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[MrDan27611]

So I've been running the P&M ML42 for a month or so now. I've noticed that a combination of the features is causing something I wouldn't think is a positive. The fire chamber is basically a big round pot, with a baffle on the back top that causes the hot gases to collect at the top of the fire chamber before going below and then up and out the stack. Same design and my previous boiler so I'm totally comfortable with it and it works well.

Another great feature of my boiler is that is has a great big fire door so I can fit anything inside, including me. Way cool for loading wood and it really helps my back.

Here's the issue, the top of the fire door opening is ABOVE the bottom of the baffle. That means that the hot gas, smoke, etc, boils out of the door when you open it. To my knowledge there is no way to stop it. This means I get a face full of smoke every time I open the door and every piece I put in. My old boiler had a flapper that hung down at the top of the door opening that would simply fold out of the way when you put in wood or closed the door but kept the smoke going out the stack instead of out the door. It's a $2 fix for this issue. My question for you, am I missing something obvious? The boiler is level. I don't see or know of any bypass for loading. I've never heard anyone mention this before. Maybe I'd think it was normal if I'd never owned a boiler before.

Barring any revelations from you good folks, I'm going to put a flapper on my P&M this summer and stop choking on smoke next winter. I just can't understand why P&M would design a boiler to smoke when you open the door. That seems kind of basic.

[coolidge]

I try and load my 250 when it is cycling, just shut the blower of and load it, this helps with my smoke issue a little.

    I do agree with you on the flapper and i was going to put one in this past summer, but it went by too quick.

[Trint]

Let us know how that works out, never put 2 and 2 together about the door and the baffle my ml30 does the same thing.

[MrDan27611]

I try and load my 250 when it is cycling, just shut the blower of and load it, this helps with my smoke issue a little.

    I do agree with you on the flapper and i was going to put one in this past summer, but it went by too quick.

I agree that shutting the blower off can help with the volume of smoke, it just doesn't change the fact that the smoke is in my face.

I'm a welder so putting a flapper on will be a quick job. I'm just going to wait till the burn season is over so I don't have to cool everything down and then bring it back to temp. At least with my huge door I can get inside easy enough to do the welding!

[dwneast77]

If I were you I wouldn't hesitate to add the flapper.  I have an old wood furnace that had one, somehow lost it now, but it worked great.  I've been thinking of having one added to my CB 2300 and that has a bypass damper.  Smoke still billows out.  Harder on me too since I have the boiler closed in and just have an exhaust fan to clear the room. 

[rick w]

good morning i would like to see a picture of what you are talking about thanks rick

[Scott7m]

Nature of the beast

Here are some rules of thumb though....

If you have the oppurtunity to know when your going to be able to load the stove again, only put that much wood in it.  Don't put enough wood in for 18 hours when your gonna load it again at 12 hours.  The point is, once you learn the demands of the stove, it will be like a sixth sense of when it needs wood, and t that time, there won't be anything left capable of smoking!  A big bed of coals don't smoke, but if your throwing wood on top of wood, then yea I guess you need to plan to shower after each fill.  I found it much easier to learn my stove and adjust the amount of wood put in according to my schedule.  Just remember if you have wood left, you put to much in.  A stove will run on a bed of coals for an hour or 2 even in cold weather

[MrDan27611]

Good advice Scott, and I do that. Most times when I fire the boiler it's just starting to drop temperature and is down to just a few coals so I'm running right on the edge of the fire going out. The problem is, as soon as I start adding wood, I start getting smoke. One face full of smoke is enough to still be a design issue in my opinion. Maybe if I'd never run a boiler before I'd think it was normal but my old boiler didn't smoke out the door so it's really noticeable to me.

[dwneast77]

How are other boilers designed??  My CB2300, when you open the door the top of the firebox is at eye level, from the door straight to the back wall.  So it's a completely flat surface.  Maybe if the top of the door was a little lower than the top of the firebox it wouldn't smoke as bad??  That's what the flapper on my old wood furnace accomplished anyway.  It had the flapper and also the top of the door was lower than the top of the firebox.  Very little smoke ever came out.  Problem with that setup was that the door was too small, so the flapper got in the way when trying to cram it full for a longer burn.

rick -  I'll try to find the flapper for that furnace  to get you pic.   No promisses though, it's been a long time since I've seen it.

[rick w]

goodmorning thanks for the reply it would be nice to see a pic but if you cant find it, the smoke realy get me to so i put a small fan in the rafters of my woodshed and that helps a lot. thanks and happy burning.

[dwneast77]

I've got an exhaust fan in my building too.  I've also considered a negative draft fan in the chimney.  Just turn it on when I open the door.  I found one in Northern Tool catalog I think for around $165.  My stove has a bypass damper so it would suck the smoke right out.  I only worry about the fan if I still have any amount of wood in the stove and it flames up high.  I've sometimes had flames out my stack as it is.  Just don't know the limitations on the fan.  Would only be short-term exposure, but still.

[Jack72]

I've got an exhaust fan in my building too.  I've also considered a negative draft fan in the chimney.  Just turn it on when I open the door.  I found one in Northern Tool catalog I think for around $165.  My stove has a bypass damper so it would suck the smoke right out.  I only worry about the fan if I still have any amount of wood in the stove and it flames up high.  I've sometimes had flames out my stack as it is.  Just don't know the limitations on the fan.  Would only be short-term exposure, but still.

Dwneast

I thought about a fan too to help blow the smoke higher into the sky and help with the smoke when loading 
As far as damage to the fan from heat I guess it would kind of depend on how many sections you have on the more sections the less heat I would think anyway

One thing that does seem to help is I only try to load when my stove is running so when I open the bypass for a minute and watch the smoke come out more on the stack so I know I got a good draft and there is going to minimize the chance for flashback. (It doesn't do it  much but i sure don't like it when it flashes back Gets your attention that's for sure especially at 4 AM in the morning before leaving for work)
My .02       Jack

[Roger2561]

Interesting topic.  My e-classic 1400 has the same problem with smoke getting in my face when opening the door.   The idea of a fan in the stack is a good one.  My stack is 2 sections tall so I wonder how it would work if the fan was mounted as close to the top as possible but not outdoors.  Perhaps this would be far enough from the flame should there be some in the firebox.  Turn on the fan at the same time when you open the by-pass door for the 15 seconds per instruction manual.   Roger

[Scott7m]

This whole topic is where I see how folks would appreciate the xt series from empyre, there new gassers are designed to create a negative pressure when you open the firebox, it literally sucks on the door and all the smoke is being pulled to the back and out the chimney.  This was all in attempt to let folks be able to load there stoves without smelling like smoke before work or church.

[Jack72]

This whole topic is where I see how folks would appreciate the xt series from empyre, there new gassers are designed to create a negative pressure when you open the firebox, it literally sucks on the door and all the smoke is being pulled to the back and out the chimney.  This was all in attempt to let folks be able to load there stoves without smelling like smoke before work or church.

Scott

That's one think I hate the most about my stove no matter how hard i try to dodge  the smoke      in the morning before work I have certain winter coat that I wear when loading stove like many I'm sure. But I actually change my t shirt before I head out to work because it smells like smoke.      I hate that and my wife always tells me     I know what you were doing. Referring to just coming in from loading stove and smelling like smoke