9
5.
The glass door should be clear. A discoloured glass indicates that the wood is too
wet or the air control has not been left open long enough.
6.
The exhaust coming from the top of the flue system should be clear or white. A
plume of blue or grey smoke indicates smouldering, inefficient combustion, air
pollution and probably low operating temperatures.
Correctly installed and operated, Jayline solid fuel heaters do not spill smoke into the
house. There are three main reasons why some woodstoves smoke:
Bad installation design:
Incorrect flue installation, resulting in low flue temperatures
and low draft, can make a wood heater more likely to spill smoke. For example, flue
systems that run up the outside wall of the house and are not correctly insulated can rob
the heat from the flue and produce very little draft. Each elbow in the flue pipe assembly
slows down the flow of gases and causes a small restriction to flow. When a flue system
includes more than one elbow, the restriction can be enough to cause spillage.
Extreme negative pressure in the house:
Energy efficiency practices and new building
code rules are making our houses more and more airtight. This makes the houses energy
efficient, but also makes them more sensitive to negative pressure when air is exhausted
from the house. Large, fan-forced exhaust ventilators, like down-draft-type kitchen stove
exhausts, can cause extreme negative pressure in the house when they are operating.
Because new houses are tightly sealed, there are few holes to allow replacement air to
enter, and the house pressure becomes negative. This negative pressure works against
flue system draft. In severe cases, the negative pressure in the house overcomes the flue
system draft and the appliance begins to spill smoke, especially when a fire is started or
when it dies down to coals. To prevent this extreme negative pressure, one option is to
open a window to allow combustion air into the room.
Improper heater firing technique:
When a solid fuel heater is starved for air it
smoulders, producing a relatively cool, smoky fire. The temperatures throughout the
system are low. During a smouldering fire, the flue system will not be receiving the hot
gas it needs to produce strong draft. When the heater door is opened, smoke will spill into
the room. A smouldering fire is the single most common reason for smoke spillage and
totally unnecessary. By using the suggestions on proper firing technique earlier in this
document, you will be able to avoid these smouldering fires.
PURCHASING THE FIREWOOD
The quality of the firewood you burn can have a dramatic effect on the efficiency and
operation of the heater. The main factors that affect the burning characteristics of
firewood are moisture content, tree species and piece size.
1-05-06
