The best part of the video, is that you are sharing your experience in order to help people like me who doesn't have any idea about it. Thank you

Hands down the most helpful video I’ve seen on this issue. Just bought our house a year ago and have been struggling with this mightily. Thanks for the thorough explanation.

Your compensating for another problem most likely air leaking around the door if I was you I would just buy a brand new stove they're way more efficient these days

Sir, I want to sincerely thank you for putting this great video up here. I went out and bought a blow torch and followed your directions step-for-step. No down-draft/smoky family room for two fire starts on freezing mornings in a row! This improves our indoor air quality, allows us more use on furnace air filters, and really cheers me up! Thanks again, man.

Trying to find out how to stop the downdraft of cold air when NOT using the wood stove. There must be some type of device to completely block off the chimney when not in use. I called Northline Express wood stove supply in PA, and they didn't seem to know much. Where can anyone find actual help??

I been using used tractor trans oil for years, that Tackifier must be a Canadian product cause I cant fid in the US. The last time I bought bar oil it was $5.00/gal at Walmart.........

I recently bought 2 gallons of Harvest King Bar & Chain Oil for $8.89 a gallon and according to reviews its the best chain oil vs the expensive name brands so that is another option.

great video and it works

Excellent video -- EPA stoves with a partial shutdown are almost forcing over-fire with a full load and hot coals Once the 2ndary takes off there is no way to stop it -- it's worse with cats because the flue damper is useless I have a different air feed, can't use steel wool but I have used R19 on the external air opening (now a 3" pipe with a cap with holes) Can't believe the stove people are permitted to get away with their partial shutdown solution --------- rather burn a house down than let some wood smoulder !!!

what temp are u reloading ? flue and top? how many logs?

I have a problem with my stove where it just smokes intermittently and usually at night but after viewing your video I believe I know what the problem is I just need to open the window or at least that's what I'm going to try to start with. I really appreciate the deliberate and humble way that you presented your information. It was based on experience and trial and error. Sometimes that's how we learn. Really appreciate you posting this to the internet it was the most helpful thing that I found so far. Thank you. Fred

I am a little confused. We have a Pacific Energy wood stove, had it for about 20 years. I am not being a smart @$$, but I control the temperature by using fewer logs, and turning down the air flow under the door. I don't really see how a flu damper in the chimney would do anything except maybe cause smoke to fill your home. Also in our Cabin (I see you have yours in a home not a Cabin, maybe that makes a difference?) I have to open a window or two, just a few inches, for the stove to draft. The last thing I want is smoke to back down the chimney and smoke up the room, so the damper on the bottom of the stove and controlling the amount of wood you put in the firebox should control the heat. Just saying, that we haven't had this problem at all.

tHank you, This made perfect sense once you explained it. Where does the combustion air come from at this point? tHanks

Yourself like many others have it wrong! A damper( air control) that restricts fresh air into the firebox or a damper that restricts exhaust gases leaving the fire box is doing the same job. Dam water flow at the entrance of a stream or a mile down stream . Your still slowing the flow .

Your information is still helpful a year later. Thank you.

Great video and info. I have used wood heat since I was 15 . 67 now and have similiar setup but my house is r2000 and very well built so it stays warm for days after fire goes out. Last few years have struggled occasionally with backdrafts. Last month I smoked out my house big time!! brutal. I should have known and did feel major cold air from stove before lit but was rushing. So this video gave me some ideas to prevent that . Love your rake tool! But I am in Eastern Canada and dont think its sold here. Guess I could make one. Thanks Bruce,

fantastic explination! I just had this problem the other day. Luckily I opened a window to try and get some smoke out and it helped the fire! Dumb luck on my part! Thank you

Thank you

People, don't listen to this idiots advise! He truly has no idea!!

People, don't listen to this idiots advise! He truly has no idea!

Open a window. Stand on your head and look to the west and use a propane torch to start the fire and that should do it? Really? Your an uninformed idiot!!

Do you really think that miniscule torch is preheating your chimney? Go back to bed! You don't know!!!!

Why? " normally what you would do "? Maybe? Suck? Add ? You are why insurance companies don't want to get involved!

You have no idea! Stop the misleading of people

I've got a tip for you..... at 70 plus degrees f. If that's not warm enough for you , then put on another layer of clothing. Chimney does not draw in air. It expels hot exhaust gases.

I build my fire every morning to defeat a down draft. I happen to live on a property that is overrun with Honeysuckel. This means I have access to unlimited small twigs and small sticks. I find if you pile small twigs in the fire that will burn really fast defeats the downdraft.

So thankful for your knowledgeable explanation. So helpful. God Bless

Thanks for some tips, I live way up north, real cold and windy here. I've had the down draft issue too, and have smoked out the basement a couple times. I was just sitting with a torch in it heating the stove for 10 minutes to lower the draft issue. I'm going to try opening a window and using a fan to force a higher interior pressure quicker and see how it goes next time.

Thanks for this information. We just had an insert put into our fireplace and are definitely having some issues starting our fires. I’ll try this technique on the next one!

Just clicked to offer my take. Got an ad so didn’t watch any of your vid. First criteria I consider is how complex is the subject and how long is it going to take you to tell your story. In your case 25 minutes to explain how to prevent down draft. Too long. 16 waking hours. Half of one hour just to compare your method to mine. Too long

Glad to know I'm no the only one who's filled their room with smoke a few times before figuring out that pressure differential is the key. So many videos out there just talk about needing 'warm the chimney' - doesn't help if your pressure is off. Great video. Wish this video had been out 5 years ago when we moved into a new house and I repeatedly smoked up the whole living room trying to get a fire going 😅. Keep up the good work!

I like it !!! Any thoughts on a JOTUL F45 V1 ? It’s a secondary burn style too….

Thank you so much for making this video and it works like a charm you were spot on pressure issues ☺️ Finally got it started and no smoke. The window definitely does the trick

thank you , i can mank my own now

This is all great for a fully contained stove, but what do you do when smoke starts seeping out of the round lids on top of a cookstove, even after the pipe and everything is hot?

Good tips! I’m in the Ottawa Valley area. I’ve been having over-firing issues with my EPA 2020 stove. The draft is really strong. We get tons of wind here and our chimney is a straight shot up. I’m now considering installing the damper in the flu pipe with a temp probe. Thanks!

I always lit a piece of cardboard to heat the chimney and cause an updraft. It always works for me.

I don’t have a window near my Woodstove but have a sliding patio door across from it. Would opening it do the same thing ?

I put a blower/fan (Amazon-VIVOSUN 4 Inch 195 CFM Inline Duct Ventilation Fan) on the rear air inlet of the stove. This will pressurize under the stove and in turn pressurizes the firebox forcing air up the chimney. I light my fire close the door open combustion air 100% start the fan and away the fire goes. Done, no smoke ever in the room regardless of conditions. I run the stove for 5-10 min with the fan on then shut if off and run the stove as required. I too learned the hard way filling my house with smoke. I tried doing the same as you but decided it took too long and got too cold for me. The fan made starting the stove a breeze.

Interesting content. I am running the Summit and had similar concerns. I have modified the air circuits and have made my stove a pleasure to run under all conditions. I live in south eastern Ontario and recognize the need to be able to adjust the stoves output. I use a digital flu gas temperature probe that has alarms and highest temperature memory. It's nice to see immediately the effect of any air change makes. So, the summit has 4 air circuits; the main air circuit(the lever we all adjust), the boost air(the circuit you put the steel wool in) and two secondary burn circuits(the air allowed to go through the baffle up top-or tubes for other stoves). First the main air: I used a piece of a Olfa knife blade with a couple magnets(use the right kind of magnet or the heat will kill them-Google "what magnets are not affected by heat" ) to block the air off 100% when the lever is set to minimum. The blade piece essentially blocks off the always open portion the air that remains when the lever is set to minimum. This WILL snuff your fire. Running the stove for awhile you will find your sweet spot to set the lever at. I used a paint marker and a couple marks to easily set the air back to the sweet spot. Second the boost air: this circuit I drilled out to increase this air. This hole was around 1/4" and now is 3/8". This really helps to get the fire restarted when the coals get very low. Third and fourth the secondary air: These two circuits both feed air to the same place...the baffle overhead. The third circuit has the hinged flapper that opens and closes dependant on draft. You can hear it clinking when you open and shut the door. This one I did not change. The fourth is several unregulated holes(six I believe...going by my memory). I again used magnets to block off some/all of them until I found the happiest secondary burn. It took some time but the result was worth the effort. Other mods to my stove: brick on the bottom removed, stainless plate on the bottom to protect the bottom of the stove from flame impingement, a grate to elevate the fire(use stainless steel)-this was a game changer, it gave the stove more output longer and made ash removal a breeze, the side panels on hinges to allow opening, heat sinks on the top of the stove, a shroud to direct the blower air through the heat sinks and the stove on a 20" high stand on wheels to save my back during daily loading and to make servicing my stove a easier(I have limited access to the rear of my stove). All in all these changes made my primary heat source controllable, adjustable and easier to run and service. Anyone wanting advice just PM me. Please note...these changes can void warranty, remove WETT certification and alter your insurance coverage.

Another trick is using two pieces of logs making a v where the points are towards the wall. This creates a vacuum for heat to go through the vent chambers. And you don’t need a torch just build the fire as usual with door open like before. Much easier to build the fire up as well

Thank you so much for teaching me about this. I had a horrible experience with my first time using my small stove.

I buy the cheapest 5 gallon bucket of 30wt hydraulic oil i can find, and add one gallon of Lucas oil stabilizer in it. I’ve been running that as my bar oil for years.

I've thought putting a Y section in the stove stack just above the woodstove where I can manually hold a fan to try to quickly reverse the downdraft. The part of the Y that is "open" would be coming off the stack at 45deg with the opening at the bottom and have a removable endcap so it's normally sealed shut. I'm pretty sure it would work, just not sure how safe it would be so I haven't. I live offgrid in a 400 sq ft cabin and there are no fans sucking air out to create a negative pressure in the house. House is small enough that when I open the door to get wood it should equalize quickly. I've been doing the preheating trick with a MAP gas torch, which works if you do it long enough and was happy to see your video with you doing the same. At least I'm on the right track. This should be simpler so I'm always racking my brain for a better solution. Thanks for the good video and ideas.

Man that little story at the end sounds familiar only difference for me is I had 3 kids crying

Awesome video!! I have same problem, also put in flue damper that didnt work entirely. Will try this

If you find it burning to hot, just put less wood in the stove. If you load it up it’s going to get ripping really hot even with the air shut down. Use less logs to control the temperature.

Thank you for sharing!

Nice,all body mast to know this information. Hi from Sacramento, I hope I'm with me wife and 2kids ,escape soon from this hell. God bless you.

Lubriplate SPO-299 may work.