Smell from Coal Stove

So, this is the issue. Recently, my coal stove has been smelling a little bit more than normal. It started on around the 20th. I am not sure if it is just my imagination, but I believe I have a leak somewhere. My carbon monoxide detectors around the house have not beeped. I have one 7 feet from the stove, and one in other rooms. On smelling around the coal stove, I feel as if it is coming from where the feeder/hopper meets the coal stove. There is a little metal joint, where the hopper is bolted to the coal stove. I am thinking that in time, this seal may have sprung a leak? Is this possible? Is there any sort of sealant (which can withstand 600F heat) which I could put around it? Do let me know.

there is sealant that could be used there to stand the temps, but most joints like that use gasket rope of one size or another so that taking it apart later is not so bad.

have you cleaned out any fly ash recently from the stove itself or from horizontal sections of flue pipe? what is your draft reading now compared to previous years on the flue pipe versus the firebox?

have you adjusted the amount of combustion air recently, cleaned the grates holes, started burning a new load of coal that may be a different size than previous?

all of these things could have an effect on the draft of your stove and cause exhaust to escape from other places rather than the flue pipe.

edit to add....i always suggest having a digital co detector like a kidde nighthawk so you can see numeric readings. the alarm may not sound until it hits 35 or 40 ppm, the digital will show you readings less than that without alarming for an earlier warning.

Thank you so much for all the responses. As usual, every bit of education I have received has been on this forum, as I dont know anyone who has a coal stove in Upstate NY.

I contacted Reading stoves(my stove manufacturer), and he stated that even if the gasket was lose, the fumes should have still exited from the stove pipe, UNLESS IT WAS DIRTY!. He also told me that my stove had two pipes, where one visible and the other one was hidden. I shut off my furnace, did the best clean job I have ever did on it, and noticed that there was this other hole which I had neglected. This is my first winter with a Coal stove, and coming from an area where we didnt see snow, it has been a HUGE learning curve for me.

Anyway, I cleaned it out, and fired up the stove. AFAIK, I couldnt smell the stong fumes as I previously could. I am hoping it stays this way. If something goes on, I will be back on this forum.


P.s: Thank you for the recommendation on the digital CO detector. I have the normal ones all over the house, but will invest in a digital one, so that I can actually read it.

You're not a lone in the Upstate wilderness! lol
My stove always smells a bit of sulfur when I change the ash bin... I just assumed that was normal.

What was the cause of your smell?

whoops, i somehow missed that post.