Been there...I usually use the newspaper in the back of the stove right below the flue. Once it reverses and starts sucking the newspaper up I can load the kindling and a few splits.
Get this one, TS-8000 heavy duty one, no better way to light a fire IMO, you can warm the flue if needed, use a fire starter or just kindling, open the door just enough to fit the torch in, and fire will be blazing in no time.
Nothing's working for me this morning. It's 15 degrees F this morning. Cold, dense air. Can't get the draft going. Basement's smoky as heck. Tried newspaper on baffle. Tried running the torch for a couple minutes. Even tried a firestarter on the baffle. Nothing's working...
I have the same problem on occasion. Basement stove with the chimney in an ouside wall. I know it seems crazy, but what works for me is to open a window in the basement closest to the stove and let the cold air poor in for a couple of minutes before I even try to light the stove. I think the house goes into a negative airflow due to exhaust fans, clothes dryer etc. After a few minutes the basement equalizes with the rest of the house and the cold air stops flowing out of the stove. Get a quick hot fire going with lots of paper and small splits, 1/2 later and everything is warm plus the house got a bit of fresh air. Never had any smoke outs after discovering this from an old timer that heats with wood and has a similar set up to mine. Good luck.
I cracked the window but it was after I'd started the whole ordeal. Tried to do a quick, hot fire with kindling. REALLY REALLY filled the basement with smoke now. It burned but the smoke just pumped into the room. I may try again later today. Everything's airing out now. There's even a little smile on the main level now. Not a good start to the day...
Ya, it is super frustrating. I tried everything mentioned already, even took the flue pipe apart and would stuff a heat gun into the thimble and let it run, then put everything back together as fast as possible and light the stove, but I couldn't beat it. Think of all the air that is being exhaust out of the house by cooking exhaust fans, bathroom fans, dryer. As soon as you open the stove door it is an instant pathway for air to rush in and replace it. Plus we have to fight a cold chimney and lousy draft due to the basement. Wood heating can be like black magic some times.
Ain't that the truth. I should just start a fire in October and keep it going through April. Things would be a lot easier. Lol. This is my first attempt at starting a fire when it's this cold out. Failed.
If you have a clean out out side put a ball of lit newspaper up it and wait a minute then open stove and start fire heard of people doing this before
What do you have to loose I would load the cold stove up for a top down fire then go do newspaper lit outside this way you are ready to roll
Have you tried opening a window or door just while your starting the stove? Can you put an OAK (outside air kit) on your stove? I have also heard of a draft inducer for stove pipe.... can't find it on my mobile device right now though....
I didn't think to open the window until a couple minutes into the process. It's worked in the past with temps in the 30s. But, newspaper works then too. I didn't get a chance to try lighting paper in the clean out. I left it alone and happened to go downstairs a couple of hours later. I had a fire going... I'll try the clean out this weekend. We'll still have the "polar vortex" going on
Dear Husband and I are still rookies at epa stoves (masters of smoke dragon pre epas), unknowingly he put too many splits in our new (xsmall) insert and it raised the baffle up just a tiny bit. Between that and strong winds and pressure inside the house etc, it took us awhile to figure it out, and we had to air the house out several times Hey B, atleast you didnt set off the firealarms like we did, guaranteed to freak out the kid and dogs We start with smaller initial loads now
I hate to suggest it but are you sure the chimney is clean? We had one member suffering from the same problem and it turned out his chimney was bad plugged.
I recall a post here recently that a member was absolutely sure his chimney was clean but after struggling for too long he found out otherwise. Sorry I dont remember who, but that stuff really happens. Happened to me, I hired and PAID the best guy in town to sweep and inspect the chimney and it was still choked down in some areas not to mention the dislodged creosote chunks were left sitting on top of the slammer. In his defense, he asked me if I wanted him to clean the stove out and hopefully would have realized it was a cat slammer and I said "don't worry about it, I can scoop ashes out of the stove" I did not know any different, only thing that came out of our pre epa in our home of last 20 years was always only flyash...........
