Where to start checking the furnace
Smoke comes out in the house, and you need to start checking from the roof - from the chimney. If the draft was good, but stopped abruptly, the cause may be an object that blocked the pipe. This happens especially often if there is no cap above the chimney, and tall trees are located nearby. Any object can mechanically narrow the chimney channel: a nest made by birds, a brick that has fallen out of the chimney, an accumulation of branches, debris.
In the absence of a cap, traction also disappears during strong winds. The air mass creates a vortex in the pipe and blocks the path of smoke. He comes back and exits through the latches and doors. In calm weather, there is no smoke in the house, and already by this sign one can understand its cause.
Causes of smoke in new heating stoves
What to do if a recently installed stove smokes? Often the cause of smoke is structural inconsistencies, non-compliance with the technology of the masonry process, insufficient ventilation, and the absence of a junction box.
Incorrect chimney height
The main cause of smoke in new furnaces is the miscalculation of the height of the chimney. Heating equipment for a Russian bath and a private house must comply with the following parameters:
- The size of the opening of the furnace pipe, depending on the type of fuel: 140 × 140 mm (coal) and 140 × 270 mm (peat briquettes, firewood).
- The height of the chimney above the roof is 75 cm, the elevation above the ridge is 50 cm. If the ridge is more than 1.5 meters away from the chimney, then the chimney can be of the same height.
If the height of the chimney is insufficient to prevent smoke, then it can be increased independently.
Why does the stove smoke when the door is opened during the kindling process? A similar problem arises in the presence of serious design miscalculations: an incorrect section of the outlet pipe, a low location of the inlet channel, an unswept chimney. To eliminate the shortcomings, a major overhaul of the heating equipment will be required.
Violation of the technology for the construction of the stove and well
The required clearance of the chimney ensures quick and safe removal of combustion products. The minimum pipe diameter for a house is 15 cm, for a bathhouse - 10 cm. The height of the pipe and its installation location on the roof must correspond to the chosen design of the heating furnace.
In addition, the inlet to the first well (in the combustion chamber) must be located no lower than the top of the door, otherwise it may lead to smoke with each kindling of the furnace. You can correct the shortcomings only by restructuring the furnace design.
When assembling the chimney, the use of elements of different sections should be avoided, which can be the main cause of smoke in the furnace. The best option is a round pipe. Rectangular flue ducts can create excess air vortices and increase the deposition of soot.
Poor ventilation
Another reason why a new stove starts to smoke is poor ventilation. As a rule, when equipping a forced-type ventilation system, the owners of the building provide for an exhaust hood only in functional rooms - a sanitary unit, a kitchen or a dressing room. However, a separate smoke channel should also be equipped in rooms where normal movement of air masses is required: in the steam room and washing room.
No junction box
If two heating stoves are installed in the building, for which a common flue system is provided, then smoke occurs as a result of the absence of a junction box.
To eliminate such a problem, it is enough to make a junction box with two separate channels or operate the furnaces in turn.
The junction box is a special brick partition located inside the common chimney.
Soot buildup
The most common source of draft deterioration is soot sticking to the walls of the chimney. The inner diameter of the pipe becomes so narrow that the smoke, accumulating, escapes through any slots in the unit body. The degree of soot sticking does not depend on the location of the furnace: in the bath or in the house. Improper operation and certain types of burned wood contribute more to its formation. The first factor is insufficient, 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?
For the mechanical method of cleaning, special devices are required:
ruff, rope, kettlebell.
First, a weight attached to a cable is lowered into the chimney. So you can find an obstacle or a place where the pipe narrowed. If you need to push some object that blocked the channel, the weight is thrown down with force. At the next stage, the pipe is cleaned with a ruff. It has the shape of a square or round brush, its dimensions should be slightly larger than the pipe opening. With downward / upward movements, the chimney is cleaned of soot and accumulated small debris.
Checking the quality of draft in the chimney
In order to decide on further measures to eliminate smoke from the furnace, it is necessary to check the quality of the draft in the chimney system. Verification is carried out in one of the following ways:
- Using an anemometer. High-precision professional device for determining smoke draft.
- Ignition of flammable material. The burning material is brought to the chimney grate - with good draft, the flame is directed upwards, with poor draft or its absence, it remains motionless.
- Visual check. If, when the stove is kindled, the flame acquires a dark red tint, this indicates a decrease in thrust. Good draft provides a light, almost white flame.
- The presence of a strong smell of smoke. If pungent odors appear when the firebox is open, this indicates a mechanical clogging of the chimney system.
The full list of reasons why the heating stove starts to smoke is quite large. In each individual situation, it is necessary to take into account: the nature (temporary or permanent) and duration of smoke, the temperature regime inside the premises, weather conditions, design features and the service life of the equipment.
Subject to the technology of arrangement and kindling of the furnace, the probability of smoke in the structure is minimal. But if the problem is still detected, then timely diagnosis and troubleshooting will ensure a long service life of the heating equipment.
There are many stoves in the modern world, but multivariance is not suitable for a bath; here, a wood-burning stove has played the first violin since ancient times - brick or made of metal. Their internal structure is identical, problems can also arise almost the same. The main one is “pillar smoke” in the wrong direction. In order to correctly determine the cause of unauthorized smoke in the room that occurs when kindling an iron stove (this type of bath heater is more popular with owners of private baths), you should first figure out what it consists of and how it works.
Solution
If the stove smokes in the house, first of all you need to check the draft. Throw a lit piece of paper into the firebox and see if the smoke goes up the chimney. If yes, all is well. If he tries to break out into the room, this indicates poor traction. You probably need to clean your chimney. There are more modern ways to check with the help of special tools - a differential pressure gauge, anemometer, traction gauge, but only professionals have them.
If the stove has not been heated for a long time, you can heat up the chimney by burning paper and small chips.
Troubles with reverse draft are eliminated by heating the chimney pipe.This can be done through the cleaning door located as high as possible, by opening a hog in the attic, or by throwing burning paper into the outlet. Experiments with ignited cellulose are carried out if the first two methods do not work. To avoid this problem, the stove must be heated regularly.
Burning paper will also help eliminate 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, successively throwing them in handfuls.
In order for the stove to work properly, install baffles on top of the pipe. These devices create an obstacle to gusts of wind:
- The air stream hits the walls of the cylinder.
- It stratifies into many small "breezes" and weakens.
- Weak streams rise through the pipe and merge with the smoke, pulling it out.
Deflectors increase draft, prevent the creation of turbulence and the return of smoke to the chimney.
Norms and rules
If you do not clean the chimney for a long time, it becomes clogged with soot and creates an obstacle to the passage of smoke.
Most often, smoke occurs due to trouble 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 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 you count from the highest point of the parapet or add-ons, for example, a terraced canopy.
If there is a garden with tall trees around the house, or neighboring houses are located nearby and higher, it is better to make the pipe larger so that the smoke does not beat against obstacles, but freely escapes into space.
Smoke during kindling
The stove smokes when kindling in the cold season. This problem often occurs with stoves that are used intermittently. For example, the unit is in a bathhouse or a country house. A column of cold air forms a plug in the chimney that blocks the draft. The stove-makers are advised to get rid of it in the following ways:
- bring a burning torch to the smoke collector,
- burn a piece of paper directly near the smoke box.
These techniques allow the cork to warm up, rise up and go out. The problem of cold plugs occurs not only with brick, but also with metal stoves, which are installed in the bath and sauna (heaters). If the house is 2-story, you should be aware that often the cork is collected in the horizontal part of the chimney, if it is on the 2nd floor. According to the masonry technology, the length of this segment (box) should not be more than 2 m.
Other causes of stove smoke
Poor quality mortar, too thick masonry joints, lack of lining fireboxes or deformations in it leads to cracks in the furnace body. This causes constant smoke, it is not recommended to operate the unit in this state. Repair is carried out by covering the cracks with special adhesive solutions. If this does not help, you will have to disassemble the case and build the furnace again.
The smoke that enters a heated room from a stove is an unpleasant and dangerous phenomenon, but it is sometimes difficult for an inexperienced person to determine the reasons for its appearance. Why the stove smokes, possible reasons for such improper operation and tips for eliminating them from an experienced stove-maker are given below.
Sometimes in calm weather, the stove works normally, but in windy weather it either burns or “releases” smoke into the room from the stove door or valve. The reason for this is most likely a tall tree or a wall located next to the house. The wind, hitting such an obstacle, enters the chimney and prevents the exit of smoke. To remedy the situation, it is necessary to install an umbrella cap on the pipe, which will protect it from wind. Such a cap is also needed if the stove is hard to melt in hot weather.
If there are no high wind barriers near the chimney, then a possible reason why the stove smokes may be that the chimney is located below the highest roof level. According to the rules, the pipe must be located above the ridge by at least 25 centimeters.
It is very easy to check if a cap is needed over the pipe if the stove smokes. Two halves of bricks are placed at the corners of the pipe, and a sheet of iron is placed on them. If after 3-5 minutes the stove stopped smoking, then the stove cap is needed.
Another possible reason why the stove smokes may be the destruction of the upper seams of the pipe laying (if it is brick) by rains and flue gases, as a result of which the upper bricks fall out of it. Wind gets into the destroyed places of the chimney, and the stove begins to smoke. The pipe in such a situation must be repaired.
A very possible reason why the Russian stove smokes is the small size of the pipe or views, as well as the poorly closing view door. At the top of the pipe, it is necessary to make laps, which not only create good draft of the furnace, but also improve the appearance of the pipe.
The blower in the Russian stove should be less than the length of the firebox, otherwise the cold air entering the blower in large volumes reaches the back of the firebox and, pushing off from it, displaces smoke from the firebox. If you lay such a blower in half a brick, then the stove will not smoke.
It happens that the stove smokes in any weather, and when the door is opened, the smoke seems to “stretch” after it and enters the room. When this happens, you need to look into the furnace. If there is an oven under the oven stove, then there must be a brick wall between it and the combustion chamber. If it or the cabinet is lower than the top of the door opening, then a clay rim must be made on the wall so that it is higher. The draft in the oven will be excellent even with a difference in height between the side and the stove of several centimeters.
Another possible reason why the stove smokes is that the exit of gases from the furnace occurs below the opening of the furnace door. This situation can be corrected by laying a brick wall across the firebox, the height of which will exceed the height of the door opening.
If the stove smokes and the smoke comes out of the view or valve, then the pipe is clogged with soot or, for example, a brick that has fallen into it. The chimney needs to be cleaned.
Another, quite common possible reason why the stove smokes is clogging the ash blower, and if the stove is a heating and cooking stove, then the oven burns out.
Pipe cleaning
Work should begin with cleaning the chimney. All doors in the oven and flue ducts must be tightly closed and fixed. When a large amount of soot falls from a height of 3-4 m, dust may be released into the house. For cleaning, a special ruff is used, in the absence of a ready-made one, you can do it yourself. The device will require a strong rope or cable. At one end, a load weighing 2-3 kg and a pair of old hard washcloths should be fixed. You can use a fluffy coil of wire, a stiff cord, or something similar. The fastening must be strong, parts that come off and stuck in the pipe can cause a lot of problems.
With a ruff, you need to climb onto the roof, lower it into the pipe, stretch it up and down several times, rotating and swinging to the sides if possible. Similar work must be done to understand why the fireplace smokes. If the function stabilizes after cleaning, the problem is solved. Otherwise, you need to look further.
Smoke from the stove due to the wrong height of the chimney
Often outside the pipe is built of insufficient height. There is a rule according to which it must exceed the height of the roof ridge by an amount depending on the distance to it:
- by 0.5 m at a distance from the ridge up to 1.5 m;
- not lower than the level of the ridge, if the distance from it is 1.5-3 m;
- not lower than an angle of 10 ° from the level of the ridge at a distance of more than 3 m.
If these conditions are not met, the stove will smoke due to insufficient traction and wind from the street. This error can be corrected only by building up the chimney. In case of severe wear and tear, a major overhaul is carried out. It involves the restoration of masonry and sleeving with a metal pipe.
Channel cleaning
The device of chimneys in brick walls has two main options:
- vertical wells;
- horizontal channels.
If the building has a fireplace and a stove with a common chimney, it is possible to lock the gas path of the fireplace with a flue gas flow from the stove. For optimal functioning, smoke exhausters for fireplaces can be used.
When installing brick chimneys for their maintenance, cleaning should be installed - special doors.
What to do in the absence of purges? You should tap the walls for voids, determine the position of the channels. In places of turns, openings should be arranged for access to the inside of the channels. With a vertical arrangement of wells, cleaning should be arranged at the upper and lower turns.
If the channels are located horizontally, cleanings should be arranged on the sides, on the left and right turns, in the lower part of the channel. Cleaning should begin under the chimney outlet, gradually moving to the side and down.
One of the options why the stove smokes in the bath may be the damp masonry of the stove and chimney. In this case, you need to periodically heat the stove with a small amount of wood chips and ventilate the entire system by opening the doors of the furnace and blowing.
The stove always smokes for one reason - the draft is broken. And there are many factors that reduce traction. Smoke can occur only during kindling or be permanent, but in any case, the problem must be eliminated immediately, since it is dangerous to humans. In order to find out why is the oven smoking
and combustion in the furnace worsened, it is necessary to check all channels of gas movement. In addition, the hull is examined for cracks and errors during masonry.
External inspection and repair
To understand why the stove smokes, you need to carefully examine the entire structure from the chimney to the blower
In this case, you need to pay attention to the integrity of the structure, the absence of cracks, open seams, traces of soot and smoke. Peeled pieces of plaster should be removed, carefully check the condition of the seams between the bricks in the cleared area
All found defects should be eliminated.
What to do with a large amount of damage? The best option may be to completely replace the masonry in the damaged area. When used in the upper part of a metal pipe, it can be fixed by arranging temporary attachments to the roof, attic details. Then you can start disassembling the masonry. The brick must be cleaned of the old mortar, soot and soot, sorted. Then do a new laying.
In the presence of minor damage, you can remove defective bricks, old mortar, lay new ones. In this case, the maximum complete filling of the seams should be controlled. After repairing the walls, it is necessary to plaster with clay mortar, after drying, it is desirable to perform whitewashing. In addition to a neat appearance, on a light surface, defects possible during further operation will be more noticeable. After the completion of the repair work, it is necessary to clean the pipes and chimneys.
Furnace device
Ash pan.
It collects ash and ash - the remains of burnt fuel. The ash pan usually closes, which has its own tasks: to remove ash from the chamber and regulate air flows during combustion.Firebox.
Its place is above the ash pan, the fuel burns out in it, “charging” the air with heat, after which it leaves through the chimney channels, warming the walls of the stove and the heater.
In order for fuel waste to fall into the ash pan, the bottom of the firebox occupies
Kamenka - the location of the container with stones - the concentration of all heat and steam from the sauna stove.The whole “weather in the bath” depends on how the owner of the bath chooses the right shape for the heater, and what size it will be.
The heater can be open and closed, it depends on what the mode of operation of the firebox will be - constant or periodic.
The last elements of the design - chimney and chimney
. Through them, the warm air heated in the oven goes outside, outside the bath walls.
The main causes of smoke
The stove smokes due to structural defects or blockages in the chimney
Owners of private houses are often faced with the fact that on windy days the stove "spits" smoke. This is usually due to insufficient height of the head. But it doesn't always need to be rebuilt. It is enough to fix, increase the visor.
There are other reasons for smoke:
- Traction weakens or disappears. It can occur due to clogging of the chimney with soot or snow, insufficient air flow, and sometimes due to structural defects in the smoke channel.
- The power of the stove is boosted. Smoke occurs in advanced designs, for example, a bell-type furnace, if they try to “fire it up” more than it is capable of.
- Not enough air flow. If the doors and windows are locked tightly, the stove begins to “suffocate”.
- The traction 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 pulled into the room along with 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 ages, a thick layer of soot accumulates inside, reducing the chimney clearance, and cracks form in the brick sides that violate the tightness. These are also possible causes of smoke. It needs cleaning and restoration of the device.
The windshield also protects the pipe from breaking.
If a brand new stove has problems with smoke, it is usually due to design imperfections. 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, power boost is hardly possible.
The stove in the bath, sauna or garage may have special reasons for smoke. If the chimney becomes clogged with soot and dirt, it will also begin to “push” and “snort”. The same applies to cracks in the wall that 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 bath. Smoke hits him and comes back. To cope with the trouble, you need to equip the bath 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, slightly increased.
If the stove in the bathhouse or utility room is folded incorrectly, it needs to be redone.
Why is it smoking
Smoke in the bath is not only unpleasant. It is also very dangerous. Any schoolchild knows: in the process of combustion, carbon monoxide is formed - a strong toxic substance. So you need to carefully ensure that in the room where you like to have a good time, only steam and heat remain, and not smoke at all.
So, for what reason does the stove smoke in the bath and what to do about it?
- The simplest reason (it can occur if you didn’t design and install the bath and stove equipment) is that the stove “does not pull” due to the too small inner diameter of the chimney. If this figure is less than 120 mm. - change the pipe.
- This reason is more difficult to eliminate (and most likely, you will not be able to master the process yourself), but you still have to do something: if a metal sauna stove smokes at the first fire, it is highly likely that you incorrectly installed the unit or made errors in the design
- However, don't panic! Perhaps the point is not in the design of the furnace, but in the pipe, and then it will be relatively easy to correct the situation.
Do-it-yourself cleaning of the furnace and chimney
You can clean the chimney with your own hands or call a specialist with professional tools
If the stove is used for seasonal heating and cooking, it is necessary to clean the chimney once a quarter. This should be done more often if resinous or damp firewood is used. This causes excessive layering 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 protective glasses and gloves. For activities at height, you need non-slip shoes, insurance.
From the side of the roof
You will need a cable on which hard brushes are attached to clean the chimney from soot, a heavy round weight with an eye. A brush can be made from an old plastic bottle.
Cleaning is carried out in five stages:
- To prevent the ingress of soot, the firebox and hatches are hung with wet rags.
- Remove the cap, inspect the channel.
- They clean with a broom from cobwebs and debris.
- They break through the blockage with a weight several times.
- Clean the walls of the chimney with brushes.
Finally, you will need to clean up the soot from the roof and inside the firebox.
From the oven side
Cleaning the chimney from the stove side
You need a special brush with a stiff but flexible fiberglass cable. It can be purchased at a hardware store.
Cleansing also comes in five steps:
- Unscrew the plug of the hatch for cleaning,
- Clean the entrance of debris.
- Fix a suitable brush (for metal pipes only plastic).
- They clean the channel, slowly moving the tool up.
- Similarly, cleaning is carried out from the furnace.
It remains to remove the soot and return the plugs to their place.
You can use folk methods. Periodically complete the kindling with a few alder or aspen woods. This prevents the formation of soot. But adding some powders to the firewood is not worth it, 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 wet firewood, garbage. From time to time, carry out preventive inspections 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.
