Stack effect???

[loadthestove]

Stack Effect,I think thats what my problem is called.I have a free standing stove in my family that is only used when the wood furnace needs a little help heating the house.When not in use the stove will back draft in the house and smells horrible.What can be done done to prevent this.

The Stove pipe goes up 24 inches ,has a 90 elbow and goes about 12 inch thru the wall into a masonary chimney.
Will installing a damper cure this problem.

As long as stove is warm I dont have any problems.

 

[Chris-PA]

You sure it's not those shoes?

I'll be interested to hear what the consensus is. You probably don't need a lot of reverse airflow to bring the smell in, so I'm curious if a damper fits tight enough to stop it.

 

[Bushmans]

They are both using the same chimney/flue ?

 

[ss~zoso~ss]

do you have a chimney cap?

 

[loadthestove]

They are both using the same chimney/flue ?

No the units do not share a chimney
and I dont have a chimney cap.the chimney is masonary with clay liners.

 

[Jakers]

what is backdrafting into the house? the smoke from the other main wood stove? or is it smelling from the ash and burnt out left overs? im not understanding your problem totally. it almost sounds like your house is air tight enuf to actually create the draft thru the second stove pipe. how close together are the two chimneys?

 

[darkbyrd]

My inexperienced 2 cents:

The main stove is sucking combustion air through the little stove. I have that happen when I use my exhaust fan in my smoking room and the stove is not burning, I smell the nasty creosote smell from the chimney. In the off-season I stuff a big wad of fiberglass insulation in the pipe, I don't know how practical that would be for you.

 

[Jakers]

My inexperienced 2 cents:

The main stove is sucking combustion air through the little stove. I have that happen when I use my exhaust fan in my smoking room and the stove is not burning, I smell the nasty creosote smell from the chimney. In the off-season I stuff a big wad of fiberglass insulation in the pipe, I don't know how practical that would be for you.

:agree2:

 

[dms]

I have the same type of stove and on warm days when I am not burning I will get a down draft too. If I don't want a fire, I will light 2 or 3 sented candles and put them in the stove. It will either change the draft or make the house smell like apple pie

 

[haveawoody]

I bet the house is very well insulated and very tight for drafts.
Sucking air through the not running stove is a pretty good indication of that.

#1 try closing the air lever on the non running stove.
#2 try opening a window just a crack somewhere.

Bet one or both of them work.
In this case very tight might be a bad thing

 

[Marc]

As another option to those suggested... can you get an outside air kit for the other appliance?

 

[deer slayer]

I bet the house is very well insulated and very tight for drafts.
Sucking air through the not running stove is a pretty good indication of that.

#1 try closing the air lever on the non running stove.
#2 try opening a window just a crack somewhere.

Bet one or both of them work.
In this case very tight might be a bad thing

:agree2: I had the same problem, Except I have a s.s. insulated chimney thru a wall and up the side of the house. I always have a window open (2 to 3 inches) and now the only time I have an issue is on warmer days and a small or smoldering fire. When I need to take a chill out of house in early spring/late fall I use a heat gun or burn a conciderable amount of paper first to get the chimney warm and it drafts fine..

 

[4seasons]

While my stove is different I have the same problem. When it isn't cold enough for a fire the draft in the chimney reverses and I get a soot/ ash/ creosote smell in the house. The simplest solution is to plug the stove/ flu. If you dampers have an air tight setting (mine doesn't) you could just shut them down. I have to put something like insulation in the stove pipe to stop the flow. When you have the pipe apart to put the plug in go ahead and clean everything well too. Of course you have to remember to pull the plug before starting a fire next time. If I know that I am going to be firing the stove up again soon I just stick an old sock in my damper to close it off but that isn't nearly as effective as plugging the flu like I do at the end of burning season.

 

[CrappieKeith]

My inexperienced 2 cents:

The main stove is sucking combustion air through the little stove. I have that happen when I use my exhaust fan in my smoking room and the stove is not burning, I smell the nasty creosote smell from the chimney. In the off-season I stuff a big wad of fiberglass insulation in the pipe, I don't know how practical that would be for you.

Exactly...think about the flue diameter and how many cubic inches of air it is exhausting...what do you have in the home to replace that air? Are there other fans or vents exhausting like hot water heaters,bathroom fan or clothes dryer. What is making up that air?

 

[loadthestove]

I had this problem before installing the other stove.In the past The stove causing the problem was used 24/7 so this was not an issue execpt in spring time when I would let the fire go out during the day.
After first I thought as you guys have mentioned ,bathroom vent,furnace cold air return etc.So one morning as I left I turned main breaker off so nothing in house was pulling air and still had same problem.
I built my house in 2000 .I had heating and cooling in mind when I built it so it is pretty much airtight.

 

[Marc]

Exterior chimney? A cold chimney I imagine would promote down drafting. My father's woodstove vents to a chimney on the side of his house and he sometimes has the same problem. Occasionally starting from cold he has to light a balled up newspaper and put it in the stove outlet to reverse the draft. My interior chimney never seems to have that problem...

If you just have a cold chimney I don't think there's much you can do aside from plugging it up when not in use.

 

[Chris-PA]

I had this problem before installing the other stove.In the past The stove causing the problem was used 24/7 so this was not an issue execpt in spring time when I would let the fire go out during the day.
After first I thought as you guys have mentioned ,bathroom vent,furnace cold air return etc.So one morning as I left I turned main breaker off so nothing in house was pulling air and still had same problem.
I built my house in 2000 .I had heating and cooling in mind when I built it so it is pretty much airtight.

Then it sounds like you had it right and it's more stack effect than lack of an external air intake. The house, with more hot air is drawing better than the cold flue. That would seem to mean the air can get out of the house somewhere, or there would not be a flow - but you wouldn't need much flow to smell it. Can you extend the flue? Is it sealed stove?

 

[loadthestove]

I have the same type of stove and on warm days when I am not burning I will get a down draft too. If I don't want a fire, I will light 2 or 3 sented candles and put them in the stove. It will either change the draft or make the house smell like apple pie

Wow..honestly thought this wouldnt work,,but I gecided to give it a try.problem solved plus house has a nice fresh smell.Now wifey is mad because I used one of her (Fancy Candles)
Evidently The candle puts just enough heat in stove and chimney to stop the reverse draft.