HELP - Wall Tent Stove Issues

[Fwee6]

We can't solve our stove.

This past weekend we got smoked-out numerous times. Thankfully we brought a back-up stove that friends use in their tent. See attached picture of our set-up...

- the pipe is 5"...which we've learned is uncommon. 6" is standard.
- every time we open the door of the stove, smoke billows out as if there is no draft pulling it up the pipe.
- fires have a hard time burning consistently.
- once outside the tent, we have about 3-4 feet of pipe vertical.
- there is no flange on the back of the stove that a pipe fits snug over....instead we have to insert a crimped elbow into the stove hole the best we can. (possibly the biggest issue?)

Any experts out there that see obvious issues with our set-up and can troubleshoot? Help is appreciated guys. Feel free to PM.

Fwee

[bezzola]

Do you have a tan cap on it.
The reason I'm asking is I showed up at my sons camp and he had the same issue and I found the spark arrester was pluged almost solid.

[I-R-Huntin]

You need a taller rise- more like 8 feet or more to get it to draw correctly.

[bezzola]

Or you may not have enough or not enough stove pipe

[70fastback]

the biggest thing is to make sure the pipe stack is above top of tent

[icehunter]

Umm I am no expert...but shouldn't that pipe be running vertical? Looks to me like the horizontal section is your problem....just a shot in the dark here.

[new2ab]

5 inch pipe doesn't draw as well, but should be fine. Ours is 5 inch also and we run into the issue occasionally.

Is the stove pipe clogged (or spark arrestor like previous poster mentioned), or chimney damper closed? Also, restriction from the front air vent can cause that problem.

[wolfman403]

You need bare minimum twice the verticle as horizontal pipe. I have to clean my spark arrestor every three days. Weld in a 6 inch stub so you can run the big pipe close uour fresh air inlet and open the damper before opening your door.

[ALBTUFF]

On a side note get rid of those galvanized 90s you got on there. The flue gases are too hot for galv and you don't want to be breathing the smoke that will be coming off of them. You need to get yourself some black 90s made for a wood burning stove.

[HunterDave]

Pretty sure that it's because of the two 90 degree bends in the chimney and the gases are cooling off too much for them to cause an upward draft. Replacing them with two 45 degree bends (one at stove and one outside the tent) should fix the problem. Google search "chimney pipe bends" or something along that lines.

[cschache]

I have the same stove that i put in my ice hut i built, i bought a 5" to 6" adapter to run 6" pipe right from the stove and went straight up through the roof with the damper at the 4.5 to 5 foot mark in the pipe up from the stove, the stove does not have a spark arrestor but as a couple of guys have mentioned i also think the 5" pipe is causing you grief especially with the 2 90 degree elbows. i think its not drawing up the stack enough (restricting the exhaust for the amount of intake).I think 45's should help. Have also seen other side applications like that where they com through the side of the tent at an angle upwards which would help the draw up the stack so it doesn't have to come through the wall horizontally.

[1bowhunter12]

Sew up the hole in the side .. Put one in the roof .. Get some 6 inch pipe with a pipe damper ... Can't go wrong

[Fish magnet]

I don,t think the size of the pipe is the problem. We run 4" pipe in our stoves and have no issues.

[Drewski Canuck]

I am going to guess that this tent was set up to run a kerosene "Yukon Stove".

This would be logical as it sits on the ground, goes up along the wall, does a 45 out and another 45 up.

Otherwise, that set up is just weird. You could put a lot of wood in that stove and never get a good draft going. I may be wrong but each 90 turn drops efficiency 20 % so I was lead to believe. You should get that tent to Campers Village and have them close up the side and put in a modern fire ring I with a tent flap.

I have been wrestling with wood stoves a very long time in wall tents, all the way down to - 20 C. I like things hot so stuff dries out. I have a 24 inch, having burned out a 20 inch. My Chimney goes from 5 - 4 with a 5 - 6 adaptor. My Chimney is one of the ones that goes one section into another for space saving. 6 inch chimney is not the key, velocity from updraft is.

You need a chimney a couple of feet over the ridge line so you get updraft, and minimize sparks falling on the tent. Green wet pine or tamarack makes the biggest mess of a stove with creosote. Birch is best for heat and clean long burning.

The fact you are getting back draft suggests a plugged spark arrestor up top, or not enough velocity from the rising heat to create sufficient draft. Either way, a bad pipe set up only multiplies the problem with those sharp bends and long vertical run.

Drewski

[Potshots]

Looks to me like you should ditch that stove and purchase an air tight from Peevy Mart.

[Albany]

I agree with potshots - time for an airtight. Your friends with the back-up stove seem like very intelligent outdoorsmen.

[fingershooter]

you need a longer vertical, size of your stove - you should probably have a 6" pipe, get rid of the galvanized (You will poison yourself), Open your stove damper before opening the door and then open the door slowly.

[recce43]

I use 5 inch pipe no issues my stove pipe is 6 feet above the ridge line

[matathonman]

My set up is similar and I clean out the pipe when it starts that. Usually good for 10-12 days before a cleaning is in order.

[Ice Fishing Maniac]

I would say not enough vertical from top of stove to draw. I would get another stove hole sewn in in the roof and go straight out.

Then put a dampener (not the right word) about 3-5 ft above the stove so you can partially close off the pipe to keep more heat in when the stove is running hot and you will retain more heat with a slower burn at night.

[Fwee6]

Thanks for all the feedback guys -- much appreciated.

Question: For the vertical stack outside the tent that most suggest needs to be above the ridge line.....how does everyone secure all that pipe from falling over? I'm guessing that would be 6-8 feet of pipe going vertical from the elbow outside the tent.

[fingershooter]

piece of 7 foot angle iron or redi rod or such and tie it to pipe with wire

[Dean2]

Originally Posted by Fwee6

Thanks for all the feedback guys -- much appreciated.

Question: For the vertical stack outside the tent that most suggest needs to be above the ridge line.....how does everyone secure all that pipe from falling over? I'm guessing that would be 6-8 feet of pipe going vertical from the elbow outside the tent.

If you go straight up off the stove the pipe is pretty much self supporting though some do run guy wires off the outside piece to hold them in big winds.(you can see the guy wires in this picture). As has been said, 5" pipe isn't the issue, all the bends clearly is. You need a damper in the chimney, a clean spark arrestor and a straight run of pipe to two feet above the ridgeline. Until you accomplish that you will get smoked out every time.

[Tfng]

This is why I'm always stunned to see guys recommend a side exit stove pipe.

My wall tent has the stove ring in the roof, I also use the same stove in my shed with a side exit. It draws much better in the straight up configuration.

That looks like a Yukon stove, I have a wilderness stove from the same retailer. I've noticed on mine the stove pipe ring into the stove is quite deep in the firebox and nearly the same height as the top of the door.

When the draft is poor it wants to puff a little smoke. I've considered cutting the ring off higher in the stove and installing a sliding baffle. I think this would help but it hasn't aggravated me enough to do anything with it yet.

[Tfng]

Fwee6 the stove pipe should be wired to the stove to prevent it popping out. I learned this lesson the hard way and could have burned my tent down but luckily it only smoked the contents of the tent.

[Ice Fishing Maniac]

Never had an issue in our tent ...pipe was like 6 feet above the roof of tent . With use of a spark arrester, make sure you cover the tent with a tarp, and expect a few occasional burn holes thru the tarp and possibly the tent.

[Drewski Canuck]

Drill small holes in the cap in 3 places near the edge. Take 20 foot of stove wire on each position, put it through the hole and twist it into a nice sized loop.

Roll up on your hand for storage the 20 foot lengths and tuck it in the cap til you need it.

When you put up the stove pipe, simply spread the stove wires out to whatever stable points you have to keep the pipe straight in the wind.

However, get yourself the BIGGEST airtight heater you can tolerate. Then pick up at least one orange insulated tarp for winter conditions.

We have found that the 20 inch is too small in winter / November conditions, even after having draped an insulated tarp over 2/3 of the roof. This was burning seasoned birch. The water carriers in the back of the tent froze solid and took 3 days to thaw.

Drewski

[Grizzly Adams]

That galvanized pipe has to go, not good for your health when it gets really hot.

Grizz

[Chewbacca]

This is my set up. Cooks me out if I want it to. The stove is galvanized. Made sure I got it hot and burnt it all off before I used it, no problems. I have guy wires on the outside to hold the pipe stable in the winds. Previous posts should eliminate your problem. Spark arresters can be a real pain. Nothing wrong with a pipe out the side if done right. Grew up with leaky roofs.

IMG_1485.jpg

Want to add a pic of the outside but for some reason it won't upload.

I have zero problems with the draw on this setup.

To add a bit more security I hose clamp my pipes at all the joints. Been through some good winds and everything stays together.

[357xp]

All u need is 2 sections of vertical pipe on the outside then u should be ok.
Probably a lot better stove than an air tight. I have a love/hate relationship with those things. Good for packing, nice and light, quick heat, but try to control that beast
Usually wake up an hour into the night with everything glowing red, tent temp at 50 degrees c. Or the thing just smolders away giving no heat.