What would you do to improve the situation?

[sportbikerider78]

Very nice hearth and stone setup. Love the way it looks.

I'm new to this, and this is my first year burning. I have decent, but not good wood but I also have zero 90 degree bends and a perfectly straight pipe. It extends well above the roofline and I get a nice wind that sucks the air right out of the pipe. I think my setup is idea.

However, in when it is damp, the wind isn't moving too well, and above 40 outside, it is really tough to get a good draft. If I was you, I'd run a controlled test before you exert any more energy.

Make for certain nothing could be blocking the air intake.
Test the wood to make sure it is <20% like the others have said.
Wait for a cold day <30.
Get a good coal bed and burn it nice and hot with the door open. Then close it down and add more dry wood. See what happens.

 

[Smoked]

And then there's this... http://www.woodheat.org/the-outdoor-air-myth-exposed.html

Well, that is one of the better arguments against OAKs I have read First thing in the AM when I am in my PJs and sock-less trying to get my stove going, the draft running across the floor to my stove with wide open primary seems more than insignificant though...so I wonder if 10-25 CFM is average but much higher during startup? Different thread I am sure

 

[Simonkenton]

Regarding that link that says outside air intakes are not needed for stoves or fireplaces.
It may be correct regarding wood stoves. However, I have this big, pretty fireplace pictured at left. I built it with a 5x5 inch outside air intake, right in the middle of the hearth.
This proved to be woefully inadequate, as when I ran the fireplace it was pulling air in from every nook and crannie of the house. Upstairs, laying on the sofa I could feel a draft of cold air coming in from the dormer.
So, I added another outside air intake, this one is 14 x 6 inches. This solved the problem.
Fireplaces use ten times the air of a wood stove and drawing all that 20 degree air across your living space is going to make your house colder.

 

[Woody Stover]

that is one of the better arguments against OAKs I have read

I don't think Guilland is necessarily against OAKs but he's saying they aren't guaranteed to provide a solution...lotta factors in play.

 

[blades]

OAKs to me are simple- If I am reducing the amount of air drawn from inside the dwelling that means I am not pulling in that same amount of unheated air from outside increasing the load factor on the appliance. Not rocket science. My only complaint is that not enough is drawn from outside. I just look at a super HE gas furnace ( or top of the line gas hot water heaters) all the combustion air is drawn from outside- must be something to it.
I could be messed up on the prevailing or non wind side for oak installation.
High winds can mess with things though- noticed this morning the stove would almost go out on some of the higher bursts 45mph (must have been just the angle of attack because this was the first time I ever saw that effect on my stove - note I do have twice as thick insulation boards up top vs oem effectively reducing the draft rate and the temps were still around 50 degs ( on the 24 of DEC -unheard of ) colder now 40s, still got a 20mph or so winds

 

[Outdoor]

No fresh air intake installed. We try very hard not to use the Hydro air when the stove is on and avoid negative pressure. Changing the exhaust to go straight out is not an option, the work on the stone alone would be labor intensive. The Vac-u-Stack really corrected the down draft. Someone mentioned 3' rise BEFORE you change direction? Can't find this in Jotul's paperwork. That would be a very important issue BUT then the exit out the back would contridict this . Wood is stacked and split and under a metal roof where the sun hits the first row and air circulates well. So someone just go over this again so I get it right. (even though I have been burning for 30 yrs.) Ideally wood should be cut /stacked/kept dry for at least a year correct? Not inclusive of OAK. I have a ton of oak on the property and don't even want to bother with it because of its drying process. All and all I think adding additional pipe on to the stack is first and I bet that solves it, fingers crossed

 

[Outdoor]

Someone mentioned cutting a box into the existing truss. Just a point of info. Without a complete engineering done with load calculations you can never cut a truss.

 

[Starstuff]

Hard to see what kind of cap you have on your pipes, but it looks odd. I wonder if it might be restricting draft? I know this is rarely the issue with poor draft, but good to rule out everything.

 

[Outdoor]

Vac u Stack...stops downdrafts. We are always windy here in NH and the house lays out with NW coming in over big pines and wind dropping down on house. It works well.

 

[Woody Stover]

3' rise BEFORE you change direction? Can't find this in Jotul's paperwork. That would be a very important issue BUT then the exit out the back would contridict this...Ideally wood should be cut /stacked/kept dry for at least a year correct? Not inclusive of OAK. I have a ton of oak on the property and don't even want to bother with it because of its drying process. All and all I think adding additional pipe on to the stack is first and I bet that solves it, fingers crossed

The 3' rise may not be mentioned in every manual but I've seen it more than once. If you can work in two 45s to eliminate the 90 at 2', it's gotta help. I think the "90" due to rear-venting the stove is much less of an issue than the 90s further up. Also, try to get more upward slope on the 36" horizontal run if possible. I don't have first-hand experience with thimbles and horizontal runs but every bit has got to help.
The wood, I go at least two years split and stacked on Oak and other dense woods, and that's if they were standing dead for a couple years. On Oaks etc. that were live, like storm blow-downs, I really prefer three yrs. That way there's no question that it's gonna be dry. I have room...I have at least five years stacked right now. I just replace one year's worth of burning every year to maintain my lead time. You are trying to squeeze every ounce of performance out of your system, with the down-drafts and everything. Getting your wood as dry as possible (sub-15% in most areas of the country) is something you have control over. Soft Maple, Cherry and other quick-drying woods are what I stacked at first to help me build my cushion of dry wood. Lastly, I agree, add stack height and it's likely you'll see marked improvement. Keep us updated.

 

[Smoked]

OAKs to me are simple- If I am reducing the amount of air drawn from inside the dwelling that means I am not pulling in that same amount of unheated air from outside increasing the load factor on the appliance. Not rocket science. My only complaint is that not enough is drawn from outside. I just look at a super HE gas furnace ( or top of the line gas hot water heaters) all the combustion air is drawn from outside- must be something to it.
I could be messed up on the prevailing or non wind side for oak installation.
High winds can mess with things though- noticed this morning the stove would almost go out on some of the higher bursts 45mph (must have been just the angle of attack because this was the first time I ever saw that effect on my stove - note I do have twice as thick insulation boards up top vs oem effectively reducing the draft rate and the temps were still around 50 degs ( on the 24 of DEC -unheard of ) colder now 40s, still got a 20mph or so winds

I agree, it has to help, especially at startup. It was an interesting read though. And I also think if cracking a window helps, this is something to consider for a tight house or weak draft.

 

[Outdoor]

Woody>
Excellent! Thanks for the insight on the wood. Sure why not stack , store and keep a couple of years out. Especially how easy that is for me with all the acreage. I'll get some help on adding a length of pipe, just had shoulder surgery and I'm tied up for 4 months at minimum. Will keep in touch with everyone on this.

 

[Wood Duck]

The first thing I'd do would be to get some wood you are sure is dry and build a fire on a cold day. Buy a cull 2 x 6 at Home Depot for a few bucks. If dimensional lumber won't burn well then nothing will. If it does burn well, then you have a fuel problem. Don't put too much lumber in the stove at once, just enough for a small, hot fire.

Is the weather warm up there? Warm weather can greatly reduce draft and make a marginal setup into an unacceptable one.

 

[Outdoor]

68 yesterday! We use 2x all the time to start fires, we are a building& electrical contractor so kindling is always free. I give it away by the pick up truck load.