Why does a potbelly stove smoke when the door is opened and how to fix it?

To heat a home or other buildings, a traditional wood-burning stove is often used. It is characterized by low cost, compact size, high efficiency, low cost of use and other positive parameters. Often people create and install it themselves, since this does not pose any special problems.

However, during the operation of the stove, quite often you have to deal with the fact that when you open the door into the firebox, unpleasant and rather strong smoke appears. It can also come from other structural elements of the stove. What are the reasons for this situation, what needs to be done to get rid of smoke , and what preventative work is recommended to prevent such problems from arising in the future ? This is discussed in our article.

What should you do if you detect smoke?

If a potbelly stove smokes, then we can definitely say that the design has broken draft, which is an important parameter of the stove’s performance . However, there can be a huge number of reasons that could contribute to cravings . Smoke may appear during the lighting of the stove or be present constantly , however, in any case, you first need to determine the cause of the malfunction of the potbelly stove, and then begin repair work .
The first thing to do when detecting smoke is to check all the channels through which the smoke moves, and you should also carefully examine the entire body of the stove, since holes or cracks may form difficult to eliminate errors could have been made during laying .

Presence of cracks

It's no secret that over the years the stove becomes covered with a network of cracks and cracks. Especially at the junction of clay and metal elements, for example, around a slab. Wells can also crack at the seams.

The cracks could remain in the place where a knockout brick is inserted for cleaning, or the vent and firebox doors have become loose over time.

Also, atmospheric phenomena sometimes destroy the outer part of the pipe on the roof.

It is possible and necessary to deal with cracks, because air is sucked in, its natural flow is disrupted, and at the slightest disturbance in draft for other reasons, smoke finds its way out, even with the door closed!

The cracks are sealed with clay mortar, similar to the one on which the stove is made. Deep cracks are widened using a knife or similar tool to allow the mortar to penetrate deeper between the bricks. Then the gap is moistened with water and sealed well. Small cracks can be whitened.

How is a potbelly stove chimney checked?

Despite the fact that when opening the firebox smoke appears , the check must begin with the chimney.

After this, you can move on to other structural elements. The entire check can be divided into the following types of work :

• The chimney is inspected for the presence of foreign objects in it that could negatively affect the draft, and since smoke cannot normally and easily exit into the street through the chimney pipe , then, naturally, it will enter the house. It is often necessary to remove various elements that clog this part of the stove; this is especially common in chimneys that do not have a protective cap on top.
• Next, it is important to determine whether soot has adhered to the walls of the chimney, since it can also have a bad effect on draft . This is due to the fact that when the firebox is lit, smoke appears and cannot escape effectively through the very narrow opening . As a result, gases escape through various small holes that are present in the stove, and they especially begin to be very noticeable when the door to the stove is opened. Soot buildup can occur from prolonged use of the structure without periodic cleaning , as well as from the use of unsuitable or cheap and low-quality fuel . Incorrect placement of the chimney can also contribute to its rapid clogging with soot.

What to do if the entire smoke problem is related to the chimney? The only solution is to clean the chimney , and this must be done correctly and efficiently.

Soot adhesion

The most common source of deterioration in draft is the adhesion of soot on the walls of the chimney. The internal diameter of the pipe becomes so narrow that smoke, accumulating, exits through any cracks in the unit body. The degree of soot adhesion does not depend on the location of the stove: in a bathhouse or in a house. Incorrect operation and certain types of burned wood contribute more to its formation. The first factor includes insufficient insulation of the chimney, and the second is the burning of coniferous logs. The only way to repair in this case is to clean the chimney.

How to clean a chimney?

The mechanical cleaning method requires special devices:

ruff, cable, weight.

First, a weight attached to a cable is lowered into the chimney. This way you can find an obstacle or a place where the pipe has narrowed. If it is necessary to push through any object that has blocked the channel, the weight is thrown down with force. At the next stage, the pipe is cleaned with a brush. It has the shape of a square or round brush, its dimensions should be slightly larger than the pipe hole. Using down/up movements, the chimney is cleared of soot and accumulated small debris.

How to clean a chimney?

This work can be done in the garage or in the house, depending on where exactly the stove with the clogged chimney is located. At the same time, you can carry out this work yourself , but it is important to protect all elements located next to the potbelly stove from soot .

Cleaning can be done using different methods :

• mechanical, involving the use of various tools;
• chemical, for which it is necessary to use various chemical compositions ;
• pressure, which consists in using special equipment that creates a hard and strong pressure of water, which knocks down all the growths or throws out foreign elements in the pipe.

When constantly implementing this task, a mechanical method is usually used, which consists of using a brush, a cable and a special weight. Initially, a weight on a cable should be lowered into the chimney, which will immediately determine where exactly the obstacle is located . The weight needs to be dropped because it can be used to dislodge a foreign object. Next, the pipe begins to be cleaned using a brush, which can be round or square, but the diameter of the brush should be slightly larger than the diameter of the chimney pipe .

Wind

A temporary cause of backdraft can be the wind, the direction and strength of which “drives” the smoke back into the chimney. Tall trees or buildings located near the house can contribute to this.

Install an umbrella or deflector on the top edge of the pipe. These devices significantly improve draft, protect from rain and prevent the wind from blowing smoke back into the chimney.

To date, many deflector designs have been developed. There are rotating models that are themselves installed by the force of the wind so that there is no interference with the smoke.

Many people are interested in the question: how to line an iron stove with bricks? Read useful information in our article. For information on self-repair of Ariston water heaters, see here.

Read about winter kits for air conditioners at this link.

The appearance of smoke due to incorrectly selected chimney dimensions

Another fairly popular cause of smoke is the incorrectly selected height of the chimney pipe, and this error usually occurs during the installation of all equipment. When installing a chimney in a garage or other building, it is important that its outer part, which is located on the street, has the necessary and sufficient height .

If the proportions are chosen incorrectly, then very often smoke comes out of the stove , which comes out when the door is opened, and the reason lies precisely in the chimney. If this error is detected, it is necessary to urgently correct it, for which purpose the structure is built up through the use of additional sections of pipe.

Cracks in the walls and chimney

Over time, a thick layer of soot settles on the inner walls of the furnace, and the masonry begins to crack under the influence of thermal loads. Taken together, all this can also cause smoke. To remove soot, you can try using aspen firewood. Their combustion is accompanied by a very high temperature, at which deposits in the chimney duct are loosened and carried out along with the smoke.

However, this method is more effective as a preventive measure: if ash and soot have settled for many years, then aspen firewood is unlikely to help. Various chemicals in the form of special tablets, briquettes or pellets are also not a panacea. The best way is mechanical cleaning. To do this, you will have to purchase tools - a core, a scraper and a brush on a flexible cable.

Before starting work, be sure to open all dampers and close all doors. Having secured yourself on the roof, remove the head from the pipe and remove the soot at a distance where your hand can reach. Then place the brush in the chimney and, turning, gradually move it lower and lower. If you come across an obstacle that you cannot break through, use the cannonball.

Cracks must be repaired! Even a child can make the stove solution that is needed to cover them. Mix well-sifted sand and ordinary clay in a ratio of 2:4, break up the lumps, and then splash in a little water. The consistency should be like plasticine, so it is important not to overdo it with water.

Preparing the stove solution When sealing the cracks, if possible, close them with your hand from the back side, otherwise the solution may end up inside the stove. Each time, before you start treating another crack, moisten it a little with water. After the mortar on the masonry has dried, look to see if its integrity has been compromised.

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What needs to be done if smoke appears when lighting a potbelly stove?

Also, very often the owners of garages or other small buildings that heat their buildings with wood-burning stoves are faced with the fact that during the cold season, during kindling, heavy smoke occurs in the premises .

To resolve this problem, you can use the following methods :

• a burning candle or torch is brought to the smoke collector, which allows you to eliminate the column of cold air;
• large amount of paper is burned near the smoke collector .

Thanks to the methods described above, the chimney warms up well, and cold air comes out, so if you do all the work correctly, you can get rid of smoke from the stove.

Reason 1 - backdraft

To determine further measures to eliminate smoke from the stove, it is necessary to check the quality of draft in the smoke exhaust system. Verification is carried out in one of the following ways:

1. Using an anemometer. High-precision professional device for determining smoke draft.
2. Ignition of flammable material. The burning material is brought to the chimney grate - with good draft, the flame is directed upward, with poor draft or its absence, it remains motionless.
3. Visual check. If, when lighting the stove, the flame acquires a dark red tint, this indicates a decrease in draft. Good draft provides a light, almost white flame.
4. Presence of a strong smell of smoke. If strong odors appear when the firebox is open, this indicates a mechanical blockage of the chimney system.

The full list of reasons why a heating stove starts to smoke is quite long. In each individual situation, it is necessary to take into account: the nature (temporary or permanent) and duration of smoke, indoor temperature, weather conditions, design features and equipment service life.

If the technology for arranging and lighting the stove is followed, the likelihood of smoke in the structure is minimal. But if a problem is still detected, then timely diagnosis and troubleshooting will ensure a long service life of the heating equipment.

Smoking in the stove can be caused by the so-called draft overturning. It usually occurs after the stove has not been lit for several days. At the same time, previously the traction was excellent. Such idleness leads to the fact that the air flow changes direction to the opposite and does not go out into the street, but into the home.

To eliminate backdraft in the chimney, you need to quickly increase the air temperature in the chimney pipe. This can be done in several ways:

• through the highest chimney cleaning door;
• opening the hog in the attic;
• throwing lit paper into the outlet of the pipe. This method is used if the first two did not bring results. It should lead to restoration of traction.

When normal draft can be restored, it is maintained in the future with regular heating of the furnace. Tipping the rod should no longer be a concern. You can find another popular name for this phenomenon: “air lock”. It is completely unfair to blame the stove maker for its occurrence. This does not depend at all on its operation, and a draft overturn can occur in any stove.

What other causes of smoke can be identified?

The reasons described above are the most popular and frequently encountered, however, other situations can be identified in which a large amount of smoke can flow from the firebox into the room. These reasons include:

• low-quality solution used in the process of fastening various elements of the stove or used in the interior finishing of the main structural parts of the equipment ;
• in brick potbelly stoves, a fairly common problem is considered to be excessively large joints in the masonry , through which smoke penetrates into the rooms or garage;
• If the lining is not used in the firebox, it may become deformed during the operation of the stove, as a result of which it will no longer cope with its main tasks, and may also cause a crack to appear in the stove body .

All of the above factors are the causes of smoke when using the stove. It is strictly prohibited to use the equipment in this condition. What to do in such a situation? It is urgently necessary to carry out high-quality and correct repair work, and for this, the cracks are completely closed with adhesive solutions , and the lining is also replaced or straightened with suitable tools .

How to check traction?

Expert opinion

Pavel Kruglov

Stove maker with 25 years of experience

Initially, the traction force is determined with a burning match. With a cold chimney, the flame of a burning match or newspaper should deviate towards the firebox. Then we preheat the chimney pipes. To do this, light a fire in the firebox using a small amount of dry paper. If the flame burns brightly and the smoke goes into the chimney, therefore, all the conditions for burning a fire in the firebox are met. The presence of a smoke smell in the room indicates a lack of cravings.

Checking traction

What preventive measures can be taken?

There are certain recommendations that will reduce the likelihood of smoke in buildings from a potbelly stove :

• it is necessary to periodically clean the chimney walls from plaque and soot;
• It is regularly necessary to clean the space under the oven from the resulting layer of ash and soot, as well as the ash drawer, since neglect of this issue can lead to the formation of significant growths ;
• smoke ducts must be regularly checked for contamination, and they must be promptly removed, and this is often quite difficult to do due to the specific arrangement of the elements, but here a mechanical cleaning method using a flexible cord is suitable;
• if smoke comes from the stove only during windy weather outside, then we can safely say that there is no special windproof cap . Its purchase and installation can solve the problem;
• wind can also cause smoke if the stove was created by non-professionals, as a result of which there are errors and flaws , cracks and other problems due to which during strong winds the draft cannot cope with the pressure , so the smoke does not come out , but goes into the room itself where the stove is located;
• The furnace vent must be constantly cleared of waste and ash, since otherwise it itself may cause smoke ;
• the stove door must fit very tightly to the stove itself , and this will avoid the appearance of smog, and often it is impossible to achieve a tight fit. In this case, you need to either replace the door or make the surface of the stove flat ;
• You should not use low-quality fuel or even replace firewood with straw or sawdust .

Thus, the answer to the question why a large amount of smoke comes into the room from the firebox of a potbelly stove has many possible answers. There are a huge number of reasons for this problem , so it is important to initially carry out a comprehensive check of the equipment , clean certain elements, and also repair broken parts. As a rule, all these actions lead to a positive result .

Why does the stove smoke in the wind?

When there is wind, the stove smokes into the house. When there is no wind, it heats just fine, but when there is a back wind, there is a reverse draft. The house is in a field, there are no fences. They installed a deflector (a pipe in a pipe) - it doesn’t help. Even when there is no heating, everything smells like burning. The pipe was raised and lowered below the ridge. Have you switched the oven, but it still doesn’t help?

As already written, the wind simply blows into the pipe. Under normal conditions, when everything is installed correctly, this should not happen even in strong winds. But still, if there is such an effect, firstly you need to take into account how you intake air to create draft in the pipe and also install a special weather vane nozzle on the pipe, which will automatically turn towards the wind, thereby preventing air from being blown out into the pipe. By the way, look at how far your lyada opens, it is quite possible that part of the smoke comes through the hole where the lyada is inserted, this happened to me.

In fact, smoke is formed due to incomplete combustion of firewood in this case. and this occurs when there is a lack of oxygen for combustion. Well, accordingly, in a furnace this happens when there is poor draft. Simply put, when there is a strong wind, the draft decreases and there is not enough oxygen. And as you wrote in the explanation, they raised the chimney, but the stove continues to smoke in the wind. And by the way, umbrellas for the chimney don’t help either. But usually in such cases chimneys or deflectors are used. Here's how in

But of course, this problem must be solved comprehensively. And to do this, you need to check if there are tall trees or high fences nearby.

And we must also take into account that the location of the pipe on the wind side can also be a reason. since the wind can be reflected from the roof. Well, the last thing is that the westerly wind usually brings precipitation and if the humidity of the incoming air increases, then smoke may appear accordingly.

The smoking problem can have several causes. But judging by your question, I’ll try to answer. The stove barely works in calm conditions, but smokes in the wind. Most likely, it is not built correctly, in particular, the chimney is widened. The chimney of a heating stove, up to 3000 kcal/hour, is placed in half a brick, the smoke picks up a decent speed and it is impossible to turn it around in the wind.

The second option, when on the eastern side of the house there is a screen, trees, the wall of a high-rise building, etc., with a western wind, it is as if there is excess pressure, which pushes the smoke back.

In both cases, you can fight smoke with the help of a screen, an ordinary sheet of iron placed on the western side. 20-25 cm above the pipe and the pipe wrapped on the floor, the visor is unique.

Or a conical cap over the pipe, so that it is 10 cm larger than the pipe and 7-10 cm above the pipe. When there is wind, a vacuum forms in the hood and the smoke is sucked out of the chimney.

P>S> The height of the pipe should be half a meter above the ridge, when located up to 1.5 meters from the ridge. When located further than 1.5 meters, level with the ridge horizontally, but not less than half a meter from the roof.

The problem has been known for a long time, it is called the draft overturn effect. This is when you experience backdraft due to problems with the chimney or ventilation system in your home. Check whether there is enough air in the house to the furnace and where your draft goes. The second reason may be that the chimney pipe is not high enough. It is not uncommon for this effect to occur if there is a taller house and tall trees nearby. This also happens due to debris in the chimney or design errors in it, for example, there may be several too narrow smoke channels in the chimney.

How to solve the problem? Extend the chimney, its total height should not be lower than five meters and this is in ideal conditions, clean the chimney itself and make sure that no design errors were made with the smoke circulation channels during the construction of the stove. It is also necessary to solve the problem with the air flow to the stove and it would not be superfluous to insulate the chimney from the outside of the building. I believe that these tips will allow you to cope with the problem of tipping over.

Action plan for a stove smoking in the house:

1. Open windows and doors to the street to remove combustion products from the room.
2. Extinguish the fire in the furnace firebox.
3. Think about why the stove is smoking .
4. Check the permeability of the stove and chimney channels.
5. Try to create draft in the chimney.
6. Try again to light the stove.

If the stove is smoking, ventilate the room immediately.

It is very dangerous to be in a smoky room.

Carbon dioxide released when wood burns in a stove is toxic and when inhaled, poisoning (burning) quickly occurs.

A distressed person begins to feel unwell, dizzy, and have a headache.

Pulls, but not there

If the stove has not been used for a long time, a “backdraft” effect may occur - a cold air plug accumulated in the chimney does not allow the warm flow to pass through, and smoke enters the room. What to do? Raise the temperature in the pipe! To do this, before adding fuel, open the dampers and throw burning paper through the cleaning door.

The smoke exhaust duct will warm up, the heated air will rise, and the draft will be restored. If this does not happen, the operation must be repeated again. But now the paper must be thrown directly into the pipe directly from the roof. After the fire goes out, light a torch in the firebox and see where the smoke goes.

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If it’s outside, that means you can lay firewood. A special attachment, a deflector, will help prevent backflow. This is a cylindrical metal product that is installed on top of the chimney. Thanks to its design, the device creates an area of ​​low pressure, increasing traction.

Smoke is pouring out of the oven: possible causes of the malfunction and their elimination

Despite the fact that in the modern world, wood-burning stoves are gradually giving way to gas and electric appliances, they are still very actively used. Firewood is used for lighting fireplaces, traditional stoves, potbelly stoves, as well as Buleryan stoves. Most often you can find stoves in baths. All these structures have a rather complex structure and require systematic maintenance. A malfunction will be indicated by black smoke coming from the oven. Let's try to figure out why the stove smokes in a bathhouse or living room.

Here it is necessary to separate two problems:

• Smoke is coming from the new furnace;
• The oven has been in use for a long time.

If your brand new stove smokes when lighting, the following reasons are possible:

• If after heating for half an hour there is condensation on the inside of the door, then most likely the oven simply has not dried out completely. In this case, you need to leave it to dry;
• If the stove has dried out, then, probably, there was some flaw in the design of the stove, which led to the fact that smoke from the stove goes into the house. It is better to immediately call a technician to troubleshoot the problem.

There are quite a few reasons why a stove that had always worked properly before suddenly began to smoke when lit.

Incorrect stove design - consequences

Insufficient qualification of the stove maker leads to errors in the design of the stove. Smoke in the living room is observed after the first ignition of the firebox. The reduced cross-section of the chimney of a new stove is too low and leads to an insufficient rate of removal of combustion products. An independent solution to the problem is to completely re-arrange the structure.

Heating system wear and tear

Heating lines can gradually release smoke into the home. The reason depends on the wear and tear of the bricks from which the fireplace was laid. During operation most often:

• the internal masonry of the chimney is destroyed - cracks form, which depressurize the pipe and block the chimney;
• soot and ash accumulated over years of using a wood or coal stove narrow the cross-section of the element and prevent smoke from escaping during combustion.

Trying to repair a furnace yourself is worth it if you are a qualified furnace technician. Chimney cracks are covered with a special stove mortar, and the brickwork is restored using bricks.

Incorrect laying of the well

When the door is closed, smoke does not come into the room or is present in small quantities. But as soon as you open the door, clouds of smoke rush into the house. Why might the stove smoke when the door is open? The reason is that the master made serious mistakes when building the system. An improperly formed well with the upper edge of the door that is higher than the entrance level leads to smoke leakage. Errors can be eliminated by raising the entrance higher than the door opening. If repositioning is not possible, the damper is secured so that its edge is above the combustion door. The latter design will serve as a chimney draft amplifier and normalize the waste of combustion products.

Combustion does not occur in the oven

Puffs of smoke and sparks flying out in portions mean that combustion occurs not in the firebox itself, but in the smoke exhaust channels. There is no universal solution for such situations, but experts advise not to put a lot of firewood or coal into the firebox. Approach the lighting of your stove thoughtfully, try to control fuel consumption per serving.

No distribution box

The stove smokes if there are two systems in the house with a common smoke exhaust channel without a distribution box. Smoke can be eliminated by creating a distribution box between two channels. It is easy to construct, has the appearance of a brick partition, but requires temporary effort and appropriate skills.

Presence of cracks in the masonry

To increase traction, you can try to repair the gaps on the outside yourself. For this:

• prepare a special solution of sand and clay, to which a little water is added. The mass is kneaded by hand until it becomes a thick dough;
• places with cracks are moistened with water for better adhesion to the solution;
• cracks are coated with a thick layer.

The composition is applied twice, but only after the first layer has completely dried - this is how the effect of strength is achieved.

Smoke due to incorrect chimney height

• the chimney is extended by 0.5 m when its distance from the ridge is no more than 1.5 m.
• on the same level with the ridge, or increase the distance when placing the element at a height of 1.5 - 3 m;
• no lower than an angle of 10% from the level of the ridge, if the distance from it is more than 3 m.

If you find that the height of the pipe is insufficient, then increasing it yourself will be an effective solution to the problem. Try to do all the chimney cleaning work yourself and the process of smoke generation will be reduced.

Causes of smoke

So why does smoke from the furnace come into the house? To find out, it is necessary to conduct a thorough inspection and identify what caused the smoke. Let's look at the possible reasons below.

External reasons

Such factors have nothing to do with the operation of the furnace. Sometimes the reason that the stove in a bathhouse or house smokes is some object that mechanically prevents the outflow of air from the chimney. Such an object could, for example, be an overgrown tree. In this case, the problem is easily solved by trimming excess branches.

Another reason why the stove smokes during lighting may be the entry of atmospheric precipitation into the chimney, as a result of which the smoke cools too quickly, which leads to condensation and the formation of an air lock. In such cases, a metal umbrella or cap is installed over the pipe.

How to return normal cravings

If there was draft in the chimney and until a certain moment you did not know that smoke could remain indoors, then you should try to return normal draft using options.

• Chimney cleaning. There are two options for the operation. The first option is an old one: attach a large rag to a long stick and clean the pipe like a bottle brush. The second version of the operation is progressive: add substances to the fuel that enter into a chemical reaction during the combustion process, removing contaminants outside. The cleaning agent can be sodium chloride (when using firewood) or special compounds sold in stores. The chimney must be cleaned every six months.
• Elimination of external factors. If it is not a matter of design, accumulation of soot, or soot, then it is a matter of external factors that impede the free movement of air masses. The cause may be trees, tall buildings, or strong winds inherent in this terrain. When it is impossible to eliminate the source of the causes, special devices should be used: stabilizers, deflectors, rotary turbines.

Remedies

So, you are faced with a situation where the stove in the house is smoking. To fix the problem, you need to study its nature in more detail:

• If a potbelly stove smokes when the firebox door is opened, the possible causes are similar to those of a traditional stove. It is necessary to clean it and check that the pipe is installed correctly. It is better to melt it with high-quality fuel, without using sawdust or straw;
• The reason why a fireplace often smokes may be poor-quality installation or errors made during its design. The height of its pipe should be higher than that of a conventional stove. Inadequate firebox depth can also cause a smokey fireplace in your home. This discrepancy must be eliminated by installing a metal plate on the smoke tooth or filing the edge of the tooth. Also, sometimes the reason why the fireplace began to smoke into the room may be the presence of fresh air ventilation. You can try turning it off;
• The iron stove in the bathhouse is smoking - dampening its walls, as well as installing an oven under it. Building a brick wall between the stove and the cabinet will help;
• The reasons why Buleryan smokes may be related to the low temperature of the exhaust gas, which may result in contamination of the inner surface of the chimney with soot. Cleaning the pipe will help.

Ventilation

The chimney itself is a natural exhaust hood. In order to create upward movement of warm air, a full influx from the outside must be ensured.

Oven ventilation

However, often, when installing a forced ventilation system, owners only perform forced exhaust (in the kitchen and bathroom, for example). If some factors have influenced the reduction in draft in the chimney, powerful forced exhaust through a separate channel will become an additional obstacle to the normal movement of smoke from the stove.

The second floor may compete with the chimney. If there is a staircase nearby and an opening to the top, air sometimes rushes there more readily, especially if at those moments when a window on the second floor opens.

Temporarily turn off the hood, close the windows on the second floor, open a window or door at the level of the stove so that fresh air enters the room. However, the other extreme should not be allowed - drafts.

Methods for cleaning equipment

The following methods are used for cleaning:

• Using chemistry. Special substances are added to the oven from time to time, due to which accumulated contaminants are peeled off;
• Oven vacuum cleaner. Can help with less severe stains;
• Mechanical. The most labor-intensive one is using brushes and scrapers.

So, if you are looking for possible reasons why a fireplace, stove in a bathhouse or at home is smoking and don’t know what to do, use our tips. They will help restore normal operation of the furnace equipment.

How to improve oven draft

If you have checked the presence of reverse draft and found out the reason, the next step is to begin troubleshooting the problem. How to increase draft in a furnace? Naturally, the measures taken will be as diverse as the sources of defects.

1. If the smoke passage is clogged, it will certainly need to be cleaned. All released substances that have accumulated over time must be eliminated. Carbon deposits can eliminate burning of aspen logs. They do a great job of reaching the maximum temperature, which is what this method needs. To carry out preventive maintenance and improve the condition of the pipes, it is advisable to add rock salt at the moment the firebox is burning. In addition to folk remedies, there are also chemical ones that are specifically designed for this.
2. Dismantling will be required if the device is not constructed correctly.
3. Avoid drafts.
4. Installation of additional devices.

Reason 5 - improper laying of the well

If the stove is smoking from the very beginning of its use, then the problem lies in its design. Mistakes by the stove master led to the fact that the draft was not strong enough, and smoke entered the room. Most likely, the cross-section of the chimney is too low.

It is impossible to eliminate this cause without the help of an experienced technician. Only a good specialist can correct the defect. It would be better if this could be done without repositioning, but it may still be needed.

Scheme of a furnace where incorrect draft is caused by a low entrance to the first well.
Since in the design shown in the figure, the upper edge of the door opening is noticeably higher than the upper edge of the entrance to the well, it is easier for the smoke flow to exit through the door. And if the problem does not appear when the combustion hole is closed, then when it is open the smoke is very strong.

This reason is eliminated by relocating the entrance to the well. It must be positioned so that the top edge is a couple of centimeters higher than the top edge of the door opening.

Placing an additional wall inside the furnace to enhance draft and eliminate smoke

What to do to prevent

Not only the chimney, but also the other components need periodic cleaning. You cannot ignore these parts of the potbelly stove:

• Blower
• Area under the oven
• Ash box

Ash also accumulates in these places and untimely removal can disrupt the operation of all structures.

You should pay attention to the “behavior” of the stove during windy/calm weather. That is, when the door is open in windy weather and smoke occurs, then perhaps the whole problem is only in the protective installation/cap at the end of the pipe.

Insufficient or absent traction may be due to defects or cracks. Perhaps a long or incorrect operation process. Or maybe the potbelly stove was assembled incorrectly in the first place.

Another reason could be a door that doesn’t close tightly. In this case, you can eliminate smoke by leveling the desired surface or simply replacing the element.

Reason 4 - furnace wear

It happens that the stove served faithfully for many years, but over time it gradually began to smoke. And the further, the more. In this case, the reason is the aging of the structure. Soot and ash gradually accumulate in the chimney and narrow the cross-section. The internal masonry of the chimney may have collapsed.

To eliminate this reason, you can clean the oven yourself. It is necessary to remove soot in all accessible places, free the chimney from collapsed masonry elements, and seal all the cracks with stove mortar that led to the depressurization of the stove. If all the measures taken do not restore traction, then you cannot do without the help of a qualified technician. He will professionally inspect the stove and chimney and find a way to eliminate the defect.

How to clean a pipe

If, due to contamination, the potbelly stove smokes when you open the firebox door, you can do one of the following:

• Carry out mechanical cleaning. If the soot layer exceeds 2 mm, and there is no wind or precipitation outside, you can work with a scraper, and then use a brush to clean the pipe with gentle movements. If the blockage is not removed in this way, you need to use a cannonball tied to a cable, which is thrown into the hole in the pipe.
• Resort to chemical compositions in the form of powders, liquids or briquettes. Suitable for deposits of no more than 2 mm.
• Use special equipment. It creates a strong pressure of water, which will knock down all foreign objects and remove plaque.

We advise you to read what to do if the boiler blows out through the chimney on our portal.

The weight is also used to determine where in the pipe a blockage has formed that affects the smoking of the potbelly stove.

This material will be perfectly complemented by the following publications: