Smokin' up the house...(video)

[begreen]

The matte stove is going to smell for the first few fires. It has a lot more paint surface than the enameled units. That looks like a small load of wood. I'm not sure that is going to get the insert hot enough. Do you have a thermometer to measure the actual stove top temp?

The draft port screw looks like it should have a nut on it to lock it down, but don't lose any sleep over this. Unscrew it tomorrow and take it to the local hardware store and get a matching nut.

 

[loudog]

I'm down with the curing idea to a degree. But, why does it smell like wood smoke?

Yeah, I might have something in my basement to use as a lock nut. I'll tighten it down and throw one on there.

Be: the small load was just to check for smoke leaks at the liner connection. Didn't want to drown us in smoke if there was something noticeable.

 

[begreen]

Is the smoke smell mostly after starting the fire or opening the insert door? You should turn off the blower when reloading to avoid this.

Are there any other fireplaces in the house?

 

[loudog]

We do turn off the blower, it is the only fireplace, and it smells while operating, not just on startup. We cleaned all the ash off the stove and surfaces around it and lit another fire. We'll see if it/ the blower produces more.

 

[begreen]

Do you have a method for measuring the insert temperature?

 

[loudog]

I measure the top below the removable grill with an infrared thermometer. That's where hearthstone says sustained temps above 600 not recommended. Good spot?

 

[Isaac Carlson]

Is the top of your chimney sealed? Do you have have an outside air intake? The house may simply be trying to breathe and will pull in fresh air wherever it can get it. There may be a leak that is letting the smoke come back down along the outside of the liner and back into the house. It is always a good idea to have an outside air intake. It makes the house less drafty and will let the stove get all the air it needs, regardless of how the house wants to draft.

 

[begreen]

I measure the top below the removable grill with an infrared thermometer. That's where hearthstone says sustained temps above 600 not recommended. Good spot?

Yup, sounds like you have the right method and tool. You'll find it gets hotter there with the blower off than when it's on.

 

[loudog]

The chimney has a cap and appears to be sealed. I'm no expert as you can see.

Update: we burned another full cycle at about 550 stovetop, and we just started another cycle about an hour ago and got to 600 before toning it down a bit. The smoke has subsided substantially and seems to be essentially gone at this point.

This seems to lend credence to the off gassing theory, but I'm still not sure why things wood smell like wood smoke? I'll keep you updated, but hopefully our smoking woes are over!

 

[Isaac Carlson]

Sounds like things are looking up. It looks like they sealed the pipe with a paintbrush

 

[nate379]

With warm outside temps you have, I could see where you'd have a poor draft.

With my setup, I don't usually fire up the stove till it's getting in the low-mid 30s. Warmer than that I have a fairly lazy draft, plus it's way too easy to overheat my house. Granted each setup it different, though might be worth waiting till it's cold out. (BTW I kinda envy you, the high for today so far is 4*)

 

[webby3650]

It may not be a concern, but the installer didn't use a stove top adapter or the usual rigid elbow on top. He used a coupler that is made to attach two pieces of flex together. Kinda of odd

 

[cottonwoodsteve]

Sometimes the outlet ring for the chimney pipe is not cast into the stove. It is a separate piece that bolts on. Sometimes it is just a ring / flange type. Other times it is a big section that can reverse so the outlet is either angled back or straight up.
I suspect this piece is not attached correctly. Since most of this stuff is rough castings maybe there is a defect in the casting or it wasn't machined correctly.
Maybe it wasn't bolted down when it was setup.
Look at your manual and also get a small mirror on a stick in there to see the base area of the chimney pipe attachment outlet.

 

[PLAYS WITH FIRE]

Not sure if the you are talking about the sealant gap or the gap from the connector to the liner. When I looked closely at the last pic of the liner. I could see a large gap like the liner is not pushed in all the way....maybe an illusion?