Smell won't go away on new stove

[tpenny67]

I tried to snap some pics peaking inside the back of my 4300:



From the first picture, they don't appear to try to paint all their welds. This stove is only 2 weeks old. Happy to report most of the smell is gone from mine, though I swear it does have a faint odor of apple cinnamon herbal tea today. From what I've been able to see in mine, the flue collar is bolted to the top plate of the stove, not welded.

 

[Tar12]

Why do you say that?

I can see that it's stick welded, but what are you looking at that says 'flux core' to you?

(I am learning welding basics, sorry for the slightly off topic question. . )

Flux core has 2 applications...stick welding as you already know and mig welding with flux core wire...both designed for dirty metal and windy conditions. The mig flux core wire is used with out a cover gas.

 

[mitchell721]

There's flux core that self shielding and flux thats dual shield that run with gas. Either way not the best looking welds

 

[WoodyIsGoody]

I swear it does have a faint odor of apple cinnamon herbal tea today.

My stove smells more like ripe berries, old leather and citrus peels. Vintage is 1992.

 

[tpenny67]

I happened to find this post of another stove that wouldn't stop smelling. Long story short, two stove replacements later and it was still smelling, so it wasn't the stove's fault in this particular case:
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads...stion-smoke-smell.105261/page-10#post-2147842

The curing paint odor of my new Quad has finally gone away, but it took about 40 hours of burn time for it to happen, not the several hours noted in the manual. I suspect it takes quite some time for all the paint, particularly on the pedestal, to heat up and cure.

 

[jetsam]

Many people have experienced the paint curing smell coming back every time their stove hits a new high temperature.

I've seen some folks on here burn their break-in loads while the new stove is still outside the house.

 

[mincus]

Well, that went just about exactly as I thought it would. The tech came in, took the back cover off, looked around and didn't find anything odd. He used a wet rag to clean out inside top (on top of the firebox). I asked him about the possible missing weld and he said that there shouldn't be one there because the weld is on the inside. No idea if that's true or not.

He got his things ready to leave, and told me his job was done. When I asked him what's next, he didn't really have anything to say. As far as he was concerned, the job is done. I again brought up that the smell isn't normal. He told me that the occasional smell is completely normal. I told him that wasn't what was happening. It is constantly giving off a smell.

He said it could be the type of wood I was burning, because different woods give off different smells. I questioned why that would matter...shouldn't that smell be contained to the firebox and go out the flue? I think when I asked this, he realized I wasn't an idiot. Because he said "well, you know when you open the door, some smell is bound to come out." I again told him that wasn't the issue....the smell is coming off of the top of the stove, even after the door's been closed for hours. He told me they've never had this issue before.

He said there was nothing else he could do, but there's nothing that he can see wrong with the unit. Anything else, the owner of the company would have to come out and check it. But, he made it sound like that would be a really big deal to do. So, I was just supposed to accept it. I told him that his company would never sell a single stove if the units in their stores gave off this smell. He said the "warranty" work would have to be approved by the store owner and quadrafire. I asked him to call the owner and set something up. Long story short, he agreed to let me start the fire and then come back in a couple of hours. So, that's where we're at now. He said the owner was also calling quadrafire to see if they've ever had this problem before.

I guess I can't say I'm surprised, just really ticked off...

 

[mincus]

Update 2: A different guy came out and definitely verified the smell. We could smell it as soon as we came in, which he acknowledged. I'm glad they at least acknowledged the smell. Up until this point, everyone I've talked to about it has downplayed it and made it seem as though I was exaggerating. He agreed that the smell is definitely there and he could smell it as soon as he walked in the door. This was a big deal in my book.

He believes it is a paint smell and stated that it just hadn't cured enough yet. Unfortunately, he tried to play it off as though it was no big deal and would go away at some point. I told him that I had been burning it for over two months and have had PLENTY of hot fires in it. He didn't really have much to say about that, but talked about how sometimes he has customers call him out that are still getting the smell after a week, and they don't know why. He said typically they only burn a couple of logs at a time and never get it hot enough to burn off the smell. He agreed that (based on my current fire) I was burning properly and nice and hot. He didn't see any other issues with my setup, install, etc.

Several times, he tried to convince me that I should just give it longer and the smell would eventually go away. He told me the smell isn't dangerous and I should feel confident continuing to burn fires in the stove. I told him quite bluntly that this smell was not acceptable nearly three months in and that I would not be burning any more fires in it until it is fixed.

He took quite a few pictures of the stove while holding my IR thermometer in the shot. He was happy with all of the temperature readings. The plan is to send all of this info to quadrafire and see what they want to do.

 

[sportbikerider78]

Interesting. Seems like it just did not cure properly at the factory or the guy in the paint booth mixed too much of something and not enough of the other.

 

[Sodbuster]

My PE Summit is 5 years old now, and will still get a certain smell when it is too hot. I can notice right away, and it's usually when I put in new load of wood, and then get sidetracked and the fire is raging hot. It's one of those "Oh crap" moments. It's definitely not paint curing anymore, it's just the smell of hot steel.

 

[Sodbuster]

I asked him about the possible missing weld and he said that there shouldn't be one there because the weld is on the inside. No idea if that's true or not.


The weld is on the inside.

 

[weatherguy]

They probably get quite a few calls from new wood burners complaining about the normal smells. Sounds like you convinced at least one guy that what your getting is beyond that. Hopefully they fix this issue for you.
Did either guy test the draft?

 

[mincus]

They probably get quite a few calls from new wood burners complaining about the normal smells. Sounds like you convinced at least one guy that what your getting is beyond that. Hopefully they fix this issue for you.
Did either guy test the draft?

Yeah, I'm really happy that he agreed it was an issue. He did try to convince me on multiple occasions to just keep burning and it would eventually get better. At almost three months in, I think that's pretty bogus. But, at least the issue has been officially acknowledged as an issue.

They didn't test the draft, but the second guy seemed satisfied that all was well in that regard. He looked pretty carefully at the fire I had going and said it was running perfectly. I really don't think it's a draft issue.

 

[begreen]

Progress. If it is a paint smell and not wood smoke, it could be a bad paint job. There are a number of reasons that this could happen. It could be a bad batch of paint, contamination, improper prep or application. We had a lady many years back with an Osburn that had a defective paint jobs. It release bad odors and flecks of carbon dust all over the living room. She documented extensively and evenually Osburn agreed to exchange the stove. We haven't heard from her since.

 

[mincus]

Progress. If it is a paint smell and not wood smoke, it could be a bad paint job. There are a number of reasons that this could happen. It could be a bad batch of paint, contamination, improper prep or application. We had a lady many years back with an Osburn that had a defective paint jobs. It release bad odors and flecks of carbon dust all over the living room. She documented extensively and evenually Osburn agreed to exchange the stove. We haven't heard from her since.

Progress indeed. I forgot to mention: at one point he told me every stove will give off a "hot metal" smell sometimes that smells similar to what I'm currently smelling. Any truth to that??

 

[rdust]

Progress indeed. I forgot to mention: at one point he told me every stove will give off a "hot metal" smell sometimes that smells similar to what I'm currently smelling. Any truth to that??

Yes, I can always tell/smell when the stove is really cranking. I've experienced that with my old non cat and my current cat stove.(both steel).

 

[mincus]

Heard back from quadrafire. They suggested that I burn the stove for 6-8 hours to dissipate the smell. Maybe I should think of this as a first step and shouldn't be angry. But I EASILY have several hundred hours of burn time on the stove. There is no way that another 6-8 hours is going to make a difference. However, to follow by what they're asking, I have agreed to give it a try and let them know. It seems everyone involved (the installer and now quadrafire) is working against me. Everyone I've talked to with the installer seems to agree with me that it's not right, but then when I ask them to do something about it, they're very reluctant. It's getting incredibly frustrating! When will I get someone to do what is right?!?!?

The saga continues....

 

[tpenny67]

Ugh Take the 6-8 hour suggestion with a grain of salt. They probably get a lot of calls from people who couldn't be bothered to read the manual, so the first step in tech support is always to read the manual to the customer. It's too bad you can't record the smell on the video. Not only would it be really helpful to tech support, but then I could compare the smell to when a mouse died in my car's heater just before it got really cold out. It sucks to need heat and the heater makes your eyes water.

Also, I work in software and have recently been dealing with a number of whacky customer issues that make no sense, so I also have some sense of what it's like to be on the other side. I honestly expect Quadrafire and the installer want you to be a happy customer, but they really don't have an easy answer for you. You may have to take the initiative of making a specific suggestion. Have you asked them to replace your stove? Or just asked if they can do "something"? If you can clearly communicate to them why you are frustrated and what would make you happy, you might be surprised at the result.

It's a tough situation, but keep the faith, be persistent, be polite, and hopefully it will all turn out well in the end.

 

[voxland]

I have read through all these messages and now will ask a different question: What kind of wood are you burning? The reason why I ask that is that some years ago I began burning aspen (quaking or trembling aspen). It's not the best wood in the forest, birch being available and preferred. However, I soon noticed that there was a peculiar smell from coming from the chimney. [One of my regrets of our little Jotul F3cb is that it is well sealed so that inside the cabin there isn't a cozy odor from a burning fire]. That smell from the aspen struck me as pleasantly chemical, and yes, I might even say a sort of sweetness to it. Once when I was up on the roof sniffing the smoke from the chimney I even wondered if I could get "high" from the fumes. I didn't stay long up there to find out.

I have noticed that aroma when splitting the aspen as well, though not so strong as when it was burned. So, I agree that the volatile smells from any paint or sealants in a stove really should have burned off long ago. However if you have been consistently been burning a more "aromatic" wood then of course whenever it is burned then the odor should return.

I was searching the internet with "smell poplar wood stove" and found very few instances, one person wrote this: "Some fresh deciduous trees like aspen and poplar have a strong aromatic smell. maybe you just smelled that, thought it was something chemical, and had a psychosomatic response? the smell of fresh cut poplar makes me feel nice because I associate it with good times in the woods as a kid."

YMMV.

 

[Corey]

Progress indeed. I forgot to mention: at one point he told me every stove will give off a "hot metal" smell sometimes that smells similar to what I'm currently smelling. Any truth to that??

Around here, in electric / forced air gas furnace land, ...and sometimes wood stove land, we have the 'first heat of the year' smell. I don't suspect it happens as much with heat pump / hot water and other low-temp systems, but...

People often call this a 'hot metal' smell. What it really happens is a burn-off of lint, dust, etc which has accumulated on the heating coils / heat exchanger / stove top in the 'off' season.

Though this really tends to be for the first one or two firings, then maybe if a new 'hot' temperature is reached during the season. But it is not as persistent as you mention. Given the age of this thread, it seems you've had dozens of fires with persistent smell? Seems like you'd need a fairly large mass of material to generate so much smell. Was there any high temp silicone or aluminum duct tape used in the install? Anything packed with styrofoam or plastic bags which might be still stuffed in a crevice. Seems like any coat of paint would be long baked out by now.

Guess another thing to try - if you have a CO detector when can give an actual read-out - wave it around the stove some time you have a big bed of coals built up. If it picks up anything, you might have a leak from the firebox somewhere.

 

[begreen]

If you get a stove in the 850+ range there is a distinct aroma that clues one to the very hot stove. I've noticed it with every stove we've owned. Could be partially from dust in hidden crevices burning off, not sure. Our little enameled Jotul can take off quickly with dry wood. That smell warns you to pay closer attention.

 

[WoodyIsGoody]

If you get a stove in the 850+ range there is a distinct aroma that clues one to the very hot stove. I've noticed it with every stove we've owned. Could be partially from dust in hidden crevices burning off, not sure. Our little enameled Jotul can take off quickly with dry wood. That smell warns you to pay closer attention.

So true. Mostly just old dust burning off from areas of the stove that haven't been that hot recently. Also, never seen a stove that didn't warn you it was hitting warp speed with audible clues as well. I love that tight sounding "tink, tink, tink".

 

[brickie]

Anything change? Follow up?

 

[mincus]

Well, I think, good news. They have contacted the manufacturer again. They have agreed to "stand behind the stove and replace if necessary" as long as the owner of the installer company comes out one more time. I guess he's just needing to confirm that the smell is as bad as I and the one installer has said it is? I'm not sure. But, they have asked that it be 50 or below outside when they come. To make sure it's not a draft issue??? Not sure about that either.

 

[Tar12]

Well, I think, good news. They have contacted the manufacturer again. They have agreed to "stand behind the stove and replace if necessary" as long as the owner of the installer company comes out one more time. I guess he's just needing to confirm that the smell is as bad as I and the one installer has said it is? I'm not sure. But, they have asked that it be 50 or below outside when they come. To make sure it's not a draft issue??? Not sure about that either.

What they are needing to do and confirm is that your not a bumbling idiot. I am sure they have heard it all over the years and have to cover all bases.My take on this is that the stove needs replaced period.Bad paint job? Possible....but you have burned this unit long enough that should be a non issue by now...IMO Hope they take care of you on this...