Stinky Jotul

[CW10]

Hi,
I have a jotul GF 400 DV senator that smells like propane, but only when it’s just the pilot light on. When the fireplace is hot, there is no smell. I have had the fire department, propane company and the stove shop here and no one has found a leak.
The stove shop put a new gasket around the glass and on the top, but that failed to solve the problem. The stove is about 10 years old, put in by the previous owners.
The smell started last winter or early spring, we have not changed anything in the house aside from a new dishwasher last winter.
I have no clue how to proceed, and don’t want to keep throwing money at people who have not helped.
I do have a combustible has alarm and carbon monoxide detector next to the fireplace.

 

[DAKSY]

Are you sure about that? Jotul makes a GF 400 Sebago...

 

[CW10]

Are you sure about that? Jotul makes a GF 400 Sebago...

Auto correct-it’s a sebago. Sorry I didn’t catch that.

 

[DAKSY]

Ok. LP is not dangerous in the unburned state,
unless the proper Air-to-Fuel mixture & a heat source are present.
The smell would have to be EXTREMELY noticeable if the was the case...
If you are smelling LP with ONLY the pilot on,
that narrows down the potential gas leak locations.
I'd tighten ALL the gas connections from the tank to the stove,
& the pilot tube connection on the valve.
I don't now how your "investigators" checked for leaks...
Gas Sniffer? Bubbler solution? Something else?
Do you smell it, or does your wife notice it?
Women seem to have better senses of smell when it comes to
sensing the mercaptan, which gives gas its odor...

 

[Former Farmer]

Any changes in your venting, especially the vent termination? Is it possible for a draft coming in through the venting with only the pilot going? What height is your flame on the pilot? Can you adjust the height on the pilot? Most of the gas valves only have the on/off/pilot positions. Is the valve in the on position?

 

[CW10]

Any changes in your venting, especially the vent termination? Is it possible for a draft coming in through the venting with only the pilot going? What height is your flame on the pilot? Can you adjust the height on the pilot? Most of the gas valves only have the on/off/pilot positions. Is the valve in the on position?

It appears everything is tight, and both men who came from the propane company and the stove shop said the pilot light was perfect. No signs of soot anywhere.
The vent leaves the room at about 5 feet. I was wondering about a draft coming in, but unsure of how to find out how. The weekend was very warm here and the stove didn’t run much at all, but the smell was much less.
Last spring we closed up a large vent over the stove that went outside and installed a ventless microwave. Could the lack of draft coming in through that make a difference. The house is not open concept, but there is a fairly straight flow from the kitchen to the living room. There have been no changes to the stove vent from the house.

the smell bothers me much more than my husband, who thinks I’m crazy for all this.

 

[CW10]

The fire department used a gas sniffer, and the propane company used bubbly solution and the stove shop said if the 2 previous didn’t find a leak, then there isn’t one.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Sure it's coming from the appliance itself and not from associated piping to the unit? Propane odorant has a way of migrating around. Think I'd be checking piping and connections to the unit from the supply source, wherever that is.

 

[paulnlee]

Do any painting lately? Been on a lot of calls for LP odor and they turned out to be caused by the mixture of the gas burning and the paint or varnish

 

[CW10]

Do any painting lately? Been on a lot of calls for LP odor and they turned out to be caused by the mixture of the gas burning and the paint or varnish

No painting has been done.
The odor is definitely coming out of the top of the appliance. It seems to be stronger on the right side over the pilot. It doesn’t smell at all in the back where the hose is coming in.

 

[CW10]

I’m grasping at straws here, but had this thought. We don’t heat our upstairs at all. We have a curtain at the bottom of the stairs to try to keep the heat down, but with kids around it is often left open. Could the cold upstairs create enough of a draft to pull the odor inside instead of it venting out properly?

 

[Former Farmer]

Have you tried turning the gas control valve in the stove to the off position and see if you still can smell anything? I would leave the unit off for a day or so to make sure that any previous odors have time to dissipate.

 

[SidecarFlip]

I’m grasping at straws here, but had this thought. We don’t heat our upstairs at all. We have a curtain at the bottom of the stairs to try to keep the heat down, but with kids around it is often left open. Could the cold upstairs create enough of a draft to pull the odor inside instead of it venting out properly?

If the burner is operating correctly the odorant should be consumed in the flame. Like a catalytic vent less heater. They use odorized propane as well, with no venting what so ever.

That stuff certainly has a stink to it. One of my friends in in the propane business (I buy from him). Told me once that he caught his girlfriend fooling around with another guy, so he took some and poured it in the guys car. Guy wound up selling the car, he could not get the smell out....lol

Back in the day it suppliers bought propane with no odorant added and they put it in at the point of delivery. Today, it's put in at the refinery.

 

[Nrsimhananda]

I have exactly the same problem. No leak, but stink. I can smell it coming from the top grate of the heater. What did you end up doing?

 

[DAKSY]

LP is heavier than air, so you shouldn’t be able to smell it from the top of the stove unless the entire firebox is filled with unburnt gas. That would be impossible with the pilot lit. Are you sure you smell LP? If there is a dust layer on the top of the firebox, that will give off an odor when the stove is lit, but will go away after a period of time. This smell is more prevalent at the beginning of the heating season as dust accumulates over the summer months.

 

[Nrsimhananda]

LP is heavier than air, so you shouldn’t be able to smell it from the top of the stove unless the entire firebox is filled with unburnt gas. That would be impossible with the pilot lit. Are you sure you smell LP? If there is a dust layer on the top of the firebox, that will give off an odor when the stove is lit, but will go away after a period of time. This smell is more prevalent at the beginning of the heating season as dust accumulates over the summer months.

Thanks, Daksy, for weighing in (no pun intended). It isn't the gas. Nothing shows up on the detector. It's the stink that is rising. I can only believe that there is a holiday in the sealed firebox. But, wait! The smell is coming from the back right corner. Isn't the firebox only compromised in the front? Why would the smell be in the back? I dunno.

 

[49er]

Could it be a dead mouse or something?

 

[Nrsimhananda]

The air carrying the odor is warm. That model Jotel sits on legs, so there is nothing on the floor. I've cleaned the firebox a couple of times recently when I had taken the pilot out for cleaning. I soaked it in acetone and blew it out with compressed air. If there is a dead mouse, it is invisible. But good thought!

 

[49er]

Yes, we have the same model, I wasn't thinking it was in the firebox. If you lift the top off and use a flashlight to look around between the firebox and cast iron shell maybe you could see something.

 

[Nrsimhananda]

I'll give that a gander. I've got an Arbnb going in there right now. As soon as they are out. The odor doesn't linger as long as the windows or doors are open. Apparently, they noticed it upon entry, but it's not an issue as long as the air is moving.