Help! Bad chemical smell

[Mrs.Mquinn]

Hi, I'm new here. I have two pellet stoves one I'm having a problem with my older one. It's a Bosch. It's about 6 yrs old , used plenty in winters past with no issues. Last winter I cleaned it & fired it up. I noticed a smell that would burn my throat. It was unbearable. So this summer I opened the windows and fired it up about 3 times as hot as she would go. The smell is horrible. It can't be paint, as it's not new. Could it be old pellets that have been sitting ? I'm thinking no be there's no smell in the hopper ( where the pellets go right?). My husband put a tape or a caulk on the pipes awhile back & he's thinking it's the adhesive burning off. I would normally agree but , the last time I let it burn it was for about an hour and a half full blast. The smell was so bad I had to open all the windows for hours and had to leave the house. Any and all suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you

 

[michpelletburner]

i would look inside the panels on the stove and make sure there is nothing melting or burning on the hot surfaces. Could even be a motor burning up or the control board, i would definitely not burn it until you find it

 

[SidecarFlip]

Maybe a dead rat inside.....

 

[bcarton]

One of the most important steps in troubleshooting, and those of us who fix things never like to admit it, is go back and investigate the last thing changed. Even with the stove cold, you may find that getting your nose up to one of those sealed vent joints will reveal that the smell is coming from there. If it is, then you'll need to get all of it off of there and re-apply sealant or tape made specifically for high-temp applications.

 

[SidecarFlip]

More I think about it, the more I think you are probably right. Not a dead rat but some gassing off sealant on a joint.

 

[bcarton]

Burning electronics usually smell like burning plastic. If you don't know what that smells like, take a lighter and torch the end of a plastic straw or cheap plastic pen. That's the smell.

The only animal smell I ever encountered that had a chemical smell to it, I hate to say, was from a family of garter snakes that made their home in the suspended ceiling in my basement. They were getting in through a gap behind our cement front steps, and the smell was very ammonia from - guess what. I did figure out how to let them leave but prevent them from coming back in, yet I was awarded no Husband Points and only 2 or 3 Dad Points because I refused to just kill them all - which I'm not sure how I was supposed to do that anyway.

 

[SidecarFlip]

We are out in the boonies at the end f the power line (literally) so we get all sorts of critters visiting all the time. I just check my venting in the fall to make sure no one has taken up residence.

 

[Mrs.Mquinn]

One of the most important steps in troubleshooting, and those of us who fix things never like to admit it, is go back and investigate the last thing changed. Even with the stove cold, you may find that getting your nose up to one of those sealed vent joints will reveal that the smell is coming from there. If it is, then you'll need to get all of it off of there and re-apply sealant or tape made specifically for high-temp applications.

This is what I've been thinking. I'll go sniff around tomorrow. tyvm

 

[Mrs.Mquinn]

Snakes ? I'd die , literally , just die. I have opened it up & looked . I will do again. The smell is so chemically and fills my whole house & burns the throat. I'm going for the caulk/tape suggestion. We thought it would just burn off , and maybe it eventually would , but it's taking too long & I'm not looking to poison kids or myself with the smell any longer . It cant be good to breathe that stuff.
Thanks all for your help.

 

[bcarton]

Some people use this type of tape on their stoves: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Nashua-T...-Fusing-Silicone-Tape-Black-1208952/100206050

I have some, but ended up not needing it. It is useful to have around the house, though. A lot of people also like the 3M aluminum high-temp tape.

That and some good old Rutland hi-temp silicone sealant should do the trick. Hope you solve it!

 

[Wilbur Feral]

I have to suspect whatever tape hyour ubby used (and/or other sealant). I use non-adhesive high-temp silicone tape from the auto parts store on my stove joints, that is held in place by friction only. Very easy to remove when necessary, seals perfectly, and no smell. For sealant, use ONLY high temp sealant designed for stoves. I suspect something else might have been used when he made his repairs, and would start by undoing / redoing those after wuickly checking the vent for dead animals, as suggested. I'm betting you'll have no animals but a remaining smell until past work is addresed.

 

[3650]

Did you or anyone else use automotive rtv sealant on it? That will stink to high heaven if so.