Anyone else get that smell?

[rudysmallfry]

I've been reading how most of you burn at temps around 550 or higher. I was just wondering if your stoves have that smell. Whenever my stove gets above 400, it starts emitting that cast iron stench. I figured it would burn off after a few seasons, but I am always well aware when it's time to shut the air down when I smell that smell. I have soapstone stove with cast iron parts. I really don't know if it's the single wall pipe giving off the odor or the stove, but was curious how many of you have that going on? I'd love to burn hotter, but not with that stench.

 

[BrotherBart]

The only time I detect a smell is the smell of too hot steel with my steel stove. Nature's way of telling me I screwed up. Now outside is a different question. When the stove is on a roll the distinct smell of hot stainless steel from that liner is in attendance.

 

[lazeedan]

I don't smell that smell.

 

[turbocruiser]

I don't smell that smell.

I only smelt that smell the first few times the stove was burning wood. I think in that case it was the paint curing completely. Now I don't happen to have any soapstone but I do have plate steel and cast steel on the stove so those materials on their own don't seem to smell even at around 800 degrees which is what I will allow as maximum temperature.

 

[Wood Duck]

When my stove gets hot ( stovetop thermometer says 750+ but I don't trust the thermometer) I smell something, but I wouldn't call it a stench. The smell is very similar to the smell from the electric baseboard heaters when the heaters haven't been used in a while. I assume it is the smell of dust burning off the heating elements, or off the stove. The smell from the stove seems to happen any time the stove gets real hot, so maybe it is different from the heater smell, which happens mainly at the beginning of the winter when we haven't used the heaters in a while.

 

[jharkin]

Unless I screw up loading and let smoke in the house, the only time I get a smell is the first fire of the season in the fall when all the dust that collected on the stove all summer burns off.

 

[BobUrban]

If your stove was rather new I would guess it to be the stove burning in but after a couple seasons I would expect that to all be gone. Although if you have not had many fires above 400 you may actually still be breaking in the stove to some degree. Get it HOT for a few weeks and see what happens?? My new 30 only had the new stove smell for a short time once I got it above 5-600 for a week or so. Now, like others, I only get a smell of hot steel which is very familiar to me as a blacksmith and welder.

 

[ridemgis]

I've been reading how most of you burn at temps around 550 or higher. I was just wondering if your stoves have that smell. Whenever my stove gets above 400, it starts emitting that cast iron stench. I figured it would burn off after a few seasons, but I am always well aware when it's time to shut the air down when I smell that smell. I have soapstone stove with cast iron parts. I really don't know if it's the single wall pipe giving off the odor or the stove, but was curious how many of you have that going on? I'd love to burn hotter, but not with that stench.

I don't smell that smell.

Same stove running to 500 degrees in this weather with no smell.
Are you running single wall flue off the stove. The heritage sends a lot of heat up the pipe and that might account for the odor.

 

[katwillny]

That smell has now become your alarm, so its a good thing. perhaps. My Englander did that for a long time but now it doesnt really emits it anymore, either that or i got used to it. I have a double wall pipe so i dont really smell the pipe, but i know the smell you are referring to.

 

[31 bertram]

Mine gets that smell and is accompanied by popping and cracking noise, I cut the air back when this happens as it's my warning signs that she's getting too hot.

 

[rideau]

Definitely can smell the heat when my stove gets burning furiously. I shut the air down. Am leary of burning the stove hot enough so I smell it.
So I probably burn cooler than many. I suspect lots of people just associate the smell with their burning and are unaware of it, as it is a regular occurrance for them,.
`

 

[RSNovi]

I also get it. If I smell it walking down the basement stairs I immediately know the stove is running hotter than I like.

 

[Creature]

I only get a smell when the stove is running hot, or I eat a lot of broccoli

 

[31 bertram]

I try to keep a good check on over-firing and think that's one reason my cast iron looks in good shape after all these years, although I can't say that about the little parts such as screws and such.

 

[corey21]

I had a smell yesterday but my stove was thermonuclear at that time.

 

[ridemgis]

If your stove was rather new I would guess it to be the stove burning in but after a couple seasons I would expect that to all be gone. Although if you have not had many fires above 400 you may actually still be breaking in the stove to some degree. Get it HOT for a few weeks and see what happens?? My new 30 only had the new stove smell for a short time once I got it above 5-600 for a week or so. Now, like others, I only get a smell of hot steel which is very familiar to me as a blacksmith and welder.

400 IS hot for a Heritage. It's a soapstone box with a 600 degree max temp for the stove top.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

400 IS hot for a Heritage. It's a soapstone box with a 600 degree max temp for the stove top.

400 is not hot for the Heritage. It still has 200 degrees it could climb.

Rudy, it could be either the stove or the stove pipe. If it were mine, I would get that stove up to 550 at least. Once or twice doing this should take care of the smell but I'd guess one time should do the trick. Also watch the stove pipe. Some, for some odd reason will continue to smell for way too long.

For example, the last time we put in a new stove, we got very little smell from the stove but the one section of black pipe just continued to smell time after time. Talking to the hardware man he told me they had got some every so often that would do it. If mine continued he would gladly replace it. Wouldn't you know, after a couple more fires the smell finally went away.

 

[mattjm1017]

Ooh that smell!!

 

[fossil]

Until there's a way to attach a sample of the smell to your post, I can't really say whether or not I've ever smelled "that" smell. Rick

 

[rudysmallfry]

I do agree that the smell is more likely the single wall pipe than the stove. Anytime I cross that 400 barrier, it stinks. As soon as I shut the air down, the smell quickly disappears. I'm reluctant to really load up the stove because it does seem like the increased heat will just go up the chimney. In 8 years, I have yet to get that soapstone over 400. Most of the time, it's barely pushing 350. Do you guys think I would have better luck with either a damper in the single wall or upgrading to double wall?

 

[rideau]

I do agree that the smell is more likely the single wall pipe than the stove. Anytime I cross that 400 barrier, it stinks. As soon as I shut the air down, the smell quickly disappears. I'm reluctant to really load up the stove because it does seem like the increased heat will just go up the chimney. In 8 years, I have yet to get that soapstone over 400. Most of the time, it's barely pushing 350. Do you guys think I would have better luck with either a damper in the single wall or upgrading to double wall?

I have ICC Ultrablack double wall and get the same "hot" smell when the stove gets really pumping. As with you, the smell puts me on edge. It makes me think the stove is too hot, although all the temps are well below the rated temps. Don't think double wall will remove the smell. There ar other advantages to double wall, though.

 

[rudysmallfry]

The main problem with letting the smell is, I have parrots in my house. I can't imagine the stove pipe off gassing is good for their little lungs.

 

[Paulywalnut]

I know that smell is 650 or 700. Damp it down a bit.

 

[Sprinter]

If you've been burning this stove for several years (it sounds like it?), It seems like any normal curing issues would be long gone by now. However, I still get some paint smell from mine when I get it hotter than normal and I think it's because the outside of my double stovepipe doesn't usually get hot enough to completely cure that paint yet. I've only been burning for three months, though.

It may be that if you don't usually get your stove over 400, then maybe there is some curing still going on even after this long when you do get it hot.