Well it is day two. . . Smell is less noxious and I think I am getting the hang of it. I had a hard time getting the stove going yesterday, and I believe it was that the wood I was using was not completely dry. It seems these stoves are much more sensitive to moisture in wood. Even today, I was hovering around 200 degrees for a while, then it started to roll got it up to 500. I just added a second set of logs and the temps are creeping back up and there is a beautiful secondary fire burning (or whatever it is called). So far so good! It is about 6 degrees today. I will be interested to see how things go when it is 30+ out.
VC Vigilant vs. Englander 13NCL
- Thread starter DrEvil
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Good that the smell is going down. It should be gone after today.
Yep, there is no substitute for good wood. Damp wood is going to burn slower, colder and dirtier. Sure, if you put it in a blast furnace it will burn, but there will be a lot of it going up the stack.
Yep, there is no substitute for good wood. Damp wood is going to burn slower, colder and dirtier. Sure, if you put it in a blast furnace it will burn, but there will be a lot of it going up the stack.
Gooserider
Mod Emeritus
Interesting to read Mike's comments on the causes of "new stove stink" - from all I've heard it seems to be a problem with all new stoves, no matter what they are made of...
I know the VC stoves bake all their enameled cast iron parts at extremely high temperatures - I've seen it w/ Elk, and I know that VC has gotten those stove parts hotter than a user ever should - but a new VC is still aromatic... Some of this is from the oil mist "smoke" that they use as part of the stove testing process after assembly, some of it is from parts that weren't enameled.
I think any enameled stove has been cooked at a high enough temperature that any oil from the steel mill should have been burnt out, but I don't know just what surface prep they do on the painted stoves, however I think all get a preservative coat intended to keep any steel bits from rusting during shipping and storage, and that needs to get burned off.
I've heard it claimed that both cast iron and soapstone will absorb some moisture out of the air, which is why it is suggested that all stoves should have the first fires after not being used for a while be gentle ones to drive the moisture out.
Soapstone is probably going to have various stuff in it that is part of the stone, or that has been left as residue from manufacturing that has to be burned off.
In essence, it's not just the paint, there are lots of things that can be in / on the stove that aren't practical to remove, but will contribute to a stink when it is first lit off.
BTW, We got a new gas range a while back, as I recall it stank a bit when we first lit it as well....
Gooserider
I know the VC stoves bake all their enameled cast iron parts at extremely high temperatures - I've seen it w/ Elk, and I know that VC has gotten those stove parts hotter than a user ever should - but a new VC is still aromatic... Some of this is from the oil mist "smoke" that they use as part of the stove testing process after assembly, some of it is from parts that weren't enameled.
I think any enameled stove has been cooked at a high enough temperature that any oil from the steel mill should have been burnt out, but I don't know just what surface prep they do on the painted stoves, however I think all get a preservative coat intended to keep any steel bits from rusting during shipping and storage, and that needs to get burned off.
I've heard it claimed that both cast iron and soapstone will absorb some moisture out of the air, which is why it is suggested that all stoves should have the first fires after not being used for a while be gentle ones to drive the moisture out.
Soapstone is probably going to have various stuff in it that is part of the stone, or that has been left as residue from manufacturing that has to be burned off.
In essence, it's not just the paint, there are lots of things that can be in / on the stove that aren't practical to remove, but will contribute to a stink when it is first lit off.
BTW, We got a new gas range a while back, as I recall it stank a bit when we first lit it as well....
Gooserider
TMonter
Minister of Fire
My 13NCL stunk to high heaven for about a week after I fired it. This season was our second on this stove and it was lightly aromatic the first day or so of burning and then it was fine.
Must just be the paint Englander uses. My Quad only stunk for about half a day and then it was fine.
Must just be the paint Englander uses. My Quad only stunk for about half a day and then it was fine.
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