Multi fuel stove stinking, solvent type smell

JustAnotherSaver

We had our multi fuel stove installed probably early on 2016 if i remember right. So it was burned later that year into 2017 and then later 2017 in to 2018 and now it's being burned again.


We do have an issue with the stove in that it's only 5mm away from the rear wall. This is going to get looked at next year as we're already booked in to get it sorted.


The 3 walls around the fire inside the chimney breast have been boarded out using MagPly as previously mentioned in another thread.


Due to the 'gap' between the rear of the stove & the wall, the paint flakes. At the end of the burning season i paint what has flaked again with just some standard Dulux emulsion paint.



When we come to burn it really stinks strong but i put it down to the paint having not 'burned off' and after a few burns it usually disappears. This year however it is STILL stinking and i would've thought it should've calmed down by now.


Then tonight my wife suggested it might actually be the boards breaking down which did make me wonder. I don't know how many of you have handled MagPly (actual MagPly and not some kind of alternative) but in my opinion it has a sort of soapy type smell to it. However you'd describe it it certainly has a strong enough smell to it.


Just trying to think why a fire would forever smell sort of solvent-like over 2 years after it was installed. It ends up giving us a bad headache at times so we don't burn it as much.

Some times the smell is stronger than others. Other times it's not so bad.

-taff

WHen you first burned it, did you burn it to temperature? I found if I exceded a certain temperature i.e. burned too hot, it would stink the house out no matter how much it had already been proved.

JustAnotherSaver

-taff wrote: »

WHen you first burned it, did you burn it to temperature? I found if I exceded a certain temperature i.e. burned too hot, it would stink the house out no matter how much it had already been proved.

Yeah we were careful to follow the guidelines when we first started burning.

IIRC we had to burn it a bit, then a bit more, then a bit more and over a bit of time get it hotter and hotter.



Last year for example when it came to burning time it stunk to begin with as it always does to begin with but then it calmed down so that middle-end of the burning season you couldn't smell it.


Now it just wont stop stinking and i'm wondering if perhaps the wife is on to something - the boards are maybe breaking down due to being too close and whatever they're made of is releasing its chemicals or whatever and smelling.

nickcc

We had a muti fuel stove and didn't realise that gasses were leaking from a poor flue connection. Fortunately we had a carbon monoxide detector that activated and almost certainly saved our lives, my advice would be to get a carbon monoxide detector.

JustAnotherSaver

nickcc wrote: »

We had a muti fuel stove and didn't realise that gasses were leaking from a poor flue connection. Fortunately we had a carbon monoxide detector that activated and almost certainly saved our lives, my advice would be to get a carbon monoxide detector.

We actually have two and they say no problems.


Doesn't smell like smoke or anything. Smells solvent-like.

tired_dad

I think it’s normal to get this with a new install. It’s should burn off after repeated use. How many times have you used it?

JustAnotherSaver

tired_dad wrote: »

I think it’s normal to get this with a new install. It’s should burn off after repeated use. How many times have you used it?

Since the install in 2016?


In my opinion quite a bit. Burned a lot throughout the back end of 2016 in to 2017. Went through probably 2 bulk bags / jumbo bags / ton bags (whatever you refer to them as) worth, maybe 2.5 bags.


Then 2017 in to 2018 again we burned a fair amount. Maybe not as much i'm not sure as due to our work hours it was almost pointless for a Monday-Friday burn unless i needed say work boots drying out for the next day but it would certainly get burned throughout the weekend.


And then back end of this year we actually started a bit later as it's been quite mild really.


The thing is at the end of the burning season (so March/April) i've repainted sections of the recess that were affected by the fire being on like i said earlier.
Then when it comes burning season again (so around November of that year) it would stink for a while but then calm down.



Just this time it doesn't seem to be calming down at all.

tired_dad

Well that’s not it then. Need to get a man in?

JustAnotherSaver

tired_dad wrote: »

Well that’s not it then. Need to get a man in?

Yeah we have someone booked in for middle of next year to remove the boards and render the 3 walls. Hopefully that'll sort it.


Just not sure if we should go with standard emulsion that you read about being ok online or whether actual stove/heatproof paint would be better for the walls.


I had the fire on the other night and the board at the rear seems to only being kept in by the metal plate at the top that the flue runs through. I can push it in & out no problem.
NOTE: I never used to be able to, it used to actually be stuck to the wall.

-taff

I used normal emulsion, well, Valspar on the boards surrounding the fire, no problem so far.