# New to me pellet stove causing headaches?



## pbois334 (Oct 20, 2014)

So after 4 years of burning wood with a jotul Oslo I have decided to go the pellet route.  I purchased a used Enviro Winsor pellet stove in great condition.  I have a fireplace with a 6" ss liner approx 18' that went to the stove.  I purchased the adapters to reduce to 3" and used 2' double wall pellet with t to the stove.  For three days I have run the stove on low.  During this time I have been getting headaches.  When I shut the stove down the headache goes away.  My wife and kids r fine and no complaints.  The room and entire home are full of CO detectors and none have gone off.  Is it me? Is it possible that I am just allergic to these damn pellet stoves?  The burning of wood has never bothered me.  Or could the stove be bad?  Fortunately I have held onto the jotul just in case.  Any advice would be greatly appreciated


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## Big papa (Oct 20, 2014)

Try moving your co detector near the stove.guessing you may have been hanging around the stove more often than the rest of your family.maybe has a small leak see if it sets it off


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## xSpecBx (Oct 20, 2014)

Would the candle test work? Light a candle and see if the smoke is sucked in anywhere.


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## heat seeker (Oct 20, 2014)

Might be the pellets, or the pellet dust. I had some pellets once that stunk bad, had no idea what was in them. The manufacturer blamed the vendor, and vice versa. I was glad to burn the last of them.

Are you breathing the dust from the pellets? It's all too easy to do when filling the hopper.


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## BrotherBart (Oct 20, 2014)

Gotta check the joints in the pipe. And especially at the connection to the combustion blower. If your connection to the six inch chimney is like mine that is a suspect point too.

If you don't have a CO detector that is digital you can have low level CO that won't set off a detector. But the digital ones let you display lower levels detected.

The other angle is that it is the paint and metal in the stove curing with heat. Find it or don't keep burning it.


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## hossthehermit (Oct 21, 2014)

Being worried about whether the stove is gonna work out for ya is causing a stress headache ..............


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## pbois334 (Oct 21, 2014)

Lol I wish I was being paranoid but I believe something is wrong.  I have stopped running it at this point .  The connection to the liner is up inside the smoke chamber of the chimney so I doubt it is that that's causing the issue.  I m going to try and get a measurement of the CO today. Are any levels acceptable?  Also I don't believe the fan is causing the headache , though it is annoying.


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## Mt Bob (Oct 21, 2014)

Alot of high temp paint used on stoves and pipes will not release all their chemicals at low temps,which is why they reccomend several hot fires.Run stove on high 45 min to 1 hour,let cool down,do 2 more times,have doors and windows open.People have different reactions to different chemicals,I am made nausous by certain womens perfumes.One can walk by me 10 feet away and I start gaggging,almost puke,while no one around me has a problem.Just my thoughts.


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## Polar Bear (Oct 21, 2014)

I know someone who had to get rid of hers due to an allergy... so it isn't out of the realm of impossible.


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## Mt Bob (Oct 21, 2014)

Polar Bear said:


> I know someone who had to get rid of hers due to an allergy... so it isn't out of the realm of impossible.


 Wasn't there a guy on here last year that was alergic to some wood pellets?But didn.t affect his family?


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## Polar Bear (Oct 21, 2014)

bob bare said:


> Wasn't there a guy on here last year that was alergic to some wood pellets?But didn.t affect his family?



Possibly... but this person was actually a buddy of mine who picked up the stove from the woman with the allergy.


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## SwineFlue (Oct 21, 2014)

pbois334 said:


> Lol I wish I was being paranoid but I believe something is wrong.  I have stopped running it at this point .  The connection to the liner is up inside the smoke chamber of the chimney so I doubt it is that that's causing the issue.  I m going to try and get a measurement of the CO today. Are any levels acceptable?  Also I don't believe the fan is causing the headache , though it is annoying.



Like BrotherBart  said, get a CO detector with a numeric readout and put it in the room with the stove (or wherever you are when you get the headaches).  Lowes carries them, I assume HD also.

I'm not sure what is "acceptable".  Mine is about 10 feet from the stove and it always reads '0'.  As a test I stuck it behind the car exhaust and it went  to around 15.   I think it takes a couple of minutes at something like 30 to set off an alarm.  Without the readout, you could have a low CO level in the house and never know it.

Also, how old are your CO detectors?


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## MikeSs (Oct 21, 2014)

Not to cause a ruckus, but...
Op did state that it is a USED stove..
Unless it was never used by previous owner/lighthly fired???
Don't thing that paint off-gassing would be  the issue.


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## Mt Bob (Oct 21, 2014)

Stoves are like tractors,people spray paint on them to help sell them.Just trying to cover all the bases.


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## pbois334 (Oct 21, 2014)

This stove is a grey enamel finish and has never been painted.  I ran the stove again this afternoon with a carbon monoxide detector in the fireplace ( i know , I will get a digital readout detector soon) And nothing happened. I did notice a fair amount of smoke coming from the warm air tubes and there was a haze in the room.  (What could cause the smoke?) I checked all around the exhaust joints with a candle and couldnt get the flame to flicker.  I shut the stove down and removed the t from the exhaust and noticed a bit of ash inside the pipe and approx 2-3 tablespoons of ash in the clean out.  This was only after approx 40 min of run time.  That seems like excessive Ash to me?  Anyway I pulled the stove out and removed the burner pot and steel plates and noticed the air tubes were caked in soot.  I also removed the warm air motor /fans and they were full of dog hair and dust.  The previous owner advised me that he took the entire thing apart and cleaned it, ha ha. So I sent him a message inquiring what he did to clean it and indicated that  I was having a problem with it and he won't respond.  Starting to think that he knew there was a problem with the stove.


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## Peterfield (Oct 21, 2014)

Sounds like an opportunity to get to know your stove really well.  If it were me, I'd tear it apart since you now know the previous owner is full of sheeite.  Get a vacuum and some brushes and have at it and also check any seals or gaskets as it's a good guess the former owner didn't touch those.  I would not be surprised if the stove runs like a champ after a thorough cleaning.


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## pbois334 (Oct 21, 2014)

Yeah I started a complete tear down tonight and so far I have noticed cracked "flap" in the steel flap ats the top of the firebox wall.  It s just a bent piece of steel that sits under the air tubes but still concerning.  Would a bad door gasket cause any serious issues?


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## Mt Bob (Oct 21, 2014)

All that dog hair and dirt from convection blower goes onto the outside of heat exchanger,there is your problem.Bad door gasket can cause poor burning.If it was mine I would tale outside and brush and blow with compressed air.


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## pbois334 (Oct 21, 2014)

Stove is already in my shop and planning on a cleaning/ overhaul before I try it again.


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## Wilbur Feral (Oct 21, 2014)

pbois334 said:


> I did notice a fair amount of smoke coming from the warm air tubes and there was a haze in the room.


 So, I think we might have the reason for the headaches solved...  Haze in room??

Agree with others that a tear-down cleaning is a great idea.  Why not just change out the blower and door gaskets while you're at it, IF you're sure you don't have a crack that's causing a leak.  If that's the problem, you may have an unresolvable issue unless it can be replaced or fixed.


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## Mt Bob (Oct 21, 2014)

Wilbur Feral said:


> So, I think we might have the reason for the headaches solved...  Haze in room??
> 
> Agree with others that a tear-down cleaning is a great idea.  Why not just change out the blower and door gaskets while you're at it, IF you're sure you don't have a crack that's causing a leak.  If that's the problem, you may have an unresolvable issue unless it can be replaced or fixed.


 I agree,replace all gaskets,clean,tape up all openings and through in a hvac smoke bomb to check.


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## pbois334 (Oct 22, 2014)

I ordered the door gasket and the exhaust outlet gasket today.  Disasembled most of it and started cleaning it up.  What a mess.


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## Nick of PA (Oct 22, 2014)

I agree, my common sense tells me if there is a haze in the room.... I would shut down, do complete cleaning of all parts.... If it is a used stove I would order new gaskets wherever there are gaskets (combustion blower, ash pan door, etc.  all makes/models are different and gaskets are relatively cheap so why not) and I would check my venting pipe connections and anything that is INSIDE the home make sure they are sealed w/ rtv.  If there is still haze then there may be a faulty component and you can investigate further, but I would at least rule out the obvious stuff first.


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## Mt Bob (Oct 22, 2014)

pbois334 said:


> I ordered the door gasket and the exhaust outlet gasket today.  Disasembled most of it and started cleaning it up.  What a mess.


 You will know your unit very well,which is good,you can make it last longer.I personally think you have a good unit,just needs serviced,and then start saving money!


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## pbois334 (Oct 22, 2014)

I agree that I am learning these pellet stoves.  But the parts aren't cheap. $113 for a door gasket and exhaust nozzle with gasket.    Ouch!!


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## JDenyer236 (Oct 22, 2014)

pbois334 said:


> I agree that I am learning these pellet stoves.  But the parts aren't cheap. $113 for a door gasket and exhaust nozzle with gasket.    Ouch!!



Just to let you know the door gaskets are nothing special. You can get it by the foot for a few bucks at your local hardware store. You just need to know the diameter.


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## Mt Bob (Oct 22, 2014)

You bought used,this happens.I think yours uses the more expensive bulb gasket,but door gaskets last a long time unless abused,and a minor leak at door gasket is of no concern.And some stoves have a door adjustment to compensate.I am amazed that this harman I am installing for a second stove has no door adjustment.Also many stoves can use universal parts,as jd was pointing out,but do not know if your door gasket is one of these.Bruners and other places sell universal flat gasket material for blowers,rear flanges etc at a good prices,many motors can be had aftermarket,many controls can be repaired.This forum can save you a lot of money,and stove technician people here are very helpful.Have not been to maine in many years,but long range weather looks like everyone east of ND is going to have another colder winter than me.LOVING IT! Bob


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## Wilbur Feral (Oct 22, 2014)

Definitely get some other quotes, and definitely check for door adjustments.


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## pbois334 (Oct 23, 2014)

I thought the same but on further investigation the door glass is held in w a wide gasket with  tape on one side and that wraps the glass into the frame.  Actually the door gasket only goes open the bottom and both side of the door which leaves a gap along the top edge of the door


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## bags (Oct 23, 2014)

Don't sweat it too much..............It could always be worse. Once you get it up and running and you get the warm fuzzy feeling the $113 bucks will be the last thing on your mind. Plus it beats tacking that $113 to the bottom line of your utility bill donating to those poor under paid folks. Somebody was going to beat you out of your cash anyway. Better than replacing the control panel too!


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## pbois334 (Oct 23, 2014)

So I think I have figured out some of my problems  While blowing off the dust from the exhaust motor I noticed it was leaking.  It seems that the exhaust housing is pressed together from the factory and they used rtv silicone on all seems, most the silicone peeled right off so it seems that it possibly has a few leaks here.  When I removed the motor and housing there seems to be felt gaskets between each of them.  Can in just reinstall with rtv silicone or should I try an locate the correct felt gaskets?


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## Acadian Pellets (Oct 23, 2014)

pbois334 said:


> So I think I have figured out some of my problems  While blowing off the dust from the exhaust motor I noticed it was leaking.  It seems that the exhaust housing is pressed together from the factory and they used rtv silicone on all seems, most the silicone peeled right off so it seems that it possibly has a few leaks here.  When I removed the motor and housing there seems to be felt gaskets between each of them.  Can in just reinstall with rtv silicone or should I try an locate the correct felt gaskets?



I would get the new felt gaskets, RTV silicone? that don't sound like a factory set-up, too hot. Make sure the surfaces are flat and install proper gaskets.


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## SMCSullyMan (Oct 23, 2014)

Peterfield said:


> Sounds like an opportunity to get to know your stove really well.  If it were me, I'd tear it apart since you now know the previous owner is full of sheeite.  Get a vacuum and some brushes and have at it and also check any seals or gaskets as it's a good guess the former owner didn't touch those.  I would not be surprised if the stove runs like a champ after a thorough cleaning.



Good advice Peter, do you take your stove apart often?


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## Peterfield (Oct 23, 2014)

I would except whenever I do something like that, I always have parts left over when I put it back together.


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## pbois334 (Oct 30, 2014)

Ok, so have redone all gaskets and revealed the blower housing.  I also sealed all joints of my my chimney liner .  Fired it up tonight and so far so good,  I think it's going to take some getting used to as the heat feels nothing like my Jotul woodstove.  Thank you very one for the help and I now know the stove inside and out.


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## Lake Girl (Oct 31, 2014)

Glad to hear you're on your way with pellet heat.  They are different but are easier to control heat-wise than a wood stove.  I find I prefer pellets to wood - not nearly as messy or as labour intensive.


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## Polar Bear (Oct 31, 2014)

pbois334 said:


> Ok, so have redone all gaskets and revealed the blower housing.  I also sealed all joints of my my chimney liner .  Fired it up tonight and so far so good,  I think it's going to take some getting used to as the heat feels nothing like my Jotul woodstove.  Thank you very one for the help and I now know the stove inside and out.



When it comes to your health, the money saved isn't worth causing health problems. Hopefully it all works out, otherwise I would be searching for another heating solution.


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