Occasionally smoke smell gets in room when using new(ish) stove

[IndoorSunshine]

Hi,
We started using our Woodstock Absolute Steel wood stove a year ago, and have made no more than about 20 fires in it during that time. From the start, we started noticing that during some burns, there was a smell of smoke building up in the room. It was only really noticeable if we left the room for a few minutes (e.g., to go to the basement) and then reentered.

At first I thought it was the seal on the door that was the problem, because the braided cord on the inside of the door that seals the door had unattached from the door in one section, during the very first burn. The company sent me a bottle of glue to reattach it, but because the cord is actually too wide for the groove that's on the inside of the door, it doesn't consistently stay flush, even with glue. But then I figured the pressure of the door being closed probably keeps that part of the cord tight, and the issue was elsewhere. But I couldn't figure out where, because there was no visible smoke coming from anywhere, just the smell building up in the room, and not every single time. It didn't seem to correlate just to windy days, as I was asked by someone who I discussed this with.

Then last week, a plumber who had worked on gas stuff was here doing some plumbing work, and I told him about the issue, and he looked at it and noticed that there are two holes where there are no screws, near the top of the round black part that comes up from the wood stove and enters a square black part that's attached to the ceiling (sorry, I don't remember the terminology). Some of the holes up there have screws in them, some don't. However, he didn't think that would be enough to cause smoke to enter room.

Because I really want to use the stoToday I climbed up on the stove and stuck two small screws I happened to have on hand in those holes, but they don't actually screw in, they just slid in, and they don't sit completely tight against the metal. While up there, I also noticed a bit of a gap where the round thing goes into the square thing. I don't know if this is where the problem is. I didn't feel any draft with my finger when I held it over the empty screw hole though.

I was planning to call the installers to discuss this with them, but they're far away and it might take them a while to come out here and look at it. I'm wondering if anyone on here has any suggestions on how I can try to identify where exactly the smoke is coming from? I don't think it's from opening the stove door to put more wood in, because I don't keep it open long, and I've sometimes aired out the room after loading the stove. ,and the smoke has built up afterward, when the door has remained closed.

 

[stoveliker]

I think it will help if you post some pics of the locations you mention and flue set up so that others who know the stove are better informed.

Also, how tall is the flue from stove top to chimney cap?
How air tight is your home?
Any fans going on and off while burn? (Bath, kitchen, radon...)
Do you have an outside air connection? (Not sure the stove is capable of that tho.)

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Is it wood smoke or a chemical smoke? With only 20 fires, its possible you’re still curing paint.

 

[IndoorSunshine]

I'll include some pictures here that I took yesterday. The area of the cord that came off and had to be reglued is on the upper right of the picture showing the inside of the door. The door is on the side of stove. The missing screws can't really be seen because everything is black, but they're near the top of the round column portion. Not sure if these pictures are sufficient?

I will also answer the questions. It's definitely smoke smell and not chemical smell; the chemical smell really bothers me, so I'm very sensitive to the difference. Very rarely I run the stove vent fan while wood stove is burning wood, but I've only done that about 2-3 times and open a kitchen window near the stove when I do that. HVAC is always off when wood stove is burning, and bathroom fan never gets turned on. House is new and very air tight. There is an outside air kit that enters stove from the wall behind it (it then goes down inside that wall to basement just below it, and runs along basement ceiling to the outside wall). The distance from top of stove to ceiling is about 5.5 to 6 feet.

 

[stoveliker]

Hm, with an outside air kit (if properly attached and not leaky) that should rule out draft issues.
How tall is the stack above the ceiling?

I do think the pipe with missing screws is a potential culprit, especially if it got deformed a bit - though it should normally suck air in and not let smoke out.

 

[IndoorSunshine]

Hm, with an outside air kit (if properly attached and not leaky) that should rule out draft issues.
How tall is the stack above the ceiling?

I do think the pipe with missing screws is a potential culprit, especially if it got deformed a bit - though it should normally suck air in and not let smoke out.

Looking back at the invoice, it includes these materials:
6" Ventis Double-Wall Black Stove Pipe 40" - 68" Large Telescoping Section
6" Ventis Double Wall Black Stovepipe - 24" section [this section might be in the attic?]
6" Ventis Class A Chimney -- 15 feet total, in five sections
6" Ventis Diamond Rain Cap (3/4" Diamond Screen)
6" Ventis Class-A Chimney - Attic Insulation Shield (includes collar)
6" Ventis Class A Chimney - 24" Square Cathedral Ceiling Support (Includes trim
and universal adapter)
(plus some other adapters and a roof brace)

The chimney length matched the stove company's specs, according to slope of our roof.

I now vaguely recall someone -- either a stove customer service rep who was helping me troubleshoot over the phone, or a roofer who worked on our gutters last year -- having mentioned something about what had been attached to the top of the chimney, and that they would have used something with a different design instead. But it didn't seem like that was the culprit, since the smoke issue was happening when it was very calm outside, not just when it was windy.

 

[stoveliker]

Ok, if you have 15 ft of class A, it's unlikely to be too short. (No, stove pipe can't be in the attic, only before the first wall or ceiling penetration.)