char smell when I turn down the t-stat on Blaze King

[MissMac]

Still figuring out me new BK wood stove, and I've noticed that when I try to dial down the t-stat, i can smell a char smell coming from the top of the stove, around where the active/inactive thermometer sits. has anybody ever had this issue? Pretty much the only way i can avoid this smell is on a wide-open max T-stat setting, which doesn't really bode well for me getting long burn times or using the stove as it's intended. I've only been burning for a couple of weeks now, and i'm not sure what could be the issue? Draft? Any suggestions or similar stories out there?

 

[Woody Stover]

Have you tried hovering over 'forums' above and using the search feature? Seems to me I may have heard something similar from another BK user..

 

[MissMac]

Have you tried hovering over forums and using the search feature? Seems to me I may have heard something similar from another BK user..

ya i have, cause i thought i remembered reading something like that too, but i can't find it.

 

[Woody Stover]

So you have a total of 16' of vertical pipe?

 

[Blazing]

Still figuring out me new BK wood stove, and I've noticed that when I try to dial down the t-stat, i can smell a char smell coming from the top of the stove, around where the active/inactive thermometer sits. has anybody ever had this issue? Pretty much the only way i can avoid this smell is on a wide-open max T-stat setting, which doesn't really bode well for me getting long burn times or using the stove as it's intended. I've only been burning for a couple of weeks now, and i'm not sure what could be the issue? Draft? Any suggestions or similar stories out there?

Have you turned it down and given the stove time to adjust the temp where the air opens back up? Sometimes I'll get a hint of smoke smell when I go low and the box is black. I just wait until the temp drops and as soon as the air opens and the coals glow the smell goes away.

 

[MissMac]

So you have a total of 16' of vertical pipe?

yes, just over 16 ft. all inside and straight out the roof, with an offset in my attic

 

[MissMac]

Have you turned it down and given the stove time to adjust the temp where the air opens back up? Sometimes I'll get a hint of smoke smell when I go low and the box is black. I just wait until the temp drops and as soon as the air opens and the coals glow the smell goes away.

i would say that I had it on the medium setting for about 50 minutes and it was still coming out. it's happened every time i try to turn it down. even sometimes with it wide open i can get a faint waft of it if i stand over the stove. this burn went like this: reload from coals 4 logs of jack pine (didn't want a long fire) - needle was still in active zone, so to reload i turned t-stat all the way up, opened bypass, let adjust for 2 min., crack the door, let it adjust a minute, open the door and reload. lock door, close bypass, and let it cook on high for 1 hour 20 minutes before i attempted to turn it down to just above medium. wood was all super charred and had lots of white ash on it. smell started right away pretty much when i turned it down. girlfriend came home and first thing she said was "smells like the stove in here". i knew it too.

 

[Bullyboy]

Sorry. Just seen it now has a separate thread. I too have been battling the same issue. Absolutely no smoke smell from anywhere around the door, just the cat thermometer.

What does your chimney consist of? Straight up? Any 45's or 90's? What's the height? I had the exact same issue. Some of it is the wood, I'm roughly 20 to 25mc now. Teens are more ideal. I just added a 2ft piece to the chimney and I thought I had the problem solved. It made a major improvement to the odor. We've been hovering around 0 Celsius the last little while and it's been perfect but yesterday the temp climbed a bit outside and I noticed a faint smell again, but nothing like before. I'm roughly 14ft with 2 45's.

 

[Blazing]

Sounds like a draft issue even though you meet the minimum of 15 feet. Is the smoke/steam lazy coming out on a fresh load with the air wide open and the temp above 400?

 

[peakbagger]

Not specific to Blaze King is that any wood device is harder to run in shoulder season.

Use this analogy, with gas or oil heat you are "driving" a light small car, its responds quickly to inputs. When using a wood heating device, you are "driving" a tractor trailer rig with a full load in the back. When you ask the tractor trailer to change speed it takes a long time for anything to happen compared to the car. Sure the thermostat will try to respond on your stove but realize that big load of hot glowing logs inside the fire box is going to take awhile to adjust to the lower heat output. Typically especially in shoulder season you need to stick with smaller loads and shorter burn times. Once it really gets cold out, the output of the stove will start to match your heating demand and then the big load and long burns are much easier.

 

[MissMac]

so today i'm trying another burn, and still am getting the char smell. I think today i can actually smell it coming from the hinge side of the loading door, even though the whole seal around the door passes the "dollar bill" test. I think i'm going to try and tighten the door a bit to see if that helps. any suggestions for how much i should turn the nut for this adjustment? 1/4? half?

 

[MissMac]

Sounds like a draft issue even though you meet the minimum of 15 feet. Is the smoke/steam lazy coming out on a fresh load with the air wide open and the temp above 400?

it is a bi

Sorry. Just seen it now has a separate thread. I too have been battling the same issue. Absolutely no smoke smell from anywhere around the door, just the cat thermometer.

Ya, today i'm doing another burn to investigate further. Left all the fans off - i think maybe the smell is coming from the hinge side of the door? could have been that the convective air was bringing the smell up to the cat thermometer

 

[MissMac]

Sorry. Just seen it now has a separate thread. I too have been battling the same issue. Absolutely no smoke smell from anywhere around the door, just the cat thermometer.

ya, i'm not setting off any smoke alarms or anything, but i know it just aint right that i can smell the stove so much inside the house. still trying to figure out this stove...

 

[moresnow]

4 logs of Jack Pine burned on high for 1hr 20min before turning down? Any of my dry pine would be either completely, or mostly nuked at 1hr 20min. on high! Just guessing, but are these large unsplit rounds?
Hate to ask but.... Whats your pine checking for MC on a freshly exposed split surface? My BK as well as others will do the same as yours on occasion. I've personally noticed it more on loads of higher MC wood. Also, turning my thermostat down lower than my pipe length/stove setup is happy with will always cause the stink. Low thermostat knob position is kind of a fine line that needed to be monkeyed with to optimize burn time with current wood quality and zero stink! Got it nailed down now. My low thermostat setting is commonly near the 3 o'clock position. Nothing close to the low setting position some other users can set too.
I also noticed a slightly imperfect fit where my connector pipe fits into my stove. I wrapped a length of door glass gasket around that connection and hose clamped it. Looks rather redneck With these thoughts and knowledge in mind I can still induce the stink, at will when turning the thing down to far.

 

[MissMac]

4 logs of Jack Pine burned on high for 1hr 20min before turning down? Any of my dry pine would be either completely, or mostly nuked at 1hr 20min. on high! Just guessing, but are these large unsplit rounds?
Hate to ask but.... Whats your pine checking for MC on a freshly exposed split surface? My BK as well as others will do the same as yours on occasion. I've personally noticed it more on loads of higher MC wood. Also, turning my thermostat down lower than my pipe length/stove setup is happy with will always cause the stink. Low thermostat knob position is kind of a fine line that needed to be monkeyed with to optimize burn time with current wood quality and zero stink! Got it nailed down now. My low thermostat setting is commonly near the 3 o'clock position. Nothing close to the low setting position some other users can set too.
I also noticed a slightly imperfect fit where my connector pipe fits into my stove. I wrapped a length of door glass gasket around that connection and hose clamped it. Looks rather redneck With these thoughts and knowledge in mind I can still induce the stink, at will when turning the thing down to far.

hahahahahah! yes, by jack pine was quite crispy - i had left it on high for so long just because the heat was nice. then i decided to try to dial it down to see what happens. Thats interesting what you said about finding the "low spot" for your stove - i thought that i should be able to turn it down to the lowest setting on the dial, from what i gather you're saying, that's a big negative? How long a burn time do you get at the 3 o'clock position?

i'm going to try and adjust the door tension a bit - new stove, been using for a few weeks now and there is more play in the door (which i think is expected one you've done some burns), so i'm going to make an adjustment and see if that helps. whole thing still holds the dollar bill just fine, but going to adjust anyway to see if it helps. but, as far as the smell goes, i can't turn it down at all without the smell happening, so that isn't right.

 

[MissMac]

hahahahahah! yes, by jack pine was quite crispy - i had left it on high for so long just because the heat was nice. then i decided to try to dial it down to see what happens. Thats interesting what you said about finding the "low spot" for your stove - i thought that i should be able to turn it down to the lowest setting on the dial, from what i gather you're saying, that's a big negative? How long a burn time do you get at the 3 o'clock position?

i'm going to try and adjust the door tension a bit - new stove, been using for a few weeks now and there is more play in the door (which i think is expected one you've done some burns), so i'm going to make an adjustment and see if that helps. whole thing still holds the dollar bill just fine, but going to adjust anyway to see if it helps. but, as far as the smell goes, i can't turn it down at all without the smell happening, so that isn't right.

oh, and Pj were 6-8 inch quartered splits. cut, split and stacked in fall 2016, so had all this summer to dry out
don't have a moisture metre yet - getting one for xmas.

 

[moresnow]

How long a burn time do you get at the 3 o'clock position?

I've been reloading at 12 to 15 hr intervals. Really make's a huge difference on my setup if I am running the fans or not. When I need the fans I run them on the very lowest setting for the most part. They do work nicely. However. Faster fan setting's seem to reflect shorter burn times and a significant reduction in cat temp.

but, as far as the smell goes, i can't turn it down at all without the smell happening, so that isn't right.

That really stinks So to speak! Not trying to poke fun here but keeping a good sense of humor while trouble shooting can't hurt . I know that more pipe to induce stronger draw would help my setup. May be something to consider trying on yours as well. Zero turn down ability without stink seems very bizarre.

 

[MissMac]

I've been reloading at 12 to 15 hr intervals. Really make's a huge difference on my setup if I am running the fans or not. When I need the fans I run them on the very lowest setting for the most part. They do work nicely. However. Faster fan setting's seem to reflect shorter burn times and a significant reduction in cat temp.


That really stinks So to speak! Not trying to poke fun here but keeping a good sense of humor while trouble shooting can't hurt . I know that more pipe to induce stronger draw would help my setup. May be something to consider trying on yours as well. Zero turn down ability without stink seems very bizarre.

my thoughts exactly! i'm going to try adjusting the loading door tension tonight to see if that helps.

 

[black smoke signals]

Missmac you have two threads of the same posts kind of hard to follow maybe begreen can apply a fix!

 

[MissMac]

Missmac you have two threads of the same posts kind of hard to follow maybe begreen can apply a fix!

yes, i see that too - sorry, new to this site. how can i fix that?

 

[jetsam]

What diameter is the flue?

 

[MissMac]

What diameter is the flue?

it's 6 inches, double walled pipe

 

[jetsam]

it's 6 inches, double walled pipe

Woop, I somehow got the idea that you have a King, but the thread doesn't actually say that.

Old age, I guess.

 

[sigruts192]

What model stove?

 

[Woody Stover]

What model stove?

AF 30.1..in her signature.