New Castle Serenity 12327 Pellet stove - Bad Odor and black Soot on Glass

[gagash3d]

Hello, fellow pellet stove owners.

I went thru many pages on this forum, but haven't seen an answer to my question (at least not complete answer).
I have paid for the installer to put in the stove for me (I've build my own hearth to pellet stove specifications). He used a 45degree elbow and attached a 2ft DuraVent pipe to it and ran it straight thru a wall, with an angled end cap. Combustion air pipe, he said, doesn't have to draw air from outside, since the house is old and drafty.

3 Weekends ago I fired up the stove. No leaks at pipe joints inside the house, none outside. Stove fired up fine, but then immediately started to emit some bad odor, as if plastic/paint was burning. I ran it for an hour in thermostat mode and had to shut it down and open all the windows in the house.
Last weekend, I've installed a T-cap, 3ft of vertical pipe, 90degree elbow and the same end cap (see pictures). Resealed every joint inside, outside the house with High Temp silicone (red). Waited 1 week for everything to cure.
Finally, last weekend, fired her up again. No leaks whatsoever, but the same bad odor (no smoke, just smells like burnt paint or plastic). I couldn't keep it overnight, so we wouldn't get CO2 poisoning. I fired her up with 3 open windows early in the morning, again, and we left for 4-6 hours. When we came back home, boy, it was HOT. Same smell, not as strong. but the glass was covered with black soot. I shut it down, let it cool off. Then thoroughly cleaned fire pot, walls, glass. All were covered with black soot.

Is this smell normal? Why black soot only after 5 hours of using the stove in thermostat mode on lowest blower settings?

Very concerned.

Thank you

 

[Ctcarl]

I'm sure others will chime in.when I had my new stove the smell was not bad plastic but was a new stove breaking in.it went anyway a few days later.As far as the black soot .If you can clean it off no problem I would not be to concerned.on my old stove that had a chimney fire.Red flags that I didn't know was black soot that is hard to clean off and a tall lazy orange flame are sighns you need to adjust your stove.Hope this helps and good luck.

 

[rich2500]

Smell sounds like it's the paint curing,should go away as you use the stove, this is normal, personally I would have the outside air hooked up then see how the stove burns and go from there.

 

[gagash3d]

I'm sure others will chime in.when I had my new stove the smell was not bad plastic but was a new stove breaking in.it went anyway a few days later.As far as the black soot .If you can clean it off no problem I would not be to concerned.on my old stove that had a chimney fire.Red flags that I didn't know was black soot that is hard to clean off and a tall lazy orange flame are sighns you need to adjust your stove.Hope this helps and good luck.

That's what we assumed, bad odor = stove breaking in. I guess I will have to run thru a full bag of pellets. So far only half (20lb). Will keep you all updated about the smell but want more input on how long it took you guys for the smell to go away.

And as for the flame color I'm just a beginner, i don't know the tells and/or differences, orange, yellow, red. Flame is flame to me. Soot came off right away with soapy water and paper towel, didn't need to scrape anything.

 

[gagash3d]

Smell sounds like it's the paint curing,should go away as you use the stove, this is normal, personally I would have the outside air hooked up then see how the stove burns and go from there.

Hey, thanks for the reply.
How long did it take for the smell to go away in your case?

 

[rich2500]

I actually burned mine outside for a couple hours before I installed it. The black sooty glass sounds like lack of air, have you checked the air adjustment (the slider) to see where its set . You want a crisp bright yellow flame, if its dark orange you are lacking air. It takes a little fine tuning to accomplish a correct burn but you will get the hang of it.

 

[gagash3d]

Allright, burned remaining of the 40lb bag of pellets bought from Lowes, with minimal odor. Went and bought Barefoot premium pellets from a small business specializing in stoves, and odor disappeared

I've also played around with an air gate, but couldn't obtain a proper position to have a nice steady fire, it always looks lazy-orange to me. and Even on the lowest blower motor flame is huge, makes glass hazy in half a day.

Which setting you guys run your stove on (both, exhaust motor and blower motor)?

Appreciate your time,
Mike

 

[rich2500]

the flame in your above pics is that at start up or is that how the flame is while heating.the color of the flame looks ok but if that is in heat mode the flame looks a little high.on my stove my blowers are at factory presets and my airgate is 3/4 closed.A haze on the glass after a few hours of burning is normal.have you watched the video in my sig of my stove it shows my stove starting up and at around the 1 min. mark you can see it start to settle down to heat mode and that is how the flame stays then on heat setting 1 with factory presets on the blowers and the air gate 3/4 closed.I would really get the oak hooked up also, without it your just pulling heated air back into the stove and can also create a draft.

 

[gagash3d]

the flame in your above pics is that at start up or is that how the flame is while heating.the color of the flame looks ok but if that is in heat mode the flame looks a little high.on my stove my blowers are at factory presets and my airgate is 3/4 closed.A haze on the glass after a few hours of burning is normal.have you watched the video in my sig of my stove it shows my stove starting up and at around the 1 min. mark you can see it start to settle down to heat mode and that is how the flame stays then on heat setting 1 with factory presets on the blowers and the air gate 3/4 closed.I would really get the oak hooked up also, without it your just pulling heated air back into the stove and can also create a draft.

Flame in the above picture is during a heat mode. \
I watched your video, my flame is nowhere around 1 min mark, more like 2:10 minute mark on most of the settings.
I will drill a hole in the side panel to install a metal rod to be able to adjust air gate without disassembling back panel all the time, and am planning on installing OAK, just can't find the right one in any of the autoZones or Napa Auto stores. Do you happen to remember where your got yours?

Really appreciate your input, Rich.

 

[rich2500]

I bought the kit at lowes way back 13 years ago when I got my first stove. Another quick question regarding your flame, what size are the barefoots because the smaller the pellets the more that can feed and that would result in a bigger flame.

 

[gagash3d]

I bought the kit at lowes way back 13 years ago when I got my first stove. Another quick question regarding your flame, what size are the barefoots because the smaller the pellets the more that can feed and that would result in a bigger flame.

Some pellets are 3/4 in, some 1/2 in (average size), some are smaller than 1/2inr if they've been crushed. I'm really hoping that outside air exhaust will help.
Found flex pipe off Amazon, http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001AGOTXW
Looking for another piece of pipe to go thru the wall for flex pipe to clamp to.

 

[gagash3d]

10/11/15-10/13/15 Update:
Barefoots burn great, but seem to leave a lot of ash (more than the first bag from Lowes).
Burned them for 2 days, on 1 setting. Increased Exhaust motor by 5 volts and blower motor by 5 volts too. Air gate is 60% closed. Great steady fire, 3-4 inches tall from the fire pot. No overheating alert. Heating the house slower, since more heat is escaping thru the exhaust, but it's the only way I can obtain a steady fire. Stock voltages just do not work for me.

 

[rich2500]

Good deal, everyone's setup is different so stove just needs to be adjusted differently.

 

[Lake Girl]

Did you get the OAK hooked up? Are the above latest results with an OAK?

 

[gagash3d]

Did you get the OAK hooked up? Are the above latest results with an OAK?

Without OAK. Hopefully, correct parts will come from amazon.com this time. I only have time to work on the house on the weekend, so if there's no rain, I'm going to install it.

 

[CT_Chris]

Hello, I have this same stove. Installed it myself and at first I didn't run an OAK. My house is 1950s vintage and I didn't think I needed it.

I was wrong.

With out the OAK the stove was sucking in cold air from the doors and windows and it was choking. The fire was real inconstant and I had to constantly adjust the intake door (I installed a rod through the side so i didn't have to take off the side cover to adjust). The glass wouldnt stay clean. I was real disappointed in the setup and for the heck of it decided to just try installing an OAK.

Now with the OAK its a different stove. Nice bright consistent flame and the glass stays clean. And I no longer have to keep messing with the intake door. With out all the drafts the house heats nicer too.

 

[rich2500]

good info Chris, I'm sure gagash will find the same results once he gets the oak hooked up.Oh and welcome to the Serenity Sorority

 

[gagash3d]

Hello, I have this same stove. Installed it myself and at first I didn't run an OAK. My house is 1950s vintage and I didn't think I needed it.

I was wrong.

With out the OAK the stove was sucking in cold air from the doors and windows and it was choking. The fire was real inconstant and I had to constantly adjust the intake door (I installed a rod through the side so i didn't have to take off the side cover to adjust). The glass wouldnt stay clean. I was real disappointed in the setup and for the heck of it decided to just try installing an OAK.

Now with the OAK its a different stove. Nice bright consistent flame and the glass stays clean. And I no longer have to keep messing with the intake door. With out all the drafts the house heats nicer too.

Well, I can say that I support everything you've said 100%. Installed OAK this weekend, together with a metal rod thru a side panel to adjust air gate. After firing up the stove, almost instantly, I could see a difference in a flame. Nice and consistent non-lazy flame, especially after most of the piled up pellets in the fire pit are burnt. Ran it for almost 2 hours on 4th setting and the stove didn't overheat because flame was consistent and not all over the place. See attached pictures for more details.
Thank you everyone for good suggestions. CHEERS

 

[gagash3d]

Rest of the pictures

 

[rich2500]

I don't know why they don't install an airgate rod from the factory, that's ridiculous to remove the side panel for the adjustment.That's the first thing I did when I seen that design.

 

[gagash3d]

I don't know why they don't install an airgate rod from the factory, that's ridiculous to remove the side panel for the adjustment.That's the first thing I did when I seen that design.

Agree, but oh well...
Can't wait to compare electricity bills now

 

[beckwithstrings]

Hello, fellow pellet stove owners.

I went thru many pages on this forum, but haven't seen an answer to my question (at least not complete answer).
I have paid for the installer to put in the stove for me (I've build my own hearth to pellet stove specifications). He used a 45degree elbow and attached a 2ft DuraVent pipe to it and ran it straight thru a wall, with an angled end cap. Combustion air pipe, he said, doesn't have to draw air from outside, since the house is old and drafty.

3 Weekends ago I fired up the stove. No leaks at pipe joints inside the house, none outside. Stove fired up fine, but then immediately started to emit some bad odor, as if plastic/paint was burning. I ran it for an hour in thermostat mode and had to shut it down and open all the windows in the house.
Last weekend, I've installed a T-cap, 3ft of vertical pipe, 90degree elbow and the same end cap (see pictures). Resealed every joint inside, outside the house with High Temp silicone (red). Waited 1 week for everything to cure.
Finally, last weekend, fired her up again. No leaks whatsoever, but the same bad odor (no smoke, just smells like burnt paint or plastic). I couldn't keep it overnight, so we wouldn't get CO2 poisoning. I fired her up with 3 open windows early in the morning, again, and we left for 4-6 hours. When we came back home, boy, it was HOT. Same smell, not as strong. but the glass was covered with black soot. I shut it down, let it cool off. Then thoroughly cleaned fire pot, walls, glass. All were covered with black soot.

Is this smell normal? Why black soot only after 5 hours of using the stove in thermostat mode on lowest blower settings?

Very concerned.

Thank you

I'm glad you put in your post. I installed the same stove into my workshop this week and am having the same problem - heavy plastic/oily smell coming from the stove. The shop is about 700 sqft and I really gassed myself. Not only the bad smell but I ended-up being very "spacy" after about an hour. Thinking it may have been leaking CO, I really sealed up the exhaust with aluminum tape on the pipes and some high-temp RTV sealant on the exhaust port. I fired it up today (and brought in a CO detector) and I still have the smell. At the moment I've been running it in the manual mode with the fan maxed out and windows open. Hopefully if there's any paint/oil in there it will burn-off. So here's my big question - Did the plastic smell on your stove go away or should I be picking up the phone and calling the Mfr?

- Steve

 

[CT_Chris]

Mine didn't smell at all when I first fired it. I did take the cover off and found some wires out of place touching areas that would get hot. . I think knocked loose from shipping. I would take the back or both side covers off and make sure there isn't a burning wire or ziptie.

 

[beckwithstrings]

Mine didn't smell at all when I first fired it. I did take the cover off and found some wires out of place touching areas that would get hot. . I think knocked loose from shipping. I would take the back or both side covers off and make sure there isn't a burning wire or ziptie.

Thanks Chris! I'll check the wires. After about 10-hours of buring, the smell has eased up and is just about gone...

 

[gagash3d]

I'm glad you put in your post. I installed the same stove into my workshop this week and am having the same problem - heavy plastic/oily smell coming from the stove. The shop is about 700 sqft and I really gassed myself. Not only the bad smell but I ended-up being very "spacy" after about an hour. Thinking it may have been leaking CO, I really sealed up the exhaust with aluminum tape on the pipes and some high-temp RTV sealant on the exhaust port. I fired it up today (and brought in a CO detector) and I still have the smell. At the moment I've been running it in the manual mode with the fan maxed out and windows open. Hopefully if there's any paint/oil in there it will burn-off. So here's my big question - Did the plastic smell on your stove go away or should I be picking up the phone and calling the Mfr?

- Steve

Hi Steve,
As of right now, smell is 99% gone. I've noticed that If I run the stove on Level 1-3, there is NO smell whatsoever.
Level 4-5 there's still some minimal smell, but every time it is less and less.
But in the beginning I brought in a new CO2 detector, put it right next to the vent and it wasn't beeping. That's how I knew it's wasn't CO2, just some paint/oil curing. It made me a little dizzy too