Sulfur Smell

coal berner wrote:.....At moderate concentrations, angina, impaired vision, and reduced brain function may result.....

So THAT'S my issue!

Not to make light of the situation ............. check that damn chimney ...................... dammit!

I agree with everyone!

You can have sulphur dioxide odors in the house without an measurable level of CO. Some coal is just stinkier then others. I've had really smelly coal for the handfed. It smelled when I sprayed the coal with water in the bucket before I shoveled it in the stove, it smelled when I opened the loading door, it smelled, smelled, smelled. The CO detector read 0.

CO is odorless. Any reading on a CO detector and any odor should be investigated.

If you have a persistent smell in the house something is wrong. A CO detector with a digital readout should be in every home!

I told him to get a manometer but he is "frugal."

I apologize for criticizing a member of your family, Terry, but there's a difference between "frugal" and "foolish".

Thanks to everyone who has posted on this topic.

He's not in my family, it's my wifes and I put frugal in quotes for a reason. It was meant to be read as cheap and stupid! I also know better than to get in a pissing match with JC regarding ANYTHING to do with coal. My only point is that since none of us has been to this guys house, it should be taken very seriously given his description of the circumstances and the possible deadly results if it isn't just stiny coal. There's no do overs for dead.

Well Said C.K.

Yep no do overs. Very well said CK. I agree with Tim.

Thanks. I'd rather be wrong. By the way, pconn171 has not posted since Monday at 7:30 am. It would be nice to get an update.

I think it was justified to make a "stink" about the CO danger. He said that when he shut down one of the burners the smell went away which would indicate to me that it wasn't just the result of stinky coal or I would think the smell would still be there when one burner is going.

You would think that the CO detector would alarm but it could be a defective unit or if it hasn't been replaced for 5 years or so it may not be working as well as it used to. He also said the CO detectors he has don't have the numeric readout so we don't know if he has a low level that isn't getting to the alarm level of his detector or not.

OK My Point was that there is a difference between Sulphur smell and Carbon monoxide I was simply stating you can
have a sulphur smell with out having CO present I also was not making light of any CO level Reading.
I would be the last member on here to do that Read the whole post.

Just trying to let people know that there is a big Difference between the two .
Having a sulphur smell is not the same has having Carbon monoxide in the house .
You can have one and not the other You can also have both That's why it is so important to have several good Properly working CO detectors in the house . It could Mean life or Death it's that simply . I would think if he is having any smell with both stoker running and not with only one running Then either the chimney is not drafting correctly to Handel both stoker combustion blowers running at the same time Weak draft. Or the one stoker is not sealed up correctly and is leaking air and gases.

I hope pconn171 is busy Christmas shopping or something. He still hasn't posted since Monday at 7:30 am. I will admit to being a worrier but I am alittle concerned. I sent him a pm a day or so...no reply. Anyone know him?

Don't worry about me, I'm not dead yet. Still have the smell, but I just shut the stoker down. I think it's the chimney - I don't have a chimney cap and I had a couple of dead birds at the start of the season so I think they might have a nest in there. I'm going to try and take a look this weekend to see what I have. In regards to the CO detectors though, I have a couple throughout the house and none of them are more than 3 years old so I doubt they are all lying to me. Other than the nasty smell, I've had no indications that there is CO in the house. It doesn't take much of a sulfur odor to stink up a large area so I'm sure the presence of the actual exhaust gases is minimal. Thanks for the input though and I'll let you know if I find something in the chimney.

Pat

Could it be that the fire is burning to far back on the grates and heating the coal in the hopper and releasing the sulfur?

pconn171 wrote:Don't worry about me, I'm not dead yet. Still have the smell, but I just shut the stoker down. I think it's the chimney - I don't have a chimney cap and I had a couple of dead birds at the start of the season so I think they might have a nest in there. I'm going to try and take a look this weekend to see what I have. In regards to the CO detectors though, I have a couple throughout the house and none of them are more than 3 years old so I doubt they are all lying to me. Other than the nasty smell, I've had no indications that there is CO in the house. It doesn't take much of a sulfur odor to stink up a large area so I'm sure the presence of the actual exhaust gases is minimal. Thanks for the input though and I'll let you know if I find something in the chimney.

Pat

Glad to hear rumors of your demise were greatly exagerated.

SMITTY,get outside & breath deeply,maybe it's reversible

SMITTY wrote:

coal berner wrote:.....At moderate concentrations, angina, impaired vision, and reduced brain function may result.....

So THAT'S my issue!

Not to make light of the situation ............. check that damn chimney ...................... dammit!

I would have to say I agree with Coal Berner, though I would phrase it a little differently. I would say that it's possible to have a sulfur smell in the house with no detectable CO. I have had a number of occasions in which I have had a whiff of sulfur and seen nothing on my (3) meters. My meters are relatively new (not old enough to be out of calibration). I suppose that our noses are detecting very small traces of sulfur.

Amen, of course, to all the comments regarding CO and safety.

The sulfer smell is like was posted earlier . But the reason you are getting it is poor draft or not enough draft to overcome the pressure inside the stove caused by the 2 combustion fans .

1: Get a manometer
2: Check your draft before the baro w both burners burning .If it is at least -.03 /-.04 drill a hole in an inconspicous area of the stove .I usually drill below the bottom hinge of the stove . If it is higher than -.02 you need more draft on the stove pipe end or less air entering the stove .

Either way it is not good for you or the stove as you are probably also seeing sweat in the hopper as well ,this will lead to excessive corrison .