More adventures with woodstoves!

[ishoot308]

"The only other clue I have is that to create the holes for the damper rod, the guy used a 22 pistol."

Did the guy really do this?? If he did I would trust none of his other work...

To try and help you out...if its wood you are smelling, most likely a leak around the thimble. I also see blackness on your brick just above the 12:00 o'clock position of your thimble ring. Leak could be coming from there...

Wow...still cant get over the 22 logic!

Dan

[pondguy]

I would not take a chance with any of this I would just use your thermostat and bite the bullet {no pun intended} and pay for the oil.

[ApS]

I've called the fire department to locate smoke coming out of my house.

Maybe give them a call?

While experimenting with holes in sheet metal, I found a 22 pistol will make 32 caliber holes!

[SailinAway]

Originally Posted by pondguy

I would not take a chance with any of this I would just use your thermostat and bite the bullet {no pun intended} and pay for the oil.

I had a similar thought this morning and did some math. I had the thought of selling all my wood and using the proceeds to buy oil. Right now oil is twice as expensive as wood (for the cost to heat my house), so that idea is out.

[Poor Richard]

If you have a level, I'd check that horizontal stove pipe. If the bubble doesn't head toward the brick wall, that's part of the problem.

For whatever it's worth, all my stove pipe is dry fit and there aren't any leaks to speak of. Don't quite know what to make of the cement products being used in you application

[SAB1]

Like above I’ve never used pipe cement. How are you intending to take this apart for cleaning? I think I would call or stop by your local stove shop and ask them for some help.

[SailinAway]

Originally Posted by SAB1

Like above I’ve never used pipe cement. How are you intending to take this apart for cleaning? I think I would call or stop by your local stove shop and ask them for some help.

I called a stove shop in Meredith. The gentleman said the pipes don't need any cement around the joints or at the wall, because the smoke rises. He said, "You could shoot the pipe full of holes and the smoke would go up the chimney." You make a good point about cleaning.

[Susie Cougar]

Originally Posted by SailinAway

I called a stove shop in Meredith. The gentleman said the pipes don't need any cement around the joints or at the wall, because the smoke rises. He said, "You could shoot the pipe full of holes and the smoke would go up the chimney." You make a good point about cleaning.

Does this shop do inspections? The more that I read, the more I get nervous you’re going to end up with a house fire. You definitely need to get someone who knows what he is doing and not try to use your woodstove until it is fixed.

Back in the late 1970s we bought a Victorian home in Old Town, Maine. it was built in the 1870s and it had no insulation and the curtains would actually move when it was windy outside. After going through the first winter and spending a fortune on oil, we decided we needed to put in a woodstove. We bought a nice Vermont Castings stove, had a nice brick hearth built to put it on and it was done perfectly. But no one thought about cleaning the chimney.

My husband is a huge New York Jets fan. The only way he could ever hear a Jets game was to go out in the car and sit in the driveway and listen to the static on the radio. He was in the car one day and a woman knocked on his window. He was really enjoying his game and rolled the window down to see what she wanted. She said she was sorry to interrupt him but that our chimney was on fire!

What happened next was like a scene from the Keystone Cops. The fire station was only one block away and we heard them coming up the street and drove right by. My husband was out chasing them. When they got to the house they realized they didn’t have any more flares because they used them on the last chimney fire and they forgot to re-order. The only thing they could do to keep the whole house from burning down was shoot water from the hose down the chimney but there was a possibility that the whole thing would crack. We had no choice. They put the fire out and the chimney was fine. We used that woodstove for all the years we were there. One year, we actually burned five cords of wood. But we learned the lesson,
Don’t mess with fire!

[Slickcraft]

Originally Posted by SailinAway

I called a stove shop in Meredith. The gentleman said the pipes don't need any cement around the joints or at the wall, because the smoke rises. He said, "You could shoot the pipe full of holes and the smoke would go up the chimney." You make a good point about cleaning.

Hold a match or candle flame near the damper hole. The draft should pull the tip of the flame into the hole.

Alan

[SailinAway]

Originally Posted by Slickcraft

Hold a match or candle flame near the damper hole. The draft should pull the tip of the flame into the hole.

Alan

Do you mean the hole in the pipe for the damper rod? I did that. The flame flickered but I wouldn't say it was pulled toward the hold.

[Slickcraft]

Originally Posted by SailinAway

Do you mean the hole in the pipe for the damper rod? I did that. The flame flickered but I wouldn't say it was pulled toward the hold.

Yes that hole in the pipe. If the stove was up to temp then it looks like a poor draft situation. That could be your primary issue with poor stove performance.

If the stove was cold then you may need to heat the flue at startup to get a good draft going and prevent initial smoke blow back. Prior to lighting the kindling place crumbled paper on top, light and keep door cracked to get a good draft going then light the kindling.

Alan

[SailinAway]

Originally Posted by Poor Richard

If you have a level, I'd check that horizontal stove pipe. If the bubble doesn't head toward the brick wall, that's part of the problem.

For whatever it's worth, all my stove pipe is dry fit and there aren't any leaks to speak of. Don't quite know what to make of the cement products being used in you application

You're smart! I was wondering the same thing about the slope of the pipe. It's supposed to rise 1/4" per foot. I'll see if I have a level.

[SailinAway]

Originally Posted by Poor Richard

If you have a level, I'd check that horizontal stove pipe. If the bubble doesn't head toward the brick wall, that's part of the problem.

I checked this this morning with a level. The pitch appears correct. Thanks for that reminder, Poor Richard.

I just want to remind folks that there's no surprise in this situation if you've read my past posts. I know y'all are aghast, but there are an awful lot of senior citizens living alone who can't afford to get "good" home maintenance, so we make do with what we have and who we can afford. I know I appear inept, but you would be surprised at how much I DO do on my property, for a woman of my age. I make well-reasoned decisions after gathering a lot of information. Also, we are in a period of economic distress that must be impacting millions of home owners. So again, it's not surprising that people turn to less-than-ideal home maintenance solutions. I don't neglect situations that pose a risk to the house. In the present case, there is no danger of fire, no flames shooting out of the flue pipe (that happened once on the furnace, though), so calmez-vous, s'il vous plaît. As always, I greatly appreciate all the good information I've gotten from the wise and skilled people here.

[pondguy]

Originally Posted by SailinAway

I had a similar thought this morning and did some math. I had the thought of selling all my wood and using the proceeds to buy oil. Right now oil is twice as expensive as wood (for the cost to heat my house), so that idea is out.

I'm sure your oil company has a budget plan where you make a monthly payment based on todays prices and your past usage, It's worth a phone call rather than a smoke problem or a fire. Frugal is good safe is better.

[upthesaukee]

Hindsight being 20-20, I really wish you had walked away from the installer who insisted on installing the damper. Not only is it contrary to the manufacturer's instructions, it probably was an unnecessary increase in installation costs. Lesson learned, I guess.

Dave

[SailinAway]

Originally Posted by ishoot308

"The only other clue I have is that to create the holes for the damper rod, the guy used a 22 pistol." Did the guy really do this?? If he did I would trust none of his other work... To try and help you out...if its wood you are smelling, most likely a leak around the thimble. I also see blackness on your brick just above the 12:00 o'clock position of your thimble ring. Leak could be coming from there...Wow...still cant get over the 22 logic! Dan

Yes, seriously, that happened. Not on my property though, believe me. He did it at his house after I told him firmly that I didn't want a damper. He arrived with the assembled pipe with damper as a fait accompli.

Looking at the discoloration on the wall, it seems like what you would expect after 50 years of a woodstove in that location. However, the thimble ring is not attached in any way. Is it purely decorative?

Below are photos of where the pipe enters the wall. Is it possible there's not enough cement on the left side? Also, in the first photo there does appear to be a space in the joint below one of the screws.