Boom - puff of sulfury smoke came out of damper

By: **FieroGT3800SCII** On: Wed Nov 30, 2005 11:03 am

I was upstairs last Sunday and I heard what sounded like a door slamming shut and then something falling. In my kitchen there is an opening to the chimney that the coal boiler exhausts into in the basement below. The opening in the kitchen is stuffed with fiberglass insulation and has a clock hanging over it. the fiberglass had blown out of the wall and knocked the clock off as well. I went down into the basement and the coal boiler puffed twice more so I closed the damper tight to try to smother the fire. I'm going to sweep the chimney this weekend which I think may be filled with soot from an oil boiler that wasn't running properly. Is there anything else that could cause this problem other than a clogged chimney?

The fiberglass plug in the chimney opening in the kitchen was put there by the previous owners and I plan to close it off permanently, but I don't think that anything should be firing out of an opening in the chimney like that.

Thanks,
Ryan

Richard S. · By: **Richard S.** On: Wed Nov 30, 2005 12:34 pm

FieroGT3800SCII wrote: Is there anything else that could cause this problem other than a clogged chimney?

That would be my guess, many of my customers with hand fired stoves use a manually adjusted damper on the exhaust pipe coming from the unit. Which restricts the exhaust obviously, this of course does have safety issues.....

Anyhow.... you need to open this damper before opening the unit to put more coal in it. If you do not the gases have no where to go but out the door you just opened... immediately. Once they hit the air it will cause a small explosion, not much but enough to singe your eyebrows if your close enough.

Just ask my brother... :roll:

Boom - puff of sulfury smoke came out of damper

Boom - puff of sulfury smoke came out of damper

Re: Boom - puff of sulfury smoke came out of damper