Greenhorn question

[Lugnutz]

Ok guys, first off Merry Christmas. I'm in my 2nd year of heating with wood so I'm still learning about the whole process.

Is it common when the winds are very high ( 30+ since yesterday afternoon ) that a stove just won't burn worth a hoot? My stove sits outside without a housing around it, wonder how that effects things compared to a OWB within an enclosure or a woodstove inside a house? Normally I have the draft control opened halfway at max, lastnight and one other windy night I had the stove running almost wide open ( wich concerns me cause what if the wind stops in the middle of the night and its packed with oak and hedge ) just to get it to consume some well aged elm rounds.

Any opinions will be appreciated greatly.

Thanks, Rick

RE-READ IT! Figure I'll put a pic in so you can see I don't have a indoor stove sittin outside as it sounded in my post. No housing around the draft control is what I was trying to get at.

 

[abohac]

I have never seen a set-up like you have. How do you stop from losing your heat through those uninsulated pipes? Maybe your winters are a little different where you live, but I would have a tough time with what you have shown up here in Michigan. As for the draft, I'm guessing that your stove is made to be inside and not subjected to the wind you are talking about. You might have to build an enclosure (or maybe put it in you garage).

 

[Lugnutz]

The stove is an outdoor unit. The uninsulated ducting you see is for the cold air return.

The stove is insulated very well, as a matter of fact it has snow sitting on it right now.

Here is a pic of the heat duct ( also insulated ).

 

[mga]

if, during high winds, your stove is dying out, it seems you have a flue issue. sounds like the winds might be fighting the draft in your flue.

you don't really show how high your flue goes, what's near it, etc etc. that would be the first place i'd look at. if anything, high winds should draw more air from your stove.

 

[Lugnutz]

stove is set up on northwest side of house ( bad location but only real option I had ) I was wondering if it had something to do with being in a corner where the wind could swirl around? I'll try to get a full pic of the setup with flue. I really don't want to tread outside in this blizzard but I'll have to put wood in it eventually so I'll see about a pic or 2.

 

[flushcut]

You may just need a flue cap. If it has one you might try adjusting the standoff height to control the amount of draw or the stack is too short. Those would be my guesses.

 

[Lugnutz]

10ft pipe, 6ft to roof edge and then 4ft to the top.

Tree looks like its right over the pipe in this picture but it is not, way up just barely over hangs the pipe.

that log has been in there all night, nice coals and good burn time, but it should have been gone by this morning with the draft opened up so far.

Snow on top !!!

 

[RacerX]

I don't know about the actual stove setup but you do have a couple of electrical code violations.

 

[abohac]

The stove is an outdoor unit. The uninsulated ducting you see is for the cold air return.

The stove is insulated very well, as a matter of fact it has snow sitting on it right now.

Here is a pic of the heat duct ( also insulated ).

Oh, I got got ya. I guess I really don't know. I heat with an outdoor hot water unit. Before that an indoor deal.

 

[chucker]

the cap on top of the pipe !! get ride of it !! with a good hot fire you wont need it to keep the weather out or vermin.... very often the problem with caps are the lack of free up draft for a clean hot burn..with plenty of draft (wide open ) there should be hardly any wood left after say 4 hours! this would be my first cure to aslow fire...

 

[matt9923]

I don't know about the actual stove setup but you do have a couple of electrical code violations.

I have seen worse... :taped:

 

[bohawg1]

by the look at your stack your wind might be coming from the other side of the house and up and over and down. IF that makes sense. I think you need to put alittle more on your pipe and you will be ok. Just dont have a good enough draft do to the hair hitting on other side of your house and swurling in a down mode. I might be wrong but im sure it would help to go taller on your stack

 

[Lugnutz]

by the look at your stack your wind might be coming from the other side of the house and up and over and down. IF that makes sense. I think you need to put alittle more on your pipe and you will be ok. Just dont have a good enough draft do to the hair hitting on other side of your house and swurling in a down mode. I might be wrong but im sure it would help to go taller on your stack

Thought about that, but the wind is coming north and west, the same side as the stove sits on.

Yeah I need to work on the wiring..any suggestions on how to make the orange cord's exit from the conduit better? The power from the house to the outlet needs a small piece of conduit so that won't be hard to finish up. But that dang orange cord I just didn't have any good ideas.

 

[chucker]

second that!! at least 2 feet over the height of the roof....

 

[mga]

the cap on top of the pipe !! get ride of it !! with a good hot fire you wont need it to keep the weather out or vermin.... very often the problem with caps are the lack of free up draft for a clean hot burn..with plenty of draft (wide open ) there should be hardly any wood left after say 4 hours! this would be my first cure to aslow fire...

yea...i agree. that was my first thought, especially that particular cap.

remove the cap for starters.

 

[Lugnutz]

I'll remove the cap and see what happens...won't be today tho, need the stove!!

2ft above the peak? I'm 4ft above the lowest part of the roof right now, and about 24" away from the roof edge.

Good news!!! The wind has died down and now everyone is happy we are at our normal 75 degrees inside.

 

[mga]

I'll remove the cap and see what happens...won't be today tho, need the stove!!

2ft above the peak? I'm 4ft above the lowest part of the roof right now, and about 24" away from the roof edge.

Good news!!! The wind has died down and now everyone is happy we are at our normal 75 degrees inside.

as a general rule, if you're closer than 10 feet from any roof ridge, you must be at least 2 or 3 feet above that.

when that wind blows, it flows over the roof ridge then downward. if you have a flue below that ridge, the air is just pushing down on your flue. like i said before, at 30mph, that wind should be sucking the ashes out of your burner with a wide open flue.

my chimney is in the center of my house above the peak. i put a cap and mine and noticed the difference. without it, that wind would slam my fireplace doors shut if they were open. i'm seriously thinking of removing mine.

 

[rmotoman]

the cap on top of the pipe !! get ride of it !!

I agree.

I have about the same setup as you and have a very good draft. My outdoor wood heater is on the southeast corner of my house. One thing different is the double walled pipe for the flue. I think it pulls better because the exhaust doesn't cool much until leaving the top. In the strong cold winds yesterday my house was up to 82.

 

[sly13]

My chimney sits on the NW corner of my house, I have a cap on mine and never have a problem, unless the 1/2" screen holes start to plug up. I don't live that far from you and the wind didn't effect it at all. Might be more of a height issue. MHO. Glad you are all back up to temp though.

 

[Lugnutz]

Chimney experts have determined that the
chimney termination should be at least 2' above
the highest portion of the roof that is within a
10' radius of the chimney.


so technically speaking..the top of the pipe doesn't have to be above the ridgeline as long as the pipe is 10ft away from the shingles and 2ft higher than that point??

brb I'm gonna go climb up on my iced and snow covered roof..I might live to tell ya what my measurements are LOL J/K Aint no way I could care enuff to get up there on a day like today LOL