Is this normal?

[Creekheat]

ok so it's been a few days since we had our Jotul F55 installed. Runs flawless. Love the stove and it puts out serious heat. But....it kinda smells when running. I mean like a hot metallic smell. Is this normal? Maybe just needs time to season? It's not overpowering but definitely noticeable.

 

[jatoxico]

Sounds normal, got your eye on what temps you're hitting?

 

[Creekheat]

I usually load on coals around 250-300. Peg out at about 650 ST. She drops and cruises about 525. Slowly drops down and repeat. Wood is all good clean dry seasoned wood. Just breaking in the paint I supoose.

 

[jatoxico]

Sounds good to me. Could test a couple other spots on the top for kicks but really sounds like you're doing it right. The pipe may be gassing off some too. Even my flex liner gave off some odor and that's in the masonry. Must have oils from machining.

 

[Creekheat]

Ah didn't think about that.

 

[Dieselhead]

You will get a smell every time you hit a new high temp. It may catch you off guard if you stop getting it for a week or 3 then out of nowhere it kicks in again.

 

[ailanthus]

Totally normal, it should go away in no time. You may even get a hint of the smell again during the first fire or two next fall, as well.

 

[countybrown]

I'm with the crowd, in that this sounds totally normal. If it's a brand new install, you're going to have some odor for quite a few burns. Sounds like normal break in off gassing.

 

[firefighterjake]

Normal . . . expect to smell this every time you hit a new high . . . and/or sometimes when you are getting very high temps in the stove/flue.

 

[Knots]

I just put in an F55 this fall. Same thing. It gradually goes away.

 

[richmhv]

The paint takes some time to cure. Every time you hot a new high, it will smell a bit and might well take until next fall for it to stop smelling. My stove was installed last February and I think I finally stopped getting any paint smells around December. In the beginning you could actually see the fumes like smoke. It takes way more than the break in fires to get rid of it.

 

[iluvjazznjava]

Mine was doing that too - until we had an accidental over firing one day and temps hit over 900F - smelled bad that day, but since then nothing.