# Why does smoke flood out of barrel stove?



## harleyrider (Feb 20, 2007)

tibberous said:


> I made a barrel stove and fired it up. Smoke leaks out of EVERYWHERE - the seems between the barrel and the door, between the barrel and the smoke stack, between the door and rim... everywhere it can possibly leak.
> 
> Shouldn't the smoke go out the chimney? The damper is open, hole isn't plugged - is there some trick to getting this to work?
> 
> ...


 
Need pictures........


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## beenthere (Oct 11, 2008)

Yep, pics of stove and chimney.

The first model of the Franklin stove, was a failure.


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## carmon (May 8, 2010)

a 90 degree bend really......that may be a problem


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## tibberous (Mar 25, 2010)

carmon said:


> a 90 degree bend really......that may be a problem


The instructions say not to use more than 2, so I'd think one would be okay?

I can't find my camera cable =/ I am going to try just making the chimney point upward and maybe put something over the end of it to block the wind.


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## acpete48317 (Nov 25, 2011)

*Background info*

I don't know the exact solution to your problem, but I can tell you the basic reason the smoke is coming out of the seams as opposed to the chimney. The atmospheric pressure of the inside of the structure (house, cabin, etc) is lower than the pressure outside (in this case, the chimney is considered part of outside).

Eliminating the bend will help, but it may not fix the issue.

What is the diameter of the chimney? How long is it? How big is the stove? How long is it from the time you light the fire to when the smoke coming out the seams is detectable via scent?

If you have a 55 gallon barrel full of burning wood and you are trying to evacuate it with a 4" chimney, the amount of smoke produced will rapidly raise the pressure in the chimney to a level that makes the easiest path for the smoke to take at the seams.

You may also want to do some research into chimney wind caps if you do not already have one?


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## cjm94 (Sep 25, 2011)

Do you have a draft vent on your chimney pipe they are a weighted door in the pipe that closes when not being used but opens and allows the proper draft in the chimney.


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## dougp23 (Sep 20, 2011)

If it's an outside chimney we had the same problem with a Franklin wood stove. An outside chimney is obviously very cold at stove start up so it is not drafting like it should. To light the stove, someone told us to open a window nearby. Seems ridiculous, but that worked like a charm. I think like one of the previous posters said, it has something to do with atmospheric pressure.

Once the fire was going, it was fine. kind of similar to your issue. Good luck!


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## bobinphx (Nov 25, 2011)

I was taught to heat up the chimney prior to lighting the fire. My Father always took a sheet of news paper and rolled and twisted it up till it was about a foot long and twisted really tight. He would light one end and hold it way back in the barrel, right below the chimney pipe. He said that this warm air would start the draft. He also cracked open a window when he first lit a fire. Once his newspaper "torch" had burned down some and before it was to hot to hold it, he would shove it up under the wood in the stove. Worked everytime and I cant remember a time where he used more then one match!!!


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## Bud Cline (Mar 12, 2006)

Fires require air to burn.

If you are going to expect the smoke to rise and exit via a chimney then air is required. The air will rise naturally from the heat of the fire and carry the smoke upward but not if there is no place to get the air. Air sent out a chimney due to heat-rise must be made-up from some source. If the building is tight then some avenue for fresh air must be provided, such as an open window.


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## tibberous (Mar 25, 2010)

*Fixed*

Looks like all it needed was three pieces of pipe added to the end (6" pipe)

I might try to mess with it and see if I can't get it a little further away from the siding. I might even invest in a 55 gallon drum to use as a big chimney cap, maybe help keep soot off my siding.

They make a second kit that attaches a barrel on top of the first one - that might be the best route: make the stove more efficient and really cool down the smoke leaving the stove.


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## Bud Cline (Mar 12, 2006)

The elevation of the stack has something to do with how well it will draw also.


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## beenthere (Oct 11, 2008)

If the flue gas leaves the stove too cool, you will gt condensation in the chimney.


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## tibberous (Mar 25, 2010)

Thing still works like ****.

Heating the chimney does seem to help, but that's a pain in the ass.

I'm thinking I might just buy a 6" duct fan and let it suck the smoke out, since I can't get it to work like a normal stove. What really sucks is that smoke even wants to come through the gaps in the smoke stack bends. I'm so sick of this damn stove I almost just wish the house would burn down so I could build one with actual insulation =/


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## fireguy (May 3, 2007)

In no particular order
1. use an adjustable elbow. Keep the pipe as straigth as possible
2. the outlet should be at least 3' higher than any elevation within 10'
3. If this is a real stove, use the same diameter pipe as the stove outlet
4. Your house is not very air tight, the open window won't make much differenct
5. you need 3 screws in each pipe joint and 3 in the vertical seem. 
6. Set the first joint on hte stove outlet. The next joint goes into the first joint. 
7. Do you have the correct clearance to combustables? If not STOP!! Make sure the clearance is according the the mfg specs. before you start a fire. 

Did you even look at any kind of instructions or codes before installing something that could burn your house down and burn you up? 

Did you get the install inspected by a knowlegable inspector? Are you aware some insurance companies will not insure a wood stove install? Are you aware that if you have a stove fire, the insurance company may deny coverage? 

Is the duct fan even listed for the application? I do not remember seeing anything like that, that is designed to go into a smoke pipe.


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## beenthere (Oct 11, 2008)

You may have excessive leakage in your chimney flue pipe. How hot is your flue pipe getting?


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## tibberous (Mar 25, 2010)

fireguy said:


> In no particular order
> 2. the outlet should be at least 3' higher than any elevation within 10'


=/ My house is way way taller



fireguy said:


> 5. you need 3 screws in each pipe joint and 3 in the vertical seem.


Thought they just held together. Can you wrap the pieces in something like tape to minimize leaks?



fireguy said:


> 7. Do you have the correct clearance to combustables? If not STOP!! Make sure the clearance is according the the mfg specs. before you start a fire.


...



fireguy said:


> Did you even look at any kind of instructions or codes before installing something that could burn your house down and burn you up?
> 
> Did you get the install inspected by a knowlegable inspector? Are you aware some insurance companies will not insure a wood stove install? Are you aware that if you have a stove fire, the insurance company may deny coverage?


=/



fireguy said:


> Is the duct fan even listed for the application? I do not remember seeing anything like that, that is designed to go into a smoke pipe.


I don't think - they make chimney fans though, might see if I can get one cheap or just make my own out of a duct fan.

It costs about $3000 to poorly heat my house in the winter - I was hoping to drop $100 on a wood burner and then just burn the free wood laying in my yard. It seems like the chimney is a big deal though - an actual, proper, above-the-roofline chimney would be really expensive and hard to make.

I think I am going to try the fan and if it doesn't work maybe scrap the idea or maybe try and get the vent out the storm door somehow. It does seem like it works better (not good, but better) after the smoke gets going - maybe a fan is all it needs?


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## Bud Cline (Mar 12, 2006)

> Quote:
> Originally Posted by fireguy
> In no particular order
> 2. the outlet should be at least 3' higher than any elevation within 10'





> My house is way way taller


I'll bet that $100 that that is your problem. The stack should be extended above the roof line at its highest point. Right now outside air that would normally draft your stack is just swirling around the area (due to the structure) closing-off the stack intermittently and causing a sporadic back-flow of air.

*DO NOT* use the fan in-line in this stack. *IT IS A SEVERE FIRE HAZARD*.

It is clear to see you are not qualified to be doing any of this type of work. I suggest you call a service company before you kill someone and yourself.


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## Red Squirrel (Jun 29, 2009)

Since this is something custom, what I would do is add an intake. I have never understood why fireplaces, wood stoves etc don't do this. It's much more efficient. This will eliminate the depressurization of the house, which is causing the smoke to leak out instead of going up the chimney. You can open a window, but you are just bringing in cold air as you are heating it. Even without a window, you are relying on the house having lot of cracks and drafts, again, bringing in cold air. 

But do be careful. I would not be operating this unless you are around to watch.


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