Woodburner smells could it be 5" to 6" pipe

[RunPanda]

Thanks Phil and Dumper,I do have that exact thermometer but was just discussing with the wife about getting an Etekcity Lasergrip 1080 Non-contact Digital Laser IR Infrared Thermometer, -50°C ~ 550°C ( -58°F~1022°F ), Instant Read Temperature Gun..Other temp guns available:)

Yes Phil,Black pipe is 5" and the insulated one is 6" inside which I was wondering would this be having any effect which goes straight up with no more bends above the roof....Fire is running at the moment at 290 ish which is just in the black with no smell...I know it should be in the grey and that's why I'm thinking of getting the temp gun to check the accuracy of the pipe temperature..I positioned the existing thermometer 18" above the stove on the pipe.

JUST stood up to make a cuppa and can just start to smell it again...This is after several hours of running it this morning:(((

Edited May 3, 2020 by RunPanda
added info

[Ratman]

Might sound daft, have you tried a different brand/supplier of fuel/briquettes?

[RunPanda]

Hi Ratman.No, that does not sound daft....at this point I will try anything.Will certainly give it a go...I do have some very nice dry logs that I could try in the meantime without the smokeless coal I have been using...Thanks for your suggestion!

[neiln]

When you say 'clean in regularly'. Do you mean sweeping the flue or cleaning the stove/pipe outside?  If it's the latter then the heat will burn off any polish/residue and smell.  If you don't clean it then first use of the year you'll get hot dust as smell.... Get that on Ch rads too.  Just clean with a damp cloth.

 

Are the gaps get from pipe/stove to nearby combustibles enough?  Are you over heating something on the wall behind? 

[RunPanda]

Hi Neil,Yes I sweep the flue regularly..I wipe the black pipe down with a damp cloth only,no chemicals to get rid of dust.I built the hearth and installed the  fire board and then tiled it to all the correct measurement and then had a Heta fitter install the pipe and sign off all the work for home insurance reason etc...The fitter extended the outside pipe to try and help and I even changed my woodburner after the fitter suggested it could be that it was a poorly made one. And we've  also tried a rotating cowl cover but this problem still remains:(

[Steven P]

Reading this, there are 2 options for strangr smells. Ones that sould be inside the stove and ones that sould be outside the stove. There shouldn't be a smell from inside the stove coming to the outside of the stove.

 

I guess inside stove smells should be easy to work out. Put smethng selly in the stove and see if you can smel it when the door is shut! If this is the case then one f the jonts needs sealing better and that could be your 5" to 6" connection, it could be thr connetion to the stove, it could be the door seal but you will ahve a starting point then. Sometimes if I put bread in the stove, yo can smell toast outside.... and this could be ideal since it stars no smell and ends up with smell so you dont cotaminat the room before you burn it (otherwise, put your smell in a plastic bag, seal it up, put it in the fire the next day)

 

Outside stove smells - nothing to do with the connection. Could be a hot metal smell, could be dust, or cleaning products, could be builing materials getting too hot (plasterboard in the ceiing?). If it is outside stove smell and it is recurring then there is something not quiet right, maybe you are burning the fire to hot biut I can't think what else it might be. Just to note, mine wll smell when I have a good hot fire n it - a hot metal smell (assumng you have had the stove for a while, new stoves stink as any paint r finishes cure)

 

 

Dampers: I have 2, 1 for top air, one for bottom air into the fire box, not really. Top air burnes off fumes from combustion - how wood burns. Bottom air is for coal though cannot hurt to also have top air. However in the comments Damper refers to a chimney damper, a metal plate in the chimney that closes it off, reducing the draft and so the fire

[Ratman]

My guess is the metal work is getting too hot, or its your fuel. Anything else would have risen its head to a bad state/scenario before now.... i.e plasterboard, building materials around the flu etc as you have said its been happening for a few seasons of burning.

I have a stove fan purely to direct some heat in to my hallway, as a result of this i have a smell of residue burnt beech wood when i poke my nose under my staircase at the far end of the room by the door to the hallway. I just light scented tea lights and diffusers to mask the smell every now and then.

 

[RunPanda]

Thanks Steven and Ratman for your helpful ideas I will try and let you all know my findings....

[Alycidon]

Several issues I can see,  

 

A,  the minimum combustible clearance for the 5 inch single skin pipe is three times its diameter,  so A,  the six inch twin wall needs to come into the room about twice as far as it is as those ceiling tiles are combustible,  that single wall pipe needs to be at least 15 inches away from anything combustible.    If that cannot be achieved then bring the twin wall all the way down to the stove,  but as it should have been boxed in in the room above thats probably easier said than done.   Looks like Poujoulat flue,  if so add a 450mm starter length to the existing twin wall pipe, the single skin then slides up inside it.     

 

and B,  that wooden (?) dado rail behind the flue pipe,  if it is wood then it looks far to close and it has birthday cards on it.   This needs to be 15 inches away minimum from the nearest point of the flue pipe.       You have stated that the boards to either side of the stove are fireboard if I understand correctly,  these look like they have been tiled, if so thats fine as long as there is not a wooden skirting board at the bottom.  Have these been painted ?. and if so with what ?,  does not look like it,  no need really,  but if its a gloss paint then this may be the issue.

 

Fumes,  can be caused by a whole range of things once the paint on the stove is burnt in,  but sort the MCC issues first,  thats the most likely issue.    I would like to see under the ceiling cover plate to ensure that the min comb clearance to combustible on the twin wall is complied with with regards to the rafters.   You will need to find out the make of the flue,  Poujoulat MCC is 50mm all round but most of the others are 100mm but some are 150mm.  

 

Having had another look at your pics there looks like a bodged up joint on the elbows just below the twin wall,  no way should you have a ring of sealant showing.   The pic shows a white ring,   Poujoulat are so well engineered they slide inside each other with no sealant needed.  

 

 

Having done that and still no cure then I assume you have a carbon monoxide alarm within 3m of the stove and above the height of the tops of the windows,  if not they have been a legal requirement on all stove installs since 2014,  so get one and see what that does.    Frankly this is probably not an issue as most installers know the law here.

 

I assume you are not cleaning the outside of the stove with anything between fires,  if you are this will smell for a while when re lit.

 

People have suggested its a fuel issue, if its a tar smell then it could be,  either wet wood or running the stove shut down for extended periods.   Smell would be noticeable when door is opened to refuel.   Dru are a decent stove,  I assume you are having discussions with your local dealer.  If you bought it on the net at cheapest price then you paid cheapest price, there will be zero back up.    Your local dealer might be 20 quid dearer but he is here to help with issues like this in the unlikely event they occur.

 

A

Edited May 3, 2020 by Alycidon

[RunPanda]

Hi Alicydon,

thanks for your very helpful views with ref the top ceiling rail etc ...I have no tiles on the ceiling and the rail both sides of the twin wall pipe is a non combustible stone material.The oak looking mantlepiece is also made of stone.I have no skirting behind woodburner either.The only items that do not  belong are the birthday cards which you are  spot on and have been taken down.Carbon monoxide is below the rail on opposite wall just over 8ft away (picture below) I purchased the Dru from a store/ dealer who has now shut down I'm afraid.