Really tough start today but I got it going

[seabert]

Well this morning I had to do a cold start while in the heart of Winter Storm Grayson. The winds were pushing hard down my chimney and actually snuffing out the flames. I had to use a portable fan and open a window to keep the draft going in the right direction. Finally I was able to get it going but used up most of my good kindling in the process. Now with record low temps in the forecast for the next few days I will have to stay on top of keeping the fire stoked.

 

[fire_man]

Do you have a cap over your Chimney?

 

[seabert]

Do you have a cap over your Chimney?

Thanks for the response. Yes, I have a cap and normally startup without any issues. There was so much wind that it was putting pressure into my chimney. I never had the problem before. It is now fired up and I will burn until early next week around the clock as we will have record low temps.

 

[fire_man]

We are having the same blizzard right now so I feel your pain. This is a pretty bad storm, I'll bet you are not the only one with this problem. Glad the fan worked, I would not have thought of trying that.

 

[cjgoode]

Would damper above the stove help in this situation and slowly open it as the fire starts?

I have been learning so much from this forum, never thought of the impacts of the wind. On the coast of Fl here we had gail for winds for 3 days before it moved up to you guys. The wind blowing over the water vent stack on the roof and gusting sucks the water out of the toilets and they will be 3 inches lower then normal. Never thought of the same wind coming down the chimney when blowing in just the right direction. I wish I as up in the mountains firing up my wood stove right now.

 

[Zack R]

Do you have a propane torch handy? Thats a quick way to ignite several locations and keep some heat on the wood and get a draft going until it takes off.

 

[saewoody]

Do you have a propane torch handy? Thats a quick way to ignite several locations and keep some heat on the wood and get a draft going until it takes off.

That’s a great point. I usually use the torch on a cold start because it just makes it easy. I’m no Boy Scout. But the OP made me realize why I had a back-puff of smoke from the stove as I was reloading this morning; it must have been the winds from the storm. It’s the first time in 5 seasons I can recall smoke being pushed into my living room. Stay warm!


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[seabert]

That’s a great point. I usually use the torch on a cold start because it just makes it easy. I’m no Boy Scout. But the OP made me realize why I had a back-puff of smoke from the stove as I was reloading this morning; it must have been the winds from the storm. It’s the first time in 5 seasons I can recall smoke being pushed into my living room. Stay warm!


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Actually I always use a torch to get the fire started. The issue was even with active flame the force was so strong it snuffed the fire. The problem was I needed to get enough pressure in the updraft so the stove could get hot enough to stay running. It was a one time issue but it was frustrating.