What to do if the stove smokes and has poor draft

Heavy smoke from the stove leads to excessive consumption of fuel. And if the child goes into an unventilated room, it is deadly for people and animals that are there. If the cause of the problem is not in design defects, it is easy to fix it yourself. The main thing is to find out why the stove is smoking.

The main causes of fuming

Owners of private houses are often faced with the fact that on windy days the stove "spits" smoke. This is usually due to insufficient head height. But it doesn't always need to be rebuilt. Enough to fix, increase the visor.

There are other reasons for smoke:

• Traction weakens or disappears. It can happen due to clogging of the chimney with soot or snow, insufficient air flow, and sometimes due to structural defects in the smoke channel.
• Stove power is boosted. Smoke arises in improved designs, for example, a bell-type furnace, if they try to "heat up" it more than it is capable of.
• There is not enough air flow. If the doors and windows are locked tightly, the stove begins to "choke".
• The thrust is overturned. Most often, this occurs if there has been no kindling for several days. Due to downtime, the air flow does not go outside, but is drawn into the room along with the smoke.

The operating time of the furnace depends on the quality of its construction and materials. But sooner or later, any structure wears out. When the stove gets old, a thick layer of soot accumulates inside, reducing the chimney clearance, and cracks form in the brick sides that break the tightness. These are also possible causes of smoke. This requires cleaning and restoration of the device.

If a brand new stove has smoke problems, it is usually a design problem. It is necessary to call the stove-maker to determine whether something can be changed with small forces. Most likely, it will be easier and cheaper to modify the design than to destroy and rebuild the stove.

These reasons apply to almost all modifications, including the Russian stove. But for simple large heaters it is hardly possible to boost power.

A stove in a bath, sauna or garage may have special reasons for smoke. If the chimney becomes clogged with soot and dirt, she will also begin to "push" and "snort". The same applies to cracks in the wall, which need to be urgently covered up. But there are special problems that arise with stove heating of small buildings. An obstacle may be located near the bathhouse. Smoke hits him and comes back. To cope with the trouble, you need to equip the sauna pipe with a windproof cap. Since the bath is not used every day, due to temperature changes, the top of the pipe begins to collapse. It needs to be shifted and, if necessary, increased a little.

If the stove in the bath or utility room is not folded correctly, it needs to be redone.

Only in one case can a constructive problem be solved very quickly and without the involvement of a professional. Sometimes stoves in utility rooms are heated with straw, dry grass. If smoke is formed in this case, the problem is in the long length of the blower. To make it smaller, place a half-brick at the end - flat or on the edge. The problem will be solved.

Code of practice

Most often, smoke occurs due to troubles with the chimney.It is either clogged or initially equipped incorrectly. The most important point is the height of the chimney. SNiPs indicate the exact dimensions for different structural dimensions of the roofs or the location of the pipe structure itself on the roof. For houses with flat roofs, this parameter cannot be less than 60 cm, if counted from the highest point of the parapet or superstructures, for example, a terrace shed.

If there is a garden with tall trees around the house, or neighboring houses are located nearby and higher, it is better to make a larger pipe so that the smoke does not beat against obstacles, but freely goes into space.

Solution to the problem

If the stove smokes in the house, first of all you need to check the draft. Throw a lighted piece of paper into the firebox and see if the smoke is drawn into the chimney. If so, everything is fine. If he tries to break into the room, this indicates bad cravings. Most likely, the chimney needs to be cleaned. There are also more modern methods of checking with the help of special tools - a differential pressure gauge, anemometer, a thrust meter, but they are only available to professionals.

Trouble with reverse draft is eliminated by warming up the chimney pipe. This can be done through the cleaning door located as high as possible, by opening the hog in the attic, or by throwing burning paper into the outlet. Experiments with burning cellulose are carried out if the first two methods did not work. To avoid this problem, the stove must be heated regularly.

Burning the paper will also help remove gas locks. But you need to burn it in a firebox with an open door, laying one sheet after another. You can also use shavings, consistently throwing them in handfuls.

Install deflectors at the top of the pipe to keep the stove working properly. These devices create an obstacle to wind gusts:

1. The air flow hits the cylinder wall.
2. It stratifies into many small "breezes" and weakens.
3. Weak streams rise through the pipe and merge with the smoke, pulling it out.

Deflectors increase draft, prevent turbulence and smoke return to the chimney.

A forward-acting emergency shutter can be used. Its opening quickly restarts the smoke into the chimney. When opening, the flue duct is blown through, gas plugs break through. Through the valve, you can check where the main obstacle to air movement is.

Do-it-yourself cleaning of the stove and chimney

Chimney cleaning should be done quarterly if the stove is used for seasonal heating and cooking. This should be done more often when using resinous or damp wood. This causes excessive stratification and narrowing of the lumen. Mechanical cleaning can be done independently using traditional techniques that have not changed over the past centuries. Work is carried out in goggles and gloves. For actions at height, you need non-slip shoes, insurance.

From the roof side

You will need a cable on which hard brushes are attached to clean the chimney from soot, a heavy round weight with an eyelet. The brush can be made from an old plastic bottle.

Cleaning is carried out in five stages:

1. To prevent the ingress of soot, hang the firebox and hatches with wet rags.
2. Take off the head, examine the channel.
3. Cleaned with a broom from cobwebs and debris.
4. Punch the blockage with a weight several times.
5. Clean the walls of the chimney with brushes.

In conclusion, you will need to clean up the soot from the roof and inside the firebox.

Oven side

You need a special brush with a stiff yet flexible fiberglass cable. It can be purchased at a hardware store.

Cleansing also comes in five steps:

1. Unscrew the hatch cover for cleaning,
2. Clean the entrance from debris.
3. Attach a suitable brush (only plastic for metal pipes).
4. The canal is cleaned by slowly moving the instrument upward.
5. Cleaning from the firebox is carried out in the same way.

It remains to remove the soot and put the plugs back in place.

Chimney cleaning is not difficult, but messy and tedious. To make it easier for yourself, you need to carry out preventive measures using special fuel. It is impregnated with chemicals, with the help of which the deposits themselves fall off into the furnace or turn into gas and fly away into the pipe. Be sure to read the instructions carefully. Some of these funds are toxic, activities can be carried out only by tightly closing the firebox with an iron shutter.

You can use folk methods. Finish the fire periodically with a few alder or aspen woods. This prevents the formation of soot. But you should not add any powders to the wood, since some of these methods can lead to an explosion.

To prevent the stove from smoking, periodically check the draft. Do not use coniferous or damp wood, garbage. From time to time, carry out preventive examinations of the chimney, because most often the smoke of the stove occurs due to its clogging. However, other problems can also lead to this. If you correctly determine the cause, you can quickly correct the situation yourself or with the help of a specialist.