Off gassing smell?

[jbean]

We haven't used our wood stove this season because we installed a geothermal heating system. Previously, we burned 24/7 with wood. Tonight, our power went out and we lit a fire in our Napolean to get some warmth in the house, as the geo doesn't work when the power goes out. Anyway, it smelled like it was curing the paint again when we used it. The chimney was cleaned and what not before this season just in case we had to use it. Is it possible that the stove, because it had sat cold for so long, that was what the smell was? It was not a smoke smell or anything like that.

 

[Woody Stover]

A lot of people notice an odor with the first burn of the season. Some say it is dust burning off the stove...

 

[GeHmTS]

If the smell eventually went away, you're good!

 

[Sconnie Burner]

I would say dust burning off. I've had that happen on the woodstove, gas furnace, and radiant tubing at work. It has a unique smell, and makes you check everything over just to be sure.

 

[firefighterjake]

Probably dust.

 

[Nick Mystic]

I read somewhere that most of what makes up dust are dry skin cells that flake off and float in the air. You were smelling part of you and your wife being cooked up by your stove more than likely!

 

[Ashful]

Also possible it's whatever cleaning or dusting product your wife or house cleaner has been wiping the stove down with each week, while it sits unused.

 

[DougA]

I get a horrible smell when the baseboard heaters come on after being off for 8 months. That smell is different from the smell of curing paint on the stove pipe. I don't want to think about dead skin being burned off - just too early in the day for that.

It could be that you got the stove up to a higher temperature than previously and then it would be the paint. I thought I had cured mine but a month later I discovered that it still had some curing to go when the pipe got very hot. Paint won't be fully cured until it gets hot enough, whether that is the day it's installed or a year later.