Odd smell from stove, normal??

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epehubb

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Jan 9, 2010
55
SWCT
I just fired up a Breckwell 23 I bought from ebay. I cleaned it thoroughly and checked the gaskets. In fact replaced the combustion fan gasket. There was a very slight wood smoke smell when it first fired. Once it got warmed up I smelled a burning paint smell. I thought this could occur when the stove was new but it has clearly been run before. Any ideas before I really crank this thing up??
 
epehubb said:
I just fired up a Breckwell 23 I bought from ebay. I cleaned it thoroughly and checked the gaskets. In fact replaced the combustion fan gasket. There was a very slight wood smoke smell when it first fired. Once it got warmed up I smelled a burning paint smell. I thought this could occur when the stove was new but it has clearly been run before. Any ideas before I really crank this thing up??

Since you bought it used, maybe the previous owner spray painted it w/ hi heat paint to make it look nice for eBay pics?? Turn the heat up to medium or above for 2-3 hours, and the smell should go away.

The smoke odor at startup should be checked into. There really shouldn't be any wood smell at all, even at start-up. Make sure all joints are sealed......aluminum furnace tape works well.
 
macman said:
epehubb said:
I just fired up a Breckwell 23 I bought from ebay. I cleaned it thoroughly and checked the gaskets. In fact replaced the combustion fan gasket. There was a very slight wood smoke smell when it first fired. Once it got warmed up I smelled a burning paint smell. I thought this could occur when the stove was new but it has clearly been run before. Any ideas before I really crank this thing up??

Since you bought it used, maybe the previous owner spray painted it w/ hi heat paint to make it look nice for eBay pics?? Turn the heat up to medium or above for 2-3 hours, and the smell should go away.

The smoke odor at startup should be checked into. There really shouldn't be any wood smell at all, even at start-up. Make sure all joints are sealed......aluminum furnace tape works well.

Agreed! If the odd smell doesn't go away in a few hours then I would worry.

But for now look into the smoke smell. From a cold start, fire up the stove, turn out the lights (or do this at night), and go around with a flashlight checking each joint. If you see any puffs of smoke you need to seal that joint.

What type of pipe did you use, and how complex is your piping?
 
thanks for the replies. Here's what I know. There was no new paint on the stove, that's what makes me so curious. I ran it for about 4 hours yesterday, but it was hard to tell if the smell went away, as it may have just been lingering.

I used all new 3" vent pipe and followed all the instructions and my EVL is within the allowable range. All the joints are sealed with RTV and the horizontal joints are taped with UL approved aluminum tape. I was not able to feel any air coming out of the vent joints.

I did feel air coming out of the space between the combustion fan MOTOR, and the FAN BLADE HOUSING. It looks like there are cooling fins but I am not sure if I should be feeling air flow there.

The smell did seem to be coming from the convection tubes but I figure that they would be circulating any smell from around the stove into the room
 
the silicone, and tape could be giving off a smell while curing, and the room fan is pulling the smell and spreading it...
 
Update- I just found that the ash pan housing bolts were a little loose, so I tightened them up. I also found that air is being drawn in between the bottom of the glass and the door. Is this the airwash? The manual stipulates that any door glass work should be done by the dealer. Can I DIY a new glass gasket or does the airwash allow that much airflow?
 
Thanks for the the suggestions so far.

After I replaced the door gasket and ash pan gasket, and checking the vent joints, I fired the unit back up. What I found during the initial startup (the smokey period during ignition) was cracks in the sealant between the combustion fan housing and the fitting that accepts the appliance adapter. I am not sure what this fitting is called.

Can anyone tell me what this fitting is called and if re-sealing the joint is a DIY job?
 
epehubb said:
Thanks for the the suggestions so far.

After I replaced the door gasket and ash pan gasket, and checking the vent joints, I fired the unit back up. What I found during the initial startup (the smokey period during ignition) was cracks in the sealant between the combustion fan housing and the fitting that accepts the appliance adapter. I am not sure what this fitting is called.

Can anyone tell me what this fitting is called and if re-sealing the joint is a DIY job?

Other than it being an area that is a pain to work in (and old seal removal isn't much fun) there is no reason that you can't redo the seal. Be certain to use the correct temperature sealant.

ETA: That is called the exhaust blower transition in one manual. Maybe some time later I'll look at a few more to see how many names it goes by.
 
OK so I removed and cleaned and replaced with sealant the exhaust blower transition fitting. I am still getting smoke (smelled, not seen) out of that area at the time of ignition. The problem with locating the leak is the air current being created by the cooling fan on the combustion fan motor.

Has anyone ever seen smoke getting by the shaft seal on the combustion motor on a Breckwell P23? I would prefer to find the source rather than just blindly loading up the joints with sealant until there is no more smoke smell.
 
I can't speak about that situation on a Breckwell, but I have seen smoke exit a combustion motor on a blower. It was the result of the smoke following a path that started because the motor assembly wasn't quite sealed by the gasket. A little bit of nut driver work took care of it.

Also it is very hard to make certain that you actually get those joints completely sealed as you have to work by feel on part of it.

Other places where leaks are frequently found is where the drop tube meets the auger flight, sometimes there will be a gray colored V pointing back to were the leak actually is. A leak here can pop out in a number of places including through the convection system or in the hopper.

You might want to check your tee as there is a bit of downward force that can cause problems where the horizontal portion joins the vertical portion.
 
I had a bit of a smoke smell coming out of my Breckwell P23 last winter but it wasn't every day or did I just get used to it?
I had the stove cleaned and nothing changed. I'm the original owner and am starting my 6th season. The smoke smell still appeared after the cleaning but again, it's not every day. I'm going to try some of your suggestions.
Also, the gasket around the glass door by one of the hinges appears to be sort of burned off for about 1.5 inches. I asked if that needed replacing and was told no by the service man. Just wondering if I should have replaced it. Thanks.
 
If your stove is functioning correctly you should not smell wood smoke unless you open the stove up or you lose power and don't have enough of a natural draw through the venting.

If you are smelling wood smoke you have a leak somewhere. Your door gasket should be complete and you should have difficulty pulling a dollar bill out that you place in several spots around each side of the door (this is the dollar bill test and it is done with the stove off and cold). Just like on your refrigerator a loose gasket is something to fix. It results in improper operation of your stove and will allow smoke to make its way into your living space.
 
You are right; the dollar bill comes right out of the top of the door all the way across. On the sides and the bottom, I can't get it out. It looks like the gasket is ok but I am assuming that it needs to be replaced. Is that something that I can do easily enough?
 
splash said:
You are right; the dollar bill comes right out of the top of the door all the way across. On the sides and the bottom, I can't get it out. It looks like the gasket is ok but I am assuming that it needs to be replaced. Is that something that I can do easily enough?

Sounds like you found your leak.

Yes, it is something you can replace yourself. Breckwell does not specifically list this part for your model, despite list all others, so it may be a standard gasket size. Contact then and ask what to get.
 
I don't know what is available in the way of adjustment on your door, on some stoves the doors get out of alignment.

Basically you should get a seal all around the door when closed, other than a shot gasket there is only alignment to consider.
 
epehubb and anyone else that is subscribed.

One really long shot to consider is there is a possibility that the stove can not get enough air when the convection air blower kicks on resulting in the smoke exiting the air intake and getting caught up in the convection system.

If this is the case, you must OAK.
 
ok, when a pellet stove lights it "smoulders" to ignition, smoke will be heaviest at that time in the burn chamber and exhaust pathway and the flue system will not be heated so draft will be sluggish,so if there is spillage it will be fastly more noticable at this time.
also, virtually all pellet stoves (and all of the "direct vent" versions) operate under the principle of "negative draft" in other words air is not "blown" onto the fire, its pulled through the fire from the exhaust side. why is this important to note when looking for a leak? simple because any leak from the exhaust blower backward through the stove will not expell smoke rather it will suck air in. so if you are looking for a smoke spillage issue concentrate on the areas from the exhaust blower out. a door gasket or window gasket should not expell smoke while the exhaust blower is running unless the flue is blocked or at least badly restricted to the point where the smoke (and heat) expand faster than the blower can extract it. if smoke spillage occurs from a door or window gasket and you know the exhaust blower was runnning when it happened , check flue, ash traps and intake for restriction and regasket the leaking joint unless its meant to be left ungasketed (like an airwash opening) in which case it must be a blockage or a defective exhaust blower or control board which supplies its power(maybe not running the blower at the proper RPM's)


hope this helps
 
epehubb said:
Thanks for the the suggestions so far.

After I replaced the door gasket and ash pan gasket, and checking the vent joints, I fired the unit back up. What I found during the initial startup (the smokey period during ignition) was cracks in the sealant between the combustion fan housing and the fitting that accepts the appliance adapter. I am not sure what this fitting is called.

Can anyone tell me what this fitting is called and if re-sealing the joint is a DIY job?


we call it an "appliance adapter" resealing it is a DIY job for most folks , usually a few tech screws and cleaning the old silicone off, then reapplying fresh 500F or higher silicone.

BTW the cooling fan on the exhaust blower is the source of the free flowing air you felt that you mentioned in previous post.
 
Thanks to all for your information. I'll see what I can do.
 
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