Ash firewood problems

[NoRush]

Is it a modern house double glazing no air flow. Ask if you can see the fire check to see if smoke is being drawn up. Is he a new ish fire user

[Big J]

Smoke leak I'd say. Burning unseasoned wood isn't going to help.

[Billy68]

tell him to get it tested with a smoke bomb it will find the fault in the chimney

[Alycidon]

tell him to get it tested with a smoke bomb it will find the fault in the chimney

 

These should be available for a quid or so each from your local stove shop.

 

There are several problems here as you are aware, the major one is that he os getting smoke and carbon monoxide into the room. This clearly indicates either a poorly performing flue or a leaking stove and not your logs that are at fault. If his house has taller buildings or trees with 70 yards then he will be suffering from down drafts, winds blowing the smoke back down the chimney. This needs an anti down draft cowl fitting to the chimney pot to cure.

 

You have sold him green logs, there are NOT yet ready for burning as I am sure you told him yet he is burning them. The water level in these logs will mean that the energy left within the log once the water has been evaporated will be insufficient to ignite the creosote that is given off in the gases during burning. This will condense in the chimney and line it with tar. Heat output at 40% moisture is only a third of that of the log is 16%.

 

To show willing I would take a small bag or net of seasoned logs, 20% or less. They wont cure his problem. I would then suggest if it is a stove that he gets his local HETAS registered installer in for a look see. Details of these can be found on the Hetas website.

 

A

[cornish chough]

The first estate Forrester I met was allergic to ash in any form same symptoms

[gensetsteve]

If it was me I would establish some facts. I would do as alcidon says and take a net of known dry logs eg beech not more ash. While there, cut an old log in half and check with meter if its over 20% it could be a problem if its near 40% it is a problem. You only have his word for when he had chimney swept so could be a hardware problem not software. Talking of software rightly or wrongly we always cut the rotten smelly stuff out the middle 1/2" along one edge ok but big chunks of rot dont produce good btu's and weigh nothing when dry if it looks a bit iffy we burn it on our own fires and share it out with the boys.

[mendiplogs]

If it was me I would establish some facts. I would do as alcidon says and take a net of known dry logs eg beech not more ash. While there, cut an old log in half and check with meter if its over 20% it could be a problem if its near 40% it is a problem. You only have his word for when he had chimney swept so could be a hardware problem not software. Talking of software rightly or wrongly we always cut the rotten smelly stuff out the middle 1/2" along one edge ok but big chunks of rot dont produce good btu's and weigh nothing when dry if it looks a bit iffy we burn it on our own fires and share it out with the boys.

 

HI STEVE your right there mate take them down some nice beech jon

[renewablejohn]

At the time the chimney was swept was the flues also swept on the stove. Could be soot blocking the flueways in the stove itself. Test with smoking paper in stove and in flue pipe. If more draught in flue pipe suggest stove vents could be partially blocked and need to be cleaned out. Happens quite regular on my Dunsley Yorkshire stove as soot falls down the chimney.

[Pete Bannister]

Martin, apart from the smoke possibility, which is well covered above, it could be an allergic reaction to the Ash as has been mentioned or a reaction to fungal spores. If the Ash has been stored in poorly vented environment, mould colonisation of the surface of the wood (and often plastic sacks) can occur..some folks can be allergic. Are others in the same household showing the same symptoms? If not, then its probably allergy.

[Martin B Doyle]

Thanks very much for all the above posts.. loaded with info, ideas etc i will call round with dry logs and go from there.

 

il update once i find out the problem.

 

Thanks