Shelburn smokes when door is opened

[MJH]

Hello all,

my first season with the Hearthstone Shelburn and we love the stove. Now, after a couple of months of no issues, it decides to emit smoke when I open door. No matter how careful, the air intake is all the way open, I open the door a crack and wait a bit, but as soon as I open all the way to put more wood in, smoke comes out. Anybody got some clues? I clean the ash out regularly and we have had a fire everyday for the last number of months, seems to be a new thing the past week.

 

[Sully]

Are you in area like me where it's unseasonably warm today? If so cold weather has a lot to do with draft. With my new stove I will get some smoke on house if a log is positioned just right. It is warm here today though

 

[MJH]

Are you in area like me where it's unseasonably warm today? If so cold weather has a lot to do with draft. With my new stove I will get some smoke on house if a log is positioned just right. It is warm here today though

In Washington State and it has been relatively cold - 30's. I thought it might be heavy air coming down the pipe? But, it seems to be a new development and we have had all sorts of weather the last couple of months and no problems.

 

[begreen]

Check the chimney cap screen to see if it is starting to plug up.

 

[DanCorcoran]

Make sure you don't have any exhaust fans running in the house that would be competing with the flue updraft (e.g., bathroom, kitchen stove hood, clothes dryer, etc.). Some recommend opening a nearby window a crack, to allow air to flow into the house and thus into the open stove door.

 

[KindredSpiritzz]

i notice mine smokes more when the chimney needs cleaning, maybe check that.

 

[weatherguy]

The one time that happened to me the chimney cap was plugged, first place I'd look since its an easy fix.

 

[Nick Mystic]

I concur with the idea that either the chimney cap needs a good cleaning and/or the liner itself is due for a cleaning. An earlier pre-EPA stove I had in another house would always let me know as soon as I started to get some creosote build up in the chimney by letting some smoke escape when I opened the stove door. Once things were cleaned up not a trace of smoke coming out during reloads.

 

[MJH]

Hello all,

my first season with the Hearthstone Shelburn and we love the stove. Now, after a couple of months of no issues, it decides to emit smoke when I open door. No matter how careful, the air intake is all the way open, I open the door a crack and wait a bit, but as soon as I open all the way to put more wood in, smoke comes out. Anybody got some clues? I clean the ash out regularly and we have had a fire everyday for the last number of months, seems to be a new thing the past week.

Hello all, thanks for the replies. It was indeed the chimney cap. It was plugged and it was easy to clean out. Never had this occur before with my old stove, but it is also a new cap. I will keep an eye on it. I think it is my use of too much paper to get my fire started in the morning. Might try switching to a fire starter that I have seen in Home Depot. Can't help but believe that less paper is better anyway.
Thanks again all.

 

[begreen]

Get a SuperCedar sampler from Thomas. You won't look back. All it takes is a quarter of a puck to get the fire going.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/super-cedar-free-samples-discount-code.113830/

 

[Nick Mystic]

I seriously doubt burning paper to start a fire would be the cause of a clogged chimney rain cap unless it was clogged with large pieces of paper ash as opposed to the sticky black creosote that typically clogs up caps. That stuff comes from burning wood, more than likely wet wood. If you are burning slow overnight fires with too little secondary action that could be a big part of your problem.