A wood stove is the best way to warm up on a cold winter’s day. Wood stoves are a cost-effective and highly rewarding alternative to heat sources. They provide warmth in your home even during the coldest months.
However, the inconvenience of a poorly-working stove can quickly outweigh its benefits. We will be discussing how to fix problems with wood stoves. This is what we will discuss:
A quick reference to stove problems and solutions is provided in the Troubleshooting Guide section, page 84. This section will provide more information, so if you have a problem, you can start there.
How Chimney can solve wood stove problems
Chimney is one of the important kitchen appliances due to smoke. It is recommended for you to use an auto clean chimney to enjoy better results. Know Benefits of auto clean chimney to have a better idea in terms of benefits. Some of the Faber kitchen chimneys can help you enjoy advanced features without hassles.
Smoking Wood Stoves
Smoke spillage is the most common problem with wood stoves. Although it is tempting to blame the stove’s design, most often the problem is due to a faulty venting system. We will discuss the various types of smoking problems.
Smoky Startups
Here are some tips to help you determine if your wood stove is not smoking when you light it.
Wood Stove Dampers. Wood stove dampers. You will find dampers in wood stoves and the pipe. These are movable metal plates that limit the flow of smoke or gasses. To allow maximum draft when lighting the stove, dampers must be fully open. This allows for maximum smoke production and the weakest draft. The stove will smoke if the damper is accidentally closed completely or partially. Before you light the fire, make sure you know if the damper has been opened or closed.
There are two main types of dampers: pipe dampers or bypass dampers. Depending on the design of your stove, you may have one, the other or both.
By-pass dampers.
By-pass dampers are movable metal plates inside the stove. They are usually located near the flue collar at the top of the firebox. The flue collar, which is usually a round or oval opening in the stove that connects to the stove pipe, is where the stove pipe connects.
You can see the bypass damper if the stove has one. However, some stoves hide it.
The by-pass damper can be opened and smoke and gases will bypass the normal exit route (hence the name), and move directly from the stove into the stovepipe or chimney.
The by-pass damper closes and smoke and gases are re-routed through either a system with baffles or a catalytic converter or any other system that increases the efficiency of combustion.
Pipe Dampers.
A pipe damper, which is basically a metal valve, is installed inside a stove pipe. It can be turned by a handle at the pipe’s outside. The handle can be turned to open or close the plate. It can be moved parallel or perpendicular (or anywhere in between) to the pipe.
Note: Pipe dampers were designed to allow for some movement of gases and smoke even when fully closed. These plates are usually smaller than the inside diameter of the pipe and have holes. This allows about 20% of the pipe’s opening to remain open in full-closed position. This prevents smoke from escaping by making it difficult to block the stovepipe.
A pipe damper’s purpose is to reduce the flow of combustion air and smoke into the stove.
Notice: Some stoves have an oval or round pipe-damper that is attached to the flue collar. These serve the same purpose as a pipe damper within the stove pipe. New stoves that have been EPA-certified are made to work with no pipe damper or stove collar.
It is important that your stove’s damper(s), whether it has one or both, be in an open position at startup. After the fire has been established, the damper can be used to regulate the flame.
Startup:
Cold flue Warm air rises. Cold air sinks. To make a chimney work properly, it must be warm relative to outside air. This will allow the smoke to rise up the chimney and escape the house. Smoke might get pushed back into your house if the flue is too cold at startup, which is common in chimneys that are located on the outside of your house.
The chimney will often draw out the smoke from the flue once it has heated up. You might have smoke in your house by then.
You can prime the flue before lighting the fire. It is easy and takes only a few minutes. This can help you avoid a poor fireplace experience. Here are the steps to priming the flue.
HOW TO PREMIZE THE FLUE
Take a piece newspaper and light one end. Then, place it in the firebox of your wood stove, near the flue collar. It is important to not stuff the newspaper into the flue collar. You want the ashes of the stove to remain in the stove and not clog the pipes. Two rolls of paper might be required. Soon, you will feel the draft reverse as warm flue gasses begin to move up the flue.
After you have primed your flue, it is time to light the fire.
If you are having trouble with the newspaper trick, leave the stove door open for a half hour to allow heated air to reverse the flow.
Blockages.
Sometimes, a blockage in the flue can cause a problem with smoking. Blockages can be caused by creosote buildup or animal nests, leaves, debris, and internal collapse of the brickwork or chimney lining. Make an appointment to have your chimney checked if you suspect that your chimney is blocked or if it hasn’t been done so in the last year. A chimney professional can diagnose and repair chimney blockages and inspect your chimney for any other hazards.