Persistent smell - multi fuel burner

[masochists-r-us]

Hi Everyone
We have two Clearview Logburners, the biggest of which is in a large inglenook fireplace. They were both installed some years ago with the same stainless flues and register plates, but one big stinks every time we fire it up until it's been running for an hour or so. It's so noxious, I often open a window until the smell clears. The best way I can describe it is a chemical smell. We did install flue insulation in the large one so I was thinking that might be causing the problem, but having looked at this in detail we have eliminated it as a cause. Logburner paint has been suggested as a potential culprit, but it hasn't been repainted in years. Any thoughts/suggestions would be much appreciated.

 

[88v8]

Yuk.
So this is something that's giving off vapour each time it's heated. How bizarre. One would think that a few heating sessions would drive out the vapour and that would be that.
The most persistent pong we had was after I killed a chimney full of bees and they fell on the register plate in two-inch thicknesses. That was a ghastly pong and lasted weeks. I had to vacuum then out, and Henry still stinks a year later.

Stove paint, or wax, does not persist.
Flue lagging is inert.
And there is nothing to pong in a Clearview, of which we also have two.

Has the stonework of the inglenook been treated/painted?

Otherwise the problem is in your chimney or register plate. Tar? Water runoff from an internal stack leak, could be tarry. Bees? Stick your head up through the sweeping eyes and look. During the start of heating, it will not be too hot.

Ivor

 

[Flyfisher]

We have three multi-fuel stoves (Stovax) and they all gave off some sort of fumes the first time we used them (a few years ago) but not persistently. This year, we've had our main boiler stove running on wood for a couple of months now and the first burn didn't give off any fumes at all.

However, coincidentally, I lit one of the other stoves for the first time yesterday (with coal) and it did give off some fumes for a short while, but I've re-lit it today and it's fine. I suspect the reason was accumulated dust being burned off. I've no proof of that but can't think of anything else. Whatever it was it seems fine now after that first day's burn.

Have you had any work done to the stove or flue since last using it? I'm thinking of fire cement or similar joining the flue pipes perhaps, or any touch-up paint? Even so, the first burn should 'cure' anything like that and shouldn't cause persistent fumes. As you describe the smell as 'chemical' I assume the door seals are in good condition and not leaking fumes to the room, because they would have a 'smokey' smell (well, depending on what you're burning :wink: ) Actually, even if that were the case, when the stove is alight it would draw air in through the door rather that spill fumes, so that's probably an unlikely cause.

It might be worth trying a fairly 'fierce' burn for a short while but otherwise I can't think what else it could be, at least not as far as the stove itself is concerned. Ivor's suggestion of checking above the register plate seems a good one, plus anything else in close proximity to the stove that may be getting warm and giving off fumes.

 

[keatsie]

One thing about stoves, when they first get installed they have a protective coating to stop rust etc. This requires burning flat out for a good few burns before this clears. If you dont burn hot enough some residual will remain and get burnt at a later stage. We have three wood burners and they took a couple of weeks to stop the smell running hot every night.

 

[bobby spray]

what are you using both to light the fires and what are you burning in them. Have you had the chimney swept?

 

[noj]

Confusing.

First thought was that it must be something that's heated by the burner, rather than the burner itself, so that it never gets fully burnt off (nearby acrylic paint, vinyl emulsion, varnish maybe...) but I'd expect something like that to smell more the longer the burner ran.

But you could test that by using aluminium foil as a temporary heat shield and masking every surface around the burner and seeing if the smell doesn't occur.