Stove smoke > room problem.

[PeterW]

7 hours ago, zoothorn said:

I'm not sure it has a register plate, more alot of heatproof wadding secured around the flue > the start of the chimney.

 

But it is pummice-lined though Peter, aparantly according to my builder whose poked his nose down many a chimney, this pummice type is VG if not 'the best' I think I heard him even say.. he was quite adamant I just didn't need to go a steel liner/ heatproof chips affair.

 

But if my builder hadn't taken into account the temp of it when cold/ mine possibly excessively cold to start off with in comparison to a modern liner.. & I can be certain this temp is the cause of my issue, then a liner is possibly the way to go. I need to rule out the other possibles first tho.

 

Am I barking up the wrong tree re. my  big 10" diameter chimney (double the diameter of a 5" steel modern liner chimney) as possible cause?

 

The wadding could be your issue - it’s drawing past the wadding rather than through the chimney. 

 

A register plate should be there to seal off the bottom so only the flue can draw up the chimney - pumice lining is fine but it needs to be a sealed straw ..!! Imaging poking 4 or 5 holes with a pin in a drinking straw and trying to get it to suck properly and you will get the idea ..!

[zoothorn]

2 hours ago, Triassic said:

We had a similar problem. We found that moving the flue exit from the rear hole in the stove to the top exit hole cured the problem. Smoke doesn’t like bends it wants to go straight up.

 

Ah.. mine's actually top-out Triassic- Id thought maybe back-out might be an avenue before!

 

I think from the consensus of a few replies, the cold chimney might be the cause: maybe then, if I'm seeing this issue moreso at the start of stove-use period, this concurrs with this train of thinking. But its only conjecture that I'm seeing this prob more now, than say march.. IE its a hunch but not a certainty this is what Ive seen.

[zoothorn]

2 hours ago, PeterW said:

 

The wadding could be your issue - it’s drawing past the wadding rather than through the chimney. 

 

A register plate should be there to seal off the bottom so only the flue can draw up the chimney - pumice lining is fine but it needs to be a sealed straw ..!! Imaging poking 4 or 5 holes with a pin in a drinking straw and trying to get it to suck properly and you will get the idea ..!

 

Understood Peter, & I'll try & get my builder to have a check.. but wouldn't I see evidence of smoke leaking at this point if this was some, or all of the cause-?

 

I'm going to try your paper idea to warm up the base of chimney 1st.

 

If I can only establish -for definite- what the cause is > I can progress to try & address it.

[PeterW]

Smoke may well be being drawn upwards as is air - through the wadding. 

 

Sealing the bottom means all the “draw” is through the stove, when it’s hot there will be significant draw from the chimney, when it’s not you’re reliant on the stack effect and the breeze over the top to make it draw and opening the door may mean the pressure is just too low as the wadding is not sufficient. 

 

Bear in mind that a register plate is the correct installation method and what you have would not pass building regs or a Hetas inspection.  

[Temp]

Which side of the house are the air vents? I would check if air is going in or out of the wall vents with a joss stick.

[zoothorn]

15 minutes ago, PeterW said:

Smoke may well be being drawn upwards as is air - through the wadding. 

 

Sealing the bottom means all the “draw” is through the stove, when it’s hot there will be significant draw from the chimney, when it’s not you’re reliant on the stack effect and the breeze over the top to make it draw and opening the door may mean the pressure is just too low as the wadding is not sufficient. 

 

Bear in mind that a register plate is the correct installation method and what you have would not pass building regs or a Hetas inspection.  

 

I just don't have room for an register plate, there's only 1" around the 5" flue joining the start of the old chimney which has wadding, then light grey I assume heatproof mortar over it (as its still in place). I've done a smoke test on this joint area.. its fine/ no leaks.

 

Im not going to have any hetas inspector here. If it passes as safe, & my builder installed it with all his decades of experience, then that's fine with me whether or not I have a piece of paper to tell me so. If I get a fitter to come in & fashion a register plate, take out the flue, refit the whole lot yes I'll have a piece of paper maybe.. but a £750 bill & still a smoking stove/ it won't solve the issue.

 

I can pretty much conclude, I think with the help on here, that it -is- a cold/warm chimney issue. That makes most sense esp if the colder it is the worse the smoke-out is (I think that nails it for proof right there). If though I can somehow catagorically proove this is true then that would be great.. as I won't be spending £alot on any 'hunch'. But as to a fix assuming it is unoquivocally a cold chimney: would putting a steel liner down.. mean a warmer chimney? if so, how so?

[PeterW]

50 minutes ago, zoothorn said:

I just don't have room for an register plate, there's only 1" around the 5" flue joining the start of the old chimney which has wadding, then light grey I assume heatproof mortar over it (as its still in place). I've done a smoke test on this joint area.. its fine/ no leaks.

 

I don’t think you understand how a register plate works here - can you take a photo of the fireplace and stove so I can draw on the photo .?

[Brickie]

23 hours ago, zoothorn said:

 

yes will do.. but hang on I can just walk into the forest & retrieve free fuel yes-? if so, yes sure.. will do.

Won’t be helping with your smoke issue,I’d say.