Smokey starts???

A little puzzled here. Lately when getting home from work, when I go and start up the new soapstone stove...its starts out real smokey??? I open the front damper all the way and make sure the Cat is closed but it still is very smokey to start out...I only take out about half of the ashes and just push the rest to the back of the stove..Could that be it?..The stove and pipe are both cold when I get home...Idea's???

 

Ashes aren't the problem. Do you mean smokey like the smoke is rolling into the room? If that's the case, it sounds like you have a downdraft. Is the house really tight? You could try cracking a door or window open until the air gets moving in the right direction up the chimney.

 

That actually did seem to work when I cracked the window about 3 or 4 inches...Smoke was rolling out of the stove into the room....

 

Check your chimney cap as well. If you've been operating your stove at a low temp, or, burning not quite dry wood, the vent holes in your cap could be clogged.

 

Good point... I have had that happen.

 

You could always have a newspaper fire first to get the hot air going up if this is a frequent issue.

 

You say the cat is closed.... The bypass should be open for cold starts. And Open for reloading.

Are you building a small, hot fire or are you putting normal splits on your kindling as your starting the fire?

 

I was wondering about the cat statement too but assumed that he meant "closed off." Maybe I had it backwards?

 

Sometimes on cold starts there is a “cold plug” of air in your stove pipe. Try rolling up a roll of newspaper or something similar, light it and then hold it up in the upper part of the combustion chamber to get hot air moving upward. This helps to create momentum of air flow up and out so you can break this plug of cold air. Hot air rises, cold air sinks. When your stove pipe is cold it has cold air pressing down and until hot air pushing up breaks this “plug” and you get steady upward hot air flowing up and out, smoke will back up into your stove. Try this and I think it will fix your problem.

 

I assume the smoke from the paper burning will also come out of the stove into the house, at least at first? Some have also mentioned using a small propane torch to direct heat into the pipe. I hope to go this route if I have cold pipe issues, assuming it's legit and works.

 

I've tried the propane torch idea without success at a previous home. The only solution I found to a downdraft was to crack a window before lighting and get the fire going hot and fast.

 

We have the same issue at work. Balled up newspaper (10 or so) will push the cold slug previously mentioned. I have tried various ways to keep the inversion from happening. The hottest, fastest burst of the least smoky heat will take care of your issues. Best I have found is newspaper.

I enjoy watching coworkers trying to light the fire, they fill the office with smoke damm near every time. I wait until their not paying attention and light er up.

 

Check out the “draw collar”. Only thing that worked with my chimney. Its fantastic. I pit it on for 10 minutes prior to a fire and it gets that draft pulling up.

 

It works 2 ways...heat and it pressurizes the flue too...works great, just don't point it at the ashes!

 

I had that problem with my first breakin fire all due to the lack of temperature differential. Too warm outside. Now that it's cold no problem.

 

If temps are a little warm and stove cold, just a fart fan running in a bathroom can reverse my flue.

I have very good success with the propane torch. So much so that I have one for each stove. Use it for preheating the flue and then turn it on the kindling to start the fire.

Haven’t used a match or lighter for years. I also refill the 1# propane cylinders for like 20 cents each.