Still smelling after 10-15ish fires Jotul 500

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mdcski2

New Member
Nov 21, 2022
8
Boston
Hey everyone, new to stoves but this forum has been great with the amount of information.

We had a Jotul 500 installed about a month ago. I followed the instructions for breaking in the stove etc. I expected the smell for say 5ish fires, however the chemical smell is still pretty intense to the point we are getting headaches. (Don't have an issue aty friend's place with an older stove). Been burning it with the outside doors open to reduce the smell etc. How much longer should I expect the the smell to be there? Also any suggestions on solving the issue is much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Forgot we had a double call sleeve installed inside out masonary fireplace. One flue was capped off as there are 2 for this fireplace. Not sure if that matters or not.
 
If the stove has been hotter than 500º-600º then the paint should be baked in. How hot has the stove gotten?
Is the smell definitely coming from the stove? Did they use any form of cement or caulk at the flue collar?

Pictures of the installation are always welcome.
 
The temp guage on the side said 800 +/- on a really hot burn. The store suggested I do a few hot burns to solve the issue.

Pretty sure its the stove but should double check. (Any chance its the painted mantel above it?)

I want to say they used some kind of sealants but not 100% sure. Can confirm but he did leave me the paint can for the sleeve and it was high heag paint.

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It could be that the stove has not gotten hot enough yet. The side thermometer is for the catalyst. 800º is not hot for the cat. It can go up to 1400º. I would suggest getting a good stovetop thermometer to have a better sense of stove temperature. Put it on one of the corners of the stove top.

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My stovepipe will still make stink if I get it hot enough, it's like an alarm for me when I go in the other room and forget to close the bypass damper I can smell my mistake. This after months of burning and a few mistakes, some that really stunk the place up.
 
Was the paint that the stove shop gave you Stove Brite flat black?
 
It could be that the stove has not gotten hot enough yet. The side thermometer is for the catalyst. 800º is not hot for the cat. It can go up to 1400º. I would suggest getting a good stovetop thermometer to have a better sense of stove temperature. Put it on one of the corners of the stove top.

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Thanks for the advise, will try a hotter fire and better thermometer to get a more accurate temp reading.
 
That's good. It's the right paint. Condar and ReoTemp are two good thermometers.
 
It will go away, eventually. Paint on the liner will get really hot. Is there any smoke haze still coming off?
 
It will go away, eventually. Paint on the liner will get really hot. Is there any smoke haze still coming off?
There was for the first few first but dont recall see it anymore. Planning on burning tomorrow. Will see how it goes etc.
 
Saw a little smoke haze come off today during the burn, the Cat was around 1400 and the top of the stove depending where I measured was 5-600. The exhaust (flue) was up around 550. How long should I do this hot of a burn for?
 
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