Indoor odor from catalytic combuster?

[marciemari]

Have a 2 yr. old Blaze King Chinook hybrid. About the time I engage the cat, an unusual odor is produced. It doesn't smell like smoke. It goes away after a bit. I had my dealer look at it. He basically said he doesn't really notice the smell, but there definitely is one. He suggested it was the type of wood, but I tested it. It's dry. And it happens regardless of the type of wood. They increased the height of the pipe by a lot. (It also didn't seem to have as much draft as I was used to on a conventional stove.) That didn't stop the odor. I think it must be coming from the cat. Would that mean the cat is bad? Also, would the odor be toxic?

 

[stoveliker]

Have you watched the stove during this time? Does it happen when there are some sudden bursts of flame?

(And there is no hybrid BK stove.)

 

[jalmondale]

The cat is metal coated foil (palladium or platinum, I forget which), so it's not likely to produce a smell. In theory if you poisoned the cat with something from burning trash/treated wood, you could both make the cat go bad and introduce something that smelled funny, but that seems unlikely.

What's weird is that you're getting a smell inside the house at all - I've only ever gotten that from paint/hot metal on the outside of the stove and flue. Is there something on the top of the stove that's burning off? If you leave the air open a bit more, do you still get the smell?

 

[marciemari]

Have you watched the stove during this time? Does it happen when there are some sudden bursts of flame?

(And there is no hybrid BK stove.)

There's no sudden burst of flame. Thanks for info on not hybrid. I thought that's what the dealer told me, but I never saw it in the manual. Now, I've noticed black smoke coming out of top pipe on roof, after the cat's been activated. It was about 20 min. later. I don't know how long that's been going on.

 

[marciemari]

The cat is metal coated foil (palladium or platinum, I forget which), so it's not likely to produce a smell. In theory if you poisoned the cat with something from burning trash/treated wood, you could both make the cat go bad and introduce something that smelled funny, but that seems unlikely.

What's weird is that you're getting a smell inside the house at all - I've only ever gotten that from paint/hot metal on the outside of the stove and flue. Is there something on the top of the stove that's burning off? If you leave the air open a bit more, do you still get the smell?

I haven't burned any toxins. Also, it's been doing it since I first got it. After the paint smell finally went away, it's still producing a different weird smell. There was nothing on top of my stove. The smell starts when the door is still open a crack. It starts just before the temp to engage cat occurs. I've been tolerating it, but mainly wondering if it's toxic. Now, I just noticed black smoke coming from top pipe on roof. Noticed it about 20 min. after cat engaged.

 

[stoveliker]

Black smoke is not good. Is the cat hot enough (the gauge in active) when the bypass is closed?

Are you sure the smell is from the stove, and not entering into the home from elsewhere? (I.e. is your chimney lined, and is the liner good?)

Do you have another chimney nearby? (Sucking down smoke exiting from your stove flue.)

Try what happens when there is a window cracked in the stove room.

The black smoke indicates something seriously wrong with cat or bypass valve imo

 

[marciemari]

I engage cat after gauge tells me to, often a bit after the time. No other stoves nearby. I've had the windows open to clear out the odor. I don't see any affect from that, other than clearing t/e air. I'm guessing the black smoke is. a separate issue. I don't think it did that when I firs got it 1 1/2 years ago.

 

[stoveliker]

I agree about the black smoke.

What I meant is, if the stove is in the living room, and a fireplace is in the basement, the two chimneys can be in one chase, exiting near each other on the roof.

Either smell from outside comes in, or the stove lets out gases thru the air intake. The latter gets more likely if your home is tight, and you have marginally sufficient draft. If you then increase the impedance of the gases to go in the chimney (by closing the bypass), that could happen.
That is where my "crack a window" comes from.

How tall is the chimney? Can you post a few pics from inside and outside?

 

[marciemari]

I agree about the black smoke.

What I meant is, if the stove is in the living room, and a fireplace is in the basement, the two chimneys can be in one chase, exiting near each other on the roof.

Either smell from outside comes in, or the stove lets out gases thru the air intake. The latter gets more likely if your home is tight, and you have marginally sufficient draft. If you then increase the impedance of the gases to go in the chimney (by closing the bypass), that could happen.
That is where my "crack a window" comes from.

How tall is the chimney? Can you post a few pics from inside and outside?

I only have 1 wood stove, no fireplace. They increased pipe 2 times, now ridiculously tall. If you zoom in, you can see the seam from where it originally was.

 

[marciemari]

Also, the odor occurred before I had anything on top of it, but I'm going to experiment by removing everything.

 

[stoveliker]

Hm. Seems on the surface to be a good chimney system and configuration.

Have you done the dollar bill test on the door (and bypass valve)?

 

[marciemari]

I can't find info of where bypass valve is and how to test it. On the door, I used a paper (same width as $), and it was very tight, couldn't pull out at all. But the top has a metal 'shelf' above it, so I think that would prevent test being effective? Here's a photo. Top section is not white on exterior and dark on interior side, like the manual says to look for.

 

[stoveliker]

If you go on your knees, and look at the ceiling of the stove, you can see the bypass opening in the back, behind the catalyst (if the cat is not "engaged", it'll be an open hole). That hole gets closed.when one "engages" the cat. The valve plate sits on a gasket.

Your window looks good. The door gasket (color and knife edge impression) too.

Can you localize where the smell comes from? (Sniff, possibly with a cone made from paper.)

Door edges, stove pipe seams, cat gauge (the "active - inactive" thing on top)?

It has to exit somewhere from the stove OR it gets sucked into the home elsewhere.

I'd it only the stove room that smells ?

Make sure there are no exhaust fans on (kitchen range, drier, bathroom), and for a few fires consistently crack a window to see if it consistently keeps happening.