Wood burning stoves can be excellent additions to any household, but as any homeowner will tell you, problems can arise with even the sturdiest piece of equipment.
Naturally, one of the most common issues to happen with wood burners is for smoke to escape or bellow out when you open the stove door. This isn’t safe, healthy or recommended. A stove is designed to funnel smoke and other emissions out and away from the house.
Let’s look at the most common causes, and identify what exactly is happening and how you can solve it.
Table of Contents
Why Does my Wood Stove Smoke When I Open the Door: Most Common Causes
Blocked Flue
The most common reason your wood stoves release smoke when you open the door is that the flue is blocked.
As we’ve mentioned in several articles, the flue is the space inside the flue pipe or wall that allows smoke to escape and disperse away from your home.
When you burn wood, some of the chemicals inside that wood convert to carbon dioxide, smoke, and carbon monoxide. These chemicals are harmful if we breathe them in. But, thanks to the flue, they don’t go into the room but directly outside.
However, when the flue is blocked, the harmful gasses cannot escape through it. Instead, they will just bellow out into the room.
The most common chemical that blocks a flue pipe is creosote, a thick, black, and sticky substance that clings to the flue pipe. It’s formed from the gasses that escape from burning wood.
To keep your flue clean, we recommend using a professional chimney sweep at least once a year. Most flue owners don’t have the equipment to clean a high flue pipe or flue walls, but the professionals do.
Burning Wrong Wood
One of the leading causes of creosote buildup is the wrong type of wood. Before burning wood, make sure it meets all of the following criteria:
Seasoned:
Only seasoned wood should be burnt in a wood burning stove. This means it has been left to dry for several months. Remember, just because it feels dry to the touch doesn’t mean it’s fully dried out throughout the entire piece of wood.
Dry Wood:
Related to the previous point, wet wood should never go into a wood burning stove. The wood is too wet to burn if you notice any green moss, sap or moisture bubbles and becomes visible during burning.
Treated Wood:
Some people may be tempted to burn old furniture, such as chairs, in their stove. However, doing this is unwise as furniture is often coated with waterproof varnish, creating a strong-smelling, unpleasant smoke.
Dirty Catalytic Converter
As well as the flue, another part of the stove that may cause it to smoke, is the catalytic converter.
The catalytic converter is part of most modern stoves. It is becoming more popular as more people become more environmentally conscious. Its job is to convert some of the more harmful chemicals, such as carbon monoxide, into less harmful ones, such as carbon dioxide.
However, if it becomes dirty, it can get blocked, and as a result gasses won’t easily pass through it.
If you suspect your catalytic converter is dirty, you should remove it and clean it with a brush. You may need to clean it more thoroughly if the dirt is welded to the unit.
Opening the Door too Quickly
One reason your wood stoves smoke when you open the door is that you might open the door too quickly.
You must remember that airflow often controls how a fire burns, with oxygen one of the three key ingredients of any fire. If you open the door too quickly, the airflow can change rapidly, and the change can cause smoke to escape out the door.
You need to allow your stove to get used to the new airflow. You can do this by opening the door slightly, for about 10-20 seconds, to allow a new airflow pattern to generate, and then open it all the way.
Stove is Cold
Another potential issue is that your stove is too cold.
When the firebox isn’t as hot as it should be, cold air at the bottom will push the rising smoke back down and cause it to bellow out into the room.
To help warm up your stove, leave the door open for about 20 seconds before starting the fire so that the air from the room can warm it up.
You must also ensure that the fire is large enough for your stove. If the fire is too small, it won’t get hot enough to heat up the stove.
Bad Drafts
An unwelcome draft can also prevent smoke from escaping the flue. If the air in the flue pipe is too cold, it will push down on the smoke and stop it from properly escaping.
Before you start your fire, light a piece of newspaper, and hold it in the flue to warm it up. This creates better airflow control for the smoke to go through the flue.
Start a Fire Properly
When you start your fire, make sure you do so efficiently, to reduce the chance of smoke coming out the door. Here is the method we would recommend.
- In a clean stove, lay down some tinder. This would usually be crumpled up newspaper or a firestarter.
- On top of the tinder, add some kindling- usually small sticks.
- On top of that pile, place some medium-sized logs in a # shape, with the tinder/kindling in the centre.
- Light a piece of newspaper to warm up the flue.
- Light the tinder, and close the door.
- Once a small fire has started, throw on some larger logs to get an intense blaze going.
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Smoke is one of the most hazardous elements of any fire, especially within a contained area such as a home or living space. If you find your stove smoking on a regular basis, identify the problem or contact professional help as soon as possible to resolve the issue.
We hope this helps, and for everything else home heating stick with CosyWarmer.com