Silly Question? How Can We Smell The Wood We're Burning??

[Nonprophet]

Ok, I've been burning some Black Locust the past few nights, I REALLY like the way it smells (and burns!)! Nice and sweet like the Cherry I burn.....

Anyway, I started thinking about it and had to wonder--how is it that we can smell the wood that's burning in our woodstoves? I mean if the smoke is going up the stack and the burning split is sealed in our "airtight" stoves behind a glass door, how does the smell of the burning wood reach our schnozes???

Inquiring minds want to know..........


NP

 

[grommal]

Ok, I've been burning some Black Locust the past few nights, I REALLY like the way it smells (and burns!)! Nice and sweet like the Cherry I burn.....

Anyway, I started thinking about it and had to wonder--how is it that we can smell the wood that's burning in our woodstoves? I mean if the smoke is going up the stack and the burning split is sealed in our "airtight" stoves behind a glass door, how does the smell of the burning wood reach our schnozes???

Inquiring minds want to know..........


NP

First of all, airtight stoves are not really. Gaskets, cemented seals, etc can leak a bit. Also, your interior stovepipe connections between the sections and to the stove are probably not airtight either. So, if the chimney draw is not enough to keep a pretty significant negative pressure in the stove, you can get a little smoke seepage.

The other possibility is that you're getting smoke infiltration from outside, back in through the tiny leaks around windows, doors, and other penetrations through the house. This happened to us in an upstairs bedroom if the wind was just right, though new windows in the house seem to have eliminated it.

 

[johnn]

On my house,through much of the winter and its prevailing wind,,the smoke will literally hug the second story roof,,drop down to a roof section over the office,and can be smelt from the back porch screened in area. just geographics in my case.

 

[yanksforever]

Open the door real quick and let the smoke roll out! :lol:

 

[lexybird]

sometimes its nice and comforting ..when i burn sugar maple really hot i sometimes can get a nice robust sweet odor of it in near the perimeter of my wood furnace

 

[Jags]

Outside air infiltration. The air that goes up the stack has to be replaced on the inside from somewhere - outside air - into the house - and that might have a little wood smell if the wind is just right.

 

[billb3]

wood burning odorants and esters are rather pervasive.

you have probably become rather accostumed to the usual smoke smell(s) and block it out, ignoring it.

 

[madrone]

I have to go outside or open the stove door to smell the smoke.

 

[argus66]

get the screen door if your stove offers it. i use mine all the time u can smell and here the crackling better. and room doesn't get as hot either.

 

[grommal]

get the screen door if your stove offers it. i use mine all the time u can smell and here the crackling better. and room doesn't get as hot either.

Finally! A way to avoid that pesky "hot room" phenomenon!

 

[ControlFreak]

If things are set up right, you shouldn't smell any smoke unless you open the door. If you're burning hot enough, the exhaust should continue up after it exits your chimney.

 

[argus66]

ya it does but u can still smell it more then with the door closed. my stove is in my living room and sometimes by 8 9pm heat is unbearable screen helps big time.

 

[Nonprophet]

I have to go outside or open the stove door to smell the smoke.

Just to clarify, I'm not smelling "smoke," but I definitely can smell the wood---if that makes any sense......! Our house doesn't smell "smokey" at all, but when I'm near the stove reloading or just checking the fire, I can definitely smell the wood species that's burning--at least on some species like Cedar, Cherry, and this Black Locust. Maybe I just smell them more because they're a "sweeter" smell?? Although I can also smell Oak when I burn it too.......whereas the Doug Fir and a little pine that I burn don't seem to give off as much scent.........still kind of perplexed about how I can smell the wood without smelling the smoke.........


NP

 

[DiscoInferno]

Black locust smoke (especially from the bark) is awful noxious stuff, so I have to think you're really not smelling the smoke or that isn't black locust.

I always wondered what the clear exhaust from a properly-burning EPA stove does smell like. I sort of assume that most scents are volatile and thus burned off, so that the exhaust is relatively scent-free, perhaps just a bit of a smoke or creosote smell.

 

[grommal]

I have to go outside or open the stove door to smell the smoke.

Just to clarify, I'm not smelling "smoke," but I definitely can smell the wood---if that makes any sense......! Our house doesn't smell "smokey" at all, but when I'm near the stove reloading or just checking the fire, I can definitely smell the wood species that's burning--at least on some species like Cedar, Cherry, and this Black Locust. Maybe I just smell them more because they're a "sweeter" smell?? Although I can also smell Oak when I burn it too.......whereas the Doug Fir and a little pine that I burn don't seem to give off as much scent.........still kind of perplexed about how I can smell the wood without smelling the smoke.........


NP

Then maybe what you're smelling is little bits of wood or bark that may have dropped somewhere on the stove or very close to it when you were loading. It's pretty common to get a lighter "hot wood" odor from wood fragments lying on the ash lip, for example.

 

[gzecc]

I agree with Disco. Black locust smells like cat urine when its burned. Definitely not a pleasant smell. You should smell the odor from black locust outside. Next time, only burn locust and test the air outside. Its a great wood in regards to BTU's and seasoning rate, but its not aromatic!
I would aslo imagine you are smelling the fine particles of the wood you are bringing into the house, not the smoke.

 

[Nonprophet]

I agree with Disco. Black locust smells like cat urine when its burned. Definitely not a pleasant smell. You should smell the odor from black locust outside. Next time, only burn locust and test the air outside. Its a great wood in regards to BTU's and seasoning rate, but its not aromatic!
I would aslo imagine you are smelling the fine particles of the wood you are bringing into the house, not the smoke.

Well, I freely admit that this is my first experience with Black Locust as we don't get a lot of it out here. I got the wood for free, and the Arborist who took down the trees told the homeowner that it was BL, and looking at photos and descriptions that's sure what it looks like. Maybe some folks with experience with BL can help me id it?

It is extremely dense/heavy wood. When the rounds are split, the wood has a yellowish color to it, and it smells spicy-sweet. The bark is thick, but comes off easily (round shave been cut up for 4 months) and the inside of the bark is stringy/paper-like. Does that sound like BL? Here's a pic of my first trailer load of it......


NP

 

[DiscoInferno]

Yeah, that looks and sounds like BL. I agree the split wood smells OK. But the smoke does not. So whatever you're smelling, it's not the smoke and I can't answer your original question.

 

[Jotulf3cb]

Go outside and smell away!!

 

[gzecc]

The wood in the picture doesn't look like typical black locust, unless it is very wet. BL has a greenish yellow wood. On my monitor, the wood in your picture is tan/brown. The bark however does look like BL.

 

[lexybird]

I agree with Disco. Black locust smells like cat urine when its burned. Definitely not a pleasant smell. You should smell the odor from black locust outside. Next time, only burn locust and test the air outside. Its a great wood in regards to BTU's and seasoning rate, but its not aromatic!
I would aslo imagine you are smelling the fine particles of the wood you are bringing into the house, not the smoke.

Well, I freely admit that this is my first experience with Black Locust as we don't get a lot of it out here. I got the wood for free, and the Arborist who took down the trees told the homeowner that it was BL, and looking at photos and descriptions that's sure what it looks like. Maybe some folks with experience with BL can help me id it?

It is extremely dense/heavy wood. When the rounds are split, the wood has a yellowish color to it, and it smells spicy-sweet. The bark is thick, but comes off easily (round shave been cut up for 4 months) and the inside of the bark is stringy/paper-like. Does that sound like BL? Here's a pic of my first trailer load of it......


NP

your black locust looks unseasoned to me in the pic

 

[Highbeam]

I usually get the smell on my hands when I load the stove. It sticks well to your skin.