I can give it a good cleaning but before the stove was hooked up I had a guy out to check out everything. He said the chimney was fine. I've only burned for a couple of months and it's locust that's been CSS for about 2 years. I'll try to clean it in the next few days and see what falls out. I don't imagine I have a creosote problem...
You might be surprised, with the mild winter this year and not needing to run HOT the site accumulates quick. This is going to be a 3 sweep year for me.
I did a quick chimney cleaning this afternoon. There was some buildup on the spark arrestor but not much. Very little creosote when I brushed the chimney but there were newspaper bits on the cleanout. I tried a couple of sheets of newspaper in the cleanout and lit them with the torch. That worked wonders. Also did a top down fire. We're golden right now. No smoke in the house starting with a cold chimney and 20 degree weather. Here's the chimney that I'm dealing with... Nevermind the ivy remnants from previous owners. I'm working on them.
Glad that you tried it and it worked I really like that people on this site help each other out good job
Like HarvestMan I had never heard of a cold plug so I read the post last night. Come home tonight and fire up the stove and guess what ???? At least I know what to call it..................
My stove has only done it a handful of times in 15 years so I can't complain. It was just ironic that it happened the next time I lit the stove after reading this post. I didn't realize this site had that much power !?
x2 in Colorado. Wyoming is a different story, the winds accentuate the effect and since the woodstoves are no longer our primary heat, the cold starts make it worse.
Many years back - basement wood furnace- reversed draft- 2200 sq ft of smoke filled basement in 2 min flat- that was fun- But I did find the absolute best use for the Baro damper - stuck the hose from the shop vac in it as a blower lit furnace worked perfect- baro didn't do me any good for what it was designed for except to help create more creosote but as a place to use the shop vac as a blower ( induced draft) it was perfect. Haven't used that furnace since that year as I bought a nc30 ( main floor) - been all I need.
Happened to me twice in a former life. The basement, like you say, was filled with smoke. Woke up to a slight smell of smoke, opened the door to the basement and just abut filled my shorts! Also was while using a wood furnace.
I too eliminated the barometric damper on mine many years ago. All it did for me was to do exactly what you said....it let the masonry chimney to cool down enough allow the beginnings of creosote formation. Even with the draft set correctly with a magnehelic it refused to be a anything but a hindrance. It didn't last but partway through the first season with the furnace 36 years ago and I've been creosote free ever since. I do on occasion experience the 'cold-plug' syndrome (never heard it called that before either)....but its only on an extremely long shut down to where the masonry chimney and tile liner is colder than a well diggers instep in the middle of January. We don't have to use the main wood furnace unless outdoor temp is 20 F or less as the upstairs appliance does just fine for us now that the kids are all gone. When I open the door on a good cold evening and feel the arctic blast flowing downward indicating the OP's condition, I just stop and flip in about 4 double sheets of newspaper and light 'em off. That usually stops the problem before it starts. Then set a fire from the top down as suggested above....heck I even thought I invented that concept !!!!! Though I only use this technique under this particular flu condition. Chris mentioned the vacuum stuck into the barometric damper in blower mode....that's quite funny because the first time I experienced this condition I too used a Sears vacuum as a blower blowing directly into the ash door (cracked). It WAS a tad bit messy and smokey for a minute or two, but it solved the problem. That's when I began the newspaper before building a fire trick.
I never truly believed in the concept of a cold plug until tonight. Now I'm a believer! The stove had been cold for about 24 hours. I decided to light it, and when I opened the door, I noted the cold flow in there. I tried to light the fire the way I always do, which resulted in smoke pouring into the house, which continued for a few minutes, until my wife suggested trowing balled up newspaper in. When that caught, it immediately corrected the flow. I think next time I have similar conditions I will be more ready.
When I don't need to heat it from the cleanout, I set newspaper on top of the baffle and light it with the torch. You'll get your hands a little dirty but it works.
I basically had a smoldering mess, pouring smoke into the house. Threw the balled up newspaper on top, and lit it, and it immediately started drafting.
Top down fire with newspaper on top. Light the newspaper and close the door. No excitement. No smoke. My chimney does back draft too.
