Cold Start advice on Fireplace Stove Insert

[ultrarunner]

My home is rented to a retired couple.

Every two weeks they want to have a fire going for their Bible Study group now that the weather has turned.

So far, it has been a disaster...

Sweep checked out everything and no problems... the smoke has to overcome a massive column of cold air in the masonry chimney to draw.

Any advice I can pass along to my tenants... sounds like the smoke has already done a job on my new interior paint.

Sweep mentioned mechanical ventilation as an expensive option for seldom used fireplace inserts... said there would be no ongoing issue if the stove was used regularly...

 

[groundcover]

Prime it first. (Don't climb up on the roof and poor a bucket of water down it ! :laughing take some newspaper ,ball it up and hold it up as high in the stove as you can. If the house is really tight open a window an inch or two. Once you get the air in the chimney warm it should draw fine. I had to add a draft inducer to a stove once but only needed it on very windy days.

 

[sailorman]

I 'd go with Groundcover 's idea . I do a similar thing with my fireplace . Wadded up news paper on top of firewood with the flue partially closed . Let paper burn to the point where smoke is just about to come out of fire box and open flue completely . The blast of hot air in box sucks the smoke right up the chimney. Oh, while I 'm letting the paper burn, I am lighting the fire .

 

[PILOON]

Another trick that works is to 'pre heat' using a 100 watt light bulb.
As stated by groundcover, opening a window helps as well.
You need to start that upwards draft, heat rises but on the other hand cold air (which the chimney is full of) is denser and heavier thus wanting to stay at the bottom, need to move that out.

 

[dave1949]

Open a window a bit and open the fireplace doors about an hour before the fire is wanted. Warm air from the house will rise up the chimney. Start the fire with a ball of newspapers, give the fire plenty of air until its burning well with a bright flame covering most of the wood.

 

[jdjdjd]

I start my fires with a self-igniting propane torch. Hold the torch so that it heats the column of air in the chimney.
Fast and easy to do.

 

[GBOUTDOORS]

I start my fires with a self-igniting propane torch. Hold the torch so that it heats the column of air in the chimney.
Fast and easy to do.

That's what I do hold the torch in the stove to the count of 20 then light the wood. Also always open window near stove a few inches works every time.

 

[dave1949]

I start my fires with a self-igniting propane torch. Hold the torch so that it heats the column of air in the chimney.
Fast and easy to do.

Are these renters torch worthy??? :laughing:

 

[hosspuller]

It's not only the column of cold air, I'll wager the flue is a large diameter tile. The tile has to be heated too for a good draw. Any heated air is cooled by the cold stone of the flue. The wad of newspaper may not do the trick. I noticed an immediate draw improvement when I installed an insulated SS pipe into the tile flue of my house. Perhaps lighting a candle in the insert an hour before trying to light a load of wood. The candle is slow but sure.

 

[westcliffe01]

Gas logs fueled by propane or NG ?????

 

[EddieWalker]

Couldn't they just start the fire earlier in the day?

Eddie

 

[ultrarunner]

Looking for a foolproof method because of renters... home is near Olympia WA

I've never had any issues. Very disappointing to have smoke damaged paint every time someone moves.

The fireplace is massive stone and brick with a large oval flue tile... guessing about 17' hearth to chimney top.

Thought about a log-lighter... house is all electric so no gas presently onsite.

Sweep mentioned a chimney top exhaust fan that is foolproof... cost installed is about $2500... only warranted for 2 or 3 years.

In Austria, I always used a propane torch to start the tile oven... just convenient... due to the ovens mass... the first fire of the winter season would always release one big beltch of smoke up the chimney and then be OK the rest of the year...

 

[dave1949]

It's always easier to get a good chimney draft when the outside temperature is colder. If the fire is being lit for atmosphere and it's fairly warm outside, that won't help.

 

[aczlan]

Prime it first. (Don't climb up on the roof and poor a bucket of water down it ! :laughing take some newspaper ,ball it up and hold it up as high in the stove as you can. If the house is really tight open a window an inch or two. Once you get the air in the chimney warm it should draw fine. I had to add a draft inducer to a stove once but only needed it on very windy days.

That is what I do on our wood boiler. Works well and starts the smoke going up the chimney.

Aaron Z

 

[ultrarunner]

Only a guess...

I'm thinking the 17' of tile chimney flue is very cold and damp because it is seldom used.

The stove insert is airtight so no warm house air is getting in unless the door is left open.

There are two other stoves...

a pellet stove which has had several service calls due to user error...

and another wood stove with a 7' stainless flue pipe that never seems to be a problem...

 

[ultrarunner]

I'm thinking a LP log lighter might be too problematic for a rental situation???

Any comments from those that are familiar?

 

[Gunny]

Maybe one of those firelogs or firestarters would help. Most burn about 2-3 hours. Put that in the stove, light it, then pile firewood on top. Surely by the time the log burned, the chimney would be warm enough to draw.

 

[ronjhall]

My mother wood stove always had this problem. She used a small electric room heater in the stove door. This started air flow up the chimney. Then she lit wood fire.

 

[lockhaven]

-while researching a wood stove 2 years back I found some interesting information. the fireplace inserts are a formula for disaster. It seems that the large flues used for fireplaces will allow fast and heavy creosote build up. After an increase in chimney fires when the inserts first came out it was discovered that the inserts needed a properly sized chimney just like a stove. I went with Rockford Chimney Supply. I was able to do the work myself and had no issues what so ever very easy installation of the flexible SS liner.

 

[Egon]

The fellows suggesting a smaller flue sise are on the right track.:thumbsup: