Flames in Pipe From Stove to Chimney

no, flames in the pipe are not normal.

Have you put in new gaskets recently or are they the same age as the stove?

Yellow orange flames could be large amounts of coal dust. Blue flames indicate burning gas. Where are you observing the flames from? The baro opening?

My guess is that the coal was getting a bit over drafted when you shake it down. I see a big blueish with some yellow flame, probably 12 inches high off mine when I shake down a hot coal bed and its very cold outside. It too would head up into the pipe if the baffles weren't in the way.. I'm not on the team that thinks the dampers are the culprit

How far up the pipe would you say the flames are reaching?

gaskets same age as stove except for gasket on feeder on top

observing flames from baro opening. baro is approx. 12 in from the stove nd sometimes higher. the distance from the stove to the chimney is approx. 3 ft

cram4400 wrote:observing flames from baro opening. baro is approx. 12 in from the stove nd sometimes higher. the distance from the stove to the chimney is approx. 3 ft

Lightning wrote:My guess is that the coal was getting a bit over drafted when you shake it down. I see a big blueish with some yellow flame, probably 12 inches high off mine when I shake down a hot coal bed and its very cold outside. It too would head up into the pipe if the baffles weren't in the way.. I'm not on the team that thinks the dampers are the culprit

OK, this is still my best guess

I think LIGHTNING hit a home run, my guess to.

Could be unrelated, but if the door gaskets are 6 years old you may want to check them to make sure they are still sealing properly. The dollar bill test is to trap a dollar when the door is closed and see how easily you can pull it out. if it is easy then probably time to replace the gasket.

ok this may a dumb question but what causes the stove to overdraft? Even a couple hours after I shake the stove I try to open vents nd as soon as I do I have blue flames going up that pipe again. I am just so confused. Never had so much trouble with this stove. At this point I'm thinking of letting it go out and just starting over. does white ash burn hotter or red ash? I just don't even know where to begin.

You said they are blue flames your seeing 12" above the stove through the baro. No previous problems noted. No changes in operation noted. I suspect it was doing it gradually before and over the last couple of years it got to the point where you could see it through the baro.

Running a stove with six year old gaskets is your probable culprit. They have dried out enough to allow more than your normal amount of air leakage. New coal added means more volatile gas. Excessive air leakage allows more than normal air. Gases ignite giving you the blue ladies dancing on the coal which produces more heat in the stove pipe which ignites the gases normally escaping up the stove pipe/chimney. Then you see blue flames in the stove pipe through the baro which is the equivalent of a blue lady full stage ballet in your stove pipe.

Makes sense to me but then it should since it was my idea and I typed it in here.

Rev. Larry

cram4400 wrote:ok this may a dumb question but what causes the stove to overdraft? Even a couple hours after I shake the stove I try to open vents nd as soon as I do I have blue flames going up that pipe again. I am just so confused. Never had so much trouble with this stove. At this point I'm thinking of letting it go out and just starting over. does white ash burn hotter or red ash? I just don't even know where to begin.

Whoa slow down lol don't panic Overdraft just means its getting too much combustion air due too a combination of a strong pulling chimney AND combustion air vents being opened too far.. You said as soon as you open the vents you see more blue flames.. Recently right? During this colder than normal weather? It seems to me that your chimney is drafting stronger and again, I think your fire is just getting overdrafted because of this.. Are you just swinging the vents wide open? These vents allow air to come in over the fire right? This condition with fresh coal would justify the big blues. Did you try gradually opening the vents? See, I think your in the dark a little since I assume you don't have a manometer installed. You don't know how much stronger that chimney is pulling when its this cold out. I also think that there is merit to the suggestions the Rev made regarding the gaskets, since that would add to the overdrafting I think is happening compiled with the colder weather and the stronger drawing chimney....

I wouldn't pursue the red ash vrs. white ash thing for the issue you are having right now..

ok so my question now is... are the blue flames hazardous to my pipe/ chimney? im assuming all flames in the pipe/chimney are bad. but if its just the gases burning up... how bad is it?

sorry. I do open vents back up slowly because I know nothing about a coal stove is fast. everything takes a little while to adjust. lol

cram4400 wrote:ok so my question now is... are the blue flames hazardous to my pipe/ chimney? im assuming all flames in the pipe/chimney are bad. but if its just the gases burning up... how bad is it?

A temporary shot of flames up the pipe wouldn't be dangerous, in my best guess... But if you have a consistent flame shooting up the pipe and the pipe is getting excessively hot (upwards of 400 degrees before the baro), it should be addressed... How hot is the pipe getting before the baro? Do you have any magnetic thermometers on the pipe? What do you do in an effort to control the flames?? Close your air vents? What do you have on the stove to monitor its temperature??

we have no magnetic thermometer on pipe and no thermometer to monitor stove temp. will b getting them shortly. I do shut all vents to stove and then slowly reopen them. which is a pain.