hi folks, something to try if you have double wall pipe and a sweet smell. I had never run across that in all my time in this industry, but just approx 2 weeks ago we had a customer with that same smell, we tried everything, manufacture couldn't help us, so i finally sent a crew to completely change out the pipe. The pipe was double wall pipe with an extendable section, when the installers removed the pipe they found that enough dust had blown up inbetween the pipes to build up and begin to char slightly. We had taken the pipe to fairly high temps thinking the problem was just burn off, but it had this sweet smell that totally confused us. Replaced the pipe and the smell went away. The customer had modified his blower & my tech felt like the fan was blowing to directly on the pipe. Hope this is helpful to someone, would love to hear back from some to see what you find.
Strange smell...question.
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Pyro68
This would make sense indeed. I know that the double wall stove pipe that I use has an extendable section. It would make sense since I have been framing my basement and sending sawdust flying through the air relatively often. Perhaps a significant amount have fallen into the pipe. It will need to be looked at. I will check it out with my installer this week. I too have heated the pipe significantly (850-900F) thinking it was burn off. Time will tell..thanks for the tip, I printed it off.
Andrew
This would make sense indeed. I know that the double wall stove pipe that I use has an extendable section. It would make sense since I have been framing my basement and sending sawdust flying through the air relatively often. Perhaps a significant amount have fallen into the pipe. It will need to be looked at. I will check it out with my installer this week. I too have heated the pipe significantly (850-900F) thinking it was burn off. Time will tell..thanks for the tip, I printed it off.
Andrew
should have mentioned in the earlier post that dust was also pulled into the "air vents" in the standard section of pipe that connected directly to the stove, we were able to blow charred dust out of that as well.
Hey guys
Well, my stove installer came yesterday. To make sure my chimney was fine, we cleaned it out. There was barely anything at all in it. I guess my stove works properly other than the smell.
As for the smell, I was wrong with my earlier diagnosis. I thought the smell was coming from my pipes. I realized it is coming from my stove top!! I can see waves of heat with a pungent smell rising from it (with a 500 W work light shining on the stove). This smell would rise up along my stove pipe and that's where I would smell it. I would stick my nose down along the stove top and smell it.
I blew the pipes out, cleaned them out, and the smell is still there.
The installer tried to convince me that it's normal. After him saying that 10 times, I said "LIsten, I have over 20 friends who heat with wood and nobody else gets that smell
SO stop telling me it's normal. If it's so damn normal, does your wood stove smell?" He's going to contact the stove representative,
I have been burning with this stove for 3 months now. The temps of the flu have reached 850 degrees (with bypass open) and closed at 600 degrees. During my first 4-5 light ups I would burn enough paint that I could see a white haze in the air.
Next step???
Andrew
Well, my stove installer came yesterday. To make sure my chimney was fine, we cleaned it out. There was barely anything at all in it. I guess my stove works properly other than the smell.
As for the smell, I was wrong with my earlier diagnosis. I thought the smell was coming from my pipes. I realized it is coming from my stove top!! I can see waves of heat with a pungent smell rising from it (with a 500 W work light shining on the stove). This smell would rise up along my stove pipe and that's where I would smell it. I would stick my nose down along the stove top and smell it.
I blew the pipes out, cleaned them out, and the smell is still there.
The installer tried to convince me that it's normal. After him saying that 10 times, I said "LIsten, I have over 20 friends who heat with wood and nobody else gets that smell
SO stop telling me it's normal. If it's so damn normal, does your wood stove smell?" He's going to contact the stove representative,I have been burning with this stove for 3 months now. The temps of the flu have reached 850 degrees (with bypass open) and closed at 600 degrees. During my first 4-5 light ups I would burn enough paint that I could see a white haze in the air.
Next step???
Andrew
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