How do I check the draft in my chimney?

The chimney is the engine of the wood burning stove. If your chimney does not fit your wood burning stove (too short or poorly insulated), you will experience a bad chimney draft which will cause troubles when you light a fire which will result in smoke in your living room, a poor combustion and a heavy smoke development which will bother your neighbors.

You can check the draft in your chimney with this simple test:

• Open the door slightly (5-10 mm to allow air passage) and light up a lighter next to the side of the door. 
• If the flame is drawn towards the combustion chamber, the draft is sufficient.
• If the flame is vertical or is pushed towards the outside of the stove, the draft is insufficient or wind blows down in the chimney.

Warning: please only perform this test with a cold stove.

See second 1:01 - 1:17 in the film below