Pellet Stove Blowing Smoke Into House

Deal with smoke in your house in the 21st century can be annoying. That’s why if you have a pellet stove blowing smoke into house, you need to get a solution and fast. Besides dirtying up the house, the smoke might become a health risk for your family members.

So how do you deal with the smoke from your pellet stove? We have several solutions you can use to reduce and or eliminate the smoke. Hop on as we show how you can deal with the issue.

Table of Contents

Why is Your Pellet Stove Blowing Smoke into The House?

Before you can solve any problem, you first need to look at what could cause it. Several things would make your pellet stove emit smoke.

It is in the curing stage

At this stage, the smoke that the stove emits is because it is new. It, therefore, shouldn’t bother you that much because it will go away after some time.

The Burn Pot is Full of Trash

When using the pellet stove, ash and other debris will probably fill up the burn pot. These would cause it to emit smoke back into your house each time you use the stove. Besides that, the debris will also affect the regular operation of the pellet stove since you’ll have difficulties adding in water.

There is a Problem with the Chimney

Most houses with a fireplace have a chimney to aid the movement of smoke out of the house. It, therefore, follows that the chimney might get blockages from all that soot that sticks itself on the inner parts.

Any blockage of the chimney will prevent the smoke from the fire from escaping. It would be a common occurrence if you weren’t using the fireplace for some time. The inactivity might cause the chimney to draft downward when you use it next.

The Stoves Venting System has an Issue

The pellet stove has a fan that blows away the smoke through the vent and outside. Therefore, if the vent has any problem, it won’t work. The smoke will have no other way to leave the house, thus coming back in.,

Problems with the vent might not always be from damage. They can also result from poor installation or errors in getting the right size of the vent. The ideal size for a vent for your pellet stove is 4 inches. However, a majority of pellet stoves come with 3-inch flue collars instead.

Poor Maintenance

Has it occurred to you that your pellet stove might need some maintenance? Pellet stoves, like any other home equipment, also need regular maintenance to maintain their impeccable standards.

Maintenance is always the responsibility of the installers. And since pellet stoves are usually quite heavy (they can weigh upwards of 400 pounds), you need to get professional installation help. In the case of maintenance, they are the same people that are supposed to come and do it.

Poor maintenance might cause the stove to have leaks that might cause several problems. Among others, the leaks might cause the smoke to blow up back into your house instead of leaving through the venting system.

Having looked at the potential sources of the problem, let’s see how you can stop it.

How do You Solve the Problem?

Clean it Frequently

Cleaning the pellet stove is one of the best ways to get rid of your smoke problem. Among the causes, we have seen that the buildup of ash and other chippings might cause the smoke to drift back into the house instead of leaving through the vent.

For cleaning, a vacuum with excellent filtration will come in handy. The vacuum will get rid of all the ashes without making a mess of your house. A lesser vacuum will fill your home with the ashes you clean, and no one would want that.

Ensure Your Stoves Vent is Installed Correctly

The vent is responsible for getting the smoke out of the house through the chimney or other openings. That’s why you need to ensure you correctly install it to prevent leaks. You, however, can’t do this yourself. You will therefore need to call in a chimney professional to check if it is installed correctly.

One of the reasons the vent might be struggling to get rid of the smoke is because it isn’t level enough. That’s why checking its installation from time to time is essential.

Prep The Chimney Before Using the Stove

If it’s been a long time since you used your pellet stove, the chimney will most likely also not have been in use in a long tie. Therefore, when you want to start using it again, it is good to prep it first. You can prepare the chimney by burning old newspapers at your fireplace then seeing whether the smoke will disappear through the chimney.

Ideally, you can have a professional check the chimney for any blockages.

Ensure You Have Enough Fresh air when Using the Stove

It is common knowledge that fires need fresh air to burn anything. It, therefore, could be the case that you are experiencing lots of smoke because your house’s ventilation doesn’t have a lot of fresh air. You can add to this fresh air by opening the windows whenever you light your pellet stove.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q – How often should someone clean the pellet stove?

A – If they use it regularly, then they need to clean it regularly as possible. The ashes from the pellets will naturally build up with each use. That’s why you need to clean it as regularly as possible.

Q – Can a pellet stove cause a fire?

A – Yes, it can. There is always a risk of a fire when you light any fire in your house. That’s why you need to ensure you take all the precautions with your pellet stove.

Final Thoughts

we hope we have helped solve your pellet stove blowing smoke into house issue. The hacks we have outlined here are easy to follow. The most important of them, however, is to keep your pellet stove as clean as possible. If the issue persists, call in a professional to help sort it.

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