When I shut the ash door, the gases ignited and a puff of smoke came out of the side of my new Mansfield. Is this normal? It was not a large amount, I could barely see it out of the corner of my eye. Nothing looks cracked, and I took a flashlight today and shined it all over that side to see if any light was getting through and there was none. My stove burns perfect, and I never get any smoke smell in the room so I don't think there are any leaks, but I guess there has to be if it puffed smoke like that. Should I be concerned?

Again, the removal of ash while there is a new load in the stove is not something I usualy do, so go easy one me....

Thanks
Chris

 

[begreen]

That is puffback. It's a mini-explosion of unburnt wood gas. As you've just found out, this is why the best time to empty the ash pan is when the coals are dying down. Definitely don't do this with a fresh load of wood on hot coals. The stove is probably fine. Take a deep breath, it's part of the learning curve.