House full of smoke

[Bluetick]

I got an Englander furnace. Had a chimney guy install a factory class A. It's about a foot lower than the masonry chimney it's attached to the outside of. I also had an HVAC guy install four registers and an air return. Two problems. I can't set the furnace's damper more than half way down or I get lots of smoke. I mean a lot. But at half way it's burning through a furnace box full of wood every two hours. I suspect the chimney is too short and doesn't draw right. He's coming back to look at it. Is there something else I'm missing. My wife is pretty pissed off about all the smoke in the house. And the furnace was my idea so . . .

 

[giver]

Try opening a window, maybe it can't get enough air and it's back puffing.

 

[Bluetick]

Try opening a window, maybe it can't get enough air and it's back puffing.

The furnace is in the basement. Are you talking about the air return register up in the house?

 

[giver]

No the fire needs air to burn, if it can't get enough air the smoke will come out the damper. The registers just circulate the air in the house.

 

[Bluetick]

No the fire needs air to burn, if it can't get enough air the smoke will come out the damper. The registers just circulate the air in the house.

No windows. Just the garage which has big gaps in the doors. Should be enough oxygen for combustion in the stove.

 

[bayard]

if your basement is very tight. you might need to make a fresh air intake in the room.

 

[Armstrong]

Every wood burning scenario has many variables to address and it is usually not just one problem but a couple issues compounded.

For starters, the top of the Class A chimney should be flush with the masonry Chimney. The way Chimneys get a draft started is by having air flowing across the top to create negative pressure. Then, there needs to be an air supply which it sounds like you have. My best guess without knowing more is that your new ductwork wasnt properly designed to keep the pressure balanced in each room and is creating a vacuum in your basement. Once you have the draft issue straightened out, there are some options for extending burn times in a clean way other than "Stoke N Choke"

 

[Armstrong]

Just read back through...
Damper?? do you mean a control on the air intake or do you have a damper installed on your stove pipe?

 

[Bluetick]

Just read back through...
Damper?? do you mean a control on the air intake or do you have a damper installed on your stove pipe?

the air intake on the furnace.

 

[Armstrong]

So is this the model with the air control on the ash pan and the door?

 

[Armstrong]

Please give more layout detail. You said 4 supply registers and one return? how tall is the chimney?where are the supply and return Openings? what else is in the basement?

 

[Bluetick]

OK, the 'basement' opens to the garage with double doors. There are no windows. The furnace sits next to an outside wall. The factory chimney goes out through the base of the house and then up alongside the masonry chimney. It is about a foot shorter than the masonry chimney. There is a box over the blower and ducts up through the floor of the room above. This is the air return. Then there is a main duct from the take-off on the furnace, that feeds 4 registers in the room's floor. When I start the furnace, there is a little smoke. But once the fire is burning with the damper fully open, it stops smoking. But if I close the damper any more than half way, it will start smoking again.

 

[old guy]

That chimneys gotta be taller.

 

[Bluetick]

So is this the model with the air control on the ash pan and the door?

yes. I've been keeping the air control on the ash door completely closed, and the one over the main door half way. Any less, and I get smoke. I'm also having to refill
the box every hour or so.

 

[Bluetick]

That chimneys gotta be taller.

Yeah, I agree. The chimney guy is coming over today. I think it needs at least another 4' section.

 

[Armstrong]

Do a quick study on "stack effect" as far as indoor air pressures go. I think that I would personally keep experimenting with a couple ideas before doing outside air. How Tight do you think your house Is?
I would probably start with having one of the supply ducts dump warm air in the basement near the furnace to help ensure the basement is pressurized while the furnace blower is running.
See if that helps and then I would probably create another air return that is not tied to the furnace ductwork. A grate that is piped down to the basement floor. This would help naturally balance things and make sure, that if the basement door is closed, there would still be an open flow of air to reach the basement.
Air flows towards zones of low pressure.

 

[Armstrong]

Also with the chimney, I would just try to have it as close to flush as possible with the masonry Chimney so that it doesn't effect your fireplace

 

[Armstrong]

The way you describe it, it sounds like the chimney is competing with something else. Almost like when you create a strong pull it opens something that allows air in but with weak draft, it allows that something to close back up.
So this may be just the pressure differential or something else like pulling the basement door slightly off the weather stripping. Hmmm...

 

[Bluetick]

The house is not tight. Neither is the basement. I've burned with the outside garage door open and still get smoke. I've burned with windows open and still get smoke. I'm pretty sure I'm not getting an efficient draft from the chimney. Also, because the class A is attached to the existing masonry chimney and is a foot or so shorter, it's getting, as the sailors say, 'shadowed'.

 

[Armstrong]

Let me/us know how the extended Chimney affects performance, but do look into stack effect. If your house is leaky upstairs and a little tighter in the basement, that could be an issue.
Your entire house could be acting like a Chimney and looking for air from the lowest opening which would be your wood furnace.