Horrible Smell

 
MidnightMadman
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Post by MidnightMadman » Sat. Mar. 07, 2009 5:28 pm

Now that I have my stove shut down and cleaned out I am getting a nasty smell in the room. I closed off the vents and added some Tin Foil over the entire opening, but I still have a smell in the room. It actually is setting my smoke detector off.
What can I do? What is it, fumes from the SS chimney?


 
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coal berner
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Post by coal berner » Sat. Mar. 07, 2009 6:03 pm

MidnightMadman wrote:Now that I have my stove shut down and cleaned out I am getting a nasty smell in the room. I closed off the vents and added some Tin Foil over the entire opening, but I still have a smell in the room. It actually is setting my smoke detector off.
What can I do? What is it, fumes from the SS chimney?
If the stove is shutdown and no fire in it it can't be the stove. Smoke detector goes off from smoke and heat do you see any smoke in the area . Where did you put your ash at was it cold did you happend to drop any hot coals /ash when you where clening .what type of smell do you have. Check battery in smoke detector might need a change .

 
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Poconoeagle
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Post by Poconoeagle » Sat. Mar. 07, 2009 6:07 pm

Is it a sulphur smell?? rotten eggs?? is the detector just a smoke detector?

 
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Post by coaledsweat » Sat. Mar. 07, 2009 6:08 pm

Does the chimney share flues with an oil or gas burner? Multiple flue chimneys can sometimes backdraft from the operating flue to a cold one (creating a loop with combustion products included). Use a cigarette candle or match to see if the coal flue is back drafting. If so, stuff a towel or similar in the stovepipe at the baro to plug it until you refire it.

 
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gambler
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Post by gambler » Sat. Mar. 07, 2009 6:38 pm

With the stove shut down and cooled off it sounds like you have a backdraft in your chimney and your stove is venting out of the baro or somewhere.
What are you using to start the fire?
It could be making smoke and setting off the smoke detector if the chimney is not drafting.

 
MidnightMadman
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Post by MidnightMadman » Sat. Mar. 07, 2009 8:05 pm

I should have explained more. Its been shut down for about 1 week. I have no damper on it at all.
The smell smells like a sulfur kind of smell.
The detector that goes off is a wired one that I believe is a smoke/carbon monoxide that was installed with the house.
I covered the opening to the 6" pipe inside the stove with tin foil and also the ash door opening but the smell is still in the room.
When the tin foil wasnt on there, I could feel the draft coming in strong.

 
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Post by rockwood » Sat. Mar. 07, 2009 9:17 pm

I think the chimney is back drafting as gambler suggested.
MidnightMadman wrote: I could feel the draft coming in strong.
If you mean you can feel draft (cold air) coming into the room from the stove/ash door then your chimney is back drafting, meaning it is not overcoming the "stack affect" of the house. Sometimes exhaust fans (clothes dryer, kitchen fan, bathroom fans etc.) can cause this but most of the time it happens with chimneys running up the exterior of the house or when the chimney is not taller than the entire house.
If your not going to use the stove until fall you could seal off the chimney at the top or disconnect the stove pipe at the thimble(entrance of the chimney) and seal it off helping to stop the odor.


 
MidnightMadman
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Post by MidnightMadman » Sat. Mar. 07, 2009 10:15 pm

Interesting. My SS 6" runs about 30' up. Its about 3 feet higher then the house.
What else can I do to stop a backdraft besides sealing it off at the thimble?

 
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Poconoeagle
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Post by Poconoeagle » Sat. Mar. 07, 2009 10:20 pm

Dump a large (sams club type) bag/box of baking soda down the chimney and run a brush thru it . put a box in the stove too.

 
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coal berner
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Post by coal berner » Sat. Mar. 07, 2009 10:33 pm

MidnightMadman wrote:I should have explained more. Its been shut down for about 1 week. I have no damper on it at all.
The smell smells like a sulfur kind of smell.
The detector that goes off is a wired one that I believe is a smoke/carbon monoxide that was installed with the house.
I covered the opening to the 6" pipe inside the stove with tin foil and also the ash door opening but the smell is still in the room.
When the tin foil wasnt on there, I could feel the draft coming in strong.
dose the detertor have a battery back up incase of a Power outage it sould not be going off if the stove is not burning anything did you brush the chimney out when you cleaned out the stove . The detector could be picking up
Carbon Monxide from some another souce what other heat do you have in the house Oil Gas as Gas Hot water heater . sulfur smell does not mean you have Carbon Monxide there are two different things. You can have one with out the other . The coal would have to be burning to get either one .

 
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Post by MidnightMadman » Sun. Mar. 08, 2009 8:15 pm

I didnt clean the chimney at all. I just cleaned out the stove and shop vacced it.

Its just a nasty, putrid smell. I cant describe it. I guess I need to clean the chimney to get rid of it?

 
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Post by CoalHeat » Mon. Mar. 09, 2009 7:20 am

Did you look around for dead rodents? Sounds like "dead thing smell".

 
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Post by MidnightMadman » Mon. Mar. 09, 2009 11:48 am

Its not a dead animal. When I smell up close on my pipe I can smell it.
Nobody else has this smell when there stove it off?

 
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coal berner
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Post by coal berner » Mon. Mar. 09, 2009 11:53 am

MidnightMadman wrote:Its not a dead animal. When I smell up close on my pipe I can smell it.
Nobody else has this smell when there stove it off?
I Never did With Anthracite coal but with wood Yes have you burned wood at all in it

 
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Post by MidnightMadman » Tue. Mar. 10, 2009 1:44 pm

coal berner wrote:
MidnightMadman wrote:Its not a dead animal. When I smell up close on my pipe I can smell it.
Nobody else has this smell when there stove it off?
I Never did With Anthracite coal but with wood Yes have you burned wood at all in it
Only when getting it lit. I did it about 5 times this year.
I just went out and pull off the cleanout cover on the bottom of the TEE. It had a pile of stuff... kind of looked like sawdust but was an ash.
Should I leave that cover off so the draft will flow straight from the top of the chimney right out the bottom? maybe that will keep the reverse draft from happening in the house?


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