Smoke in house help

[jharkin]

Also I'll add that as others have suggested you should definitely check that the air intakes are operating properly and non-obstructed. I looked at the exploded view and I dont see a regulated secondary intake like the cat models have.

In the image below I have circled where the primary intake is on the back of the bottom casting. With the stove cold look back there and work the primary air handle - you should see the door open up. It will probably open completely at less than half travel on the handle - this is due to the bimetallic thermostat action. Also check there is no ash or creosote blockage.

 

[gazelle]

The right lever is open during reloading (appropriate). You close the left lever (damper bypass) and you still keep the right lever open all the time? Or do you close this right lever after closing the damper bypass as well?
If you have to leave the right lever open all the time it does suggest a few possibilities. 1) wet wood again 2) possible problems with the 2nd air mechanism.
I hope the 2nd air mechanism is my issue. I will look tonight. I suspect I will have to remove the heat shield to see it open and close? I do not adjust the 2nd air mechanism at all since I am constantly looking to get the most heat out as possible. If I cut back the air, the stove temp goes down. I will admit I am not using the best wood in the world, it is not 15% like some suggested I need, but I bet I have used some wood that was close.
Those of you with the same stove, what are your griddle temps?
I do hear the roar when I close the stove down, it goes away after 20-30 seconds. I am guessing that the roar should go away, and should not continue for the entire burn?
If I find the 2nd air control is not opening up all the way, is it apparent how to adjust it?
, if you don’t get a good seal rip out the wirewound gasket and use plain 5/16 braided rope gasket (this is what I do, it seals better).
This is what I did, I tried the wirewound twice and then went for the 5/16
I can smell the smoke coming out about as soon as I shut it down (with second air control fully open). It is not something you can see, just smell. I know what back puffing is because that is probably what my first question was to the site when I first installed the stove.
I am not getting big back puffs, I know this because I see the stove while watching TV. Maybe I am getting micro puffs. I will clean the glass tonight and check the 2nd air mechanism intake.
There was also a mention by someone about high winds causing the back puffs to enter the house. where I live, in thw winter the wind is almost always blowing 7 mph and is frequently 15 mph and above.
Here is my theory/hope
I installed this stove by myself, including unloading it from my truck and lifting it up on my hearth. I moved it a lot during the install because it took a lot of effort to get my SS flex pipe in and the hearth has limited room for me to work and the stove centered. I also had to lift the stove a few times to replace some tile under it. During the install process I broke a few of the granite tiles it sits on. The original hearth was too tall and not wide enough. I have never done brick work so I had someone come out and give me a quote for around $1k. I quickly made the decision to do what I know how to do and made the hearth out of granite tile. I actually found tile that matches my carpet so well a friend accidently stepped on a tile on the carpet and broke it.
This is a long way of saying there is a good chance during all the moving I grabbed the 2nd air intake door. Before my gaskets leaked enough that it kept the current problem at bay, but now that I have replaced the gaskets the system is too air tight.

This is what I hope, fingers crossed. I will play tonight and report updates.


Thanks for all the help and suggestions folks!

 

[gazelle]

One more thing, how do I know if the intake for the 2nd air mechanism is opeening all the way or not? Is there a gap size I should be looking for?

 

[Ashful]

I will clean the glass tonight and check the 2nd air mechanism intake.

Dirty glass = one of the signs of poorly seasoned wood. Most often, the only way to get dirty glass with properly seasoned wood is in a catalytic stove with the air control shut down tight.

 

[Charles1981]

I don't know the exact measurement of the gap. All i can say is with the air lever all the way forward and open it should be "open" (maybe 1/2 inch to 1 inch gap?). As you turn the lever you should see it close almost all the way (often i can hear a light clank as it touches cast iron to cast iron).

If you are looking at the opening when the stove is hot however the air control could close before you completely turn the air lever because it is thermostatically controlled meaning it can start to close down on its own as the thermatstat heats up...so it would be best to evaluate this control mechanism on a cold stove.

 

[gazelle]

Wanted to give an update for others who may experience the same problem and stumble on this thread. I have received a lot of info off this site over the years and wanted to do my part to contribute.

I found this thread, not sure why I did not find it in my original search
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/update-vermont-castings-defiant-1610-non-cat.63177/

I went in to the local dealer and talked to him for about 45 min, very helpful. He mentioned he has the same stove in his house and loves it.

Basically I had 2 issues
1) The shoe had filled with ash. My guess is that the new gaskets made the stove air tight and the ash in the shoe was hampering air flow. The link above informs how to get the shoe out. Easier than I thought, took me 45 min to an hour to remove it all and put it back together. I will clean this out annually from now on.
2) My shoe gasket had torn during install and was blocking one of the air holes. I fixed it and have been up and running for a few days. The problem is gone and I am running currently at about 550 degrees on the griddle top.

I also want to point out that I never found the air intake door. It was pointed out that it may be in the back on the bottom. What I found is that is a direct hole to the shoe to let air in. Not sure how it is controlled because there is not any mechanical elements in the hole or the shoe.

I will also add I did not take out the fountain to study the refractory. All appeared ok so I figured why mess with it. I did use a small mirror to look up behind the fountain with the shoe out. There was some ash up there but nothing to really worry about.


Thanks for all of those that chimed in.

Gazelle

 

[begreen]

Thanks for the detailed update. It's good to hear that you are heating well again. Just in time for the latest weather.