Strong Sulfur Smell With New Batch of Coal

We are having a strong sulfur smell in our house it is bothering my throat, it only happened with this last batch of coal we bought, advised on what we should do?

Do you have carbon monoxide detectors?

SHUT DOWN YOUR COAL APPLIANCE!

Once you get it shut down and get some fresh air in the house, check the chimney and smoke pipe for obstructions. If you tell us what type of equipment you are using, we can tell you what else to check.

What kind of stove, piping, chimney type,whose coal ???? we're good at fixin problems Bw, but we're not magicians By the way, welcome to the FORUM--absolute on the CO detectors!!

yes all over the house we have a brand new house so there are four or five in the basement one outside and inside each bedroom and in our other rooms upstairs as well the the one in front of our room and our sons room went off the other night and those were the only two they are right above the vent that is above the coal stove.

my husband thinks it is wet coal drying in the hopper.

After the detectors are checked, I'd stop and get a few bags of a couple other brands of coal. Assuming that the draft and supplied air are in acceptable ranges, remember: Odorless, Colorless, Tasteless and as it numbs the senses, it's waiting to KILL YOU. True for Oil Burners, 'Propain' and NG. ....................Well unless you like the 'Shock and Awe' of 'Propain' or NG explosions.....

It seems odd that it just started with a new batch of coal, but take no chances with your life and the family's......and pets.

Wet coal....hmmmm........possible.....we all HATE wet coal. Now to a solution for wet coal......if bagged ......or bulk, open a couple bags into a tote or surface where it can dry out before being burned.
Try to stay a few days ahead of usage and see where that leads you.

My dad however thinks it is flute chimmeny or something.

Do the CO detectors have a digital readout?
What's the number?
Are they sounding?

This issue needs fixed immediately.
Carbon Monoxide is serious business.

Barbwar wrote:my husband thinks it is wet coal drying in the hopper.

Drying coal does not smell like sulfur dioxide.
You are smelling coal exhaust which contains Carbon Monoxide.

Please shut down. The smell and the CO detectors alarming are serious, like - causing death serious.

You may need to clean out the flue pipes or the stove itself, but shut it down now before a tragedy happens.

There have been a few similar posts this year and they have been related to fly ash blocking the flue pipes. As cold as it has been people are burning more fuel and so the pipes are clogging up quicker than they are used to. What used to be a 6 week or 2 month cleaning schedule gets shortened to maybe a month because of the tonnage being burned.

Won't take long and is easy to do compared with planning funerals and settling estates.

You should get a manometer and permanently connect it to the stove so that you can monitor draft and get an early warning to this issue before the CO alarms start sounding.

We are a little heavy handed when it comes to CO so don't take these 'shut down' posts personal.

Barbwar wrote:my husband thinks it is wet coal drying in the hopper.

Shut Down! Wet coal drying does not smell or give off CO.

Mention of a hopper seems to indicate a stoker. Chimney and connecting pipes and stove need to be checked and cleaned. Stokers tend to create a lot of fly ash in the pipes because they have a combustion fan.

I think your Dad is on to something--check pipe connections & any possible obstruction in chimney--any longish horizontal pipe runs--Baro or MPD dampers???? I've NEVER had that problem with wet coal---check gasket on top hopper door--oft times the culprit--do the dollar bill test--put dollar down-- close hopper door & try to pull it out--do this on all sides--do the same with front & ash doors

titleist1 wrote:We are a little heavy handed when it comes to CO so don't take these 'shut down' posts personal.

Don't take them lightly either..

You have a bunch of possibilities, however if your chimney draft is not adequate for all the fumes to be removed, or if the chimney flue is blocked for any reason, those things need to be checked.

Also, the stove pipe from the stove to the chimney could be partially blocked with fly ash from a hard winter's coal usage, however you were wise to get some answers QUICKLY.
This forum helps educate and can usually solve your issues with your help. Welcome aboard!

If you have more info on the set-up you have, it would be very helpful. For example: stove type or brand, distance to the chimney of the stove pipe, chimney height, clay flue lined, or unlined, barometric damper used on your stove? Coal storage? Inside heated, or outside frozen? Thanks,.....

Are getting the smell only when refilling the stove or consistently? Sometimes as the volatiles initially burn off the sulfur smell can be an issue.

[quote="Barbwar"]My dad however thinks it is flute chimmeny or something.[/quote]

SHUT DOWN PLEASE! Give the forum the info we need! Type of appliance, draft reading if possible, PICTURES PLEASE, this isn't a game!

I burn wet coal often in my hand fed stoves and never have C.O. detectors go off!