Smoke backing into room when stove door is open

[kyguylal]

Hi all,

I have an Engander wood stove. Its the larger Madison with the 3.2 cf firebox.

Last season, I had a huge issue with smoke coming back into the house whenever I opened the door to add wood and especially while getting the fires started.

I tried cracking the front door to the house when opening the stove door, but that didn't help. Opening very slowly didn't help either.

My chimney set up is a straight shot through the roof. 10' of single wall stove pipe to 6 feet of class A chimney. I'm thinking that maybe the long section of single wall stove pipe is cooling down too quickly and I'm losing draft?

Its a cheaper Duravent pipe, but a double wall is still $180, so I'm just seeing if you all think replacing the pipe might be a simple fix to my problem before I go and order.

We're here in New Hampshire where we're just now dipping into the mid-30s at night, so we're coming up on the season. I'm pretty excited to burn this year because I have about 5 cords of 3-4 year old oak which is sitting in the upper teens in moisture content.

 

[firefighterjake]

This time of year I sometimes get a reversed draft when the temps inside and outside the home are close to each other. Usually opening a window nearby will do the trick, but I sometimes will use a fan and have even lit a candle in the firebox for a few minutes before loading the stove and lighting it up.

If you have issues year-round and/or when reloading after the stove has been going I would suspect your draft isn't very strong either due to a blockage or a need for a longer chimney. Other folks much smarter and better looking than me should be along shortly however to see if they can get to the root of the problem.

 

[MainePatsFan]

With my current setup I have never had a draft problem over the past 7 years which has been great, but at my old house with my previous stove (about 6 feet of vertical single wall pipe into an insulated pipe through the roof) it happened every once in a while. I would have to light a firestarter stick or a part of rolled up newspaper and stick it near the back of the stove for a couple of minutes to try to create a warm updraft, then just keep the door open a crack to try to force the airflow from outside the stove up the chimney. Opening a window would help too. There were times when the room would get smoky, but it would clear out as soon as the draft was going.

I always wondered if a damper would have helped with that. My parents had a damper that came out of the side of the vertical stovepipe leaving their old "Franklin" stove back in the 80's. I did not have a damper because none of the online instructions for stove installations even mentioned it at the time I installed my stove. Really maybe the gurus can explain these dampers and why nobody uses them anymore.

 

[begreen]

Last season, I had a huge issue with smoke coming back into the house whenever I opened the door to add wood and especially while getting the fires started.

Was this happening in the dead of winter with cold outside temps?

Double-wall stovepipe will help increase flue gas temp which will help draft. If the local topography is affecting draft, is adding another 2-3 ft of chimney pipe an option?

 

[kyguylal]

Was this happening in the dead of winter with cold outside temps?

Double-wall stovepipe will help increase flue gas temp which will help draft. If the local topography is affecting draft, is adding another 2-3 ft of chimney pipe an option?

It was happening when it was below zero, but not as much. Typically when starting a cold stove and only when the door was cracked more than a couple inches open. If it was just cracked open, it did fine. I'm just not sure if this is an actual issue, or just a consequence of my poor fire starting taking too long.

I can add a section of class A to the top, but I was trying to avoid it because the top of the pipe is at a perfect height which I can still reach it for a top down cleaning.

 

[SpaceBus]

Do you have any tall trees near your house?

 

[begreen]

First make sure that the chimney is clean. And if there is a screen in the cap make sure that is clean too. It's pretty common for chimney cap screens to start to plug up if the wood is not fully seasoned. This can happen in less than a month if the wood is damp.

 

[kyguylal]

First make sure that the chimney is clean. And if there is a screen in the cap make sure that is clean too. It's pretty common for chimney cap screens to start to plug up if the wood is not fully seasoned. This can happen in less than a month if the wood is damp.

I thought about that last year, but even with the screen removed and a sweeping, it still happened. The chimney is clear of any roof peaks near it and there aren't any trees within 100 yards.

I'm typically running the stove at about 475 degrees and the flue temp is good.

The smoke back only happens when the door is open wider than a couple inches.

 

[begreen]

Is there a hillside behind the house? Sometimes that can cause downdrafts. If not, then look for issues in the house. Is this a single-story house or multiple stories? If the whole house is 1 story then I would add 3ft of chimney pipe with a brace at 5' above where it exits the house.

 

[SpaceBus]

I think you might be at the minimum height for the stove. A taller chimney will probably help. Also maybe your house is really tight?

 

[kyguylal]

Is there a hillside behind the house? Sometimes that can cause downdrafts. If not, then look for issues in the house. Is this a single-story house or multiple stories? If the whole house is 1 story then I would add 3ft of chimney pipe with a brace at 5' above where it exits the house.

No hills, prefectly flat on a lake. Its a multistory house, but the stove is in a slab level and is well clear of roofs. Ill try adding a section and I'll figure out how to clean it after.

I think you might be at the minimum height for the stove. A taller chimney will probably help. Also maybe your house is really tight?

Theb house is pretty tight, but its still happens when I open a window right near the stove. I'm at the minimum height for the stove, so I'll try another section and a brace.

 

[begreen]

No hills, prefectly flat on a lake. Its a multistory house, but the stove is in a slab level and is well clear of roofs. Ill try adding a section and I'll figure out how to clean it after.

Is the house single-story in one section? Or does the chimney go up through the second floor? Can you post a picture of the house that shows the chimney and its relationship to the rest of the house?

 

[SpaceBus]

Clean from the bottom up with a SootEater or similar tool .

 

[kyguylal]

Is the house single-story in one section? Or does the chimney go up through the second floor? Can you post a picture of the house that shows the chimney and its relationship to the rest of the house?

It's multiple sections. I'll try to post a picture. Not sure if this will work.

The pipe is right above the porch and is 4' above the roof line. 13' from the taller roof to the right of the pipe. 12' from the masonry chimney.

 

[kyguylal]

Clean from the bottom up with a SootEater or similar tool .

I couldn't fit the head of the soot eatter past the air control inside my stove to go up the pipe unfortunately.

 

[SpaceBus]

I couldn't fit the head of the soot eatter past the air control inside my stove to go up the pipe unfortunately.

What brand is the class A? Some brands are easy to take down and that is one way to clean. Mine only uses a few locking bands and most joints are twist lock. I didn't trust it at first, but it makes it easy for maintenance.

 

[kyguylal]

What brand is the class A? Some brands are easy to take down and that is one way to clean. Mine only uses a few locking bands and most joints are twist lock. I didn't trust it at first, but it makes it easy for maintenance.

It's a cheaper Duravent. I believe it's Duraplus. No idea how they connect, but thats a good point that I can just pop a section off if it's easy enough.

I also found a random roof support in my garage. No idea when I picked that up, so adding a section would be easy if it would help the issue.

 

[begreen]

It's a cheaper Duravent. I believe it's Duraplus. No idea how they connect, but thats a good point that I can just pop a section off if it's easy enough.

I also found a random roof support in my garage. No idea when I picked that up, so adding a section would be easy if it would help the issue.

I think adding a 3 ft section will help.

 

[kyguylal]

I think adding a 3 ft section will help.

Thank you. I'll go pick up a section this weekend and I'll update on what happens.