Smoky smell in house - negative pressure

[jharkin]

OK, looking for ideas here. Finally got cold enough to use the stove this year and Ive noticed some smoky smell in the house - this morning after a low overnight burn and this afternoon after the morning load burned down to coals.

We also smelled some smokiness a couple weeks ago from the stove when it wasn't even burning on on a windy day.

I checked and all the gaskets, etc are tight and the stove does not display any symptoms of a leak.

I used to be of the "you cant ever make an antique house too tight" thinking but with all the insulating and caulking Ive done I wonder if it is possible the place is tight enough that the stovepipe has become the path of least resistance and its back drawing a bit after the pipe cools down?

Ideally we would get a blower door test to validate if we need make up air, unfortunately when I had an energy audit for the insulation work they refused to do the test because the house used to have asbestos wrapped pipes (long since removed)... too afraid of liability.

For now Ive got a basement window cracked, and will see if that resolves things. If it does I guess that confirms I need ventilation.

I'm looking for opinions-

#1 - Any other ideas what could cause smoky smells?

#2 If the basement window test validates its a venting idea - any suggestions to remedy this? (Adding an OAK would mean running a duct across the living room floor -non starter. Installing a makeup ventilation duct in the basement not so easy either due to the 7 in thick sill beams I'd have to bore though.)

 

[jharkin]

One other point to add. We have a CO meter with a digital readout nearby. I checked it and it reads all zeros. So if it is backdraft its not much.

 

[BrowningBAR]

I was having problems with some sort of blow back from the 30 during the hurricane. That was my first experience with that. What cleared it up for me was giving the 30 more air.

Try giving it more air at the end of the burn (if you haven't tried that already).

 

[Sprinter]

Maybe you could be getting a few random backpuffs now and then without noticing.

 

[jharkin]

Both are possibilities. Opening the air at the end of the burn is a good idea except this was happening when I left it to burn overnight, so by the time I woke it had already backpuffed.

Thinking about his more, the obvious had escaped me. Its cool, but still mild relatively... In the usual early season desire to get burning... and with the Mrs declaring the house "cold" and wanting a warm up fire I'm burning in milder weather than usual. My own rule from prior years to never burn overnight unless the low is going to be less than 30. I think it only got to the low 40s last night and probably the fire just burned down too cool to maintain the draft.

I'll wait for colder weather to burn overnight and try cracking the basement window when burning on mild days to see if it goes away.

Thanks for the feedback guys.

 

[Sprinter]

Both are possibilities. Opening the air at the end of the burn is a good idea except this was happening when I left it to burn overnight, so by the time I woke it had already backpuffed.

Thinking about his more, the obvious had escaped me. Its cool, but still mild relatively... In the usual early season desire to get burning... and with the Mrs declaring the house "cold" and wanting a warm up fire I'm burning in milder weather than usual. My own rule from prior years to never burn overnight unless the low is going to be less than 30. I think it only got to the low 40s last night and probably the fire just burned down too cool to maintain the draft.

I'll wait for colder weather to burn overnight and try cracking the basement window when burning on mild days to see if it goes away.

Thanks for the feedback guys.

That's what did it to us (the backpuff) Scared the wife. Similar situation. In our case we saw it happen so we knew what it was, though.

 

[jharkin]

Yup... same here. My son was coughing and my wife was convinced the smoke was gonna suffocate us all and declared no more fire till I figured it out.

 

[husky345 vermont resolute]

my vermont will do the same thing if i dont give it enuff air when the secondary is closed

 

[mfglickman]

No ideas but I bow down to you if you've made your antique house that tight.

 

[jharkin]

No ideas but I bow down to you if you've made your antique house that tight.

Pretty sure I didnt.. Mostly likely just an artifact of the weather.

 

[jharkin]

Ok, so I think we made some progress. I rechecked all the gaskets again - the bottom edge of the left door didn't pass the dollar bill test (also blackening the glass in that spot) and the griddle gasket was sealing but looked ratty. So I replaced them both. Today its in the mid 40s and windy and I have it shot down completely and no smoke odor.

Either the gaskets fixed it or I'm being more careful but bottom line the smell is gone.

Now I'm thinking the glass gasket looks like it could use a change too but I'm a bit hesitant to do that during the heating season in case I strip a screw or crack the glass and have to wait on parts.

...


In other news my son kept coughing on and off during the past week of 5o degree weather with no fires - so I think its just dust or the dry air.