Secondaries???

[Sprinter]

Is that to improve draft?

No outside air intake, but my house is anything but tight. It's a cabin built in the 50s designed primarily for summer usage.

Thanks for all of your troubleshooting help!

Unless the flue is drawing really well, opening the door too fast can cause a little smoke to spill out. It happens to me sometimes and my wife hates it, although I don't mind a little smoky smell. If you open the air up first, it will increase the flow up the flue.

If the house is leaky, negative pressure probably won't be a problem, but it can be pretty serious in some cases. That's why outside air (OAK) is required for mobile home installations because they are often built tighter than some stick built homes. At least that's the theory, as leaky as that theory may be...

 

[oldspark]

Well the whole idea when you start a fire is tto get the flue hot quickly to establish a good draft and Oak is not the best choice for a new fire.

 

[Trooper]

Well the whole idea when you start a fire is tto get the flue hot quickly to establish a good draft and Oak is not the best choice for a new fire.

And this is especially true in shoulder season, I would imagine.