Causes of stove smoke. Why does the stove smoke and what are the possible reasons? Miscalculations during laying a stove well

Stove heating is still quite common in private urban homes and country cottages. If it functions correctly, a comfortable atmosphere and comfort. But if the stove is not working properly, smoke can come out of it, which will not only become a source of an unpleasant odor, but can also threaten human health and even life. In this material we will talk about what to do if the stove smokes. At the same time, we will look at the probable causes and options for eliminating the problem.

Conditions for the appearance of smoke in the house

If the stove is smoking in the house, what to do in this case can only be understood by considering the conditions under which smoke occurs.

To do this, we will answer a number of questions:

What are the contributing factors when smoke enters a home?
At what point does smoke appear - immediately after kindling or after some time?
How long has the stove been smoking?

There are several different reasons why a furnace smokes. What they are and what the procedure is in each case will be described below.

The occurrence of backdraft in the furnace

In cases where the stove has not been used for several days, backdraft may form in the chimney. This means that air flows do not move outside, but into the room. This phenomenon quite often becomes the reason why the stove smokes when lighting. Please note that weather conditions have nothing to do with this phenomenon - reverse draft appears in both warm and cold seasons.

It is worth noting that draft overturning is possible even in stoves with an ideal design, assembled by experienced stove makers.

So, the answer to the question of what to do if the stove smokes into the house is to increase the air temperature inside the chimney. Moreover, these manipulations can be performed independently.

Warming up the chimney can be done in the following ways:

Treating the inner surface of the chimney using a hair dryer through the open door to remove soot.
Gaining access to the chimney by dismantling or opening the hog in the attic and further warming it up construction hairdryer or other devices.
The cap is removed from the top of the chimney and lit paper is thrown into the chimney.

Strong gusts of wind

Sometimes the reason why there is no draft in the stove at home can be a strong gusty wind blowing inside the chimney.

In this case, there are two options for resolving the issue:

Increase the height of the chimney, including the head.
Slightly modify the structure of the visor installed on the head.

Incorrect stove masonry

Often the reason why a new stove smokes is due to errors in the masonry of the entire structure or its individual elements. In particular, smoke accumulates inside the house if the cross-section of the chimney is not enough for its timely evacuation to the outside.

You cannot solve this problem yourself - the stove maker must deal with this. It is worth noting that modification and repair of the structure will cost you less than a complete redevelopment of the furnace.

Worn-out is a popular reason why a stove smokes.

Like any other design, each stove has its own service life. Over time, its elements wear out and require overhaul or partial restoration.

The aging of the furnace is manifested in the following:

A large amount of soot has accumulated on the inner walls of the chimney, which has significantly narrowed its clearance.
Due to thermal loads, cracks appeared in the masonry, which led to the loss of the pipe's tightness.

So, if the stove smokes due to wear and tear, let’s look at what to do step by step:

We carefully clean the inner surface of the chimney not only from accumulated soot and debris, but also from loose or fallen parts brickwork.
We reseal all existing cracks oven solution, restoring the integrity of the masonry.

This work can be done either independently or entrusted to a stove-maker. An experienced master will do everything very quickly and efficiently.

Miscalculations during laying a stove well - what to do now?

In some cases, smoke enters the house the moment the firebox door is opened. When the door is closed, carbon monoxide is evacuated as usual. In this case, the reason lies in the inexperience of the stove master.

When the door is opened, smoke occurs if the entrance to the well is located too low and the shortest path for heated air with carbon monoxide runs precisely towards the firebox doorway.

For any responsible person, when the stove in the house smokes, what to do is the main and primary question. The problem can be solved if you build a wall inside the firebox, the upper edge of which will be several centimeters higher than the upper edge of the door.

Thus, hot air with carbon monoxide will move to the well opening even when the firebox door is open.

Results

In the article, we looked at the most likely causes of smoke inside the house, as well as what ways you can deal with it. It is noteworthy that in most cases the work is not difficult and can be done independently.

Owners country houses often face the problem of smoke appearing when burning. If the stove smokes, this is dangerous for people’s health and the safety of the heated building, and also indicates excessive fuel consumption. If the stove initially worked well, then you can fix the problem yourself. To do this, it is important to conduct an inspection, analyze the method of operation and identify the source of the problems.

Smoke in a room always means deterioration or lack of draft. Incorrect movement of flue gases is caused by several reasons.

Note: Draft is the main force that causes flue gases to rise up the chimney. The physical process is based on the pressure difference in the lower and upper parts of the chimney.

With good draft, the fuel burns completely, releasing maximum heat. If it’s bad, the stove smokes. There is not enough oxygen for combustion, volatile combustion products (smoke) are formed, which rush into areas of low pressure and high vacuum - into the room.

Reason No. 1 Incorrect chimney height

One of the main reasons for new stoves to smoke is a malfunction of the smoke exhaust system. Pipes are installed in accordance with the following parameters:

The height of the chimney is 500 mm above the highest point of the roof with a ridge distance of up to 150 cm.
The height of the chimney = the height of the ridge, if the distance between them is 150-300 cm.
Not lower than 10º relative to the horizon of the ridge, when removed from it further than 300 cm.
The minimum length of the smoke exhaust channel is 5 meters, if you count from the stove.
If the chimney is more than 120 cm above the ridge level, then it is reinforced with guy wires.

Note: if the ventilation and chimney pipes are located close together, their height is made the same (SNiPs), or the chimney is made higher (European experience). Otherwise, combustion products will penetrate back into the house.

Reason No. 2. Poor ventilation

If the oven is installed in a room with sealed plastic windows and b

Almost every owner of a wood heating unit has probably encountered a wide variety of problems. However, the most common one is when the stove smokes. From the materials presented in this article, you can learn about why stoves smoke, possible reasons occurrence of this malfunction.

The most common reason

If you don’t know why the stove smokes, first of all we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the most likely, main reason in our rating. Without knowing why the fireplace smokes, many people lose sight of the fact that most likely, you initially violated following conditions operation:

The causes of malfunctions may be due to the fact that excess amounts of soot and other combustion products accumulate in the chimney system pipe, as well as in its hog. The dangerous thickness of such a standing layer is 2 or more millimeters. Such a layer can lead not only to a decrease in efficiency and heat transfer by several times, but also to fire. You can get rid of this deposit if the fireplace is smoking using special devices. For example, brushes with bristles, which you can make with your own hands. If the soot layer is still small, it is quite possible to deal with professional cleaning agents. chemicals, for example, logs or powder which is packaged in portioned briquettes. To achieve the desired effect, they must be used during the combustion process.

Advice: if you do not have commercial products that can be used to remove plaque, we recommend using simple coarse salt or potato peelings.

Main structural elements of a wood heating installation

For kindling, use only fuel of suitable size and characteristics.

A properly assembled blower will reduce the likelihood of smoke formation

Also, without knowing why the fireplace is smoking, there is a possibility that the chimney is partially or completely damp. Most often this occurs when the stove is not used for a long time and is not heated. What to do in this case? First of all, the lower part of the structure is kindled, in which excess condensate accumulates. To do this, open the lower compartment of the fireplace, after which a small fire is built from wood chips or paper, you can also use special alcohol tablets. After the chimney system has completely dried, the compartment is closed, and the fireplace can be successfully used again;
If your fireplace is smoking, it is likely that you are using the wrong type of fuel for kindling, and the temperature difference either reduces the draft level or brings the smell of burning and soot into the house. To solve this problem and eliminate the causes of its occurrence, you simply need to shorten the blower part of the stove, while its end is supplemented with 1/2 of a standard brick.

Interesting to know: the reason that smoke appears in the house can also be incorrect installation logs into the hearth. If it is not airtight or the firewood is stacked tightly in only one place, it will most likely create an untidy smell that will enter the house. To solve the problem, just correctly, spread the firewood evenly in the combustion chamber, then close the door or damper tightly and hermetically.

Additional reasons

Without knowing why stoves smoke during lighting, we also recommend that you pay attention to the second most common, widespread cause of this malfunction, namely defects in the heating unit. You can find out more about them below.

If you notice thin, small cracks on the brickwork or other surface of the stove that look like a cobweb, you can use the following instructions for eliminating them:

The surface must be thoroughly cleaned, and all cracks and holes must be expanded slightly for more convenient work. further work;
Coat the walls with a solution based on cement and water;
Next, the surface is plastered using a solution containing clay. The proportion is 2/1 (clay, sand);
All cracks are filled with this solution using a trowel;
Next, the plaster dries, after which we apply the finish.

The stove is presented in section and from several angles, allowing you to see the movement of air flows

Open fires smoke

more often than closed

Tip: it is best to apply the solution from the bottom up; after partial drying, each layer is well rubbed. If such cracks do not form in the brickwork, but, for example, in ceramic coating, a composition based on building gypsum and chalk.

Also the answer to the question: why do stoves smoke? There may be a possibility that the brickwork in certain areas has become warped or loose. Such areas will need to be completely replaced. For damaged areas, only perfectly smooth bricks are used, which are laid on a previously cleaned, rubbed surface. The bricks are laid on freshly prepared clay-based mortar.

Regarding new ovens

If your stove is new and installed relatively recently, it may be due to large quantity smoke, steel violations, design flaws.

The optimal parameters of the furnace unit include:

The optimally selected section of the chimney pipe. For an installation operating on logs, this parameter is 140 by 270 millimeters, on coal 140 by 140 millimeters;
The distance from the grate to the top of the fireplace should be at least 5-7 centimeters;
The pipe rises above the highest point of the roof by at least 700-800 millimeters.

Smoke can negatively affect not only the performance of the heating device, but also its appearance.

If the malfunction is internal in nature, only a professional stove maker can handle it.

The cause of smoke may be insufficient chimney height

If smoke occurs from an incorrectly installed pipe, this problem can be solved in the following way:

Pay attention to the presence near the chimney various trees, buildings. They can cause smoke to come back into the house. To solve the problem, simply equip the top of the pipe with a special cap;
If the height of the chimney system is insufficient, it is not at all necessary to completely disassemble it. In this case, the pipe can simply be extended by purchasing additional parts and fittings.

Important: you should not solve this problem yourself if smoke begins to enter the house already at the time of lighting the stove unit. In this case, with a 90 percent probability, serious repairs to the installation will be required.

How to properly light a new stove

You need to put a new stove into operation correctly

Much depends on how correctly you enter new installation into operation. In order to do everything correctly, we recommend that you read the following step-by-step guide:

After the device has been heated and has ceased to be used, you need to open all compartments, doors, latches so that everything unpleasant odors weathered in a timely manner and did not accumulate during downtime;
The new stove must also be well ventilated and completely dry;
The first firebox in new oven carried out no earlier than a week after assembly, installation (brick structures);
The first fires should be short-lived, with a small amount of logs laid.

Important: for both the first and subsequent fireboxes, do not use coniferous wood that produces intense heat!

To prevent your stove or fireplace from smoking, it is enough to follow the following rules: simple rules, requirements:

The ash chamber and fuel tank must be cleaned before each kindling;
For kindling, use a splinter or birch bark, which is placed on a grate;
The logs are stacked quite tightly and evenly;
A new loading of logs is made no earlier than 20-50 minutes after the first. Opening the damper and firebox during the period of maximum firewood burning is also not recommended;
The level and intensity of flame combustion is adjusted using a blower or valve;
At the end of the firebox, the remaining coals are raked out, and the hearth itself is well cleaned.

Smoke from the fireplace can lead to a fire

Coniferous wood is not used for kindling.

Finally, it should be noted that under no circumstances should the firebox be fired with garbage or other unsuitable things. This can contribute to blockages in pipes and grate, and such adhered dirt is more difficult to remove than a layer of soot of the appropriate thickness.

Smoke from the stove - determining the causes

Despite centralized heating and widespread gasification, heating stoves have not gone out of use modern man. Many people heat their dachas in this way, others have not yet reached progress in the form of a gas pipeline, while others simply like to have a stove in the house, because the living warmth of the hearth has always created a comfortable environment in the house.

It doesn’t matter for what reasons the owner fires the stove the old fashioned way, but if the stove smokes, then this is already a problem and to eliminate it, you must first understand the causes of the smoke.

So, first you need to determine why the stove smokes and at what exact moments the smoke begins to partially or completely escape through the door. What is the weather like outside, cold or warm, windy or quiet, all these factors are of no small importance. Next, you should inspect the chimney for soot fouling, mechanical damage or knee blockage. You also need to inspect the blower. It would not hurt to go up to the roof and inspect the pipe riser for cracks.

After performing a thorough inspection furnace system heating, we can draw a conclusion about the reasons for the decrease in draft and smoke in the room. After all, in order to solve the problem, you must first determine why exactly the stove is smoking, and only then undertake repairs. Below we will look separately at the different causes of poor traction and solutions.

External smoke factors

To prevent the stove from smoking, it is necessary that the chimney exits directly from the firebox, without additional channels.

The causes of smoke from the door and ashpit can be absolutely simple. For example, it grew over the roof garden tree, it prevents the free outflow of air, and also reflects gusts of wind into the pipe, which creates reverse draft and, accordingly, smoke exhausts inside. This problem can be solved by simply cutting off the branches and freeing up free space within the radius of the pipe exit.

But it happens that the reason is not at all an external barrier to the free circulation of air flows, and if the stove begins to smoke in windy weather, then perhaps chimney is located much lower than the ridge of the roof, which is why air flows creeping along the roofing sheet again impede free air exchange. In this case, the pipe needs to be extended and the problem will be eliminated.

If the stove smokes when damp and rainy weather, then there may be several reasons. Each chimney is laid out individually depending on the height of the house structure. Some smoke passages are quite long and complexly curved, with several bends and a high riser. Other drainage systems carbon monoxide and smoke are simpler and work almost “directly”. In such cases, a possible cause of poor circulation may be snow and rain entering the pipe, which causes dampness, and the passing smoke quickly cools, condenses and can create air lock. In this case, a cap or umbrella is mounted above the pipe head. They differ from each other in the degree of pipe coverage. An umbrella is made of tin or metal and rises at a distance, protecting from rain and moisture. And the cap completely covers the chimney and is part of the brickwork, has side openings for removing gases and is mounted mainly for protection from bad weather and strong winds.

Causes of smoke due to burning and cleaning

Breakdown is one of the causes of smoke in the furnace due to a violation of the seal.

Problems with the removal of gases and smoke may have a different nature, independent of weather conditions. It happens that the stove smokes due to poor care and oversight. For example, a ash pit clogged with ash ceases to fulfill its function of providing and controlling draft force, which naturally affects the intensity of the fire and the removal of combustion products. If firewood, coal or peat have a poor supply of oxygen during combustion, then intensive formation of smoke occurs, which simply does not find any other way out except all the available cracks. It is known that combustion products are heavier than air, and oxygen aeration directs them outward. If oxygen access is limited, then clouds of smoke will spread and enter the room.

Another reason that the stove smokes can be the fouling of the chimney with soot and fumes, up to the complete blocking of the passage. To eliminate this problem, you need to clean the stove, chimney and all passages. Today, specialized hardware stores sell chimney cleaning products. Using them is extremely simple, just burn the purchased product in the oven and during the combustion process chemical elements dry the greasy soot and fumes, and burn off all the accumulated soot until it completely falls off. But this cleaning method does not always give a 100% result, and the stove smokes as before.

You can clean the smoke exhaust system the old fashioned way, mechanically. To do this, use various special metal brushes or old, outdated brushes. A metal wire bent at the end is also used to clean the bends of the knees. The pipe itself is cleaned from the roof by lowering plumbs or using brushes.

The most common problems and their solutions

Another simple reason why the stove smokes during lighting may be the formation of an air cushion due to weather conditions, or due to prolonged inactivity. This problem is easy to identify. You need to light a match or a piece of wood in the firebox and see if the smoke goes away. If the smoke spreads or the fire goes out, then perhaps an air cushion has formed in the pipe due to a decrease in atmospheric pressure or the occurrence of reverse draft when the temperature in the house is lower than outside. In this case, preheating the chimney will help. To do this, with the ashpit closed and the firebox door open, ordinary newsprint is burned inside. Five minutes of intense burning is enough lightweight material to break through the air blockage.

If, despite all efforts to preheat and clean the vent, the stove still smokes, then you need to go up to the roof and inspect the masonry. In most cases, depending on time and exposure environment the plaster crumbles, the integrity of the brickwork is destroyed and cracks are formed through which air exchange occurs and the intensity of draft is disrupted. Moreover, this problem is fraught fire hazard, since streams of smoke from the cracks carry sparks and can create a fire.

This problem can be eliminated by filling the resulting cracks with clay mortar and plastering the outside and, if possible, the inside of the chimney. The solution is prepared with a medium consistency, because too much clay content will cause new cracks when drying, and a solution that is poor in content will simply crumble and crumble.

Brick falling out

If the stove is cleaned, coated, preheated, but still smokes, then there is no need to immediately call a stove technician. You can try to carry out a more detailed inspection and still determine the cause of the smoke. Quite often, the cause may be a banal piece of brick falling out of the masonry. This can create a problem when a brick falls into hard to reach place and it may be necessary to partially disassemble the chimney to get it out.

Armed with a flashlight, if possible, you should inspect the stove as carefully as possible in all corners. You can insert a mirror attached to a wire into the smoke passage to carefully examine the rising riser. Also, a bent wire is pushed through all accessible passages and thus the blockage is determined. If you can feel a moving object, then perhaps this is the problem and you can try to pick up a piece and push it out.

If all else fails and the stove is still smoking, then you can’t do without the help of a knowledgeable stove maker. Such a specialist is able to determine the cause of the smoke by the intensity of the draft, or by tapping, find the place in the masonry where the ill-fated brick fell out, disassemble part of the stove, remove the problem and fix everything.

Smoke rises into the chimney and flutters over the roof - which means the stove is functioning normally, but if the clouds do not enter the chimney, but accumulate in the room, it becomes difficult to breathe, things and bedding smell like smoke, and the efficiency of heating the room suffers. You can get out of the situation, but first you have to study the problem.

How to understand why the stove smokes? Possible causes of the phenomenon lie in improper kindling, accumulation of burning and soot on the walls of the pipe, and design errors in the masonry. We will look at these and other reasons in more detail later in the article.

Causes of smoke from an old stove in the house

In this case, the reason for the uncoordinated functioning of the system may be a banal blockage of the vent with ash, as a result of which the draft has worsened. Rake out the accumulated deposits with a poker and try to melt it. Sometimes such simple manipulations help resolve the smoke, but if the problem cannot be eliminated, carefully check the entire system and identify what led to the problem.

Late cleaning

There are more serious reasons Why is the stove smoking? Possible layers of soot or soot of 3 mm or more reduce heat transfer by up to two times and impair traction. In some cases this leads to a fire. Do not forget about periodic and timely cleaning of your home. brick oven!

General cleaning is carried out independently, armed with a thick wire or pole with a rag tightly wound at the end. The device is lowered into the pipe and the walls are thoroughly cleaned.

For small amounts of soot, special products can be used. They are added to the firebox along with firewood and wood chips. During the combustion of such substances, special volatile compounds are released that contribute to the destruction of contaminants. This, by the way, is one of the options for getting out of the situation when the stove in the bathhouse smokes.

Damp chimney

Condensation accumulates in systems that have not been used for several months. To get rid of steam, open the lower soot cleaner and light a small fire in it from a flammable material: dry wood chips, paper, tableted dry alcohol. Having warmed up the chimney well, close the damper and begin heating in the stove.

Using the wrong type of fuel

Why does the stove smoke? A possible reason is a large temperature difference with fuel that does not match the type of stove. In coal stoves, the length of the blower is equal to the size of the firebox. If you burn wood in such a stove, then cold air, gathering in the firebox, does not have time to warm up and goes back through the open door, saturating the room with smoke and soot. To fix the problem, shorten the blower by placing one or more brick halves on its end (the number depends on the length of the blower).

It is important to know that smoke is often caused by improper placement of firewood inside a brick oven. If the fuel does not completely cover the grate, then the main air flows go past. As a result, cooled flue gases escape into the room. You can eliminate the problem associated with the fact that the stove smokes when lighting, by stacking the logs in even rows so that they are closely adjacent to each other.

Minor defects on the inner surface of the walls

Have you eliminated the visible causes of smoke, but the stove still continues to smoke? Another reason for this is cracks on the walls of the chimney and combustion chamber. Cold air penetrates through these cracks, lowering the temperature level, as a result of which the stove smokes. What to do to get rid of small cracks? To do this you need:

Clean the surface, widening the cracks with a chisel.
Prepare a liquid primer by mixing cement with water and thoroughly coat the cracks.
While the treated surface dries, prepare clay grout for plastering, using 2 parts clay and 1 part sand. In order to increase the strength of the mixture, add 0.1 parts of asbestos. Add as much water to the crumbly mixture as needed to achieve a thick consistency.
The cracks are filled using a triangular trowel, the surface is leveled and rubbed with a wooden float.
Leave the plaster and wait until it is about 80% dry.
Apply a finishing layer of grout on top, applying do-it-yourself repair oven, moving from bottom to top.
After waiting for the surface to dry completely, you should moisten a wooden grater in water and rub in the remaining irregularities, performing smooth circular movements.

Remember that small cracks that form in the tile cladding are rubbed with a solution based on alabaster and chalk.

Loose bricks are another cause of smoke

Constant temperature changes negatively affect the strength of the masonry of the first channels of the chimney or firebox, where cracks most often form, the glue that holds the bricks together crumbles, causing them to become loose. Such areas are shifted:

First they select quality material with perfectly smooth walls.
Damaged bricks are carefully removed from the damaged masonry, removing the remains of the old mortar.
The surface is cleaned using a metal brush.
When repairing a stove, apply clay mortar onto the prepared surface, paying special attention lower parts recesses (the place from which the brick is removed).
They lay a new block, while watching exactly how the brick fits into the niche. If trimming was carried out, then it is inserted into the groove so that the smooth side is on the inside - on the side of the exhaust gases.

It is important to pay attention to the weather in which the stove smokes in the house or kitchen. If this phenomenon is observed only in the cold season, then the reason lies in the excessive thermal conductivity of the pipe and chimney. In this case, all seams on the outer parts are opened, re-coated with clay, and the surface is plastered. In this case, the freshly applied layer of plaster should be 1-2 cm thicker than the previous one. To coat the stoves, you can use a special purchased mastic.

Reasons why a new stove smokes

Don’t know what to do or how to eliminate the problem of smoke puffs forming during kindling? In 90% of cases, the reason lies in a design defect or violation of masonry technology during the work process. As a result, the new stove smokes.

Design features

To avoid this, the following requirements are put forward for stoves intended for heating premises:

the chimney opening should be 14 x 27 cm for wood-burning and peat stoves or 14 x 14 cm for coal stoves;
the height of the chimney is at least 6 cm (from the grate to the top);
the height of the chimney above the roof is from 70 cm, but not higher than 50 cm from the end of the ridge.

An exception may be the case when the ridge is located at a distance of more than 1.5 m, then the pipe can be extended to the same height.

Other causes of stove smoke

If only a stove specialist can help solve a problem with smoke, when it lies in the discrepancy between the internal dimensions of the chimney and the required parameters, then you can deal with external problems without resorting to additional help. You can solve problems related to the pipe in this way:

The work begins with a banal exploration of the area. High walls and trees near the house can create wind barriers. Air flows, blowing out the pipe, drive smoke back into the room. One option with a 90% chance of solving the problem would be to put a special cap on the top of the pipe.
A common cause of smoke is insufficient pipe height. Ideally, it is increased, but such manipulation is not always possible. If heating season has already started, just put a metal bucket on the pipe, having first removed the bottom from it.

Rules for putting a new furnace into operation

The service life and smooth operation of the system depend on the correctness of its commissioning. Irregular use or improper lighting of the stove can also cause smoke.

If, upon completion of the masonry, the materials still remain damp, then this moisture must be gotten rid of, especially if the heating season is already approaching. The drying period for a new stove is 7-10 days. warm time years and up to 21 days in the cold season. The process is carried out in stages, starting with airing the room.

The drying procedure continues until the walls become uniform in color and wet spots disappear from the surface of the screed. No condensation on metal parts stove indicates that excess moisture has evaporated.

A week after the start of ventilation in the oven, they dilute small fire twice a day: in the morning and in the evening. The volume of firewood storage is gradually increased. Don't try to speed up the process by firing too hard. High temperature may lead to cracking of walls inside and the formation of cracks in masonry.

Remember that coniferous wood, when burned, emits smoke that settles in the form of resinous soot, which is practically not removed from the inner walls of the chimneys.

Now you know why stoves smoke. We also examined possible causes of the formation of puffs of smoke and methods for eliminating the problem with your own hands.