Best way to light a woodburner with down draft?

[Billhook]

WE had a lot of smoke trouble with our new Danish Aduro when we first tried it.

We have a Clearview Pioneer and an Aarrow and have many years experience of starting these stoves in the way most people do by newspaper and small kindling followed by larger stuff

 

This method caused a mass of smoke with the Aduro and we have to use the paperless inverted method used in the following videos

We have a Grenadier firelighter, not sure if that is the right thing at £120,  but if the problem persists it may be better just to try one of those cheap electric 2kw fan heaters just to start the air moving   (before you light the fire!)

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/RS-Components-Electric-Heater-Portable/dp/B01N22BTQJ/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1511645988&sr=8-5&keywords=electric+fan+heater

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Billhook]

Now I have just talked myself out of business as we have this cold air problem in the Pioneer in the office.

I start it with a firelighter and then some ash branchloggings which are relatively smokeless and become hot very quickly,

door shut but bottom vent fully open.

[sandspider]

Thanks all.

 

I've tried most variations mentioned above without finding a way that works all the time. I agree that paper smokes more, but kindling seems to create too little heat on its own to overcome the down draught. And if I leave the stove door open a crack after lighting up I find the downdraught just continues to blow smoke out of the door. I have to close the door to reduce the downdraught, then open it again to get air to the fire. If I time it right, it works! I'll keep experimenting.

[openspaceman]

12 hours ago, Billhook said:

We have a Grenadier firelighter,

Any good?

 

Any problems with it?

[Chris Day]

My parents have a trianco solid fuel boiler, and always have. I was taught to light it as a lad by lighting a fire Lighter cube in the top of the stove on top of the heat exchanger veins and just below the flue. Do you have a flue damper that you could place a firefighter on? Maybe light that with the stove door cracked to reverse the airflow. The door open bit was and still is important on the Trianco otherwise the boiler room fills with acrid firefighter fumes, nice! 

 

If that's not a viable option I'd be using the blowtorch, seems simplest and guaranteed not to fill the house with smoke. 

[Billhook]

10 hours ago, openspaceman said:

Any good?

 

Any problems with it?

Grenadier is good but seems expensive.   It lights kindling and branch logs without matches.  Good for stirring up a fire that has been allowed to die down

Key for element which is 1300watts turn off to leave fan only.  The fan soon heats up a heap of branch logs and it would be well worth Sandspider's time to see if it cures  the chimney problem.

Looks like a hairdrier but I would not try it for that!

 

We had a couple of Pifco models in the eighties which did not cost a lot £25 I think

This one seems rather tired and expensive

https://www.gumtree.com/p/heating-fireplaces/classic-pifco-electric-fire-lighter-electric-fire-starter/1155545789

[sandspider]

No flue damper, though I suppose I could put a sheet of paper above the register plate and light it.

 

Anyway, tried the small stove today with a hairdryer, worked well! Warmed the flue a bit then pointed it up the air gaps in the firebricks. No smoke into the room!

Edited November 26, 2017 by sandspider

[htb]

I take it chimney has not got a liner in it and stove pie stops just above register plate?

Edited November 26, 2017 by htb

[sandspider]

One chimney is lined, the other is external twinwall pipe.

[Chalgravesteve]

Hairdryer, waste of time. Use a hot air paint stripper gun

http://www.diy.com/departments/bosch-1600w-240v-hot-air-gun-phg-500-2/1172238_BQ.prd

 

for example. 

 

Plenty of heat from that.

 

put your paper and kindling and start logs in and ready, run the hot air gun for a minute at the flue entrance, then point it down at the paer so it catches light!! Close door, job done. 

 

I used to light my BBQ with one!!