My Jotul Castine is probably 6 years old. On some occasions this winter, I have noticed I can smell a hint of smoke after I shut the stove down for the evening. I have been able to sniff around to rule out my stove pipe connections. I use lots of high temp mortar to seal those joints every year. The smell seems to come from the back of the stove where the back panel meets the top of the stove. How do I fix this?

I’ve got a new 600, and it does the same thing.  I too sealed several joints with cement, but I still notice that smell occassionally, and like you, when the stove is damped down.  Right or wrong, I’ve just accepted that this is “part of the deal” with a cast stove.  When I had a steel stove, the same thing would happen periodically usually at the same times (damped down and poor weather for good draft), except then I could see that she would puff a little around the pipe joints.  I guess it all boils down to the fact that under poor draft conditions (stove damped down, warm temps and/or humid outside) you are going to get a little smoke back in the house.  The difference is that the cast stove may leak around panel joints; the steel stove is more apt to leak around the door or pipes since its joints are welded.  Just the nature of the business in my opinion, no big deal in the big picture (as long as it is slight smoke odor like mine, and doesn’t affect burn performance).

As far as how to “fix” it, you can check for leaks with a cigarette lighter (flame will be drawn into joint if leak) and seal, but I’m not sure if you can identify every one or potential one.  My “fix” whether it was my old steel or new cast, is to open it up a tad more to improve draft conditions.  Will end up getting same burn as normal damped down, since draft is down anyway.  At least that works for me!

If it is in the back I am willing to bet that it is coming out of the secondary air inlet.

I called my dealer and he said there is a 3/8” gasket that seals the joint between the top and sides. He said it should not be hard for me to take the top off by first removing the secondary air plate to get to the bolts that secure the top. I might give this a try after the season is over.

On a related note, my wife called me this morning to let me know the house was filling with smoke big time. She called the FD because she couldn’t tell what was wrong with the stove. It appears we had our first back-draft. The stove temp was on the cool side, the air was half closed and we’ve had 50 degree temps and rain for the past day. Unfortunately, this kind of thing ALWAYS happens when I’m not home. I would have just stoked the fire, opened that puppy up and got some draft going. Needless to say, all the windows are open as she tries to get the smell out.

BB:

Secondary air inlet?  As Ricky Ricardo would say, please “Splain.”

Is that related to the “tin foil trick” I have read about?  Still not sure what that is all about or if it is even applicable to the “Big 6”.  I have not noticed anything on it that looks like an air inlet.  Of course I covered up the back of the stove with heat shield and blower when I got it, so can’t speak for every nook and crany on the back.

Tx, BS

He explained it as the metal plate above the fire that contains all the holes so that secondary combustion air can enter the stove.

Most non cat stoves have a separate air intake to supply air to those secondary burn tubes. This intake is not connected to your primary air supply lever and has no way to control the amount of air that gets sucked in.

Your smoke problem may be caused by negative pressure in the room your stove is in. Try cracking a window near your stove and see if the smoking stops, if it does chances are you have a negative pressure.

BotetourtSteve - 19 March 2008 11:03 PM

BB:

Secondary air inlet?  As Ricky Ricardo would say, please “Splain.”

Is that related to the “tin foil trick” I have read about?  Still not sure what that is all about or if it is even applicable to the “Big 6”.  I have not noticed anything on it that looks like an air inlet.  Of course I covered up the back of the stove with heat shield and blower when I got it, so can’t speak for every nook and crany on the back.

Tx, BS

All secondary burn tube stoves have a fixed air inlet that feeds the tube manifold. Looking at the parts explosion for the Firelight it looks like they pull this air in at the center bottom of the back casting of the stove.

No amount of sealing will prevent this. You are most likely smelling the interior of your stove and chimney - because the chimney may reverse or stop drafting when the stove is out. This smell would come right through gaskets or even furnace cement.