Stove Pipe Won't Stop Off-Gassing

[EricHech]

Hi all, my wife and I are just past our limit here and don't know what to do. Hopefully this community can help.

We recently purchased and installed a Novo 18 stove from Woodland Direct. The stove is amazing. We were told that it would offgas for a few burns and then stop. That all happened, and everything there is fine. However, in the installation of the pipe, we found that it did not fit because of needing to move around our ceiling joist. The contractor we hired to do the work swapped out our pipe for one from his factory along with the elbow joints we needed and installed those. He assured us that it was top-of-the-line material, and he works for a stove installation company. He also had to get us new material for our roof, and that material was excellent quality.

However, the pipe just won't stop off-gassing. It's horrible, we tried to bear through it for a month, and even with the windows and doors open, the house fills with toxic-smelling fumes. It gives us headaches and sore throats, and we have a baby in the house which is even more concerning. Yet we need this stove to keep the house warm this winter, so we don't know what to do.

We took the pipe apart and brought it to an industrial oven and cooked the thing for five hours at near 500º F. It kept smelling after the first two hours, but after about five hours the smell seemed to fade. The paint looks faded now, but if it fixes the problem, we don't care. When we reinstalled it and got the stove hot again, we still smell it! It's much better, but it's still clearly toxic enough to smell and bother our health.

I just don't understand what is happening. The only options I can think of are:
- Cook it again and hope it fixes it.
- Sandblast all the paint off, try a new paint (assuming the current paint was low quality), and re-cook it.
- Buy new pipes assuming that will fix it.

I just don't know what to do, and no one in this area seems to have the time or interest in helping despite my offer to pay. Can someone help?

Thank you 🙏

 

[begreen]

It could be a bad batch of paint. What is the stove pipe brand and model? Single or double-walled?

 

[EricHech]

It's so assuring to get a reply from someone, gives me a little hope...

I'm hopefully getting the brand and model information on the pipe today. It's double-walled.

 

[begreen]

Sorry to hear of this problem. You certainly have gone above and beyond in trying to solve the issue. Is there a probe flue thermometer in the pipe? If so, what temperature range is it typically run at?

 

[stoveliker]

Are you sure it's the pipe?
No chance of something (plastic?) stuck someplace in/on the stove?

(Grasping at ideas here...)

 

[begreen]

Anything is possible. Sometimes the problem shows up in odd places. Over the years, we have had a few wood stoves and stove pipes with failed paint jobs that didn't stop outgassing. One insert even showered the house with fine black particles. Osburn replaced it and the problem stopped. Years ago there was a complaint of continual smell with no obvious cause. It ended up that their young boy liked to play with his army men on the stove in the summer and lost one plastic toy soldier behind the stove's rear heat shield.

 

[EricHech]

Thank you for the quick replies and sympathies. Until now, everyone has been pretty cold, unhelpful, and unresponsive. Hearing this is somewhat comforting and validating.

We don't have a thermometer, but I am happy to get one if helpful. If so, can you recommend it? I can say that after baking the pipe, it only off-gasses when it really gets going. We have a self-adjusting baffle with three notches, and when it pushes out to the second notch is when it starts to smell. At the third notch the smell becomes thick. At that temp I can tap the pipe for a split second without getting burned, but not longer.

I inspected the pipes before we reinstalled them. There's nothing there. I also can put my nose right up to the stove and smell nothing, versus putting it right up to the pipe and smelling toxicity once it gets hot.

 

[stoveliker]

For the flue gas, this would work.

Condar stovepipe probe thermometers

stovepipe probe thermometers

www.condar.com

And I have a infrared laser thermometer gun to measure surface temperatures. They sell ones at many places for $30 for cheap ones (the cheaper the higher the minimum temperature they can measure).

A flue probe will also be helpful when running the stove; keeping the flue both warm enough to avoid build-up inside, and not too hot for efficiency.

Sandblasting sounds like a decent idea. Stovebright spray paint back on (do clean with alcohol or acetone -not near the baby, and preferably outside...-) before painting.

 

[EricHech]

We don't have a flue. Can you help me understand what you mean about keeping it too hot or cold? Maybe that's what the self-adjusting baffle is for?

Thanks for the recommendations. If you think sandblasting and repainting is the way to go, we'll do it. But first I'll get back to you all about the brand and model. Thank you!

 

[Dieselhead]

It will smell (along with the stove) every time you reach a new high temperature. I’d suggest get a full load in, open the windows in the house and let ‘er eat!

 

[EricHech]

lol I wish. You might have missed this part of my original post:

We took the pipe apart and brought it to an industrial oven and cooked the thing for five hours at near 500º F

It's hard to believe that it's getting hotter than that. I can't touch the inside of my kitchen stove for even a second when it's at 500º F, but I can touch my stove pipe for a brief moment without getting burned. So I don't think the outside ever reaches 500º F. Does it? Maybe I'm missing something?

 

[moresnow]

He assured us that it was top-of-the-line material, and he works for a stove installation company.

What product exactly did this gentleman install? Ask him to provide the make/model/manufacturer.
Can you post pics of your stove/venting? Never know. Extra eyes taking a look may see something.

 

[stoveliker]

We don't have a flue. Can you help me understand what you mean about keeping it too hot or cold? Maybe that's what the self-adjusting baffle is for?

Thanks for the recommendations. If you think sandblasting and repainting is the way to go, we'll do it. But first I'll get back to you all about the brand and model. Thank you!

The flue is the exhaust piping. Black stove pipe off the stove, that transitions into class A when it penetrates a wall or ceiling.

Maybe it's good to post a pic of the install?

The flue probe can go in the black pipe coming off the stove. Best about 18" above.
If you have a magnetic thermometer to measure the surface temp, then don't get a laser thing (for now, unless you want to play around...)

 

[EricHech]

Well for now, turns out we had a laser, and it's off-gassing pretty bad at the current temp, and it's clocking in at 190º F. After sitting in an oven at 500º F for five hours, how is that even possible...?

I'm torn, stick it back in the oven for a few more hours and try again, or just sandblast and repaint? I'm already reaching out to my oven/sandblasting contact, it's the same person, and will do whatever everyone recommends.

Will get you all photos and that make/model/manufacturer shortly.

Thank you 🙏

 

[bigealta]

Depending on your set up u might be able to just swap out the double wall for single wall pipe. That way is a fairly inexpensive test and will keep your stove useable. The single wall will also off gas but much faster than what you are dealing with. And the stove pipes can certainly get hotter than 500F. Mine single wall pipe has gotten hot enough to pin the magnetic thermometer which is 800F+. Of course that is not recommended.

Definitely post a couple pics. They always help.

 

[EricHech]

Yeah, single would be nice, but we need the double wall to be as close to the combustable as our stove is. Sounds like maybe we should just crank the industrial oven up higher and leave it for a bit, maybe 700ºF for a couple of hours?

 

[bigealta]

The paint fading as you said most likely means the pipe never got hot enough to fully burn off. The shiny look fades and dulls when the pipe gets hot enough and then it should be good. That said i have single wall in utah that has still not completely burned off and still can off gas if i get a really hot fire going in the stove. I too don't like the off gassing at all.

 

[EricHech]

Wow, ok, so maybe this is normal? There's a chance that for a double wall this is expected, and I just need to crank that oven hotter and longer?

 

[stoveliker]

I think something is off with the pipe. As said, off gassing will happen every time you hit a higher temperature.
Being at 500 for a few hours should make a 190 F pipe not smell at all.

 

[all night moe]

Is your stove in a room that can be closed off? If so, put a fan in a window and run a load of wood through hot.

 

[begreen]

We don't have a flue. Can you help me understand what you mean about keeping it too hot or cold? Maybe that's what the self-adjusting baffle is for?

Thanks for the recommendations. If you think sandblasting and repainting is the way to go, we'll do it. But first I'll get back to you all about the brand and model. Thank you!

I'm wondering what temperatures this stovepipe is seeing.
What stove is this? Can you post some pictures of the current set up? Maybe one of the stove and another of the stove pipe?

 

[bigealta]

Yeah i'm thinking it's the pipe as well (some paint defect) or possibly a part, above the pipe, that was not baked in the oven.

At this point only a pic of the set up will help much.

 

[EricHech]

 

[EricHech]

I'm not sure what exactly to send, just ask for details. He never got back to me about the model of the pipe... as is typical for him, he seems very done with this job. I'll try calling tomorrow.

You make a great point, it shouldn't be off-gassing at 190⁰ F. So we're thinking defective pipe or defective paint, because one means I need to replace the pipe and the other means I can just sandblast.

Will definitely update everyone soon when I find out what pipe it is! I'll try calling the manufacturer also.

By the way, is the pipe supposed to look kind of matte like this? The paint on the stove is so much nicer than what's on the pipe.

 

[EricHech]

Here it is. Top of the line he says.

So do I buy all new materials, start from square one and cross my fingers? Or toss it in the oven? Or sandblast and repaint?

Thank you again everyone, so much 🙏🏽