Downdraft problem, looking for suggestions

Have a small potbellied wood stove in the basement that I rarely use, rely on insert in living room for main heat source.

Has a 6” stovepipe into a 6” thimble that goes into a block and lined masonry chimney. See attached photos. Problem is, on real cold days like this morning when it was single digits, there is such a terrible downdraft I cannot even light a fire as it blows all the smoke out the stove seams and smokes up the basement.

If it is not super cold I put a propane torch in the stove directed up the pipe for 5 minutes, and it preheats chimney enough to get a proper draft and fire started. Lower temps when I really want it, no go even doing that. I thought of trying to heat the metal pipe with torch from the outside and then up inside?

I have used all kinds of wood stoves with all kinds of chimneys and have never seen anything like this. Has me pretty frustrated. Anybody have any suggestions?

Thanks in advance.

 

I don't. That should pull. Pretty well really.

Only thing I got is to get it lit before the temps get real low. My woodfurnace almost always pulls draft with an almost identical chimney as yours. Occasionally I will need to fire off a couple pages of newspaper or something to reverse the draft. Honestly beleive it has something to do with barometric pressure. I think I've seen one way draft valves but know nothing about them. Thankful I have never had this fight.

Just a thought...do you have an outdraft somewhere in the basement maybe? That air is encouraged to travel somewhere. Is your other stove's draft pulling hard enough to affect? (spitballs)

 

No outdraft in basement, and don't think woodstove upstairs is issue, as it is opposite end of house and door to basement is pretty tight. But good thinking.

 

One way to eliminate the other stove sucking the air would be to try to light the basement unit when the other is cold. Air has to be going somewhere is my thinking.

 

Only thing I can think
You said the basement door seals tight do you have enough air entering the basement to replace what the stove is exhausting

 

This is probably a really stupid suggestion, but are you sure you have that damper open all the way on a cold start?

 

close the upstairs door leading to the basement and open a basement window or door to the outdoors. this will correct it. once lit you can close basement door or window and open upstairs door.

 

Yes.

 

You could try closing the damper, that should stop or slow the downdraft, put the torch in the stove for a few minutes to get things warming up, then open the damper after a few minutes and see if it starts up drafting.

 

Try a hair dryer instead of a torch...heat and positive air flow/pressure up the chimney

Any recent changes to the house?
Insulation, air sealing, windows, change out an appliance?
Something running that isn't normally... exhaust fan(s) clothes dryer, central vac system?

 

No changes, hair dryer excellent idea.

 

Our wood stove is on the finished lower level of our weekend house. It’s a 6” outlet from the stove that has two 90 degree bends before going to an 8” thimble to an exterior 8” metal chimney that doesn’t clear the roof peak. So yeah, not ideal for drafting.

That being said, I’ve had good luck with a propane torch between the baffle and the top of the stove. I also open a window and a downstairs door. When we get up there, the house is pretty cool and the stove is fighting for air against the direct vent wall heater and power vent hot water heater. Opening the window and door help significantly.

 

Is the basement pretty cold?
Do the basement stairs have a door that separates the two floors?
It so, any change with door open vs closed?
Oops, I guess that was asked already

 

Interesting to read this today. My stove is a basement install, straight up single wall for 36” then 45 to a wall thimble and out, 90 T and straight up class A exterior. I have negative pressure so use a hair dryer to pre-heat the flu until it’s warm to the touch and light it up. Never a problem once I figured that out as I’ve smoked my house up a few times over the years. I switched jobs last year and just haven’t css enough and am low on wood and the wife loves the fire so I turned in my man card and bought wood, of course advertised as seasoned which I knew better. So I am keeping the fire hotter than usual and adding wood much sooner than when i had 3-4 year css wood.
anyways, yesterday morning I come down and the pipe was cold, yet visible hot coals in the stove. I slid the air damper all the way open and waited a bit. Before I opened the door, I checked a nearby CO meter and it showed 50ppm so I knew I needed to get a hot fire going quickly. I had a box of very small split super dry oak, some super cedars and this newer wood but ended up setting every smoke alarm off in the house and had to vent my own house to rid the smoke ‍♂️‍♂️‍♂️. It was -11f over night with a full stove, including a couple large but 4 year css oak so I am at a loss of why I lost draft.
I will clean the chimney this weekend hopefully as I suspect it’s got some buildup already from this non-ready wood.

 

Screen on the cap plugged? Not hard to do when it's this cold, especially with wet wood...can ice over too.

 

Didn’t seem to be, but I took my taller extension ladder over to the camp I work at. I did beat on it with the tall stick so maybe that cleared it up As after a few minutes, I finally saw smoke coming out the chimney and got things going the right direction.

 

Yep, my house has a terrible down draft as well. I usually have to make sure my the dryer is off , 1st floor door is cracked open, propane furnace off. Etc.
It has taken as long as 5-10 minutes before it will correct itself

 

That's neat that you're in Stromsburg NE. My sons and I drive right through there everytime we drive from SD to TX on 81.
"The Swede Capitol of the world",
I think that's what the signs say