Quad CB1200 - slight smoke smell when burning - normal?

[620Apple]

Morning all. Well, the stove has been in for 5 days now, love it. I wish I was able to get more of the heat distributed around the house, but that is another issue. When the stove was first installed and upon it's first burn, the installers had an exhaust leak at the point of chimney connection at the back of the stove. I also initially had a "chemically" smell in addition to the smoke smell that I assume was due to paint/silicone curing.

Since the leak was supposedly fixed, I always get a smokey smell in the house after the thing lights. I think that it is maybe a puff of smoke as the thing lights but I can't tell. I don't think it gets any stronger after it is burning - probably just residual smell, but it is a smell that that is noticed when you come into the house. I am wondering whether it is smoke that builds in the chamber prior to ignition and then once it lights, the pressure pushes a puff out of the stove somewhere. Don't get me wrong, there is no visible smoke and it is not unbearable, but I am curious whether I should be smelling ANY smoke with this pellet stove. I have a call into the place that I bought it from, but I thought I'd get some opinions here first.

 

[watrskir]

I have the same stove and occasionally I also get a slight wiff of smoke that soon clears away. I also had a slight leak at the pipe fitting and suspect it could be there. A few of the "violent" starts I have seen a puff of smoke come out from the door seal. I plan on giving the screws on the latch a 1/4 soon. Curious to hear what your dealer says.

 

[TboneMan]

Same stove. Yes, I believe it is ok for a slight smoke smell at initial fire up. After that, however, you should have no addition smoke smell.

Are you still smelling smoke hours after it lights (and running continuously)?

 

[620Apple]

Same stove. Yes, I believe it is ok for a slight smoke smell at initial fire up. After that, however, you should have no addition smoke smell.

Are you still smelling smoke hours after it lights (and running continuously)?

Well, I think it is upon start up, but I still have a hint of it after it has been burning a while. The thing doesn't burn very long with the thermostat turning it on and off. It is in a room that is about 14x20 which then opens up into a kitchen that is about 15x20. Maybe the repeated start-ups make it "worse" than it really is because it is starting and stopping so often. As for whether I smell it running hours after it lights, it hasn't ever run for hours after it's lit, so I don't know... ;-)

 

[620Apple]

I have the same stove and occasionally I also get a slight wiff of smoke that soon clears away. I also had a slight leak at the pipe fitting and suspect it could be there. A few of the "violent" starts I have seen a puff of smoke come out from the door seal. I plan on giving the screws on the latch a 1/4 soon. Curious to hear what your dealer says.

I'll letcha know.

 

[imacman]

.....Maybe the repeated start-ups make it "worse" than it really is because it is starting and stopping so often.....

Apple, a couple things you can do to lessen the starting/stopping so often:

- lower the heat setting on the stove. If it's heating the house that fast, turn it down some. The idea this time of year when it's cold is to let it run at a constant setting, and only go on-off at night or during the day when no one is home.

- change the "swing" setting on the stat. Most come programmed for a 1 degree swing before the stat calls for heat. You should be able to raise it some. I have mine on 2 degrees, but I have a big open area. Sounds like yours could be bumped to 3 w/o any problem

 

[slls]

Should be no smoke smell on start up, you have a leak. Typical place to leak is the stove adapter.

 

[620Apple]

.....Maybe the repeated start-ups make it "worse" than it really is because it is starting and stopping so often.....

Apple, a couple things you can do to lessen the starting/stopping so often:

- lower the heat setting on the stove. If it's heating the house that fast, turn it down some. The idea this time of year when it's cold is to let it run at a constant setting, and only go on-off at night or during the day when no one is home.

- change the "swing" setting on the stat. Most come programmed for a 1 degree swing before the stat calls for heat. You should be able to raise it some. I have mine on 2 degrees, but I have a big open area. Sounds like yours could be bumped to 3 w/o any problem

I do have it on medium, maybe I'll back it down to the lower setting.

As for the swing, I don't recall that being a setting when I configured the t-stat. I'll take a look at the manual.

Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[620Apple]

.....Maybe the repeated start-ups make it "worse" than it really is because it is starting and stopping so often.....

Apple, a couple things you can do to lessen the starting/stopping so often:

- lower the heat setting on the stove. If it's heating the house that fast, turn it down some. The idea this time of year when it's cold is to let it run at a constant setting, and only go on-off at night or during the day when no one is home.

- change the "swing" setting on the stat. Most come programmed for a 1 degree swing before the stat calls for heat. You should be able to raise it some. I have mine on 2 degrees, but I have a big open area. Sounds like yours could be bumped to 3 w/o any problem

Macman,

Are you referring to the Heating cycles per hour on a t-stat? The unit is a Honeywell RTH2300. My installation guide says it has an option for eEating Cycles Per Hour - anywhere from 2-6 cycles per hour. The t-stat packaging advertises: "this thermostat holds +/- 1 degree F accuracy to maximize comfort."

2: 30 min (steam gravity)
3: 20 min (hot water, 90%+ high efficiency furnace)
4: 15 min (gas or oil)
5: 12 min (gas or oil)
6: 10 min (electric)

I am guessing since it cycles too much it is WAY too large for the space. I need to get some of the air out of that room to the rest of the house. I have the whole house circulating fan running and I just installed a new ceiling fan in the room.

 

[imacman]

Are you referring to the Heating cycles per hour on a t-stat?

I am guessing since it cycles too much it is WAY too large for the space. I need to get some of the air out of that room to the rest of the house. I have the whole house circulating fan running and I just installed a new ceiling fan in the room.

No, not heating cycles per hour. The swing setting simply delays the stat calling for heat. For example, if you have it set for 70 degrees, and a swing of 3, the stat won't call for heat until the temp actually gets down to 67.

Unfortunately, from what I see in your owners manual, Honeywell stats don't have that option. My Lux stat has swing settings from 1-9 dehrees. www.luxproducts.com/thermostats/tx500e.htm


And like I said before, if the stove is "too big", turn down the "heat" setting.

 

[620Apple]

Are you referring to the Heating cycles per hour on a t-stat?

I am guessing since it cycles too much it is WAY too large for the space. I need to get some of the air out of that room to the rest of the house. I have the whole house circulating fan running and I just installed a new ceiling fan in the room.

No, not heating cycles per hour. The swing setting simply delays the stat calling for heat. For example, if you have it set for 70 degrees, and a swing of 3, the stat won't call for heat until the temp actually gets down to 67.

Unfortunately, from what I see in your owners manual, Honeywell stats don't have that option. My Lux stat has swing settings from 1-9 dehrees. www.luxproducts.com/thermostats/tx500e.htm


And like I said before, if the stove is "too big", turn down the "heat" setting.

Yeah, once I found the "+/-1 degree F" thing, I assumed that this thing didn't have the swing option. I'll turn it down to low when I get home... Thanks.

 

[cncpro]

Are you referring to the Heating cycles per hour on a t-stat?

I am guessing since it cycles too much it is WAY too large for the space. I need to get some of the air out of that room to the rest of the house. I have the whole house circulating fan running and I just installed a new ceiling fan in the room.

No, not heating cycles per hour. The swing setting simply delays the stat calling for heat. For example, if you have it set for 70 degrees, and a swing of 3, the stat won't call for heat until the temp actually gets down to 67.

Unfortunately, from what I see in your owners manual, Honeywell stats don't have that option. My Lux stat has swing settings from 1-9 dehrees. www.luxproducts.com/thermostats/tx500e.htm


And like I said before, if the stove is "too big", turn down the "heat" setting.

My Honeywell also does not have a swing adjustment but I was able to gain a similar benefit by adjusting the "cycles per hour"...

I would prefer the ability to set a swing in degrees but limiting cycles per hour is working fine in my house.

You may want to have a look at the door hinge adjustment as you look for the source of the smoke smell. When I first installed my stove I had the latch side of the door adjusted properly but the hinge side was a little loose and causing smoky starts. A 5 minute adjustment made a big difference.

 

[620Apple]

Are you referring to the Heating cycles per hour on a t-stat?

I am guessing since it cycles too much it is WAY too large for the space. I need to get some of the air out of that room to the rest of the house. I have the whole house circulating fan running and I just installed a new ceiling fan in the room.

No, not heating cycles per hour. The swing setting simply delays the stat calling for heat. For example, if you have it set for 70 degrees, and a swing of 3, the stat won't call for heat until the temp actually gets down to 67.

Unfortunately, from what I see in your owners manual, Honeywell stats don't have that option. My Lux stat has swing settings from 1-9 dehrees. www.luxproducts.com/thermostats/tx500e.htm


And like I said before, if the stove is "too big", turn down the "heat" setting.

My Honeywell also does not have a swing adjustment but I was able to gain a similar benefit by adjusting the "cycles per hour"...

I would prefer the ability to set a swing in degrees but limiting cycles per hour is working fine in my house.

You may want to have a look at the door hinge adjustment as you look for the source of the smoke smell. When I first installed my stove I had the latch side of the door adjusted properly but the hinge side was a little loose and causing smoky starts. A 5 minute adjustment made a big difference.

I am not in front of the stove right now, but what adjustments can be done on the hinges? What did you back your cycles per hour to? And what, this just limits the maximum number of times the thing will fire up regardless of the thermostat calling for heat?

 

[cncpro]

The hinges are slotted so you can loosen up the screws and that allows you to make the door gasket contact the stove tighter or looser. It's pretty straight-forward once you're looking at the stove.

My cycles are at either 2 or 3... I think they were at 5 or 6 when the thermostat was new.

Yes, it restricts how frequently it will start and therefore produces a similar effect to the swing setting... You'll end up with longer burns and fewer restarts because the house cools a bit further before restarting.

Regarding getting the air moving... Try to find a way to blow some cool air into the stove room with a floor fan. This will help spread the heat around better than trying to blow the heat out of that room. It also makes things more comfortable if you're sitting in the room with the stove.

 

[TboneMan]

Same stove. Yes, I believe it is ok for a slight smoke smell at initial fire up. After that, however, you should have no addition smoke smell.

Are you still smelling smoke hours after it lights (and running continuously)?

Well, I think it is upon start up, but I still have a hint of it after it has been burning a while. The thing doesn't burn very long with the thermostat turning it on and off. It is in a room that is about 14x20 which then opens up into a kitchen that is about 15x20. Maybe the repeated start-ups make it "worse" than it really is because it is starting and stopping so often. As for whether I smell it running hours after it lights, it hasn't ever run for hours after it's lit, so I don't know... ;-)

I have one of the Honeywell Tstats that seems ultra sensitive to temp change. The thing is, since you are "space heating" you need to let the area nearest the stove actually get hotter than what you're considering a "comfortable level". Since you're letting gravity do its thing, you'll need to generate great temp differentials to move heat.

You need to experiment with the blower setting, pellet volume, and t-stat settings. For one, quick cycling is not the best thing for these things. Find a combination that keeps the unit running for a couple of hours (or constantly if possible). I heat 2500sf house (2 story, open floor plan). The stove does 98% of the heating. Propane forced air kicks in to recover temps or stabilize temps on the coldest nights.

I experiments A LOT before finding just the right setting.

 

[620Apple]

The hinges are slotted so you can loosen up the screws and that allows you to make the door gasket contact the stove tighter or looser. It's pretty straight-forward once you're looking at the stove.

My cycles are at either 2 or 3... I think they were at 5 or 6 when the thermostat was new.

Yes, it restricts how frequently it will start and therefore produces a similar effect to the swing setting... You'll end up with longer burns and fewer restarts because the house cools a bit further before restarting.

Regarding getting the air moving... Try to find a way to blow some cool air into the stove room with a floor fan. This will help spread the heat around better than trying to blow the heat out of that room. It also makes things more comfortable if you're sitting in the room with the stove.

Thanks CNC, I'll take a look at the hinges tonight.

I think the default on the Honeywell was 5. Maybe I'll start by turning it to low and backing down the cycles... I think I might consider being more mindful of the fire characteristics and adjust the feed rate as the manual suggests.

I guess it'll take me some time to get my handle on how to really run the stove. Appreciate the help.

 

[cncpro]

Just proceed with caution... I imagine too tight could cause the glass to break...

 

[CanadaClinker]

......hey apple......nice stove yu got there....sure ur gonna enjoy it.... my freestanding 1200 gives off a hint of smoke at startup, I think it is because a little bit seeps out the 'air wash' which is at the top of each pain of glass, a thin space that goes up and over the glass under the frame that holds the glass in place. I have a co2 detector and a smoke detector about 20 feet from the stove and neither have gone off nor given any reading but 'zero' (co2) ..... hope you have detectors too.. ;-)

......oh more on the airwash, after about month, suck the space clean using a crevice tool with your vac.... from the outside of the door and also use a small wire like a twist-tie (without the plastic or paper covering) made into an upside down 'j' shape and use it to also help clean slot to keep the air-wash effective. ... my dealer told me about that one........oh....... did I mention 'detectors' ................and a good fire extinguisher located on the opposite side of the room from the stove or close by in the next room if it isn't too far away...... . cc

 

[Nicholas440]

Sounds like you have a small leak, and you need to put some high temp Silicone around the seams on the vent pipe where it connects to your stove adapter.

I have a Quad, Castile Insert, and mine had the same problem you describe. We put some silicone all around the vent seams on that adapter part and now there is no smell.. Not a trace of anything... I would seal up the seams on that vent and you should be good to go..


Nicholas,

 

[620Apple]

......hey apple......nice stove yu got there....sure ur gonna enjoy it.... my freestanding 1200 gives off a hint of smoke at startup, I think it is because a little bit seeps out the 'air wash' which is at the top of each pain of glass, a thin space that goes up and over the glass under the frame that holds the glass in place. I have a co2 detector and a smoke detector about 20 feet from the stove and neither have gone off nor given any reading but 'zero' (co2) ..... hope you have detectors too.. ;-)

......oh more on the airwash, after about month, suck the space clean using a crevice tool with your vac.... from the outside of the door and also use a small wire like a twist-tie (without the plastic or paper covering) made into an upside down 'j' shape and use it to also help clean slot to keep the air-wash effective. ... my dealer told me about that one........oh....... did I mention 'detectors' ...

Tan............and a good fire extinguisher located on the opposite side of the room from the stove or close by in the next room if it isn't too far away...... . cc

Thanks for the window cleaning suggestion.

Yes, CO2 detector and new smoke alarms in the room. Fire extinguisher around the corner in the garage and one at the top of the basement stairs - both basically across the room. Thanks!

 

[620Apple]

Sounds like you have a small leak, and you need to put some high temp Silicone around the seams on the vent pipe where it connects to your stove adapter.

I have a Quad, Castile Insert, and mine had the same problem you describe. We put some silicone all around the vent seams on that adapter part and now there is no smell.. Not a trace of anything... I would seal up the seams on that vent and you should be good to go..


Nicholas,

Nicholas - I think you nailed it. I cleaned the box last night. When I went to fire it back up, I opened the left access panel and used a flash light to watch the stack as the fire started. Sure enough, I saw some smoke seeping out somewhere around the back side of the vent and adapter. Looks like the leak is on the back side of the pipe - the side I can't see. As I said, the installers gooped it up pretty good with silicone and installed some tape after they noticed the leak - I guess they didn't get it all. I did hear back from the dealer after my initial call, but they were going to call me back after speaking with the installer. I'll be sure to pass on that I saw the smoke when I speak to them this AM...

Also, to those that care. I adjusted my thermostat down to 2 cycles per hour, adjusted my flame (4-6" on high) as described in the manual, and am trying to run it on low to see how it goes. The only thing is that it seems that the flames barely get out of the fire pot on low...

Thanks.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

620Apple,

slls also nailed it back in the 6th post on the thread https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewreply/569225/ .

Canadian Clinker,

If you are getting even a wiff of a smoke smell at startup something isn't quite up to snuff. The bad stuff should all be sucked out the exhaust, it shouldn't make it out the air wash.

Smoke smell in the house is a no no with the stove closed and running.

 

[620Apple]

620Apple,

slls also nailed it back in the 6th post on the thread https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewreply/569225/ .

slls, you nailed it first!

Thanks for the correction Smokey

 

[slls]

620Apple,

slls also nailed it back in the 6th post on the thread https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewreply/569225/ .

slls, you nailed it first!

Thanks for the correction Smokey

Thanks

 

[620Apple]

Dealer tech confirmed the leak at the adapter... Adjusted it, taped it, siliconed it and it has been good ever since. Thanks again.