My stepdaughter lives with us and she will continue to live here until thanksgiving. Last year, with the help of the forum and a local stove shop, I got the bugs out of my wood stove setup. It ran great the second half of last winter and nobody (including my step-daughter) complained. Now that she is 6 months pregnant she is complaining about anything that she thinks will harm her unborn child and that includes my wood stove. My stove puts no smoke in the air in our home, but the first two lightings caused that "seasoning cast iron" smell which is typical after many months of just sitting idle. Will everybody please chime in on this one and tell me if this odor is in any way harmfull to my coming grandchild. I really want to use my stove especially since the first oil fill up cost me $3.63 per gallon!
She is complaining about the smell!
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I got the same smell from my woodstove's first fire that I got from the electric baseboard heaters the first time we turned them on this fall. I think it is a little bit of dust burning up, and nothing more than that. I'd find a time when your daughter-in-law is not home and fire up the stove to peak temperature for a while. That should burn up the dust and after that, your stove should be as odorless as last year.
Try handing her the newspaper opened up to the apartments for rent section next time she yaps about it. 
That's no more dangerous than a cooking odor at this point. Just burning the dust out of the joints from the down time. Your baseboard radiators have a smell the first few times they come on also. It's common and harmless.
If the install is done to code and you practice good burning habits and maintenance, there is nothing for her or you to be worried about.
pen
That's no more dangerous than a cooking odor at this point. Just burning the dust out of the joints from the down time. Your baseboard radiators have a smell the first few times they come on also. It's common and harmless.
If the install is done to code and you practice good burning habits and maintenance, there is nothing for her or you to be worried about.
pen
All heating appliances will have that smell the first time they are fired up in the fall. As others have said, there is nothing harmful there.
Sounds like your first burn this year is going to have to be put off until after thanksgiving if you want to enjoy peace and quiet. Pen has hit it right on re first season odor. I wouldn't worry too much about it.
My heat pump hasn't been turned on in more than twelve years. I have the fuses outside pulled and the breaker popped so somebody won't walk by and turn on the stat. And the emergency heat strips that are probably under a foot of dust set fire to the stuff and burn the house down.
+1 here on the first burn dust issue....smell goes away after the first burn usually.......and explain to your daughter that cooking in a teflon lined pan is a thousand times more harmful than breathing a little wood smoke from a wood stove.....seriously, look it up.....that's why we use cast iron and stainless steel cookware in this house......lol....happy burning!
OH MY! Bet this young lady'll be reading every post on this thread!
I say this, she's a bit touchy right now, and she wants nothing more than to have a healthy baby. Nothing wrong with that at all.
Problem is, one cannot guarantee safety in this world, in fact, earth can be a dangerous place.
Honestly, I don't think the stove, or any smell coming off of it, will harm that precious child, unless mom is constantly subjected to a smoke filled room.
Heck, following a diesel truck can smell pretty bad at times, or a city bus, not to mention fingernail polish, or nail polish remover (that stuff's nastier than anything that ever came off a wood stove) deodorant, shampoo and the myriad other hair products out there, whew, you talk about smell.....OUCH, burnt toast, pollen, gasoline vapors at the pumps, outdoor wood burning....well, you get the point I'm tryin' to make.
So my opinion is this, it's a non issue.
I say this, she's a bit touchy right now, and she wants nothing more than to have a healthy baby. Nothing wrong with that at all.
Problem is, one cannot guarantee safety in this world, in fact, earth can be a dangerous place.
Honestly, I don't think the stove, or any smell coming off of it, will harm that precious child, unless mom is constantly subjected to a smoke filled room.
Heck, following a diesel truck can smell pretty bad at times, or a city bus, not to mention fingernail polish, or nail polish remover (that stuff's nastier than anything that ever came off a wood stove) deodorant, shampoo and the myriad other hair products out there, whew, you talk about smell.....OUCH, burnt toast, pollen, gasoline vapors at the pumps, outdoor wood burning....well, you get the point I'm tryin' to make.
So my opinion is this, it's a non issue.
Congrats on the new grand baby !
I'd tell her to STH up, we're gonna be warm. Deal with it.
*Eileen admits to low tolerance for this stuff*
I'd tell her to STH up, we're gonna be warm. Deal with it.
*Eileen admits to low tolerance for this stuff*
Considering this is your house I would recommend wearing this button.
http://www.zazzle.com/no_whining_button-145230453533813856
Or maybe get her a nice tshirt
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=00FM3TXBY3762KP7V3VC
http://www.zazzle.com/no_whining_button-145230453533813856
Or maybe get her a nice tshirt
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=00FM3TXBY3762KP7V3VC
3 options if it was my house.Go get a place of your own,pay for the oil to heat the place yourself or SHUT UP.
The poor girl is suffering from the super-human olfactory senses that come during pregnancy. My wife and I just had our first, and while she was pregnant, she could smell things that nobody around her could smell.
Since her nose is over-sensitive right now, the slightest odor that you aren't able to detect could be overwhelming to her.
Like a few others have mentioned, wait until she isn't around one day and fire that thing up. Push it up to the high end (not quite to over-firing) and let it run for a bit. Maybe open the windows to let some fresh air through the house. I think once you get the stove up to a good high temp for the year, it won't be too bad.
Even if you do that, there is still the possibility she'll smell things that nobody else in the house does.
-SF
Since her nose is over-sensitive right now, the slightest odor that you aren't able to detect could be overwhelming to her.
Like a few others have mentioned, wait until she isn't around one day and fire that thing up. Push it up to the high end (not quite to over-firing) and let it run for a bit. Maybe open the windows to let some fresh air through the house. I think once you get the stove up to a good high temp for the year, it won't be too bad.
Even if you do that, there is still the possibility she'll smell things that nobody else in the house does.
-SF
Pregnant women really do have a stronger sense of smell than usual, and ordinary smells can be overwhelming.
Doing The Dixie Eyed Hustle said:
Right there with ya! We started moving wood to the porch and the house and the whiny boy had to be reminded that he could either cough up a grand or start hauling.
Doing The Dixie Eyed Hustle said:
Thanks for the admission - without it we weren't sure how you felt.
Well, OK, back to the OP's topic...having been there as a father, and holding a now long-expired LaMaze coach certificate, I can tell you from my experience that SlyFerret and dougstove are right on the money. This is not a time in your lives when she should be catering to your needs...quite the contrary. Just my thoughts. Rick
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