Strong smoke smell filling the room - bad install?

[IowaMaineiac]

I have a St. Croix Afton Bay stove installed in my walk out basement. The installers vented it direct to the outside and just capped it off with no rise.

When we use the stove we sometimes get a strong smoke smell (but no visible smoke) in the room. I'm wondering if the install could be affecting this? I'm considering modifying the exhaust so it has a vertical rise on the outside before it is capped off. I've included a couple pictures so you guys can see what I'm talking about.

 

[Chain]

I'd check the nipple on the back and make sure it's a tight fit into your venting first. Secondly do the smoke test by turning off your lights and shine a flashlight back there. If you see smoke around the nipple, I'd put some exhaust calk around the nipple and then cover with some high heat foil. If it continues, I'd go with your idea of putting a rise where the vent comes out of your wall. Looking at the photo, it would appear that you could easily get a back draft given it's so low to the ground and depending upon what direction the air outside swirls around in that spot, the smoke simply may not be able to rise up and away from your house and only has one way to go, back into your house. Does the stove burn fairly efficiently? Lazy flame?

 

[Chain]

One other thing to consider, it didn't look like you have the stove on a surge protector. Given the cost of that nice new unit, spend another $50 bucks and get a good one like the one below:

http://www.amazon.com/Tripp-Lite-IS...&sr=1-11&keywords=Tripp+lite+surge+protectors

 

[Bioburner]

I would suspect some exaust getting back through your thimble because of the termination being so close, wind direction can enhance the problem.IMO
Good luck

 

[TheMightyMoe]

For starters, you need to put it another foot away from the wall, dig a hole where it is ejecting to be one foot away from ground, pull up all the vegetation, and then salt the earth to make sure the combustibles don't come back.

Per manual.

But seriously, I would add a foot then put your cap on. Your install appears wrong per the install manual off their website.

Use high temperature RTV caulk OR foil tape on all your pipe venting connections. To ensure nothing is leaking out your pipe.

Silicone all around the pipe going through the thimble.

Make sure your stove adapter is caulked as well.

Depending on where that exhausts, I would try a cap that vents horizontally, right now it is hitting the ground and being pushed in all directions.

One way to find out if smoke is leaking into house, turn it on get a small fire going, unplug the unit, it will then smoke up inside the unit, once you have a bit of smoke, turn off the lights, use a flash light, plug the unit, and keep an eye on your pipe exiting the home. The smoke if it is leaking, will leak out there.

Good luck!

 

[smoke show]

Looks like trouble to me.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Can you snap a few more pictures like one of the entire wall the stove vents through on the outside and a close up of the vent thimble on the outside.

The thimble needs to have silicone sealant around the vent where it exits the thimble and around the outside square plate of the thimble.

The first picture is to see how close any windows or doors might be. While the requirements are one set of numbers it is possible that normal air infiltration around windows and such can result in the smell coming into the room.

The likely spot in your vent system for smoke leakage would be at the stove adapter.

 

[kinsmanstoves]

WTF is that? A cap right to the back of the stove. PLEASE do not run it.

Eric

 

[bbfarm]

I agree, much to close to the ground and foundation of your house and not far enough out.

I see you do not have an OAK hooked up to your stove either.

Why is the ground so black under your exhaust pipe?

I can take a photo of ours and post tonight when I get home if it will help, but the diagram Moe posted it spot on!

 

[bbfarm]

your stove looks so close to the wall also, every time you need to get in the back for routine maint. you will have to disconnect your exhaust. they didn't leave you much room.

 

[IowaMaineiac]

Thanks for all the comments and advice.

This is my first stove ever so I didn't think to question the installers from the dealer when they put it in.

I do have it on a surge protector at least .

I know there is silicone around the thimble because I watched them do that part. I can snap some more pictures when I get home if its not too dark yet. There are no windows close to the exhaust but there is a sliding glass door 3 feet west of it. The ground is black from the stove exhaust. Should there not be that much ash coming out?

I wouldn't classify the flame as lazy. It burns steady with no visible smoke on the flame tips. I do get black on the brick and some in the corner of the glass but I assumed that was normal.

I will check that nipple with a flashlight the next time I light it.

 

[kinsmanstoves]

Do not light that stove.

Eric

 

[briansol]

Call the dealer and complain about that install immediately. They should remedy that asap and fire/repreimand those who did that shoddy install. Did you not get a building permit and have it inspected? The town would easily reject that here.

 

[WoodPorn]

That is going to cause a fire outside.

Like Kinsmanstoves said "do not light that stove"
Edit: They did not even clean up the brick under the thimble

 

[Don2222]

Hello

Put in the recommended 3' vertical rise inside the house and you will not have that problem!
Vertical rise on the outside of the house is still better but it will soot up faster than inside of the house.

 

[kinsmanstoves]

Hello, Where is your adapter, 3"x12", tee, 3"x36", and 90? I see the cap and it is directly connected to the stove.
DO NOT LIGHT THAT STOVE!

You will die

 

[IowaMaineiac]

I live in the country outside the city limits so a permit/inspection isn't required for this type of thing.

The wall is poured concrete approx 8" thick so there is a short piece of pipe connecting the stove to the cap but it does appear the connection between pipe and cap is inside the thimble.

The concrete is already tore up so I'm going to have to put the tee and vertical rise outside.

 

[kinsmanstoves]

I live in the country outside the city limits so a permit/inspection isn't required for this type of thing.

The wall is poured concrete approx 8" thick so there is a short piece of pipe connecting the stove to the cap but it does appear the connection between pipe and cap is inside the thimble.

The concrete is already tore up so I'm going to have to put the tee and vertical rise outside.

That is a Dura Vent 3PVP-HRC cap. The back of the stove has to have a 3pvp-ad (adapter) and then a pipe going through the wall. The cap has to be 12"-18" past the wall and has to be 18"+ above grade. A vertical rise is an option. That stove is not burning correctly with that amount of black ash. I would have that dealer out there asap. Do not run that stove until your venting issue is corrected.

Eric

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Now, now, Eric that stove was installed by a professional (stove shop hired guy) it must be just fine (bear waits for the skillet upside the head) as we know they never make mistakes.

Don't forget that 3' away sliding glass door, it is too close if that distance is to the part that moves.

 

[fedtime]

Here in Nova Scotia Canada, a 5' vertical rise is required due to concerns about draft and smoke, particularly in the event of a power outage. I installed a stove myself and had it certified by both a WETT inspector and the local building inspector - 2' of rise inside the house, 3' on the outside.

 

[P38X2]

The ground is black from the stove exhaust.

Not to be disrespectful but, HELLOOOOOO!????? I understand this is your first pellet stove but you gotta be able to see a red flag like that when you see it.

That is such blatant installer incompetence!

As others said, DON'T LIGHT THAT STOVE til you fix it.

 

[P38X2]

You gotta get rid of those shrubberies too, if that's what those are. Perhaps that's what Joe Hack was trying to preserve with that silly termination.

 

[thedak]

Nice.......

 

[IowaMaineiac]

It is on the stationary side of the door so that part is ok.

I'm sorry, I figured that there would be ash or soot coming from a stove exhaust so I didn't think the black stuff was a huge deal. I didn't like the fact that it was staining the ground but I figured that was more an issue of distance from the ground rather than an issue with the stove...

 

[IowaMaineiac]

Oh, and its a raspberry bush you're seeing in the picture.

And yes I saw the quote warning me to NOT LIGHT IT OR I WILL DIE

I suppose its a good thing I'm not dead after running it for the past 2 weeks, eh?