Smoke!

[heffergm]

Tonight I really got the stove cranking, up to around 650 surface, closed it down, burnt the glass clean. About an hour or so later, smoke detector went off, and indeed there was noticeable smoke.

I see no obvious leak, and I don't really know how to go about tracking the problem down. I did have a window open, and thoght perhaps the wind was blowing smoke back inside, but after airing the house out and then closing all the windows again, there's still signs of smoke, so that doesn't appear to be it.

I'll be calling my installer Monday, but any suggestions in the meantime, fire away.... (other than not to burn in the meantime obviously).

 

[Rougement]

Same thing just happened to me. The chimney cap was clogged with soot.

 

[savageactor7]

Alrighty then I take it the stove was professionally installed and they OK'd the entire shebang.

If you have any fans pointed toward the stove...even if they 20' away from the stove, turn them off before opening the stove.

Occasionally our smoke detector will go off too...usually when I forget to turn off a floor fan in the next room. Other than that if you don't see smoke leaking out of the stove I'm stuck...esp if it was a recent install by pros. Otherwise I'd suggest the chimney or cap was plugged ...but you'd see smoke if that was the case.

 

[heffergm]

Brand new liner.... 3rd fire.

 

[savageactor7]

hummm well it could be some of the manufacturing process burning off...new stoves will do that.

 

[heffergm]

Alrighty then I take it the stove was professionally installed and they OK'd the entire shebang.

If you have any fans pointed toward the stove...even if they 20' away from the stove, turn them off before opening the stove.

Occasionally our smoke detector will go off too...usually when I forget to turn off a floor fan in the next room. Other than that if you don't see smoke leaking out of the stove I'm stuck...esp if it was a recent install by pros. Otherwise I'd suggest the chimney or cap was plugged ...but you'd see smoke if that was the case.

The weird thing was this wasn't during a
reload. The stove had been chugging
away for a bit. There is a ceiling fan in the room and
I do get a bit of smoke when reloading, but this was more substantial.

 

[savageactor7]

That would worry me...why not let go cold till the installer can check it out. Sure its smoke and not a metallic oiley smell?

 

[heffergm]

hummm well it could be some of the manufacturing process burning off...new stoves will do that.

during the first fire I could see the surface leeching smoke and
could smell the fumes. Expected that. I
suppose with the increase in temps tonight it could have been another stage of the same breakin, but my gut tells me it wasn't.

I think I might have to repeat the whole process to know for sure.

 

[savageactor7]

OK then so you think it's the manufacturing process and not smoke...well that good. The owners manual should recommend a way to burn and cure the stove...some stoves can be real foul and a few members burn their stove out in the driveway.

If you weren't expecting it yeah it could be a good reason to be concerned. But it is normal.

 

[heffergm]

OK then so you think it's the manufacturing process and not smoke...well that good. The owners manual should recommend a way to burn and cure the stove...some stoves can be real foul and a few members burn their stove out in the driveway.

If you weren't expecting it yeah it could be a good reason to be concerned. But it is normal.

actually, no I don't, but I'm hoping it was. I don't really think I should get smoke from the manufacturing process, especially not enough to set off a smoke detector in a room with 20ft ceilings.

However, I'm willing to hope....

The only other thing I can think it might be is some of the sealing cement (black stuff, consistency of caulk) that they used on the T connector. He accidentally got a bit on the stove, but I'd think given what it's used for, it wouldn't create smoke.

I'm really hoping it was the open window, which is right below the 20ft chimney on the floor right by the stove (first floor, roughly 14 feet below the chimney exit, but the wind was blowing). I just didn't see any smoke coming in....

 

[savageactor7]

I suppose it's possible that smoke could downdraft 20' and enter your window...but it's very unlikely. If it's smoke getting into the house that's not a good thing...let the installer check it out.

EDIT and come back to us and let us know the verdict.

 

[begreen]

Brand new liner.... 3rd fire.

Third fire with a painted stove. Sounds like it is the first time the stove got really hot. Might just be the paint and oils baking in. Open a window and let it clear out. You might get one or two more smokey stove burns when the stove is hot. If each time it gets better (less smoke) don't worry about it. It will be a memory by next week.

If it doesn't get better, by all means find the source of the smoke.

 

[Diabel]

Sounds like curing paint.

 

[heffergm]

Could be. I'm gonna get it
toasty today again and see, once everyone else is out for the day !

 

[savageactor7]

Just reloaded stove top is 600° ...life is good.

 

[LLigetfa]

Your nose is your friend here. It should be able to discern whether it is wood smoke or baked paint. Smoke detectors are affected by air movement. Just cuz it didn't go off at the peak of the burn cycle doesn't discount the source of the smoke. Having a window open further affects the air movement.

 

[heffergm]

Your nose is your friend here. It should be able to discern whether it is wood smoke or baked paint. Smoke detectors are affected by air movement. Just cuz it didn't go off at the peak of the burn cycle doesn't discount the source of the smoke. Having a window open further affects the air movement.

these things are always tough to discern without an immediate frame of reference, but if I go outside now and take a whiff of chimney smoke, no it didn't smell like that. It was less fragrant/woody. So perhaps that's a good sign.

 

[Slow1]

these things are always tough to discern without an immediate frame of reference, ...

Now isn't that the truth! As someone who had never burned a wood stove until just over a year ago and didn't grow up around them I constantly felt the pain of this fact. So much of burning seems to be referential as it is as much an art as a science given the number of variables involved. If you are anything like me and don't come from a burning background then you are having to build your own reference set of experiences. Even if you did burn sometime in the past, it seems (based on my reading here) that much of the pre-epa experience may be a little misleading.

I think you are doing good - healthy sense of awareness mixed with the drive to keep going and learn the ropes with guidance from those who have been there/done that.

It always amazes me how there are folks out there who will do substandard installs, disable their smoke detectors (not even have CO alarms) and live in a smoky home without even wondering if they just might have a problem brewing somewhere. Here we are on the other end of the spectrum where after weeks of burning we can hit a new high temp and notice a bit of new paint cure smell and our internal alarm bells go off. Hey, it isn't like there's a 1200* fire in the house or anything eh? .. oh yeah there is.

Anyway - sounds like you are getting that stove up to temp now which is a good thing for you. Hopefully you will soon have the art/science down of getting into a stable clean burn within a reasonable amount of time (however you define that - we each have our own standards eh?).

 

[savageactor7]

Is the jury still out?

 

[Diabel]

Is the jury still out?

In terms of the smoke smell...OP...or Slow1 being still bitter toward VC ? ;-)

 

[Slow1]

Is the jury still out?

In terms of the smoke smell...OP...or Slow1 being still bitter toward VC ? ;-)

Bitter? Me?? Didn't know I was facing a jury anyway. Hmm... well... Perhaps I should leave it at that to avoid having to plead the 5th.

Seriously - I do make an effort to TRY and be rational about such things and every stove has it's place I'm sure. I know that there are many happy VC NC owners out there as many of you were a great help to me so that I could learn my stove last year. For this I am quite grateful and appreciative. I have 'bit my finger' so to speak many times in an effort to keep any comments regarding my VC experience productive.

I also now know from experience that there clearly are easier stoves to operate - at least in my installation. I just finished loading up a few splits in the stove - 10 minutes start to finish. Last year in the same situation I would have had a cold stove and an hour of working with it to get it stable and clean by time I had my coal bed built up then loaded for the day and engaged the everburn. Then I would have been wondering if it was smoking or not until I checked the chimney and about 20% of the time it would still be smoking (once I was pretty good at it). I now have put in less wood than it would have taken to build the initial coal bed and I have confidence this stove has no smoke. I won't have to reload for a few hours.

I suppose I did go through a bitter phase there in the grieving process but I feel I'm past that now and have accepted the loss of the $'s and time spent learning that stove. I don't really feel anger anymore. After all it was mostly my own mistake to go into it less than well informed. However I do feel a moral obligation to encourage others to review the available comments out there and make an informed decision before making a final commitment on any stove they stick into their home - not just the stove shop/manufacturer literature as I did. Perhaps if I can help others avoid the same pain that I went through then not all my loss will have been a waste. After all, I am the lucky one - I could afford to replace the stove after only one season and take the loss - I fully recognize that not everyone can do this.

Now, OP - how about that smoke issue eh?

 

[savageactor7]

whoops sorry for the confusion fellas I was referring to heffergm's smoke/manufacturing odor.

 

[heffergm]

Well, after a burn yesterday... nothing. Totally fine. Other than the searing heat. I'm going to need to use small loads to tone this thing back. I oddly haven't had an issue running the stove closed down. It does seem to want a really good coal bed, but once I've got that, the only smoke I get is when initially closing down. It only lasts for a short time, then it chugs along.

I'm going to keep an eye on it.

 

[savageactor7]

OK then that's good to hear it wasn't an install problem, can't offer you any advice cause VC's aren't my lane. Good luck with it though.

 

[fire_man]

Is the jury still out?

In terms of the smoke smell...OP...or Slow1 being still bitter toward VC ? ;-)

Bitter? Me?? Didn't know I was facing a jury anyway. Hmm... well... Perhaps I should leave it at that to avoid having to plead the 5th.

Seriously - I do make an effort to TRY and be rational about such things and every stove has it's place I'm sure. I know that there are many happy VC NC owners out there as many of you were a great help to me so that I could learn my stove last year. For this I am quite grateful and appreciative. I have 'bit my finger' so to speak many times in an effort to keep any comments regarding my VC experience productive.

I also now know from experience that there clearly are easier stoves to operate - at least in my installation. I just finished loading up a few splits in the stove - 10 minutes start to finish. Last year in the same situation I would have had a cold stove and an hour of working with it to get it stable and clean by time I had my coal bed built up then loaded for the day and engaged the everburn. Then I would have been wondering if it was smoking or not until I checked the chimney and about 20% of the time it would still be smoking (once I was pretty good at it). I now have put in less wood than it would have taken to build the initial coal bed and I have confidence this stove has no smoke. I won't have to reload for a few hours.

I suppose I did go through a bitter phase there in the grieving process but I feel I'm past that now and have accepted the loss of the $'s and time spent learning that stove. I don't really feel anger anymore. After all it was mostly my own mistake to go into it less than well informed. However I do feel a moral obligation to encourage others to review the available comments out there and make an informed decision before making a final commitment on any stove they stick into their home - not just the stove shop/manufacturer literature as I did. Perhaps if I can help others avoid the same pain that I went through then not all my loss will have been a waste. After all, I am the lucky one - I could afford to replace the stove after only one season and take the loss - I fully recognize that not everyone can do this.

Now, OP - how about that smoke issue eh?

I almost went down exactly the same path you did. The ratings on Hearth.com changed my thinking. We were looking at VC Everburn Stoves but my research from actual users led me to similar conclusions as you note above. We have been thrilled with the Fireview. I think my wife would have thrown me in the stove if I swapped stoves after a year. :ahhh: