p35i and Asthma

[Tim Linden]

Hey Guys

Well it's pretty clear my p35i has been causing asthma attacks. I used it for a week, then didn't, and repeated. Did this a bunch so I know that it's causing it. What about it, I'm not 100% sure yet.

The unit was installed by the dealer into our chimney. It does not have an OAK. I'm also pretty certain they didn't seal the liner with a plate and insulate as the instructions state. I'm also wondering if the fireplace ash trap door is having an effect (in the basement, it has ash, so it could be pulling that ash up into the house?).

From what I can tell, it's only smelt like smoke a few times ever. I have smelt the paint burn in smell more often than that. I have a CO2 detector (3 actually) and they have never gone off. Are there other ways to detect combustion gases or is that the only way?

I'd love it if there was some way to just know for sure that it IS or ISN'T combustion gasses because then it will help point me in the right direction.

Also, yes I've got humidifiers going throughout the house and hepa in our bedroom. I monitor the humidity levels but unfortunately that's not the culprit. And it's not just when I'm filling it with pellets or cleaning it. It's whenever the unit is on.

Tim

 

[Tim Linden]

Looking at my signature line it is interesting to note that I never had asthma problems before 2013.

 

[alternativeheat]

It may not be the stove or the heat from the stove but the pellets. For instance I tend to get pine allergies, especially with that spring pollen. It's a contact thing in my case and I break out from it. But I know to rinse my hands when certain pellets really have that pine smell about them. I could see that kicking off an asthma attack in someone prone to that. Do you know the general causes of your attacks ? Have you tried an all hard wood pellet ? My wife has asthma and can be set off by certain pollens for sure.

 

[kinsmanstoves]

You need to have a full liner installed. I would only use a 4" diameter.

Eric

 

[Peterfield]

Pellet dust will do that as well. I was sifting pellets in my garage and didn't realize I was inhaling the dust from sifting and pouring. Actually got nausea and asthma-like symptoms and could "smell" the sawdust even after coming back into the house. After using a nettle pot on my nasal cavities it finally went away.

 

[Tim Linden]

You need to have a full liner installed. I would only use a 4" diameter.

Eric

It is a full liner, but with a flashlight I can see it all the way up the chimney. The instructions say to seal it with a plate at the bottom. Without the oak I don't know if it's somehow sucking air back in from the top and down the chimney because of that, or if that is for some other reason.

 

[kinsmanstoves]

You can pack the gap around the damper with fiberglass insulation, no paper backing. The chimney also needs to have been cleaned prior to the liner installed. If it was not that creosote can be heated up and it will go liquid.

Eric

 

[Tim Linden]

I found a post in here that recommended a big air purifier. I'm going to try that out, hopefully it's the pellet dust!

 

[bogieb]

Asthma can be triggered by dry air. Just a thought.

 

[Marina1327]

I found a post in here that recommended a big air purifier. I'm going to try that out, hopefully it's the pellet dust!

I had a full blown asthma attack on Tuesday...I think it's the new pellets....they are great heat producers but they have a strong smell and more dust. As much as I love them...I don't think I can have this brand again.

 

[CapeMayDan]

I found a post in here that recommended a big air purifier. I'm going to try that out, hopefully it's the pellet dust!

Tim, Asthma is a disease caused by irritation. Symptoms can be caused by a single trigger or multiple triggers. Avoiding the triggers is the name of the game. You should be tested by an Allergist. Wear a dust mask when when sifting Pellets or get someone to do that for you. You can use a vacuum with a HEPA filter while pouring or sifting. Animals in the house during the winter add to the problem. In the bedroom I have a box fan with an allergy filter. It is a big help in the winter.

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Talk to a doctor about some meds, like a topical corticosteroid and a bronchodilator.
Asthma is a serious disease and should not be taken lightly.

 

[bogieb]

Looking at my signature line it is interesting to note that I never had asthma problems before 2013.

Well, you can develop allergies, which often go hand-in-hand with asthma at any time in life. My ex developed allergies in 2007, when he was 46. We figured it was a massive dose of mold spores that induced the condition (water boiler started leaking - out of sight - didn't figure it out until I started smelling mold in the room next to the boiler room and found the carpet all wet).

Ex started having nasal infections, coughing fits and other symptoms shortly after. He ended up being tested and found he was allergic to mold, fir trees, dust mites and dogs. He had been around those all his life, but suddenly started having massive reactions to them. OTC meds put him mostly to rights. Still needed an inhaler at times - especially to ward off cold-induced or exercise-induced asthma.

 

[3650]

Do you have any of those air purifiers in your house? I read that those trap molds and fungi like an incubator and then it blows the spores around the living area making it all worse then it was.

 

[Tim Linden]

Well just an update. I saw a post in here that mentioned this air filter, so I bought it:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00007E7RY

So far I haven't had any flare ups. Yes I am on Asthma meds, but it seemed to continue to get worse when I had the stove on then when I didn't. This filter moves a LOT of air and I have it pretty close to the stove so it's gotta be cleaning it all up. I also did a better job shop vacing the pellet dust around the stove.

I appreciate the pointers! The wife & kids are happy to have the pellet stove back on ;-)

 

[GeHmTS]

From what I can tell, it's only smelt like smoke a few times ever. I have smelt the paint burn in smell more often than that. I have a CO2 detector (3 actually) and they have never gone off. Are there other ways to detect combustion gases or is that the only way?

You might want to check your gaskets... It's actually CO, not CO2. CO is toxic, CO2 is not toxic. If you smell burnt paint, can you detect it.

 

[bogieb]

You might want to check your gaskets... It's actually CO, not CO2. CO is toxic, CO2 is not toxic. If you smell burnt paint, can you detect it.

Um, both are toxic AFAIK.

 

[GeHmTS]

Um, both are toxic AFAIK.

Depends on what toxic means. We all need oxygen to live and breath, so to much of anything else will kill you. However, every breath exhale is CO2, so you can't kill people by just breathing on them. You need roughly 40,000 ppm of CO2 for toxicity while you only need 1200 ppm of CO to cause the kiss of death. There's roughly 400 ppm of CO2 in the air and .2 ppm of CO in that same air. If there was 400ppm of CO in the environment, we would already be putting measures in place to try and solve it since it would actually be harming people on a global scale far worst than global warming.

 

[bogieb]

Depends on what toxic means. We all need oxygen to live and breath, so to much of anything else will kill you. However, every breath exhale is CO2, so you can't kill people by just breathing on them. You need roughly 40,000 ppm of CO2 for toxicity while you only need 1200 ppm of CO to cause the kiss of death. There's roughly 400 ppm of CO2 in the air and .2 ppm of CO in that same air. If there was 400ppm of CO in the environment, we would already be putting measures in place to try and solve it since it would actually be harming people on a global scale far worst than global warming.

I'll give you that CO is more toxic than CO2.