Does anyone here ever have their smoke alarm go off while they're getting their stove up to temp? We've had the smoke alarm go off a few times now after lighting the stove, and there's a funny sweet smell in the air at the same time. No visible smoke or anything, and it can't be paint curing, we've had the stove going almost every weekend for 8 months now. Hubby thinks it's dust burning off but I didn't think our house was all that dusty?
Stoves, dust and smoke alarms
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WidowMaker
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Do you have an electronic air cleaner??? Sounds like the ozone smell you'll get on a dirty air filter in an electronic air cleaner...
firefighterjake
Minister of Fire
To rule out the dust theory ... which it might be ... try wiping down the stove and stove pipe with a damp rag or paper towel prior to lighting the stove. It is not normal to have the detectors going off every time you light off the stove.
Backwoods Savage
Minister of Fire
I doubt it is dust although you'll definitely get some of that smell in the fall after the stove setting for months unused. As for the smoke alarms, in over 50 years we have never had one go off from the wood stove. No, it is not normal.
Hmmmm, thanks BWS. I have a few ideas other than dust, but none of those seem to explain the problem either. I'll try wiping the stove with a damp rag this weekend before lighting and then try to get it up to temp as quickly as possible (it seems worse when it gets hot fast - which is not often with my damp wood) and I'll report back if it does it again.
At least the CO detector isn't going off at the same time. That would make me really worried!
At least the CO detector isn't going off at the same time. That would make me really worried!
Grisu
Minister of Fire
Highbeam
Minister of Fire
If it is especially bad during rapid warm ups I would focus my energy on the pipe. The pipes see the most rapid temp spikes, get the hottest, and are cheap so they are using the cheapest paint. Also, they seem to progressively burn in and with each higher temperature spike you get more smoke. When smoke rises from a vertical pipe it does so in a very thin layer and is quickly mixed in with the room air that rising along with it.
It is very common to have smoke in the room but it is so diluted that you can't see it.
My bet is on the pipe. Dim the lights and use a flashlight to look for a thin layer of smoke rising vertically along the pipe surface.
It is very common to have smoke in the room but it is so diluted that you can't see it.
My bet is on the pipe. Dim the lights and use a flashlight to look for a thin layer of smoke rising vertically along the pipe surface.
Nope, no blower. Plain jane stove except for the legs and 'sunburst' door.
I think my detector said not to put it within 10' of a heat source. It is in the same room as the stove but as far away as possible. It's a small room so probably about 10', maybe a bit more. I think it's doing it's job fine - there is a funny smell and it goes off, so probably particulates of something are in the air (hopefully nothing toxic!).
Highbeam I also have my doubts about the pipe because of the reasons you state, but the smell seems to come from both the pipe and the stove, although it's hard to tell. Maybe we just haven't had the pipe hot enough to cure the paint because our wet wood means slow starts? We have had the stove up to 700F regularly (and hubby got it to 800F accidentally one night when I wasn't there by leaving the air open too long), but it generally takes a while, especially at the beginning from a cold stove. Once we're at about 300F it usually can take off pretty good, which is when I usually start turning the air down, but if not, the problem seems to appear sometimes. We have double wall pipe and no thermometer on that, so I don't really know what the pipe temps are doing.
So two experiments for this weekend - 1. Rag, 2. Multiple rapid warmups to see if I can cure the paint on the pipe (if it's not already cured) + flashlight test.
I think my detector said not to put it within 10' of a heat source. It is in the same room as the stove but as far away as possible. It's a small room so probably about 10', maybe a bit more. I think it's doing it's job fine - there is a funny smell and it goes off, so probably particulates of something are in the air (hopefully nothing toxic!).
Highbeam I also have my doubts about the pipe because of the reasons you state, but the smell seems to come from both the pipe and the stove, although it's hard to tell. Maybe we just haven't had the pipe hot enough to cure the paint because our wet wood means slow starts? We have had the stove up to 700F regularly (and hubby got it to 800F accidentally one night when I wasn't there by leaving the air open too long), but it generally takes a while, especially at the beginning from a cold stove. Once we're at about 300F it usually can take off pretty good, which is when I usually start turning the air down, but if not, the problem seems to appear sometimes. We have double wall pipe and no thermometer on that, so I don't really know what the pipe temps are doing.
So two experiments for this weekend - 1. Rag, 2. Multiple rapid warmups to see if I can cure the paint on the pipe (if it's not already cured) + flashlight test.
Some detectors give false alarms due to location. Where is the smoke detector in relation to the stove? Could the smoke possibly be coming from the kitchen or other source?
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