Problem - whenever the door is opened it bellows out black smoke. It eats wood (very dry) and will not stay in unless the firebox is banked up with wood as it just doesn't draw at all. Installer has said there is no problem with it. Does it need a flu extension on the outside? Has anyone else had this problem. The flu has been cleaned frequently this year alone.
tweake,
Jun 2, 1:33am
have you got a ventilation or heat transfer system in the house? does it do it only when its windy? is it a free standing fireplace? where abouts in the room is it placed?
mrsoeofish,
Jun 2, 1:37am
Does it happen when you're cooking tea? I discovered my house is so airtight that if I lit the fire when the range hood was going, smoke got sucked into the house. If the fire was going well and then I turned the range hood on it was ok.
skin1235,
Jun 2, 1:51am
what type of wood, seems it is not hot enough, may need a mix of something harder to develop the heat required to burn properly
how long is the flue in total, should be min of 4,2mt
skin1235,
Jun 2, 1:53am
hang on, black smoke indicates a starving fire, it needs more air, stop trying to be miserable and keep it choked as low as you can, open the slide a little more and let it burn properly
melford,
Jun 2, 3:44am
Talking about my daughters fire. Wood is fine and dry. I have the same brand fire (no problem) Fire has to bet set high all the time so it doesn't go out (mine doesn't I can have mine on low. The installer said the flu is normal height. No my daughter hasn't got a ventilation system. Free standing fire set midway along an internal wall where the original one was.
tweake,
Jun 2, 4:04am
things that come to mind is either restriction, tho i would have thought the installer would have checked that.
air pressure at top of flue is higher than inside the house. as mentioned above it can happen with air tight homes with fans on. but also can happen with chimney location and wind direction. usually with strong winds. opening a window can equalize the air pressure.
the other odd one is if the flue is to cold. the outer tube around the flue could be venting due to an opening and the air flow is cooling the flue down to much.
skin1235,
Jun 2, 4:23am
that would account for 'several cleanings' this year wonder how bad it was each time and who instructed it - the fitter trying to cover up poor worksmanship perhaps as tweake says if the outer skin is exhausting you're fighting a losing battle, it has to be rectified, maybe a new skin and another length of flue as well if the wood is dry, and its fully opened all the time with a full box, it should be shooting sparks and flames out the top, yeah gods I've had this old magnum 30 yrs and never cleaned the flue yet
tweake,
Jun 2, 5:04am
did they reuse the old flue? i wonder if its the wrong size.
golfaholic2,
Jun 2, 2:48pm
Leave a window ajar next time you light the burner . if this doesn't help then the air tight room aint the issue .
cantabman1,
Jun 2, 3:31pm
We get some smoke when opening the door, It helps to always have the vent opened out when you do this. The flue should be a height level or greater than the ridge-line to get the best draw, if it isn't then you will need to add some more. Many years ago when wood burners were first installed, a common problem was not enough flue length in areas with still air such as Rotorua and Ch Ch 16 feet is now considered the norm; back then it was 12 feet.[sorry not metrics]
budgel,
Jun 2, 4:30pm
Make absolutely sure there are no obstructions like in the flue or baffle system.
melford,
Jun 2, 6:50pm
Thank you to everyone. Looks like I need to get an independent installer to check things out.
d.williams,
Jun 3, 6:23am
What model masport is it ?
ambo11,
Jun 3, 1:45pm
You mentioned flue has been cleaned, but has it been lifted out from fireplace itself and all the soot etc vaccumed out from the top of the fire? Just a simple brushing from the top isn't enough.
nzjay,
Dec 24, 10:11am
Is there a removable baffle plate between the firebox and the flue outlet? If it's a Masport it should have. Often soot will build up and restrict the flue gasses on here, especially if the fire is operated at low temperature (air damper closed down) for long periods. This baffle plate should be removed when cleaning the flue. perhaps yours wasn't?
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