2 nights in a row, upon loading for the night on good bed of coals, intake the dogs out and a smoke cloud has gripped the street. Acrid, low hanging smoke. After about 10 minutes, it dissipates. Cause for concern. Yesterday neighbor was outside placing a precautionary call to the fire dept?! In the morning, normal burn down remnants and no smoke in the house overnight. I am getting new siding currently if that triggers anything for anyone? I'm all ears.
Why am I smoking out my neighbors?
- Thread starter Solids
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We are all eyes. What are you burning in? What are you burning in it and how are you burning it? What is the stove, chimney set up and the wood?
Buck stove circa early 90's. 22 ft chimney with insulated 6" liner. Draws well. Burning oak thatis at least 3 years old. I store on pallets and cover the top w/roofing rubber. Very dry. Ignites quickly
Get that thing over five hundred degrees stove top temp and then just close it down enough to have a nice fire in the box and the neighbors won't be choking. Close it all the way down and you will fog out the hood.
Lack of air on reloads is always a recipe for smoke in my set up. I think that is common place, which is why so many overfire stories are based on leaving the air wide open on reload and forgetting to shut it down in time. Like BB said, don't shut down the air too early or too much. I shoot for 400 stove top before restricting air. Most times, the door is cracked to assist the startup.
At reload your going to get smoke, happens to most.
Once the temp gets back up it will disappear as you are seeing.
Tell the neighbor to stay in for that 10 minutes or so.
Once the temp gets back up it will disappear as you are seeing.
Tell the neighbor to stay in for that 10 minutes or so.
Been burning in same set up since October, though. No previous complaint. Thought barometric pressure (or worse, a chimney issue) might have created a new variable that I wasn't accounting for.
I live north of you in Pa and put a full load of wood in the stove this morning. Hadn't had to do that but once in the last week (when the house really needed heat).
If you don't need a ton of heat, make sure you aren't putting a ton of wood in the stove and practice have a small hot fire. Even if the house doesn't need a ton of heat, it's OK to get the stove good and hot, just not for too long. A smaller load of wood and some experimentation w/ loading technique and air settings will help here.
pen
If you don't need a ton of heat, make sure you aren't putting a ton of wood in the stove and practice have a small hot fire. Even if the house doesn't need a ton of heat, it's OK to get the stove good and hot, just not for too long. A smaller load of wood and some experimentation w/ loading technique and air settings will help here.
pen
No change in wood species or size. The temp may have something to do with it. Since we have been unseasonably warm (as referenced by pen above), I have been having a lower burn as I reside in the room with the insert during most evenings and don't want to cook myself. Then I load heavy before going to bed and shut air down to minimal for a nice consistent heat all night. I may have been letting it burn down too far in the evening before loading. Will experiment tonight (lows to be around 25-27)
MarkinNC said:
tough to tell. I am the second owner (and only minimally versed in word burning lexicon). It is there Model 81 non-catalytic. rated at 78% efficieny
Solids said:
Loading heavy and shutting is a great recipe for creosote accumulation and smoking up the neighborhood.
If a non-cat stove is not run warm enough, it will not burn cleanly.
If you want to improve the situation, I'm afraid you are going to have to relearn how to run that beast.
To start, loading the stove sooner in the evening (on hotter coals) is not the solution. You need to make sure whatever fuel load you place in the stove is burning vigorously before beginning to turn the air down.
Use less fuel, and let it get hotter. W/ less fuel it won't be as hot for nearly as long and shouldn't cook you out too badly. If you are burning this way to avoid restarts, then buy a few supercedars and use 1/4 of one for some pretty effortless cold restarts.
pen
You might just be choking it back down to a normal/usual setting too soon.
That can cause a lot of unnecessary smoldering and upset the neighbors.
Try going half way with the air settings and come back in 5 minutes to dial it back a little bit more or the rest of the way.
I have to do a two step on mine or the white smoke is a bit brown and heavy and it does smell rather bad.
My neighbor burns too and we got into a bit of a competition of X amounts of reload smoke.
That can cause a lot of unnecessary smoldering and upset the neighbors.
Try going half way with the air settings and come back in 5 minutes to dial it back a little bit more or the rest of the way.
I have to do a two step on mine or the white smoke is a bit brown and heavy and it does smell rather bad.
My neighbor burns too and we got into a bit of a competition of X amounts of reload smoke.
agreed with all above. As the weather has warmed, my patience may have waned. will burn hotter from here on out through the rest of 'shoulder' season.
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