Windy, Ash Falling Out of Stove Pipe.

Checked the stove this afternoon and found a small amount of ash fell out of the stove pipe onto the stove. It is very windy out, checked the draft and with the baro bouncing non stop I was getting -.02 to -.03. It is usually a -.03 with the heat control set at a 2 from 1 to 5. Are there any issues/concerns here?

Do you think it came out of the baro damper or from the stove pipe joints? Even when stove pipe is put together correctly you can still have small gaps at the pipe seam where it's inserted into another piece of pipe. It shouldn't be a problem if you only experience it during high wind.

How high does the chimney extend above the highest point of the roof? is there anything near the chimney that could cause wind to blow downward at the chimney, like a nearby tall pine tree for instance?

in wind the draft should increase between the baro and the chimney top, if your baro is set to .06 (no wind, good fire) you should see a small jump-up of the reading just before the baro damper opens to accomodate for the increased draft caused by the wind, seems .02-.03 in wind is pretty low,maybe your chimney does not draw. What is your no wind good fire reading ? , should be .06 or so on Harmans, anyways.

Manual says set the baro at .04. At 3/4 fire its set for .04. So for the past week I've gotten a reading of .03-.04 and earlier it was back and forth from .02-.03. Holding the baro closed it jumps to .08. The ash fell from the bottom seam at the elbow. I have my baro T attached to the stove's top vent, then elbow, then 2.5 feet to the wall. The house is a cape, the chimney is not centered and so where it passes the roof line it extends 10 feet or so past. But from the peak its only about 2 feet above but 5-6 feet away. I'm new, havn't checked it all conditions but as high as 65-70* and as low as 16* I've always had a good draft.

Just now I was emptying the ash pan before work and noticed quite a build up of ash inside the stove on the sides, all along the exhaust vents, and even the roof. I'm sure it happens but its only been a week. What are others experiencing? I have pics and will post later from work.

Just now I was emptying the ash pan before work and noticed quite a build up of ash inside the stove on the sides, all along the exhaust vents, and even the roof. I'm sure it happens but its only been a week. What are others experiencing? I have pics and will post later from work.[/quote]

That's normal.. it's the fine powdery flyash.. the stuff will stick to just about any surface..

Greg L

I've seen the exact same thing as you are describing. maybe once a week or so I will find a little powder on the top of the stove. I looked inside the baro and there is a buildup of ash inside the pipe.. I've been burning since oct 9th. To be expected I would think. My guess is, I live in a windy area on top of a high hill, I always have a breeze and most of the time it will gust.. my guess is a little back pressure from a gust caused some ash to fall out of the pipe. unless its all the time I wouldn't worry about it. or you could shut her down and do a cleaning.

kjb197 wrote:Checked the stove this afternoon and found a small amount of ash fell out of the stove pipe onto the stove. It is very windy out, checked the draft and with the baro bouncing non stop I was getting -.02 to -.03. It is usually a -.03 with the heat control set at a 2 from 1 to 5. Are there any issues/concerns here?

Here is a shot from my inside
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kjb197 wrote:Just now I was emptying the ash pan before work and noticed quite a build up of ash inside the stove on the sides, all along the exhaust vents, and even the roof. I'm sure it happens but its only been a week. What are others experiencing? I have pics and will post later from work.

Thanks for the replys. I didn't think there was a problem but since it has only been a week I wanted to ask.

Mine looks just like yours after a week or two. I've been using the soot vac to clean the the two exhaust ports and the baro once a week. I've noticed more fly ash build up with wetter coal. Dryer coal seems to produce less. Anyone else experience this or is it my imagination???

Looks like a stoker and not sure what areas of the interior are heat transfer areas between the firebox/heat exchanger though an accumulation of ash on those heat transfer areas likely does not help heat exchange, maybe wire bush it ?

BTU, you shut your stove down every week for cleaning? Do you think that is necessary? I'm just curious since this is my first year burning coal. Others I've talked to only clean 2 or 3 times a season, with once of the cleanings coming at the very end for storage. Thanks

BTUs wrote:Mine looks just like yours after a week or two. I've been using the soot vac to clean the the two exhaust ports and the baro once a week. I've noticed more fly ash build up with wetter coal. Dryer coal seems to produce less. Anyone else experience this or is it my imagination???