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smoking from my wood range

2K views 30 replies 16 participants last post by  idahodave 
#1 ·
When I fire it up anymore, it always sends smoke out the vents on the side. What causes this? What can I do about it. I just burn old feed sacks in order to fry 4 or so eggs in the morning.
 
#4 ·
Has to be a drawing problem. Something has to be stopped up some where.

Just take a piece of paper. light it, hold it in the Box see if it is drawing.

big rockpile
 
#5 ·
On a cold startup they have less draw, once the chimney and pipe gets warmed up they draw better, that's why they will puff back more when they are cold. The blockage affects it more cold as the draw is worse then to begin with. I would check the pipe and chimney to see if there is a buildup somewhere. Crumplimg up some newspaper and lighting it tends to get some warm air up the chimney and get them drawing. Just my 2 cents.
 
#9 ·
O U mean the pipes inside the house. Theres only 2, but ive never cleaned them. Would the fact that I never have to shake the ashes down into the ash box make a difference. I don't know if the but paper goes out the chimney or what, but I never have to shake the ashes down. Theres stuff in there, a bit, but hardly enough to worry about, so I don't. I only use the stove in late spring, summer and early winter. After that, I fry on the wood heating stove.
 
#11 ·
I am in the camp with those saying to clean your flue, along with extending the pipe further above your roof. Another thing that many overlook is the position of the oven lever. Make sure its not forcing the smoke around the oven box when first firing it up. The smoke should go straight across the top of the oven to the stovepipe vent, not all the way back down and around the oven. You can see the control valve if you pull a couple lids off the stove and the little control lever is usually at the back of the stove top, on the right. :)
 
#14 ·
On a cold startup they have less draw, once the chimney and pipe gets warmed up they draw better, that's why they will puff back more when they are cold. The blockage affects it more cold as the draw is worse then to begin with. I would check the pipe and chimney to see if there is a buildup somewhere. Crumplimg up some newspaper and lighting it tends to get some warm air up the chimney and get them drawing. Just my 2 cents.
I concur. Cold stove pipes dont draw very well.

Old timers set crumpled paper in the pipe on fire to start a good draw.
 
#15 ·
Our stove always smokes some when you light a fire in it and it is a 'cold' start.

How many 'bends' do you have in your pipe? The more bends the harder it is to get a good draw going.

I wouldn't be using feed bags under any circumstances as the main source of combustion. Crumpled paper to get ignition yes, but I'd be afraid that some of the dyes they use and waterproofing would send off fumes when ignited. Breathing in those fumes can't be good for anyone.
 
#18 ·
Time, maintenance, the season, and bad habits have caught up to you.


Clean the flu. You've been burning inefficient fires in it and that has almost certainly led to creosote buildup.

Raise the flu. If it is high enough to be beyond any eddy current you will get draw from a Venturi effect no matter the wind direction. If it is subjected to eddy currents from something near by, seasonal/daily wind direction can cause troubles. Humidity and barometric pressure can also play a role.

You are actually making the situation worse by drawing air out with a fan. You've created negative pressure that is trying to pull air in from the flu. Have you tightened the house up recently? New doors, windows, caulking, etc?

Get some real tinder, kindling, and wood.

I figure you're a guy that can really appreciate this next one. Ain't but a few sights on this earth better than seein' Martha bent over loading a well tuned stove with wood I have painstakingly supplied. ;-)
 
#19 ·
Well,
Marthe aint here
#2 I looked and I cant pull the rain cap off the pipe to look down it
#3 I used vice grips as I don't have a shaker crank handle and shook down the grates for the first time in a LONG time.
#4 You can throw a cat through here near anyplace. Im expecting to move, so Im not going to weather proof this house, as I expect to possible take it apart and sell the 2 hip roof barns its made of, OR take them with me to use as barns.
 
#24 ·
Does the stove work correctly all the other times you cook with it?

My fireplace which is a straight stack up and out also sometime has a tendency to push smoke back into the house on initial startup with paper as well. The cause of mine is strictly due to what the weather is doing outside.

When it is very calm outside and there is a heavy wet snow falling or in the morning when it is dead calm and there is a heavy dew smoke always seems to be sluggish getting out of the chimney until it has a chance to warm up.
 
#25 ·
My stove will smoke a tiny bit when starting until the flue gets warm. I clean every inch of the inside each year. Sometimes if the wind is going an unsual way, I'll have to open a door a crack until the flue gets warm. There is never enough smoke to set off the smoke alarm.
Don't start that window fan until after you get a good draw, that fan can work against you.
 
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