Sulfur Smell After Loading

tcalo · Post by **tcalo** » Fri. Jan. 06, 2012 12:18 am

I have a Coal Chubby and I'm getting a sulfur smell shortly after filling up the fire pot. I burn wood during the day but supplement with coal at night. Once I have a bed of glowing embers from the wood I cover it with a layer of coal. I open the air intake and MPD all the way. After about 5 minutes when the coal is glowing red I fill the firepot and close the air to about 1/4 open, leaving the MPD fully open. About 15 minutes after filling the firepot I start to see rolling blue flames off the top of the coal bed. These flames are not steady, they come in waves. Almost like little blue fireballs. When the coal bed flames up it causes my barometric damper to open and close with force. This is when I start to smell sulfur. This lasts about 15 minutes then the blues flames diminish to a low steady flame and the smell dissipates. I close the MPD and all is good from here on out. Is this harmful or something to be worried about?

Poconoeagle · Post by **Poconoeagle** » Fri. Jan. 06, 2012 12:23 am

its normal.... enjoy the heat

Post by **Rob R.** » Fri. Jan. 06, 2012 5:26 am

Try cracking your over-fire vents on the side.

Post by **ONEDOLLAR** » Fri. Jan. 06, 2012 6:36 am

tcalo

The same thing happens to me with my Chubby Jr. I have found that if I open the MPD before I open the door to see the Blue Ladys, the sulfur smell is literally gone. I think this is just the nature of the beast. My CO detectors don't measure anything when this happens either.

DennisH · Post by **DennisH** » Fri. Jan. 06, 2012 7:51 am

I love to load up my Yukon-Eagle Klondike furnace, then go outside and take a whiff of the slightly sulfurous scent of anthracite happiness!

Maybe it's the slightly satanic side in me!!

Bottom line: It's normal!

Post by **ONEDOLLAR** » Fri. Jan. 06, 2012 7:54 am

Dennis

I like the smell too!!! It is the smell of MONEY in my pocket and a warm house to boot!

tcalo · Post by **tcalo** » Fri. Jan. 06, 2012 10:15 am

Thanks for the replys. Good to know it's nothing to worry about. Stay warm my friends

!

Post by **franco b** » Fri. Jan. 06, 2012 1:48 pm

I would be concerned because you are on the edge of a puff back. Do as rob r suggests and give it a little over fire air.

Smokeyja · Post by **Smokeyja** » Fri. Jan. 06, 2012 7:53 pm

Mm mmm good

lowfog01 · Post by **lowfog01** » Sat. Jan. 07, 2012 4:27 am

Yep, a little over the fire air will work wonders. I started leaving the loading door of my Mark II cracked just a smidgen after loading new coal and refreshing the fire. I wish I had done so years ago - no more sulfur smell and no more puff backs. It makes the refreshing process faster, too. Lisa

Vinmaker · Post by **Vinmaker** » Sat. Jan. 07, 2012 9:30 am

I tend to get a bit when I first open the load door more than I get it after loading. I always figured it was just an air pressure situation when I open the door and the pressure needs to equalize first and then rush up the chimney. In any event. It is all normal and all good!

Love the heat!

nortcan · Post by **nortcan** » Sat. Jan. 07, 2012 10:36 am

Hi, to my opinion, having an outside smell, after the refill can be normal but having a sulfur smell indoor is not normal and certainly not very good.
If when opening slowly the stove's door and the smell arrives, having the MPD fully open, it shows a negative in house pressure. Better to have a house with a little more positive pressure than negative one. That way you avoid the present problem and getting other pollutions from outside entering the house.
Years ago I got some smell from the wood burning stove when opening the stove's door. The house was new and very airtight/insulated. I installed a passive air exchanger that I can control the flow rate and all the smell problems disappeared. I made testings with the kitchen oven running at full speed and then opened the wood stove's door (wood stove is about 6 Ft far from the kitchen stove) and no smell at all.
Never had a smell since more than 26 Yrs.

buck24 · Post by **buck24** » Sat. Jan. 07, 2012 11:06 am

I agree with Lisa. I also leave the loading door open a crack or more when reloading the Buck Model 24. Seems like the over the fire air helps the gases to be burned better. You can see how the fire and the blue flames react to the over the fire air and no sulpher smell.

musikfan6 · Post by **musikfan6** » Sat. Jan. 07, 2012 6:15 pm

I'm right there with you all. Whenever I open my door to do some poking around in the coals, we get that sulfur smell. My wife and kids hate it, but as you all said, it comes with the territory and just reassures me that my stove is doing well. The first time I did this, my 14 year old daughter said to me, "Uggh Daddy! It smells like rotten eggs!"

Exactly!

Smokeyja · Post by **Smokeyja** » Sat. Jan. 07, 2012 8:19 pm

musikfan6 wrote:I'm right there with you all. Whenever I open my door to do some poking around in the coals, we get that sulfur smell. My wife and kids hate it, but as you all said, it comes with the territory and just reassures me that my stove is doing well. The first time I did this, my 14 year old daughter said to me, "Uggh Daddy! It smells like rotten eggs!"

Exactly!

Did she think it was you or the stove ? Haha