I just want to run this by you guys for your thoughts, here goes:
My wood stove is a 1993 Dovre Aurora, the door is a bit wonky and most likely warped somewhat, I put a new gasket on a few years ago, it was the correct size for the stove but I had trouble closing the door which never happened before that so I assume the door warped over time, and it never was overfired so I guess that as a local stove dealer told me was "inherent with their stoves", but I improvised and just pushed with a gloved hand on the door when closing it to close tighter and it works, this season I hardly have to push it at all as the gasket is compressing but still in very good shape so that's not the problem.
Inside the house is about 7.5' of a thick single wall black pipe, outside about 9' of double wall stainless steel pipe. This was installed in 1989, I had a guy come out last year to look at it and he said it was still in fine shape, said "I could replace the inside pipe if you want but I see no reason to do so", pressed on it, said it wasn't "oil canning", so I let it go. I used to have a chimney sweep clean it in the early years, but he said since I burn dry wood and burn hot it doesn't need to be swept every single season, I learned how to do it myself and have been doing it every couple of years, there is about a softball sized amount of fluffly soot that comes out, no tarry resin, and it's been like this for many years, so I doubt that is the problem.
When I start the stove I use the top down method, put two quarter splits on the bottom, kindling sticks above them, some twigs, non colored newspaper, light it, close the door but leave it open about an inch or so until it heats the pipe up and draws good, if I just shut it down sometimes it will go out, it depends on the weather outside, but I will keep the door open just a bit until it is going good then close it down, I make sure no smoke "licks" back into the house as that of course smells. If need be I'll crack a window or hold the door open for more air, and of course when we just had that brutal cold weather a few weeks ago here in PA. the fire and draft were great, other times like today when it is around 33 degrees and damp and rainy the draft is poor, but once the pipe thermometer gets past 200 degrees it burns fine.
I will let the kindling and quarter splits burn down, then the issue comes into play, so here is the "PUNCH LINE" lol; once I put a bigger piece of wood on, it of course wants to smoke more until it gets going and the stack temp is up towards 300 degrees. This morning, when the kindling was burning, the firebrick inside stayed white; when I put a bigger piece on I saw the firebrick start to turn black, and that is when I will notice a smoke smell. I have looked with a flashlight to see if I can see any smoke leaking out from the stove or the pipe and there is nothing. In the pieces of stovepipe where they join I have rope gasket stuffed so there is no leak coming from there. Until this burns off and it gets "rolling" I detect a slight smoke smell. Can you smell smoke through the stove? Or through the stovepipe even though none is visible? Am I perhaps "rushing" it a bit by trying to put a bigger piece on right after the kindling? Maybe I should add a few more quarter splits and kindling splits and then add a regular sized split?
I have been burning it this way for all these years, and of course on the very cold days there is no issue, the fire starts easily, the bigger splits ignite and take off no problem. But on days that aren't as cold, I at times-not always-but at times, will have this issue. Once there are good coals then anything burns and I only at times get a "lick" of smoke come out when I am adding more wood, even though I open the door a bit, hold it open there for about 5 or 6 seconds, then open it all the way slowly, add the piece and close it up, but that's normal. But I usually end up opening a window or the door until it gets going and the smell clears out, except on very cold days when the draft is stronger.
Does this sound like a draft problem? Maybe I will try adding some more quarter splits and kindling to build more of a coal base before I put a regular sized split on, so if that helps heat the pipe more and help the draft. I wouldn't think you could smell it through the stove or the pipe without seeing any smoke or am I wrong?
My wife says "we've always smelled some smoke, it's a wood stove, you will smell some initial smoke, this is nothing new, why is it bothering you so much now?" and I guess I just want to eliminate it the best that I can. Like I said the stove and pipe are old, but still work okay, and during those very cold days I smelled nothing at all in the house, the draft was strong so maybe it is a draft issue and adding more smaller sized wood until the pipe temp is higher might do it. Or maybe I'll have to keep the stove door open an inch or so when I add the first bigger piece of wood like I do when first starting the kindling, until the pipe temp is over 200 degrees?
Thanks if you got through this long story, and for any advice. Like the wife said it's not really new and real bad, but it bothers me now. But In a 10 month span I lost my dad in July and 3 other family deaths, so my mindset isn't the greatest, things tend to bother me more now than before, not just this smoke issue, but that's normal I am told.
Thank you
My wood stove is a 1993 Dovre Aurora, the door is a bit wonky and most likely warped somewhat, I put a new gasket on a few years ago, it was the correct size for the stove but I had trouble closing the door which never happened before that so I assume the door warped over time, and it never was overfired so I guess that as a local stove dealer told me was "inherent with their stoves", but I improvised and just pushed with a gloved hand on the door when closing it to close tighter and it works, this season I hardly have to push it at all as the gasket is compressing but still in very good shape so that's not the problem.
Inside the house is about 7.5' of a thick single wall black pipe, outside about 9' of double wall stainless steel pipe. This was installed in 1989, I had a guy come out last year to look at it and he said it was still in fine shape, said "I could replace the inside pipe if you want but I see no reason to do so", pressed on it, said it wasn't "oil canning", so I let it go. I used to have a chimney sweep clean it in the early years, but he said since I burn dry wood and burn hot it doesn't need to be swept every single season, I learned how to do it myself and have been doing it every couple of years, there is about a softball sized amount of fluffly soot that comes out, no tarry resin, and it's been like this for many years, so I doubt that is the problem.
When I start the stove I use the top down method, put two quarter splits on the bottom, kindling sticks above them, some twigs, non colored newspaper, light it, close the door but leave it open about an inch or so until it heats the pipe up and draws good, if I just shut it down sometimes it will go out, it depends on the weather outside, but I will keep the door open just a bit until it is going good then close it down, I make sure no smoke "licks" back into the house as that of course smells. If need be I'll crack a window or hold the door open for more air, and of course when we just had that brutal cold weather a few weeks ago here in PA. the fire and draft were great, other times like today when it is around 33 degrees and damp and rainy the draft is poor, but once the pipe thermometer gets past 200 degrees it burns fine.
I will let the kindling and quarter splits burn down, then the issue comes into play, so here is the "PUNCH LINE" lol; once I put a bigger piece of wood on, it of course wants to smoke more until it gets going and the stack temp is up towards 300 degrees. This morning, when the kindling was burning, the firebrick inside stayed white; when I put a bigger piece on I saw the firebrick start to turn black, and that is when I will notice a smoke smell. I have looked with a flashlight to see if I can see any smoke leaking out from the stove or the pipe and there is nothing. In the pieces of stovepipe where they join I have rope gasket stuffed so there is no leak coming from there. Until this burns off and it gets "rolling" I detect a slight smoke smell. Can you smell smoke through the stove? Or through the stovepipe even though none is visible? Am I perhaps "rushing" it a bit by trying to put a bigger piece on right after the kindling? Maybe I should add a few more quarter splits and kindling splits and then add a regular sized split?
I have been burning it this way for all these years, and of course on the very cold days there is no issue, the fire starts easily, the bigger splits ignite and take off no problem. But on days that aren't as cold, I at times-not always-but at times, will have this issue. Once there are good coals then anything burns and I only at times get a "lick" of smoke come out when I am adding more wood, even though I open the door a bit, hold it open there for about 5 or 6 seconds, then open it all the way slowly, add the piece and close it up, but that's normal. But I usually end up opening a window or the door until it gets going and the smell clears out, except on very cold days when the draft is stronger.
Does this sound like a draft problem? Maybe I will try adding some more quarter splits and kindling to build more of a coal base before I put a regular sized split on, so if that helps heat the pipe more and help the draft. I wouldn't think you could smell it through the stove or the pipe without seeing any smoke or am I wrong?
My wife says "we've always smelled some smoke, it's a wood stove, you will smell some initial smoke, this is nothing new, why is it bothering you so much now?" and I guess I just want to eliminate it the best that I can. Like I said the stove and pipe are old, but still work okay, and during those very cold days I smelled nothing at all in the house, the draft was strong so maybe it is a draft issue and adding more smaller sized wood until the pipe temp is higher might do it. Or maybe I'll have to keep the stove door open an inch or so when I add the first bigger piece of wood like I do when first starting the kindling, until the pipe temp is over 200 degrees?
Thanks if you got through this long story, and for any advice. Like the wife said it's not really new and real bad, but it bothers me now. But In a 10 month span I lost my dad in July and 3 other family deaths, so my mindset isn't the greatest, things tend to bother me more now than before, not just this smoke issue, but that's normal I am told.
Thank you
