House filled with smoke when I first lit my woodburner. Why?

If you’ve lit your new woodburner for the first time and your house has suddenly filled with smoke, you’re probably wondered what you’ve let yourself in for with your new purchase.

In most cases there is a simple and (thankfully) short-term reason for the influx of smoke.

The most common cause of smoke in your room from a new wood-burning stove is that the paint is curing. On all woodburners, the stove paint used to finish the appliances isn’t correctly finished until it has been subjected to the intense heat of a fire at least once (and often three or four times). The curing process usually results in a bad smell coming from stove, but sometimes this is accompanied by smoke.

If paint curing is the cause of the smoke in your house, it will be an acrid-smelling and fog-like smoke. Obviously, you will want to open some windows and get this smoke out of your home as quickly as possible.

Another possibility is that there is a problem with your installation. In this case, the most likely causes would be a manufacturing fault (i.e. a crack or gap in the stove body), an installation error (e.g. something not being fitted or sealed correctly on the flue), or there is an issue with the draw (e.g. the flue terminal isn’t high enough or there isn’t enough ventilation in your room).

How will you know if the smoke is from paint or another problem?

If the smoke in your house is caused by the paint curing, you will soon see the problem going away. By the time of lighting your woodburner for the third or fourth time – or possibly even after the first time – your smoke problem should have disappeared.

If you’re onto lighting the woodburner for a fifth time and there’s still smoke seeping into your home, that would suggest a more fundamental issue with the installation.

Remember: a carbon monoxide alarm is a legal requirement of a new woodburner installation and, if you’re experiencing the problems discussed in this article, will keep you safe.