Very much unlike The Dump (and this old house in NJ) the new house is almost too warm and toasty. No matter how the wind is blowing out there, and it always is, it is never drafty or chilly in the house. I still don't have the heat turned on in all 4 zones, and the bedroom window is always cracked open a bit for fresh air. Apparently these are the 2 causes of my woodstove problems: that the wind is always blowing and the house is too tight.
Either this week or next, Caleb the Chimney Guy is supposed to come out and extend the chimney another foot above the roof peak. He will also install a different chimney cap that should eliminate down-drafting. If this does not completely eliminate the smoking problem, then we will take the second approach and install a vent through the wall to the outside that will let in fresh air as needed. Rather than leaving the windows constantly cracked a bit, the vent will only open as air is being drawn in—either by the woodstove, kitchen vent hood, or anything else that is trying to draw fresh air.
Both of these are somewhat inexpensive fixes that may or may not solve my problem; but the engineer, the chimney guy, and the store where I bought the stove all seem to agree that they will. I am counting on the professionals to be right on this one.
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