# Intolerable smell



## MBG (Dec 15, 2018)

We have a Lopi Northfield, recently installed, which renders our living room unusable because of intense odor. The installer put a new vent stack on saying “Let it run for 3 days.” Had to shut down the room due to intolerable odor. Turned the stove off, leaving pilot on. Opened windows even! This morning odor was less but still quite strong. Turned gas off to unit and called dealer. Told “We can have a tech to you by Friday, in a week”. Our stove has a “new metal” finish. Any experience with this stove, its’ finish, or this problem?


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## wooduser (Dec 15, 2018)

Most stoves have a break in period to cure the paint.  I'm supposing this appears to be a paint issue rather than a gas leak issue?

If so,  you'll probably just have to soldier through this phenomena.


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## MBG (Dec 16, 2018)

wooduser said:


> Most stoves have a break in period to cure the paint.  I'm supposing this appears to be a paint issue rather than a gas leak issue?
> 
> If so,  you'll probably just have to soldier through this phenomena.





wooduser said:


> Most stoves have a break in period to cure the paint.  I'm supposing this appears to be a paint issue rather than a gas leak issue?
> 
> If so,  you'll probably just have to soldier through this phenomena.


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## MBG (Dec 16, 2018)

Woodburner: Thanks for the reply. Yes, I’m aware of break-in period. We’ve burned it for over 50 hours, had the vent stack replaced...still stinks. Tried with stove off with just pilot light on and it was still smelling. Odor is quite strong and is not gas smell. Concerned our living room is absorbing the smell. It smells like a foundry. My wife insisted on turning off the gas again. This was a showroom floor model. I’ve read where break-in period would be longer as a result, but it’s gone on longer than installer said it should. Might they need to replace stove? We are flummoxed as is installer. Soldiering on is no longer an option. What to do?


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## Millbilly (Dec 16, 2018)

Check for burnt wires, tools/small light etc left inside firebox and ontop of fire box during set up


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## MBG (Dec 16, 2018)

Thanks Millbilly. Did that found nothing. Getting frustrated here!


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## wooduser (Dec 17, 2018)

Millbilly said:


> Check for burnt wires, tools/small light etc left inside firebox and ontop of fire box during set up




I'm betting that Millbilly has the right idea here.  It's apparently not the paint,  and not a gas leak. So something else is burning. 

Can you identify some particular part of the stove where the odor is strongest?

Could this be a fan motor?  You could try leaving the fan off....


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## DAKSY (Dec 17, 2018)

Have you taken the top & the front off this unit, leaving 
the glass in place & sealed, & tried burning it that way?
That might indicate where the smell is coming from.
If this unit is INDEED a working floor model unit, I don't believe it 
will require ANOTHER break in burn off. That would have 
happened gradually on the showroom floor. 
It COULD have some airborne deposits of the remains of
any showroom remodeling (paint, joint compound dust, etc)
that have gotten into the area UNDER the top & may be burning.
50 hours of burn time should have taken care of any build-up,
unless it was in a really thick layer...


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## blades (Dec 17, 2018)

maybe a rodent of some sort hiding out- they get into everything. Years ago had a customer complaint about a machine squeeking- mouse inside unit. Dead mouse decomposing  can really raise a stink.


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## Corey (Dec 18, 2018)

Showroom floor model?  Oh Boy!  Who knows what chewing gum, paper, plastic, trash, soda bottles, coffee cups, food wrappers or other doodads and geegaws have been stuffed in it during the time as a floor model.

Possibly get the dealer to take off any air grates / heat shields / screens, etc and have a look inside?  Maybe even a borescope to get to the hard-to-see areas.  

Seems we had another complaint of horrendous smell a few years ago... believe the member finally found a lego toy slowly melting down  in some obscure crevice of the stove.


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## MBG (Dec 24, 2018)

Thanks to everyone who responded. Dealer installed “new floor model” that was already broken in. Within an hour after installers left, without smelling anything unusual, it stinks again. And just as strong. Turned off flame leaving pilot on, aired out room and no smell with just pilot! So this morning I lit flame, set as low as it goes, to see if it gets hot enough to stink. After 3 hours set at low flame, smell is much less noticeable but still there! I’m experimenting here so I’ll leave it on “low flame” setting to see if it dissipates by noon.  If it does not clear up, off it goes and another call to installer.  If it does, I’ll crank it up


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## MBG (Dec 24, 2018)

DAKSY said:


> Have you taken the top & the front off this unit, leaving
> the glass in place & sealed, & tried burning it that way?



Daksy: No,not yet but I’ll try that today. If there is no stink then we’ll know it’s from one of those 2 parts, right? If the odor is still there, then it’s either the firebox, glass or vent, right?


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## MBG (Dec 25, 2018)

Experiment revealed that removal of top and front, with burners on high, did NOT reduce intense odors. OK. Next, We’ll open windows, place fans in them, and just blast the stove on high for 24 hours. Bear in mind it’s cold here in WI. If we need to “cure” this “pre-cured” stove, this better do it. Fingers crossed here...


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## wooduser (Dec 25, 2018)

MBG said:


> Experiment revealed that removal of top and front, with burners on high, did NOT reduce intense odors. OK. Next, We’ll open windows, place fans in them, and just blast the stove on high for 24 hours. Bear in mind it’s cold here in WI. If we need to “cure” this “pre-cured” stove, this better do it. Fingers crossed here...


  You need to consider that these odors may be associated with carbon monoxide production,  which might be a hazard in your home from operating the stove.

Is the stove natural gas?  If so,  your utility may offer free and immediate service of odors from gas stoves that might be producing carbon monoxide.

If the stove is propane,  I'd contact your propane distributor and see what they can offer you in terms of inspecting the stove for CO production.

When I was a gas utility repairman doing these kinds of service calls, we thoroughly inspected  any possible source of CO production,  and I would have used a CO detector to check for CO production in the flue gasses and any foreign objects in the stove which might be causing odd odors.


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## MBG (Dec 26, 2018)

wooduser said:


> You need to consider that these odors may be associated with carbon monoxide production,  which might be a hazard in your home from operating the stove.
> 
> Is the stove natural gas?  If so,  your utility may offer free and immediate service of odors from gas stoves that might be producing carbon monoxide.
> 
> ...


Wooduser: Thanks for the sensible and timely input. CO detector now installed. Better safe than dead. The smell I can identify is that of a foundry. Store manager and factory rep coming in a couple days. This will get resolved... Hopefully. If not, will contact utility company and go from there.


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## wooduser (Dec 26, 2018)

MBG said:


> The smell I can identify is that of a foundry.




Hmmmm.  One mystery odor  associated with natural gas burning always smelled like kerosene to me.

The cause of odd odors can be chemicals in the room air that are drawn into the gas burner and changed into any of a variety of new chemicals and their associated odors. Do you have an outdoor air supply system for combustion?  if so,  such odors might be caused by chemicals outdoors such as fertilizers,  insecticides or chemicals given off by plants,  trees and such.

If you take combustion air from indoors, then if you've done any painting lately that's a likely source of a problem.  Detergents ---any kind of household chemicals  that are getting into the air might cause the problem you describe.  Think carefully about this,  it might be something quite subtle.  Carpeting installed recently and out gassing?  New furniture?


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## MBG (Dec 29, 2018)

wooduser said:


> Hmmmm.  One mystery odor  associated with natural gas burning always smelled like kerosene to me.
> 
> The cause of odd odors can be chemicals in the room air that are drawn into the gas burner and changed into any of a variety of new chemicals and their associated odors. Do you have an outdoor air supply system for combustion?  if so,  such odors might be caused by chemicals outdoors such as fertilizers,  insecticides or chemicals given off by plants,  trees and such.
> 
> If you take combustion air from indoors, then if you've done any painting lately that's a likely source of a problem.  Detergents ---any kind of household chemicals  that are getting into the air might cause the problem you describe.  Think carefully about this,  it might be something quite subtle.  Carpeting installed recently and out gassing?  New furniture?


Update: Store manager and installer came yesterday. Decided to install brand new stove (that’ll be #3) and vent piping. They happened to come just as gas company was doing first monthly meter check. Fortunate timing, as they collaborated on CO and pressure testing, etc. Good news is they “smelled the stink” so they now know we’re not nuts. They’re contacting manufacturer today. So, new stove and vent. They’re as frustrated as we are.


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## wooduser (Dec 29, 2018)

Yes,  but do you have any out gassing of chemicals that might be the source of such a problem?  If you do,  the problem will recur.


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## SalIp (Jan 2, 2019)

I am have the same foul odor issues as you with my Mendota ML47 unit. Been dealing since 2015 the first time I couldn't even use my fireplace. The new one was installed in February of 2016 and they ran it at the warehouse for 24 hrs empty. They installed the new one and the same thing was occuring. We  found that the fake logs that were being installed inside the fireplace was causing the foul odor after I removed the logs and ran empty no more odor. So I got to enjoy my fireplace for the 2016 winter season. 2017 turned on the fireplace and bamb the same issue. I am still going thru this issue and nobody seems to want and help anymore. I am pissed off cause I have this beautiful unit and I can't enjoy it. I have just reached out to Mendota about this again. Hopefully I will get a response but for now no working Fireplace due to the FOUL odor. I understand your frustrations...


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## wooduser (Jan 2, 2019)

SalIp said:


> We found that the fake logs that were being installed inside the fireplace was causing the foul odor after I removed the logs and ran empty no more odor.




Sometimes the logs need to be very carefully installed as specified by the manufacturer or they can produce odors including carbon monoxide gas.


Do you have the installation and operating manuals for the fireplace?  They should specify how the logs should be arranged.  Read those directions over carefully and check to see if your logs conform to the directions of the manufacturer.    If they do and you still get an odor,  try taking them out and see if that causes the odor to go away.

Another thing that can cause odors is any chemical contamination of the combustion air going into the fireplace to burn the gas.  Drying paint,  offgassing of new rugs or furniture and other such things can cause this kind of problem.  Consider carefully if that might be an issue.


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## wooduser (Jan 2, 2019)

MBG said:


> They happened to come just as gas company was doing first monthly meter check. Fortunate timing, as they collaborated on CO and pressure testing, etc.




That's good---- but what were the results of their tests and observations?


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## MBG (Jan 3, 2019)

wooduser said:


> That's good---- but what were the results of their tests and observations?


Pressures and CO readings all within normal limits. However, they could smell “the odor” before they even came in the house. Once inside, they agreed the odor was above normal and had to replace the unit and vent stack (they called the parent company and manufacturer who both concurred). Manager said they’d burn the new unit in their shop for “as long as it takes to eliminate the foul odor before delivery of the third stove. Fingers crossed.


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## MBG (Jan 3, 2019)

SalIp said:


> I am have the same foul odor issues as you with my Mendota ML47 unit. Been dealing since 2015 the first time I couldn't even use my fireplace. The new one was installed in February of 2016 and they ran it at the warehouse for 24 hrs empty. They installed the new one and the same thing was occuring. We  found that the fake logs that were being installed inside the fireplace was causing the foul odor after I removed the logs and ran empty no more odor. So I got to enjoy my fireplace for the 2016 winter season. 2017 turned on the fireplace and bamb the same issue. I am still going thru this issue and nobody seems to want and help anymore.[ I am pissed off cause I have this beautiful unit and I can't enjoy it. ]I have just reached out to Mendota about this again. Hopefully I will get a response but for now no working Fireplace due to the FOUL odor. I understand your frustrations...


And I, yours. Pissed off and frustrated feelings here too. It’s a shame. Hopefully we’ll both get resolution quickly. Good luck!


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## Heatsource (Jan 29, 2019)

whats the stove sitting on? 
had a similar issue years ago that ended up being tile glue off gassing.


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## MBG (Jan 29, 2019)

Heat source: Sitting on a custom made  tiled corner platform! Have to ask...how did you fix it? The smell and/or the off-gassing tile glue? You’re the first to suggest such a thing, you may be on to something! Woot woot!! Thanks.


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## wooduser (Jan 29, 2019)

You guys aren't paying attention to important issues!

#1  is that these kinds of problems can easily be caused by combustion air contaminated with household chemicals,  outgassing of rugs, upholstery or other such materials.    Changing out the stove wont change that condition.

So think carefully about any kind of chemical that might be contaminating the combustion air.

Candle flames are an example of what can contaminate combustion air.  Lots of subtle,  ordinary things you might take for granted.

Household chemicals and detergents too.

This is sounding less like a stove problem and more like it's caused by some kind of chemical in the combustion air.   Think carefully about any chemical odors that might be getting in the air stream.

Any changes to carpeting or furniture recently?


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## MBG (Jan 30, 2019)

Heatsource;  Is there a temperature point that would increase the off gassing? Reason for asking is we can burn the stove without noxious odor if kept on low flame (front burner only). But when back burner is lit, increasing the heat, the “intolerable smell” occurs. Is off gassing of the tile glue temperature related? Any experience with that? This is all new to me. Thanks


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## MBG (Jan 30, 2019)

I thought the combustion air came from the outside of the house, as we have direct vented stove. If so, only outside air should be entering combustion box, right? So, could the increased heat of rear flame just heat up tile glue to a point where off gassing occurs without combustion (causing the odor)? Question: what do we do about that, short of rebuilding the tiled corner platform? And if we need to rebuild the platform, what kind of tile glue should be used? Thanks again.


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## wooduser (Jan 30, 2019)

MBG said:


> I thought the combustion air came from the outside of the house, as we have direct vented stove. If so, only outside air should be entering combustion box, right?




Yes,  that's right.  With a direct vent stove or fireplace,  you need to be concerned about any chemical odors or contamination that might be entrained in the combustion air going into the direct vent.  

Of course,  this is just a suspicion on my part.  But when a stove has been changed out and the problem persists,  I'd be taking a serious look at some problem in the house or environment that's causing the problem.

And I know this can be a problem that is easily overlooked,  even by those employed  doing repairs or fireplace sales.


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## KeithO (Jan 30, 2019)

In the case of a "vent free" heater, pretty sure the combustion air is comingnfrom the room.  If the heater was vented outside you would not be smelling combustion byproducts.

I thought tile was laid with thinset mortar, not glue ???  I can hardly see how it meets the "non combustible" requirement with glue ?


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## wooduser (Jan 30, 2019)

Yes,  with an unvented stove you are VERY exposed to any kind of defective combustion,  including any contamination of the combustion air.


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## KeithO (Jan 30, 2019)

Seems there must have been multiple threads on odors.  I re-read the original posting in this thread and it is vented....

I have built multiple floor protectors for wood stoves using a layer of plywood followed by a layer of cement board and then tile on top with thinset and grout.  Never the slightest odor and those things got too hot to touch on tile surface.  But of course I never used adhesive....


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## blades (Jan 31, 2019)

Ya know I really think that you all are on to something with the tiles being glued in place rather than thinset-  All the glues for tile That I looked at had heat rating well below What is possible for the tiles to be exposed to under a stove- so I used thinset on my build- no issues at all  my unit I made is steel frame -1/2" plywood base covered with 1" micore ( glued to plywood- construction adhesive) then cement board 1/2"  ( screwed down) then the thnset and tile / grout- no issues. Apx 4R .  No issues with any type of compression settling from weight of stove.


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## coaly (Jan 31, 2019)

I would wet towels and keep them against the tiles to keep them cool and run it at the temperature you were noticing the smell. That eliminates that source.


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## MBG (Feb 8, 2019)

Third time’s a charm! Replaced stove again and there’s NO ODOR! I want to thank all the folks who made the effort to supply “the answer” in this forum. Turns out it was in the manufacturing process that the glitch was made. The new stove’s serial number puts it well after the first 2 stoves. (When I worked in a factory, we always blamed 2nd shift for problems!) But in the dealer’s and manufacturer’s defense, they kept at it and made it right. We’re quite happy with the final result, albeit 3 wintry months later. Thanks again y’all!


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## blades (Feb 8, 2019)

yahoo, happy it finally worked out


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## wooduser (Feb 8, 2019)

Thanks for the report back,  and glad you got the problem solved.


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## k0wtz (Feb 9, 2019)

wooduser said:


> Sometimes the logs need to be very carefully installed as specified by the manufacturer or they can produce odors including carbon monoxide gas.
> 
> 
> Do you have the installation and operating manuals for the fireplace?  They should specify how the logs should be arranged.  Read those directions over carefully and check to see if your logs conform to the directions of the manufacturer.    If they do and you still get an odor,  try taking them out and see if that causes the odor to go away.
> ...


Make sure lots are stacked according to picture I had the same problem?


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## MBG (Feb 12, 2019)

I’m grateful things all worked out. The dealer, the installer, the factory and the wife we’re all as frustrated as me. The dealer also surprised us with compensation for our inconvenience! 
A tip from a rookie: keep notes, with dates, on everything. I’ve recommended your site to others.


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## kjarvis (Nov 28, 2019)

Hi MBG.  I have had this same problem for years and no one can figure it out!!  Can you tell me who your dealer and what manufacturer and what unit you ultimately got that worked.  I'm at my wits end.  Thanks so much!!


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## macman (Oct 22, 2020)

I installed an FV 34 in 2019 and am experiencing the same foul odor.  No one wants to hear it.
On top of that, the fireplace blows out quite often and is sometimes difficult to re-start.  I think that this happens more often if the fan is on.
My last gripe is that the wall above the unit gets extremely hot.  Therefore, I am not able to run it except on lower settings.

I feel that I have made a terrible mistake in my choice of Manufacturers.  I was told that Mendota was the best of the best but if that is so I hate to see what the others are like.  No one seems to be able to help me and the service man that was recommended has never returned my calls.  I tried several times with no luck.  What a waste of money and time.


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