Smell after emptying stove

[jwveysey]

Hi, everyone. I've found this forum very useful in the past, but this is my first post. I've recently been getting a nasty odor -- like metallic cigarette smoke -- off of my stove after I empty it of ashes. This situation perplexes me because I've been running the same stove in the same way for a few years, and the problem has only just emerged. Moreover, the smell only occurs right after I empty the ashes. It disappears after the stove reaches a good operating temperature and remains there for an hour or so, and it never occurs at any other time (for example, it does not occur if I start a fire when the stove is cold but has some ashes in the firebox).

Here are the particulars of my stove and chimney.

- Hearthstone Homestead
- Stove hearth-mounted in a brick fireplace and connected to circular stovepipe running the length of the chimney (and capped at the top of the chimney)
- Center chimney (our house is a saltbox) with good clearance above the chimney
- Chimney flue lined with clay tiles
- Stove installed by the local Hearthstone dealer
- Fireplace damper opening around the stovepipe sealed with fiberglass insulation

Now for my analysis of the problem to date. At first I thought it was just dust from the ash emptying that was burning off the stove or pipe (although I do take pains to minimize the dust when emptying, and vacuum during and afterwards). So I tried vacuuming the outside of the stove and pipe thoroughly after an emptying, then wiped them down with a damp cloth, but these measures didn't help.

Now I'm thinking that the problem might be related to paint degrading on the stovepipe or to the ash pan under the stove. The stovepipe's paint is flaking off in parts, and I've had to clean off loose paint on a few occasions. Could some loose paint be vaporizing to produce the smell? I'd appreciate people's thoughts here. This explanation doesn't seem convincing to me because I figure stovepipe paint is designed not to be volatile at normal operating temperatures (plus, why wouldn't it happen with every fire?), but it doesn't hurt to ask.

Then there's the ash pan. The pan is too small to be useful, so I normally just keep it closed. I replace the gasket on the pan every year because I've noticed it degrades pretty quickly. I last replaced it in September, which should mean it's still good (however, I'll double check that tomorrow morning). But it seems telling that the smell only crops up when the firebox is empty. There's a grate for the ash pan in the bottom of the firebox, and I wonder if somehow some detritus is being knocked through it when I shovel out ashes and is then burning off the pan or the pan's enclosure. Any thoughts?

I'll be very grateful for any and all advice. Thanks.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Welcome to the forum Jason.

As for the paint, I highly doubt that as you would more likely get that after the stove is burning and not when it has burned down enough to empty ashes.

As for the ash pan, you could check that possibility just by putting an inch or so of ashes in the pan and leaving it.

Other than that, this is a new one on me.

 

[LLigetfa]

...I've been running the same stove in the same way for a few years...

You make no mention of what you burn. Has that changed? Could be that as you clean out the stove, you expose the ashes to air and the smell is in the ashes and or absorbed into the firebrick.

As I remove ashes from the back of the stove where it gets the least air, I notice it has a lot stonger smell, and different colour and texture than the ashes near the front.

 

[jjhof0306]

I get that smell, too, especially if there are some glowing coals in the ashes I'm removing. I just assumed it was the smell of the coals burning. It goes away fairly quickly, so I've never really worried about it. I burn maple, oak and birch.

 

[jwveysey]

Thanks to everyone for the responses. I haven't changed my fuel in the last few weeks, so that variable at least has been constant. I've been burning a mixture of seasoned (about 20% moisture, measured with a moisture meter) oak, popular, and maple.

I just thoroughly cleaned the stove (inside and out), the fireplace, and the stovepipe up to the fireplace damper. I also verified that the fiberglass insulation at the damper is intact and forming a decent seal. While cleaning the stove, I did find that the ash pan was slightly out of place, so I pushed it firmly back. The only place I could smell a hint of the problem odor during cleaning was right at the surface of the soapstone on the stove itself. So I wiped all the soapstone down with a dilute solution of baking soda. (Interestingly, I couldn't detect the odor in the stove's firebox.)

I'm going to light it back up in a few minutes. Stay tuned...

 

[Chettt]

Jason are letting everything cool completely down and are experiencing the stink from the air coming back down the flue? Like the smell you can get in the spring when you stop burning. I'm thinking this has nothing to do with the ash removal but more so a cold flue.

 

[LLigetfa]

Poplar that is less than ideally seasoned will give off that metallic stench you describe.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I agree on the poplar smell.

 

[wolfkiller]

I got the a bad smell when emptying ash-coals as well. I finally figured out it was the paint on the ash bucket and shovel. I have two ash pans one is galvanised 1 is stove blacked. I burned all the tools off in the yard now the smell is gone.

 

[jwveysey]

Well, something I did just worked! I lit the stove a few hours ago, and there's now no smell. My working theory is that there was a residue of some kind on the soapstone that I was able to wash off. When I washed the stone down, I noticed a brown film on the washcloth coming off the stone. The film smelled like the odor I originally reported. It was adhered enough that normal vacuuming didn't remove it.

I agree that unseasoned popular can be an issue, but I think mine is in pretty good shape. It's been split and stacked under cover for about a year now.

So, I guess in the future I'll give my soapstone an occasional bath. Thanks again to everyone for all the pointers. They got me thinking about some angles I wasn't considering.

Stay warm...

 

[savageactor7]

So you think there was some kind of residue from the manufacturing process still on the stove? Well it's good you noticed it...happy burning to ya. I was following this cause I was stumped.