I bought a house with a Hampton HI300 stove insert installed with a full flu liner in an exterior chimney all the way to the top with a rain cap. There is no blocking plate. The chimney was cleaned this fall before we started using the stove. The stove is equipped with the fan option. Most of the time when we try to light the stove, we encounter significant smoke blow back into the room from around the stove. The stove does have the insulation around the stone fireplace. I tried getting a draft going with a propane torch as well as with lighting rolled up newspaper, but most often we end up with a room full of smoke. I have not tried the use of a haair dryer yet (all of these draft starters seem excessive). I tried opening an adjacent window being sure air was coming into the house without success. Once the stove gets going, it does not leak any smoke and produces great heat in our large living room. It seems others have had this problem. Is this true for all installs of this HI300?
Where exactly is the air intake on the stove? I suspected it might be blocked and gave the interior of the stove as well as around the outside (in the fireplace) a good cleaning. I previously owned a King circulating free standing wood stove for 25 years and never had a smoke blowback issue. On that stove, the air intake was obvious.
Thanks,
Dan
Where exactly is the air intake on the stove? I suspected it might be blocked and gave the interior of the stove as well as around the outside (in the fireplace) a good cleaning. I previously owned a King circulating free standing wood stove for 25 years and never had a smoke blowback issue. On that stove, the air intake was obvious.
Thanks,
Dan
