Should the smell be gone by noW?

[daveswoodhauler]

Had a Lopi Answer Insert installed a few months back...did some small break in fires, and worked my way up to longer burns. Question, after 10 fires or so, I am still getting some "smell" from the stove. The smell is not as profound as the first fire, but after 10 or so I would think that the odor would be gone by now....maybe just need more burns? Wife is not liking it..we had a Jotul 3Cb in our old house, and the fumes were gone after 2 fires....maybe its just the smell the metal makes when heated?

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I agree. The smell should be gone by now. However, even after 10 fires, this time of the year you usually don't get that hot of a fire. When we installed our last stove, the short pipe from the stove to the thimble kept smelling for a long time. We were ready to take it back and get a new one but it suddenly just stopped. No problems since. Strange things...

 

[begreen]

What does it smell like? Wood smoke or something else. I'm just guessing here. If something was left on the top of the insert (like a plastic envelope) that might stink. If someone used a sealant, like RTV on the flue collar, that will also continue to stink.

 

[daveswoodhauler]

What does it smell like? Wood smoke or something else. I'm just guessing here. If something was left on the top of the insert (like a plastic envelope) that might stink. If someone used a sealant, like RTV on the flue collar, that will also continue to stink.

Well, it doesn't smell like wood...hard to explain...to me it smells like "hot metal"..no smoke in sight...not real bad smell, just we were thinking it would go away. (Its not like burning plastic or anything like that....wife smells it more than I..perhaps its just the difference from burning a metal stove vs cast iron? (The highest temp I have had it to is about 525

 

[begreen]

Ah good, that doesn't sound too bad. By now it should be ok, but perhaps it is just now being brought up to full temp. Keep a window cracked open in the room and try for another week or two.

 

[Tfin]

When we first started burning our stove that metal paint smell seemed to persist longer than what I had heard it should. It did eventually alleviate though.

Even today if I bring the stove up to temp to quickly, I'll get a wiff of it. But if I temper the build up of heat I don't smell anything, and I've had it up to a little above 700F on the stove top before with no smell. Weird.

 

[the_guad]

If you're not burning your stove nice and hot it will take much longer for the smell to burn off. You'll need to stretch the things legs a little, get it smoking hot and open the windows.

 

[High_Iron]

If you're not burning your stove nice and hot it will take much longer for the smell to burn off. You'll need to stretch the things legs a little, get it smoking hot and open the windows.

I agree. Small fires wont get rid of the smell. Get her up to full temp for a few hours and you should be fine.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Mine lasted longer than expected as well. I attribute that to the separation between the stove and the air channel for the blower.

That Lopi has a sort of convection shell around it, ya? If so- the paint on the outside might not get hot-hot like a regular stove surface and it would take longer to burn off- like I saw in my insert.

 

[trailblaze]

i got mine going right now on the 4th breakin fire... wheew does she stink... flue temps at 450...not sure of stove top... will go check now

 

[trailblaze]

stove top temp is 525...

and man are my walls around it hot... i need to check on this!

 

[begreen]

Good thought AP. It could be that the outer shell is just starting to get warm if earlier fires have been smallish. Sounds like it's time for a full, serious fire with the windows open and the wife out of the house for the day.

 

[Jags]

Also, it is not unusual for each new "ceiling" or high temp to bring out the smells. I agree with those that said to pour the coals too it. Get it to the upper temp limits (safe limits for the stove) and hold it there for awhile. That may make a big difference.

 

[ROYJ24]

BG any excuse to get the wife out the house for the day %-P

 

[daveswoodhauler]

Awesome replies. Thank you so much. I think the highest I have had it was 525 for about an hour or so. (Thermometer on the top of the insert)
Good idea on the convestion area around the unit AP...I'm thinking my best bet is to get her up to high temps and leave the blower off...this should get the area up to temp. Again, many thanks and will try it when the Mr's is going out...might have to drop a "hundy" and get her shopping for the day

 

[Jfk4th]

I have had this problem and although I thought I curred it, I was no where close. I put the temp on the stovepipe (single wall) and got it up to 450F and thought that was good enough. Shame on me for not putting it on the stovetop....lesson learned last year.

Even though you are going to 525F you need to crank her up more and for a longer period of time. Do it soon before it gets really cold. I would say burn for 6- 8 hours at 600-650F and that smell will not come back. But again it is the temp and the length to really cure a stove in my book. If your walls are hot at 525 that is a problem, clearance issue?

I am going to open myself up here and tell you what I did 2 weeks when it was 80 degrees out. Now this is my 3 rd stove in three years and this time it looks like I have done it right.... well not perfectly right and you will see.

First I cranked my Dad's Englander up to 900F stovetop for about 3 hours (not on purpose, it just happened) in his cabin. I was looking for 700F but it shot up in about 30 minutes when I was doing yardwork. I quickly shut her down and she cranked on 600-650 for about 4 more hours. That stove is curred and the smell has not come back even at 700F.

Second example....
I have an Avalon Olympic now in my Florida room that I got for a steal in April this year (just before the steel price explosion). Last week when it was 70F I decided to cure it so the smell would never come back. I put 4 splits in and got her up to 600F easy, but that was not good enough (hot enough) . I put another 2 splits in after about 3 hours and I buried the needle...yes I said it. I buried the needle on a Rutland gauge, we are talking 900F+ stovetop, once again not a smart move :down: . I shut her down to about 1/4 open and soon the temp was about 825F, I checked the walls for the fifteenth time and it was only warm...good clearance, a sign of relief again, chimney looked good. Slowly she crept down to a comfortable 700F

In total I burned her for about 7 hours at at least 650F. Now I am by no means saying that anybody should burn that hot, in fact that was foolish on my part :red: . But after thoroughly checking the stove and chimney pipe after I have the confidence now that I can burn it around 700-750F with no issues (no hot walls, no chimney problems) Now I was outside when the stove shot up to 900F but I was 2 feet away from my Florida room door, still I was hoping to get her up to 800F max not 900F +.....

Overall I expect no smell now for where I usually burn which is 550-600F.

 

[daveswoodhauler]

Well, had it up to appx 625 for about 3 hours the other day, and I hope that did the trick. It must be the paint curing as there was no smell at 500 or so, and began stinking at 550-575....only got it to burn about 3 hours as the wifey was coming home. I'llpost back at next burn to see if the smell is gone at 600. Thanks for the help.

 

[MaineMike100]

Perhaps the smell is the paint on surrounding walls/ door casings/ etc. I ran into a similar situation when I installed my stove, the smell finally disapeared after longer than I thought it should take. The following year after repainting the living room I had the same smell all over again. Finally tracked it down to "burning off" the wall paint for lack of a better term, rather than the stove itself. Only gets up to 140 degrees or so and all clearances are appropriate, but still gives off the odor for many cycles.