10
Smoking – Causes and Troubleshooting
To reduce the likelihood of smoking when opening the doors, set the damper to the "accelerated
combustion" position before opening the doors. Your fireplace has been designed and tested to
provide smoke free operation. Occasionally, there may be a small amount of smoking upon lighting
the fire, until the chimney heats up but this should not continue. If the fireplace continues to smoke
it is probably for one of the following reasons:
1.
The doors are partly open
Open both doors fully when opening them.
2. Negative pressure in the house
As the fire burns, air goes up the chimney. This air must be replaced through leakage into the house
or through the outside air duct When operating the BIS ULTRA open a nearby window temporarily
to check the adequacy of the replacement air supply.
3. Fans operating (e.g.: range hood)
These fans draw air out of the house and may actually cause a negative pressure in the house. Turn off all fans and open
a nearby window to determine if this is the cause of the problem.
4. Wet wood
Wet or tarred wood will smolder and smoke instead of burn properly.
5. Dirty or blocked chimney
Check to make sure the chimney is clear and reasonably clean.
6. Chimney not long enough
The minimum chimney height is 12 ft. not including the fireplace height. The chimney must extend
at least 3 feet (915 mm) above its point of contact with the roof and at least 2 feet (610 mm) higher
than any roof or wall within 10 feet (3 m) of it. When installed with offsets, the minimum chimney
height is 15 ft. Additional height will increase draught and will decrease the tendency to smoke.
7. Poor chimney draught
With no fire, there should be sufficient draught to exhaust cigarette smoke introduced under the
baffle. Chimneys installed against an outside wall without protection may generate back draught
problems which will cause start-up problems. To prevent such situation, open a nearby window, roll
up a piece of paper and light it. Then, hold it in the upper part of the firebox to warm up the
chimney. Wait until the draught is sufficient , then start the fire.
8. Blower for central forced air kit operating
Make sure that the blower is at the "off" position when you open the fireplace doors for reloading.
