Best way to light a woodburner with down draft?

[WesD]

I have a jotul and have always lit it the same way, firefighters with small kindling with the burner door slightly open once in a bit more kindling plus logs and close the door. Never fails. 

[slasherscot]

i have a vedette cowl on mine to help with downdraught..........nvr used a firelighter.....paper and some thin chopped kindlers...nver fails

 

[Big J]

Interesting issue, and one I've been fortunate never to experience. All the time I've had stoves (9.5 years) I've only ever lived in two different, old and drafty cottages. Had four different stoves on 3 different flues and all fine. 

 

Only thing I can share is my preferred method of lighting (when necessary - I've not taken a match to the fire since coming back from a short holiday 5 days ago. It can go 6 weeks or more continuously). I use loosely knotted newspaper (two sheets, rolled and tied into a loose knot) x 3 with a few handfuls of processor dross on top, but slightly behind. The chips and shards from the processor make superb kindling and it never fails to light. 

[spudulike]

As others have said, it is due to the flue getting cold when not used and then not drawing properly once lit. Cold damp and still days are far worse.

 We fitted a Wildkat cowl and it helped a lot, the firelighter trick can work and have heard of electric fans that you fit in the flue to draw the air/smoke initially to ensure a draw on the flue. If we use our fire every night, it works better than leaving it a few nights especially if frosty.

We always open the door once the fire is lit as it helps get the warm air up the chimney. The fire may light without doing this but it helps to get the fire lit.

Perhaps a fan heater would work as well as the hair dryer.

We don't have an issue now with our Stovax.

 

[sandspider]

Thanks again for all the thoughts. I've now managed to light both stoves fairly succesfully with a bit of hairdryer application! (Plus door juggling, kindling feeding etc as usual). If I can manage with what I've got I might as well, though the heat gun linked earlier was nice and cheap! It's not been quite so cold or still recently, so that's probably helped. Still a frost this morning though.

[Alycidon]

Plumbers blow lamp for 5 mins, before putting the kindling it should do the trick.  An antidown draft cowl will help,  the spinning cowl increases up draft,  it does nothing much to prevent downdrafts especially in low wind situations.

 

A

[peatff]

On 25/11/2017 at 17:46, billpierce said:

Do your chimneys def stick up high enough? I extended mine by a few meters as it was lower than the highest point of my roof. It still isn't higher but it is close enough to never cause a down draft.

Also worth checking the spec of the stove. Some are funny. I had a Waterford fion which had a 5inch flue outlet on the stove bit the spec was 6inch so required an immediate adapter after the stove. Wtf?

Our Hunter stove has a 5" flue which only goes about four feet up into the 11" chimney through a closing plate. I had to put another six courses of brick on the top of the stack which had been used for a gas fire and replace the deflector with a pot. It cured the back draught which we had and you don't need to open a window to light the fire any more.