Baxi open fire

[Mickmccarthy]

Hello, I have recently moved into a house built in the 1930's and it has a Baxi Burnall underfloor draught fire. Yesterday I had the chimney swept and new chimney pots installed. I lit it up yesterday but lots of the smoke enters the room. There is a draught as smoke is coming out the chimney pot but an awful lot of smoke just seeps into the room, even when the fire is established and hot. Any ideas what the problem is as I am at a loss. Thanks.

 

[BMac]

My house was built in the 1920's and I had a similar problem when I lit the fire. I don't have underfloor draught. I had lined the chimney to make sure all was safe but when I lit the fire smoke seeped into the room. I discovered cracks in the fireplace that allowed smoke to escape from the back of the fire surround. I got some fire putty and sealed every joint and crack I could find and that cured the problem. I hope yours is as easy solved.

Brendan.

 

[Mickmccarthy]

I can't see any cracks as the fire surround inc tiles all seem well sealed. When lit I can see the smoke coming in the room from the fire. It's like it's not being drawn up the chimney but as I said before I can see smoke coming out the pot.

 

[Pvt_Ryan]

Get a smoke bomb, hold it in a pair of pliers and light it. Then move it around until you see the smoke come back. Should help you find the leak.

 

[cgw59]

Hi, I have had this problem before in a few property's and it is caused by downdraft. Down draft can come from various sources but are usually caused by wind circulating around the chimney pot and sometimes only occurs when the wind is in direction . Another source of the down draft in older buildings can sometimes be found in the roorspace where the chimney breast rises up from lower levels and is not plastered, the joints in the brick work allow air to enter the chimney and forces some of the smoke back down and into the room. The easiest cure of these problems is to fit cowl to the chimney pot , a search on the web will reveal some good suppliers. It would be also worth checking the the flu is lined, as many people fitting baxi type burners in the 70's & 80's didn't bother and that is why you can get the leakage into the roof space.

 

[Doug B]

Have you checked the underfloor draught pipes are clear & that soot from the sweeping hasn`t blocked them.
Also was the new pot the same as the old?

If the fire worked well prior to the work you`ve had done, it would suggest the work is the problem, though if this is the first fire you`ve had for a long while, it could be the flue was cold & possibly damp & needs some use to get it drawing well.

 

[Mickmccarthy]

Yes it is the first time in years it has been used. The previous owners had an electric fire in the opening and had a gas cowl fitted so I got the correct pot and cowl fitted, chimney swept, checked upstairs and loft for smoke using a smoke bomb which showed no leaks or smells. There us a draught coming from the under floor pipe but some smoke ges up the chimney while sine just bypasses the chimney opening and enters the room. I say some but it's actually lots. We burned a fire for a good 40 minutes to give it change to get going but the smoke kept entering.

 

[miles_hot]

which directiion do the underfloor pipes point? Might seem a daft question but when I considered fitting some to our fire the chap suggested that they needed to be directed into the fire from the front / up the chimney not just pointing into the fire from the back as they would cause edies which would breach teh front edge of the chimeny opening..

HTH

Miles

 

[Mickmccarthy]

Hi. Yes the pipes enter the front. I just did a smoke bomb again and most of it went up the chimney but some didn't. I think it may be the cowl on the top. It possibly needs a bigger opening to help the pull?

 

[Paul Chapman]

I have one of those fires and it works really well. We used to have smoke coming into the room but this seemed to be caused by the type of chimney pot that was fitted. It was the type with a deflector where the smoke came out sideways. Anyway, I just knocked it off so that the smoke goes straight up and that solved the problem.

Cheers :wink:

Paul

 

[Mickmccarthy]

Yes Paul I think this may be the same problem. The cowl restricts the smoke to going out the sides instead of straight up which may also affect the pull. I have asked him to come back and remove the cowl to check the fire then.

 

[dickm]

Could it be the shape of the fireback or the throat that is deflecting the smoke into the room? Only other thought is that the chimney is still cold, even after you'd run the fire for a while, and the cold, dense air is blocking the smoke from entering the chimney. Assume you've got the usual ash bucket under the fireplace, and that the air inlet into the bucket chamber is clear?
We've had a couple of Baxis in different houses, and they were excellent, since rather than sucking nicely warmed air out of the room, they bring (most of) their air in from outside. And they are relatively controllable compared to a conventional open fire.
Good luck!