Chemical smell when stove is hot

[N2323]

Hello, I’m looking for some advice please.
We’ve had our stovax 5kw multi fuel for two years and when we first started using it there was a strong chemical smell which then stopped after frequent use. We only burn seasoned wood.

In the past year we only used it a handful of times but have now started using it again and it emits a strong chemical smell again. We have used normal paint for the fire surround (on the advice of b&q which now seems silly) and this has faded behind the fire so I presume is being burnt off.

We are concerned about using the fire atm with young children in the house.
Do you think it’s the paint burning off? What paint should we have used instead on the fire boards?
Or could it be the lack of regular use that is causing the smell? There is also a pine mantel which has started leaking sap.

Thanks

 

[begreen]

The initial odor was probably the high temperature stove paint breaking in. That's normal and goes away after a few hot fires. It's hard to say what the current odor is, but regular paint should not have been used so close behind the stove. A high temperature paint should be used. These are commonly made for BBQs and automotive engines. A good stove paint would also be ok.

Unfortunately, if this problem is being caused by the regular paint it may not go away and will need to be stripped before repainting.

 

[N2323]

Thank you for replying,

This maybe a stupid question but could I not just paint the high temp paint over the top of the existing paint?

 

[MAD MARK]

It may cause the old paint to blister and bubble underneath since it cant breathe then.

 

[begreen]

Correct, the new paint would not insulate the old paint from the heat.

 

[Blowndiffuser]

If you’re not using it that often it could be dust burning off.