OT- Wood Burning Fireplace Question

johnnyp

Alright guys, I've never lived in a house with a wood burning fireplace and my new home has one.  I lit my first fire the other day and could not get a strong enough draft to prevent my room from getting smoky.  I am looking for any thoughts you geniuses might have to help me out.

Here's how I've trouble shot, thus far.

1)  Yes, my damper was fully open

2) I'm aware that a cold flue can cause colder, denser air to fall down the chimney.  I let my fire burn for about 60 mins while trouble shooting.  I believe it had adequate warming time.

3)  When observing my chimney from outside, I could see heat and smoke escaping.  A draft was active, just not sufficient to clear enough smoke.

4) Chimney was just cleaned and new cap was installed.  I don't believe the chimney to be blocked.

DoubleEgger

Sounds like a pressure issue. If it's a new house, it might be too tight to draft properly. If it's an older house or has tall ceilings, it could be too loose creating competing chimney effects. 

kl8ton

Is it sealed like a wood burner/high efficiency unit, or an open air fire?  Do you have a picture you can post?

fishlessman

did you crack open a window, newer houses with the double pane windows, lots of insulation etc dont breath enough. was there a smoke hood in the kitchen running or a clothes dryer, those pull back on a chimney draft.  does the fire place have a glass door, if it was shut before lighting the chimney can be really cold (you want that open for a while before lighting). whats the wood source, you want two or more year old splits for a fireplace, 1 year is for wood stoves and smokes more. try one of those duraflame logs and see if it smokes you out

johnnyp

@kl8ton Here is a pic from when we were painting

@doubleegger Older house.  how do I help competitive drafts?

@fishlessman The glass door was open before and throughout the duration of the fire.  I was using kiln-dried firewood from a grocery store.  Trying a duraflame is a good idea.

northGAcock

Not much help on the science of this....but hope it gets headed in the right direction. I have always had a wood burning fireplace up until my current house. I miss it greatly.....however did build an outdoor one and enjoy it often these winter days.

fishlessman

that insert looks alot like the one in my last house. i had to put a plate across the front inside about 3 inches down to deflect the smoke. the smoke box area above it was not big enough.  you want those doors partially open a good hour before lighting to start the warmup process

johnnyp

fishlessman said:

that insert looks alot like the one in my last house. i had to put a plate across the front inside about 3 inches down to deflect the smoke. the smoke box area above it was not big enough.  you want those doors partially open a good hour before lighting to start the warmup process

Did that 3" plate do the trick?  What material did you use and how did you attach it?

jewild

1.) that is not an insert, is it? It just looks like doors.

2.) did the chimney have a cap before, I assume it was put on to keep critters out, but realistically they hamper draft and are not needed other then for animals, and unless you have a lot of trees growing right against your house, I would remove it.

3.) I would say house draft isn't an issue either, from the looks of the style brick, the house is older and even if you insulated and replaced windows, this isn't an issue.

4.) look to make sure there is no gap around the top brick face and the fire box (firebrick) (might have to remover doors to check this) these usually have high temperature insulation stuffed between them and sometimes over the years its fallen away. smoke will get in this area and come out where ever it can, sometimes I've seen this between the brick face and the walls.

5.) remove the door assembly, (usually screws tightened against the bricks), look up the chimney (flue open) and make sure you see clearly to the top and outside, with the cap removed!

6.) Also, any idea when it was used last?

and, older chimney flue's crack over time and settlement, was a camera sent down thru to make sure it is useable??

Let us know how you make out.

GATraveller

There are fan units you can place at the top of the chimney to help pull smoke out......I looked into doing that in my previous house.  It had poor draft because a tree fell and knocked off about 4' of chimney.  Previous residents capped it instead of building it back.  

fishlessman

johnnyp said:

fishlessman said:

that insert looks alot like the one in my last house. i had to put a plate across the front inside about 3 inches down to deflect the smoke. the smoke box area above it was not big enough.  you want those doors partially open a good hour before lighting to start the warmup process

Did that 3" plate do the trick?  What material did you use and how did you attach it?

just a piece of sheet metal. i wired it to something up top, dont remember what piece, but it would swing in when piling logs in. it stopped most of the leaking

johnnyp

thanks @jewild.  that's helpful

Hungry Joe

Was it windy, more so then a normal day? That can affect things until a good draft gets going or when the fire is dying.

It's rare but when the wind is 20mph or more coming from a certain direction I can smell some blow back when my fire is either starting or almost burnt down from my woodstove.