Chimney suddenly not drawing properly - any ideas?

DenverGirlie · #1 03/11/10, 10:06 AM

We have a old cookstove, mainly burns dead pine, and a bit of coal at night to hold coals over to the morning. We moved into this place on Feb 1st and had all the chimney;s swept on that same day.
Yesterday, we started up the cookstove again in the morning like normal and noticed it was a bit smoky in the house, but it quickly disapated. Over the course of the day, the cookstove proceeded to become more and more smoky, with smoke billowing out of all the "cracks" in the cast iron top. By 2pm, I shut that fire down as it filled the house with smoke. Let it cool, cleaned out all soot everywhere, took apart the interior chimney stack, gave it all a good cleaning. Started a fire back up around 9pm and it was worse than before. Entire house quickly filled with smoke.
We went outside, some smoke was making it up and out the chimney, but the majority of the smoke was inside.
It did snow yesterday, but that is really no different than any other day. Seeing that the chimney's were professional swept about 40 days ago, and that we've had no other changes, what might be the issue?
The other half plans on getting up on the roof today to see if he can see if there is a new blockage or what not, but we are at a loss as to what might have occured.

Anyone have any ideas for us?

many thanks

tinknal · #2 03/11/10, 10:28 AM

Pine can clog up a chimney quickly, especially a tall chimney. First check the stove pipe, especially the horizontal portion, they sometimes clog up with ash. Sometimes weather can cause this. Temperature inversions, foggy weather, and the like. If the chimney has a cleanout hole just use a mirror to look up the chimney. No need to go up on the roof.

suitcase_sally · #3 03/11/10, 10:29 AM

You're from Evergreen? I'd say that pine you're burning is the culprit. I lived in California a long time ago and did the same thing. Where I lived, I had to have a spark arrester on top of the chimney and the pine plugged it up.

Katey · #4 03/11/10, 10:30 AM

And if you can't get into a position where a mirror will let you see, you can always use your digital camera or camcorder to take a picture that you can look at.

**Cabin Fever** · #5 03/11/10, 10:35 AM

If you determine that there is no blockage in the chimney, make sure that you have a good draft started before you light the fire. Most people start a draft by lighting a piece or two of crumbled up newspaper placed near the point where the stovepipe connects to the stove.

You may also have an airtight house. Before you start your draft, make sure that you have an exterior window or door cracked open a bit to relieve any air pressure differences between the home's interior and the outdoors.

dennis60 · #6 03/11/10, 11:00 AM

Ironic, this question came up today. We live in Missouri and yesterday it was warm and overcast and foggy. We decided to build a fire in the double barrel stove. It had been fine all winter but yesterday it wouldn't draw for the first 20 minutes until the stove got hot. It smoked up the entire house, had to open the doors to clear out the smoke.
There have been some good answers to your question so far. I noticed yesterday that ours was leaking at the joints that were not sealed with a heat silicone. Though we never have a problem usually, i think i will seal them before next winter. Good luck with yours and tell us what fixed it if you get it fixed.

o&itw · #7 03/11/10, 11:19 AM

Damp weather can cause a poor draw, or a cold chimney. But it sounds to me that most likely you have a blockage in your chimney, and the most common suspect is creasote from the wood... of course it could be all most anything, but if the chimney has been drawing well previously, I don't think that a cold chimeny or damp weather would make it that bad.

chickenista · #8 03/11/10, 11:24 AM

I was going to ask if it was rainy, foggy, low pressure system.
If that is the case, light a cardboard torch and hold it back under the pipe to get a draw going...

Harry Chickpea · #9 03/11/10, 11:44 AM

The draw of a chimney depends on the buoyancy of the heated gasses, compared to the buoyancy of the surrounding air. On a cold cold day, the draw can be fierce, since the temperature difference in the hot gasses and cold air is huge. On warm days, the difference is far less, and chimneys that draw fine in winter have problems. We simply avoid building fires unless the outside temp is about 45 F or less.

You just provided a CLASSIC example of how strong this effect can be:
"Yesterday, we started up the cookstove again in the morning like normal and noticed it was a bit smoky in the house, but it quickly disapated. Over the course of the day, the cookstove proceeded to become more and more smoky, with smoke billowing out of all the "cracks" in the cast iron top."

As the air temps outside rose, the draw was less. When you first started it, it was cool enough outside that it was only a minor problem.

Solutions: Cleaning again may help, adding an insulated section or two on top of the chimney may help, building a LARGER fire may help, and using a stack fan might be something you need in the summer.

DenverGirlie · #10 03/11/10, 02:05 PM

Well tried the newspaper and cardboard thing to try and create a draw.... nope that didn't work at all. So apparently an actual look in the chimney is in order. I just don't understand for the past 40 days the stove has been humming along, no issues, clean chimney that hadn't been cleaned in years and years and years, and after 40 days... caput, nothing, no draw, no draft, something is definately wrong.

Please let me know if anyone else has any bright ideas.

thanks all

fishhead · #11 03/11/10, 02:40 PM

I wonder if some creosote broke loose from the pipe and caused a plug? Even if was cleaned there may still have been a layer left in the pipe and the cleaning may have loosened it.

tinknal · #12 03/11/10, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DenverGirlie

Well tried the newspaper and cardboard thing to try and create a draw.... nope that didn't work at all. So apparently an actual look in the chimney is in order. I just don't understand for the past 40 days the stove has been humming along, no issues, clean chimney that hadn't been cleaned in years and years and years, and after 40 days... caput, nothing, no draw, no draft, something is definately wrong.

Please let me know if anyone else has any bright ideas.

thanks all

Did you check the cross pipe?

DenverGirlie · #13 03/11/10, 05:50 PM

Well we got it working again....

other half climbed up with aide of ladder, armed with climbing rope due to icy roof, two pieces of garden bamboo duct taped together with the toliet brush taped on the end... we are truely high class here...
Anyways, yes we had some build up in the chimney, but nothing crazy, but the main and primary issue was with the chimney cap that has metal grating around the top... all those holes were clogged full. We are not certain if the chimney sweep guy scrubbed this grate on the cap or not when he was here on Feb 1st, but the draw issue is now fixed and I have a fire going already.

Thanks for the ideas... we did do the mirror thing... couldn't see anything up the chimney because of the cap blocks the light, so it was a hole of darkness.

We are going to get back up there in a month and see how the grate is filling up with soot or not, as we don't know if that grate was scrubbed when they swept the chimney.

thanks so much

tinknal · #14 03/11/10, 05:56 PM

I should have thought of that. I would just remove it. It is not necessary.

blooba · #15 03/11/10, 06:01 PM

It does keep animals outta there (another blockage) but yea burning pine gives off alot of creosote which would cause that.

duckidaho · #16 03/11/10, 06:06 PM

I was going to say critters if you haven't used it in a few days.

tamsam · #17 03/11/10, 08:04 PM

Also the coal when burned cool will soot up pretty quick. We have a 6 in steel pipe for a chimney and at least every 2 weeks I get a really hot fire going and DW goes out and whacks it good with a heavy hammer and runs for cover as the yard is usually filled with soot falling. This is from the coal and a chimney that cools fast. Glad you got it fixed. Sam

**Cabin Fever** · #18 03/12/10, 09:02 AM

Often a chimney cap can get plugged with charred pieces of paper that are used to start the draw. As the draw starts, the burning paper can be sucked right up the chimney and then stopped by the chimney cap. This is one reason why chimney caps are also called "spark arrestors." The last thing you want is a bit of burning paper flying out of your chimney and then landing on something that will burn.

suitcase_sally · #19 03/12/10, 09:10 AM

That pine is the culprit and it will clog again. As others have said, just remove it if you can. It's required in some areas of the country, though.

JIL · #20 03/12/10, 09:12 AM

around here the birds have been making nest where ever they can could this be the culprit, and yes cresolte builds really fast. I think pine is one of the worst to burn. good luck on finding out what is going on JIL