Does anybody out there know of an experienced wood burner 'expert' as we are unable to have ours on this year as it leaks black smoke. We have put new sealers on the door at least twice but still have the problem. We would appreciate any help you can give. Many thanks
Why not try ACAR (in the poligono near ITV Albox). http://www.chimeneasacar.com/index2.html
When you say black smoke is this coming out through the stove body and stove?, if so then more than likely it needs sweeping. However sometimes it may just be a build up on the baffle plate/throat plate (the metal plate in the stove that stops the heat from just going straight up the chimney) when burning wood it is best to have the flue swept annually at least. Worth investing in a moisture meter aswell as the wood you burn should be less than 20% moisture - anything higher than 20% and it can cause deposits to form in the stove and flue, oh and please make sure you have a carbon monoxide detector in the room ideally wall mounted above the stove.
Regards
Matt
Hi sorry to butt in on this post but I see the mention of baffle plate I have great draw on the flue with no baffle plate what are the benefits of one are they worth fitting very happy with my fire just wondering if it would be beneficial thanks
The baffle plate shouldn't effect the draw , its there to divert the smoke so that it stays in the firebox a bit longer before it enters the flu pipe so that more heat can be extracted before its lost out of the fire . Some fires dont use baffle plates but divert the smoke by different methods with the same purpose to keep it in the firebox for the longest possible time to gain maximum heat from it .
To know why a fire is smoking into the room it would help to know the make and model , the flu should be drawing air through the front if its functioning correctly , if not then i would suspect its either not drawing properly which could be due to several factors or the smoke is escaping through a joint somewhere before the flu .
Its possible also that there is a build up of soot ontop of the Baffle pipe as they tend to be directly under the flu pipe so catch what drops down the flu , that could cause the problem if there was insufficient space to pass the volume of smoke created .
Hi Dylan,
The baffle plate should be supplied with the appliance they are made from steel or vermiculite they are in place to allow greater heat to be generated within the fire chamber, help with combustion and efficiency and also to help direct clean air towards the front of the stove glass to help maintain clean glass. without one in position then a lot of heat will be going straight up the chimney- the ideal pressure for the flue draw is anything between 9 and 20 pascals- baffles do though block up so it is important to remove and clean every few months.
Matt