Building fills with SMOKE!!!!

[Boeing]

Fellas, I have a curious problem. I have a steel building with a RIDGE vent. I added a wood stove last year. It kept getting real smoky inside so I BLOCKED off the gable vent......that helped alot. Still had smoke so I added 18" to the insulated smokestack......that pretty much stopped the smoke. This past week I went back up to Va. yeah!!! and there was a temperature INVERSION....(earth colder than the air) and the smoke spreads out rather than rising......my building got real smoky again.......burned my eyes, made my clothes STINK... (those pines are about 15' away to the North)
Does anyone have some suggestions? I'm not sure if I could block off half of the RIDGE vent or not.....I guess I could raise the stack another 18" and put "guy wires" to stabilize it. This really takes the pleasure out of staying there in cool weather. BTW, the solar panels with two deep cycle batts work GREAT!!! Charges Tractor, Generator, Truck....provides LED lights, fan, drill etc....love it.

 

[dave1949]

Your chimney does look a bit short, too close to roof on the horizontal to pass code-probably, it hard to know from a photo. Also, those trees look like they could be close enough to affect the draft.

I think going up another section would help. If you open a window 3-4 inches when the stove is smoking, does that clear it out? If so, you aren't getting enough combustion air to create a good draw in the chimney.

A low, smoldering fire can also cause a smoke problem if the chimney is not being kept hot enough to draw.

 

[unbidden]

Due to the close proximity of the tree line and the solar panel, I think more height to the stack is in order. First be sure there is no blockage in the stack now.

 

[CliffordK]

Is that single walled stove pipe going from the stove up to the roof peak?
You would get better drafting with some type of insulated pipe (double walled).

It is possible you would be getting some smoke when you're stoking the stove too.

I'm surprised to see the stove on casters.

 

[doxford jim]

How about adding a blower just below the roof - using a Y connection and having a damper in front of the blower. When using the stove, open the damper, switch on the blower and blow air out of the chimney which in turn, would assist and pull the stove exhaust. Since the blower would be in the other part of the Y connector, the smoke would just be pushed out of the chimney even with temperature inversion. I have seen a similar arrangment to overcome high air pressure in the Canadian artic, during very cold spells.
Just a thought worth considering.
Thx

 

[SPIKER]

I agree with others, the pipe should be at least 4' above the ridge in your case or 4' higher than the roof in a 10' radius so if you put stove out at the low wall take a 10' stick and keep raising the stack until it can not hit the roof parallel to the ground.

So as close as your stack is to the peak you need 4' ABOVE the PEAK & this should not require any wires to support it.

Mark

 

[grsthegreat]

I agree with others, the pipe should be at least 4' above the ridge in your case or 4' higher than the roof in a 10' radius so if you put stove out at the low wall take a 10' stick and keep raising the stack until it can not hit the roof parallel to the ground.

So as close as your stack is to the peak you need 4' ABOVE the PEAK & this should not require any wires to support it.

Mark

+1
this is my understanding also.

and PLEASE... install a CO Detector

 

[tony Cecil]

I have this happen to me almost every spring..after making sure the pipe is well above the ridge line--in my case six feet-- build a smallish fire, and try ang get it hot quickly....play with it some before putting any larger pieces of wood, that would cool it off..after it has gotten good and hot, then add the wood....I think the smoke will leave you alone, most of the time, but not every time. Tony

 

[oldhippy]

You might add a windvane cap. I had a house that got smoke when the wind blew from the wrong direction. Your stack may be to small for one of these caps. big dan

 

[David Devuono]

You need to put a ceiling in that shop and seal it off from the attic. Maybe even add some insulation in the roof. Up here code is 2 ft higher then anypart of he roof within 10 ft of the chimney. In your case it should be 2 feet above the ridge which it looks to be now. I don't care if you go 4 feet up, if you don't seal off the attic area you will always have conditions on some days with low winds, down drafts out of the trees and the airtight stove smoldering that will bring smoke into your building. Heck if I open a window 10 feet below the chimney, smoke comes in some days so I close the window. Your roof is not designed to have a woodstove and not have a barrier between the attic and the work area.