The boss and I have been noticing some backpuff the last few days which we never had before so I assumed I was due for a sweeping. I've been burning 20% or less wood other than one small misshap which I discussed in my thread titled "wet wood". Surprised me that I would be due so soon, but I'm using an entirely new setup so I'm still learning "the system". Not my first rodeo, this is the 5th stove I've operated but each is different. So today I managed to get out of work early and the weather was right so I disassembled the pipe at the stove and swabbed the newly lined chimney. It was absolutely perfect. I probably got a handful of "creosote" if it was even that. Probably just fly ash. I was happy to see that it was so clean, and the top inside of the stove was clean as a whistle too. That all being said, what gives? Backpuff all the sudden? Maybe a change in atmospheric pressure? Maybe a different wind direction? We haven't had any high winds lately either. Scratching my head here. Still have a little even after the unneeded cleaning Running a non-cat Buck model 74 into a 18' SS lined full masonry chimney.
I’m new-ish so learning all this myself. I get backpuffs when I try and slow the fire down too much. I have a older cat style stove with no cat in it any more. When I let it go too low, she turns almost black and if I’m not watching, will build up gases and puff once it re-ignites. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Hasn't been real cold out...could be part of it. How tight is your house...any changes there recently?
5th stove on the same chimney? Could try cracking a window in the area, but somehow its building gasses and then getting some extra air, maybe when a door gets open and shut if the house is tight. A sluggish draft and then a breeze could cause this as well by giving the stove a deep breath so to speak.
Get the fire going better before shutting down. I get back puffs every now and again. Its because my ash isn't hot enough. We call them venison farts. beer has nothing to do with it.
No, 5th stove in general. Just bought a new house and have an entirely new setup. House is very tight. Recently full blown-in insulation walls and attic. All new windows and doors. It has been rather warm out. Maybe it's the low burning fires. It just seems like I never had this before. Thanks for the replies!
Tis the season for back puffs! One big problem is that the outside air is not too cold and therefore does not allow good movement of the air inside the chimney. Of course there are other reasons but this is my bet as to your problem. The best thing is to light smaller fires and burn them a bit hotter. Sometimes when starting a new burn you may have to crack a window. Yes, an OAK can help on this. It all depends upon your setup. I would probably not worry if this just happened a few times especially with the weather we've been having.
An occasional back puff is part of the the process. It means we are towing the line between burning the all of the gases and leaving tiny amounts to build up. On one level cars work the same way now- they just have computers to adjust on the fly. When I get back puffs I simply notch the throttle up a little bit. Btw I have an OAK and still get them. I don’t think they really care where the air comes from.
Never experienced a backpuff but I have a bunch of slight drafts. They aren’t large but I always keep something open because the stove heat and outside air is a great mix for the house. Keeps it warm but not too warm. Also my stove air is apparently a lot. Like a lot to the point where I close one opening but there are two but I cannot close that one. It’s an intake air on the rear of the stove and what I often see here is a lot of EPA stoves are only able to close the air so far. So I can close my air off but I hardly let it die out closing it down unless the start wasn’t right/hot enough. I would ask what did you burn when you got the backpuff?
