Smell Coming From Pellet Stove/Pipe Kit

[Wooly0826]

Hello all, I'm new here and new to being a pellet stove owner. I bought a Comfortbilt HP22 from Home Depot and purchased a 3" pipe kit/90 degree Duravent Pellet Pro from Comfortbilt online. After installing the stove/kit I started getting a nasty smell when I ran it. I understand it has a burn off period but I've now had it for a couple of months. I went to Comfortbilt with my issues and they sent me a new pipe kit which I installed last week. It's much better now but I still smell what seems to me to be exhaust nearly every time I run it. I can't see any smoke coming from the pipe except for when I first start it. I turn the lights out and use an led flashlight and can see a little smoke coming from the clean out T. Especially from where the bottom removable piece locks in with the two tabs. I noticed the original stove kit had the same issue and the gasket inside the clean out looked loose. I assumed getting the new kit would fix this but same issue, just not as bad. It's very weird, can't figure it out. I used high temp silicone at the flue where the appliance adapter goes on but I still feel like I can smell it at that spot and the T. I have tried everything. Siliconing that area multiple times to be sure it's sealed, adjusting the clean out multiple times to make sure that is locked in properly, etc. There are some days I don't smell anything, then the next day I do. This stove is in my garage which is finished but not air tight as I have two garage doors, and a bunch of windows, multiple man doors. Any ideas, more info needed from me? Let me know! I really appreciate any help I can get!

 

[Ssyko]

seal every joint on the vent pipe with silicone or aluminum tape.

 

[Wooly0826]

I did that with the first kit and it didn't work unfortunately. Additionally the Duravent Pellet Pro is pretty clear on NOT doing that due to the twist lock technology. However as I said I did it anyway with the first kit to no avail.

 

[tlc1976]

Any chance it’s pulling in its makeup air from an area that contacts the exhaust stream outside? Maybe days when the wind is coming from a certain direction?

 

[bogieb]

I used silicone tape on the cleanout T. Easy to remove when needed. I've never met a cleanout or elbow that didn't leak.

 

[rickwai]

Where the pipe hooks to the back of the stove, Does the stove nipple go inside the the inner pipe of the pellet vent? If so did you fill the gap between the galvanized outer and stainless inner pipe? I had a similar issue with my install years ago and that was the culprit.

 

[zrock]

don't forget to tape up the clean out cap... Like said above your fresh air intake where is it in location to your exhaust pipe? Or what is the cap like on the exhaust possible you have wind blowing back in and forcing some smoke back into the system? I had to change my cap for that reason

 

[mtnbiker727]

I used Sharkbite brand silicon tape I found at Lowes. You just wrap it tightly around the cleanout (or any seam) and it bonds to itself. You can cut it when you want to get the cap off, and then restretch it and stick it back together until the next time. I also used RTV Silicon around the angled pieces of the T, because the tape won't go around that very easily.

It looks pretty sloppy because I've cut the tape a couple times to take the cap off and clean it, but each time it has bonded back together, and since I started using it, we've been smoke free.