New wood burner. Room smells like ashtray when not lit

Beck flow of air down the flue possibly. Is the flue quite short and very exposed hence cold? Is the house tall? If it's that, longer/taller flue and or insulated flue, or light a tea light candle in the burner and keep it going.... The heat is just enough to stop down flow usually. That's an easy test to do btw, use a tea light to see if the smell stops.

The ceilings are tall so I’m guessing it’s a long one. It was back drafting smoke when I’ve been trying to light it (but I’ve put that down to error and the very cold and then damp weather).

Cheers will try the tea light and if that works I guess the insulated flue (sounds messy just had light coloured carpet fitted) arhhhh

Dem pesky particulates eh?

Is that not normal?

Every house I've been in with a burner seems to be like that (we don't have one so possibly notice it more going in others houses).

You are burning wood inside the house afterall

Is that not normal?

Nope, get no smells from mine at all.
Except after the chimney sweep has been.

It does get a couple of tea lights in it before the first burn of the autumn. Just to get the air in the chimney warmed up after 7-8 months of inactivity.

The open fire downstairs stinks if it gets left, so I rarely use it and leave the baffle closed.
Think it's been on twice this winter.

Will possibly get a cassette stove in there one day.

Is that not normal?

Every house I’ve been in with a burner seems to be like that (we don’t have one so possibly notice it more going in others houses).

No, it's not normal. There shouldn't be any smell coming from the stove into the room.

no not normal

Has your chimney got a pepper-pot cover to stop rain getting in?

No, it's not normal. As above, there's a downdraft going on that's drawing down the smell. You say that it is a new stove, is it a new flue? What type of flue is it? I find that if the fire is out and the flue is cold there is sometimes a downdraft going on so I shut down all the vents. Never get a smell though. Have you had the fire properly running at full heat yet since installation?

☝️ close the vents right down

every house I have ever been in with a woodburner smells of smoke.  I wonder if those of you that live with them are just accustomed to the smell

Not saying that the OP is not suffering from a cold flue or a downdraft or open vents, but @tjagain makes the same observation I do: houses with wood burners or coal fires pick up some of the smell.

Back in the 80s I used to live in a house with at least 1, often 2, coal fires burning in the winter. When I returned to visit the smell was noticeable.

every house I have ever been in with a woodburner smells of smoke. I wonder if those of you that live with them are just accustomed to the smell

The only smell in my place is the slightly woody/timbery smell of having 50 kilos of untreated dried wood stacked up near the fire. If i leave for a week, then come home, i still can't smell anything that could be described as smoky, hell, even blowing a cheap candle out stinks as far as i'm concerned.

I suspect, from what i've read on here and elsewhere is that a good number of people don't know what they are doing when it comes to managing a stove (wood or coal).

I'm off to light mine now, it's -8 and we've had another 10cm of snow...

Close the stove vents.
Have you got a cooker hood or bathroom extractor running? (Try cracking a window so it can draw air in another way rather than the flue)
Investigate different tops for the flue (could be wind direction related)

Also crack a window when lighting it and use some newspaper to get some quick heat into the flue to prevent backdraft during use.

Also did the installers get the chimney swept and smoke tested?

You've got a negative draught which can be very dangerous. As the embers smoulder producing carbon monoxide you can fill your house with the gas.

Never use an extractor fan, kitchen hob extractor, mechanical ventilation etc or anything that could mechanically cause negative draught.

Ventilation into the house needs to be low down and in an area that will be high pressure given prevailing wind, the best is a direct air supply from outside. Opening a high window or bedroom window can cause negative flow as can vents placed high in the house. If the air in the smoke stack is denser than in the house the flue will flow back and fill the room with smells, fumes and carbon dioxide.

In terms of insulating the flue, flue exposed to the warm air in the house should not be insulated but insulating flue exposed to cold is a good idea.

Edit: in the advice from previous posters there's just one point a really disagree with. Shutting down all the vents on the stove stops the the flow of warm air up the flue which normally keeps the flue air warm and low density and maintains the draught. Shut the vents and the flow slows down, the air in the flue cools becomes denser than the air in the house and flow reverses. Stoves are never perfectly sealed so air/fumes leak back into the house.

You can also get a cap for your chimney that increases the draw and stops downdraughts.

Never use an extractor fan, kitchen hob extractor, mechanical ventilation etc or anything that could mechanically cause negative draught.

So really, never use them with a badly designed/installed system?

I use all of the above whenever i feel like it, with no ill effects.

Even got one of these in the attic. Energy Recovery runs about 16-18 hours a day (currently ticking over at about 20% fan speed)
Funnily enough, it even has a mode to increase chimney draught for lighting fires, which only gets used when i light the open fire. So not very often.

I'm suspecting that the varying (?) requirements for installation across the various parts of the EU (and not EU) might have something to do with how many issues people have though...

Are you lighting using newspaper or firelighters?

We had similar down draft type issues and also challenges lighting sometimes. Know the smell you mean, often so bad would almost not want to be in the room. Used newspaper for years.

Now use the little straw/wax firelighters and a cheap kitchen blowtorch. Lights no bother and no draw issues. By coincidence we’ve not had the smell you describe all autumn/winter. Can’t explain the why but a less smoky burn maybe.

Tarry chimney?

If you are burning wet wood or too slow/cold it’ll be condensing in the chimney.

Have you studied the regs re chimney placement. You need to be above the ridge line. Iirc its 30cm, if not possible then you need to be 70cm away from the nearest bit of roof on a horizontal plane.
The smell could be because its new. Fire putty, rope and the actual burner all add smells for the first few runs.
Close the vents in the morning if not lighting till afternoon or evening.

@Edukator is right, it's a potentially very dangerous scenario. I've had negative draft twice in 20 years of using a wood burner and only in very specific circumstances where the house was very cold and the fire didn't light properly creating lots of very cool smoke.

How is your draw when the fire is lit?

I did notice the vent wasn’t completely shut.

The draw is great when fully lit

I don’t think I was using enough paper and so when starting the fire it was just kind of smouldering with the fire lighter and then smoke would appear from below the stove? (Guessing the flue was blocked with cold air)

Since then I have put more paper in to get the fire going quicker and that helped

I might give it another try tonight and then if any issues ring the fitter.

You've got a carbon monoxide detector in the room, yes?

If it's new it'll smell for a few burns. Report back when you've run it a few times.

And, what cougar said.

A tip for next year - cut off all the spindly twigs from your christmas tree when you take it down and cut them up small, like a couple of inches long, with the needles attached. Stick it all in a cardboard box and let it dry out for the year, come next winter you'll have really dry kindling that starts quickly and hot.

This assumes you have a real tree, obvs. Although plastic ones burn well too 😉

Yes got a detector in the room. And in the room upstairs too. Thanks

Get some woodwool and wax firefighters (or make some) they’re cheap and work. This and dry kindling = a good hot start, little if any smoke and no need to use paper. Also I’d recommend looking into top down lighting if you are’t already doing that. By it’s mature it heats the flue up early in the lighting phase.

Are you doing the whole top down lighting thing?

EDIT: Beaten to it that'll teach me for not refreshing the page before I post.

New stove? How many times have you had it lit?

New ones emit fumes and vapours the first few times they're lit, from the paint, seals etc. Maybe those vapours/smells get sucked up the flue while it's burning, but permeate the room as the fire dies and it cools off?

Just a thought. Doubtless, wrong.

Are you doing the whole top down lighting thing?

And are you leaving the door very slightly ajar when you first light it? That creates a very strong draft and really helps things get going.
If you're not, when you light the stove close the door slowly and watch the flame - there will be an optimal point that creates the strongest draft. Only leave it open for a couple of minutes though as all you're doing to shoving heat up the flue at the maximum rate.... it does nothing for heating the stove.

(you probably knew this though in which case I apologise!)

Got a blowtorch?
Quickest way to get mine into operating temperature is 1/2 firelighter, split into 4 dice szed lumps. Criss Cross of Toblerone sized sticks then 4 lumps of split wood on top. Fill tge chamber.

Then 20 seconds with the torch over the base sets off the fire lighters and gets some heat into the kindling.

10 to 12 mins and peltier is off and running, 20 mins and we are in the green zone.

i saw that top-down lighting video a few weeks back - it's fab, and all I do to get the stove lit and burning for about an hour before needing a refuel...

DrP

I know I’ve said this before but it’s worth repeating. Everyone who burns wood for some part of their life should own and read this book cover to cover and keep referring to it forever 😁

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25404206-norwegian-wood

Thanks. I’ll try the top down thing. In total I think it’s been lit about 10 times. With an average of 3 logs each time.

Logs from b&m bargains or the range

Logs from b&m bargains or the range

Tarry, shitty wood then…

3 logs isn't a fire, it won't be getting hot enough, so you'll be getting creosote formation which is what you'll be smelling. All crappy wood as jam-bo has said too. Get some real heat into your flue.

Bloody hell.
3 logs. I use that many when loading mine to start, and it'll rarely get started unless it's going to be going for a couple of hours and/or a minimum of something like a dozen logs. Brings the overall temperature on that floor of the house from 15 ish to about 19, and the living room up to 21-22. Especially useful when the central heating is struggling or the power goes out.

And get some proper wood.
If you're going to use it to actually heat the house (you're not just using it as a pretty centrepiece in the living room are you?) you'll need to have a good bit in stock, buy in bulk.

I've worked out that with the amount i use the fire, i need at least 2 cubic m of dry wood in stock every October, then if it's a cold year, i'll run out in april.

Buy some kiln dried hardwood and accept the cost. It’s a one off if you also buy some other seasoned hardwood and store for use in a year. And keep buying ahead even seasoned benefits from 12-18 months outdoor storage before use IME.

Those log bags are utter p1sh. Don’t buy them you’re doing the stove no favours and won’t get a decent burn. Tarry and high moisture wood guaranteed.

Agree with Mert on volumes too, that’s about right for us too tho going through more this year, concerted effort to use CH less. Might be 3 bags over 6 months use.

Stove flue thermometer can give you an idea of the temperature.

Season softwood gets going quicker and easier. Then seasoned hardwood, as long ad its below 20% moisture.
I burn a mix and try to keep the flue around 250c.
Usually wang on 4 or 5 chunks at refill which is around an hour after lighting, then 90 mins after that.
I don't strangle it or let it die down too far before refuelling

A thermometer is a must (or an IR gun) I think.
I've not used any for about 5 years, but I have to admit that I bought a bag of smokeless coal a couple of weeks ago!

I'd forgotten how 6 or 7 lumps a night will add quite a lot of base heat to the stove, evens out the temperature curve (stove stays hot longer) and reduces the amount of wood required by a noticeable amount.
I've still half a bag left so I'm hopefully not buying more than one more bag before spring.