Lopi Deerfield just installed. Smoke and smoke smell throughout house. Restrictor adjustment??

[wildbroncgirl]

I have had some experiences with pellet stoves... some old stove - not sure of brand - in Montana. The kind you use fire gel to start. And even then the sad old thing wouldn't like to start. However it worked and kept us warm and no smoke inside and hardly any dust. And then a Quadrafire CB1200. Issues with that one (dust/soot, etc) but never put out any smoke into my house. I just had a Lopi Deerfield put in yesterday. The vendor was highly recommended and they recommended this stove or the AGP as the best out there right now. I chose the Deerfield over the AGP. I have contacted them (vendor) today about the smoke issue and they said to push in the restrictor knob at the bottom. I have read the manual over and over on getting the right flame etc. I burned it all day yesterday to get the new smell out - as per instructions. But every single time it starts up now or re-fires up - smoke and or smoke/burning smell strongly fills my house.

Our eyes and sinuses have been burning and my son has an irritated throat from all this. However no setting on that air intake/restrictor knob seems to help or solve the problem. I have huge clinkers in the ash pan. **I am making sure to run heat and fan equally as per instructions. I had a chunk of pellets on fire in the ash pan this evening after trying to run it as per the manual instructions - have not been running it on super high, but not low either. We had to put HEPA air units on and open all our windows and it's 35 degrees (warm for this part of NV) outside just to try and clear out the smoke smell. I'm worried it's now in our fabrics, carpet, etc. What am I doing wrong? Does this sound like a defective unit? I did something wrong? I am using Lignetics. I can go get Packsaddle if that's better? Any help or insight at all is helpful, thank you.

 

[johneh]

Get your installer back to seal the chimney
sounds like it leaks at the seals
Poor installation if he left without checking and sealing
Welcome to the forum

 

[gfreek]

Get your installer back to seal the chimney
sounds like it leaks at the seals
Poor installation if he left without checking and sealing
Welcome to the forum

Welcome, pellet brand should have no effect on indoor smoke or smell. Could it be chemical smell from stove burn off per manual or there a fault with the chimney vent install . CO2 detectors in home ?? Get installer back...

 

[wildbroncgirl]

Welcome, pellet brand should have no effect on indoor smoke or smell. Could it be chemical smell from stove burn off per manual or there a fault with the chimney vent install . CO2 detectors in home ?? Get installer back...

Yes CO2 detectors - we had all the windows open and air filter things on. There was an initial chemical burn smell but after that went away, every time I started the stove there was significant smoke smell (couldn't see it).

 

[wildbroncgirl]

Get your installer back to seal the chimney
sounds like it leaks at the seals
Poor installation if he left without checking and sealing
Welcome to the forum

Thanks. It was like pulling teeth to get them to even call me back. Now they are saying they installed 3 other Deerfields recently and everyone was happy with them and no problems. Makes me feel like I'm doing something wrong with the stove.

 

[tlc1976]

If you shine an LED light in the dark, you can see smoke leaks pretty good.

Do you have an outside air kit installed? Might be getting negative pressure in the house and pulling in smoke. Mine pulled smoke from every factory seam and rivet in the piping, I kept sealing everything. When there was no more places to leak, the stove would choke and die after a few hours and dump smoke back into the house. Installed outside air kit and it was a night and day difference.

 

[wildbroncgirl]

If you shine an LED light in the dark, you can see smoke leaks pretty good.

Do you have an outside air kit installed? Might be getting negative pressure in the house and pulling in smoke. Mine pulled smoke from every factory seam and rivet in the piping, I kept sealing everything. When there was no more places to leak, the stove would choke and die after a few hours and dump smoke back into the house. Installed outside air kit and it was a night and day difference.

Wow, okay. I will try the light this evening. No outside air kit. This Lopi stove replaced my Quadrafire that was hooked up to the same pipe so it's hard to imagine it's the piping. But maybe it is. Thanks.

 

[tlc1976]

Wow, okay. I will try the light this evening. No outside air kit. This Lopi stove replaced my Quadrafire that was hooked up to the same pipe so it's hard to imagine it's the piping. But maybe it is. Thanks.

Ok good to know. I gathered that your Quadrafire experience was in Montana, and being in Nevada now it wasn’t the same house.

 

[wildbroncgirl]

Sorry my initial post made it sound like my Quadrafire was in Montana. It was in the house I'm in now. The CB1200 never had any smoke unless it dropped a bunch of pellets too fast and then would produce a "poof" and smoke would escape through the door (wrong size gasket was put on) but even that wasn't too bad compared to the smoke I'm getting now with the Lopi, and the huge clinkers. Pellets in the ash pan are charred but not always burned all the way.

 

[gfreek]

Maybe post pictures of your exhaust piping..

 

[wildbroncgirl]

 

[wildbroncgirl]

Installer said Lignetics may not burn right in this stove. I guess I will try Packsaddle or Bear Mountain after I get through the pallet of Lignetics I have now. Smoke apparently was coming from a leak on the pipe - so it was taped up. Maybe the unit is not through the break in period either.

 

[gfreek]

What type of tape is that ??

 

[wildbroncgirl]

What type of tape is that ??

Installer came back today and put that black tape - I think it was a metal type of tape, you had to peel something off of it first. Sorry I don't know the name of it. I'm still smelling smoke however.

 

[gfreek]

OK, I would seal up every joint not done. Tee, elbow seams, etc. IMO..

 

[wildbroncgirl]

So frustrated. Still smoke coming from the back... I sound like a broken record. Paid a lot for this darn thing and now I can't use it. Installer says he'll "touch base Monday" I don't want to have to tape every single thing back there - this is a brand new machine and should work without me having to do this. I almost thought the smoke isn't coming from the pipe...back there with a flashlight this evening and the smoke is coming from the stove in the back. Wish I had my dusty Quadrafire back.

 

[wildbroncgirl]

I appreciate all help, it has helped me make a major decision. This will be my last post and complaint, ha. I have a house full of smoke tonight. It's been pouring out of all seams in the pipe/joint. Stove is also putting out horrid smells. The burn pot has so much built up material new pellets cannot go down. I ran it today as per instructions - after installer came and taped some things up, and set things and told me not to touch it. He seemed to think I had the wrong pellets etc. Although I got the ones he initially recommended. I'm done with this Lopi Deerfield and will hope to go with something much different later on. With a storm coming I'm left without a main source of heat. Should be interesting. Thanks again.

 

[miteclipse]

Unscrew and pull out the t-clean out. Look inside the clean out and see if there is an gap/opening in the inside rim. If there is, you need to pack all of the gap with high temp silicone. With no outside air, all that smoke in startup will come though the t-clean out opening. That’s what I had to do for my setup. I also high temp silicone all the seams, bends, etc.