Creosote smell

[metschick15]

Every once in a while, I will smell creosote in the house. However, this past weekend my father-in-law put chimney caps on (we didnt have any when we bought the house). Now the house smells all the time! Shouldnt that have made it smell better?

Anybody know why it smells in the house now? And what I can do to make it go away? We just had the chimney cleaned.

Thanks for your help!

 

[struggle]

Need more info.

Wood stove?
Fireplace?

In use?

What kind of chimney...liner, clay tile lined

Smells when burning?

Are the caps streaked with black residue now?

 

[metschick15]

Sorry! It's a wood stove. I havent burned in it yet so dont know if it changes smells at all.
I believe the liner is clay but am not sure.

 

[Dexter]

Some stoves, like our f6oo cb, will be hot enough for a secondary burn, but: If you stop the primary-air down too far, the smoke -- that is, the smoke that has not reached the burn tubes yet -- will "back up" as far as the fresh intake-air inlet. The relatively cool iron at that location will actually allow the smoke to condense as creosote, as the smoke has not had a chance at the secondary burn. If this happens with the primary air wide open, you either have a leak, or very under-seasoned wood.

When burning well seasoned wood, this experience is very, very rare, and only happens when shutting the fire down way too soon; with really wet wood, I have had it actually drip creosote out the (vertical up-draft) primary air intake. Curiously, however, it never backed smoke out of the intake. It always drafted well.

'Hope this helps.

Dexter

 

[jtp10181]

need more info about the chimney. age, clay tiles? did it get relined for the stove? etc... give more detail as opposed to less.

 

[Pine Knot]

My guess is the smell will disappear with the first fire. Caused by cold air flowing down the chimney?

 

[struggle]

What you are describing then with not burning in it yet would most likely be a down draft and that is why you have the smell. I cap mine all summer until I get ready to use it in the fall for that reason. As cold weather shows up I do not get down drafts then.

When was the last time it was cleaned and inspected?

Is the current stove a newer model that would be EPA compliant? The older stoves created a lot more creosote in chimneys.

 

[Henz]

my guess is that your not smelling creosote as much as just leftover ash in the stove? When it gets warmer out etc that happens. Burin it again and the smell will go away.

 

[Dill]

Warm weather especially if its humid and stagnant causes that with my stove.