Stove Pipe Won't Stop Off-Gassing

[stoveliker]

Nice stove! Pipe is good quality indeed.

No issues I see in the pic that could cause this. (Be careful with the laundry tho; what happens if the line breaks?)

I would sandblast, run the stove one load with bare pipe (smell...) and then repaint.
I do wonder if there is stuff in between the inner and outer pipe that is not supposed to be there.

 

[begreen]

Yes, I recognized it as DuraVent DVL from the pics. Call their support line and ask if they have had a bad batch. I have the same pipe and it was new last season. No problems with outgassing. I think DuraTech uses Stove Brite paint on DVL.

It would be a good idea once this is settled to put a probe thermometer in about 18-21 " above the flue collar. This will help a lot with the proper running of the stove. Condar makes a good thermometer. Or go digital if you want real time feedback. Also, if the stovepipe is reinstalled, put the seam to the back so it is not seen.

 

[EricHech]

Thank you everyone, we will do this!

No worries about the laundry, she just hung a piece of clothing on that light. But yeah, we will be careful.

Sorry for the ignorant question, but how do you install that thermometer? Are you supposed to just drill a hole in the pipe and stick it through? Seems scary lol.

And then what do I do with the info the thermometer gives me?

Anyway, again, ty. We'll call the manufacturer, uninstall, sandblast, reinstall, test, uninstall, repaint, cook it, and then reinstall 🥵

God I hope it works lol

Or actually, is cooking it unnecessary? If I get it as hot as possible with one burn, should that be enough to stop the off-gassing?

 

[stoveliker]

Did you call Duravent? I think what begreen proposed is good to do before you start.
(Suppose they say "yeah, bad batch, here is a new set of parts"...)

Yes, one hot burn should get rid of it if you never reach that temp again. BUT that has not worked so far...

 

[EricHech]

Ok thank you! We'll take it one step at a time.

 

[bigealta]

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.

Yes when the pipe turns matte that should mean it's been hot enough to no longer off gas. Are any of those elbows still shiny/glossy?

 

[begreen]

Thank you everyone, we will do this!

No worries about the laundry, she just hung a piece of clothing on that light. But yeah, we will be careful.

Sorry for the ignorant question, but how do you install that thermometer? Are you supposed to just drill a hole in the pipe and stick it through? Seems scary lol.

And then what do I do with the info the thermometer gives me?

Yes, a hole must be drilled into pipe. Surface readings on double walled stove pipe are not that meaningful. The readings will guide you to optimal performance. Installation instructions are here:

Condar stovepipe probe thermometers

stovepipe probe thermometers

www.condar.com

For an example of a typical burn cycle and the importance of flue temps, visit this thread:

Thread 'Starting a fire and running an EPA stove'

Jan 17, 2020

Questions about starting a fire and avoiding a runaway stove come up so frequently I decided to document starting our stove. This is a Pacific Energy Alderlea T6 with about a 3 cu ft firebox. The stove is connected to a straight-up, 20' interior flue. The outside ambient temperature is 34ºF. The blower was off all the time for these shots. The firewood is douglas fir at about 17% moisture content. This is a N/S loading. An E/W loading start will follow.

NOTE: as testing will show, the older Condar flue thermometer is reading low. It needs recalibration.

There are 3 instruments shown.

1. ...

• begreen
• Replies: 89
• Forum: The Hearth Room - Wood Stoves and Fireplaces

• 

 

[stoveliker]

Surface readings on double walled stove pipe are not that meaningful.

Except when one wishes to know what the surface temperature is in relation to paint curing..? That was my reason to suggest this.

 

[begreen]

Not that meaningful for stove operation.

 

[stoveliker]

This

W

Thread 'Smell from new install DVL'

Dec 21, 2024

I have been burning my new stove 24/7 most days and nights for probably 1 1/2 months now and when I first get the stove up and going good before turning the air down I still am having a bad smell from the DVL double wall stove pipe, this is my first time using this stove pipe because it is required in my situation. The highest temperature I have measured on the pipe was on the elbow before I closed the door. I think it was high 300s maybe 380 degrees or so, is this a normal temperature for this pipe? Should I try to get it hotter to burn the stuff off? This stove pipe has really took...

• Woody73
• dvl new install
• Replies: 5
• Forum: The Hearth Room - Wood Stoves and Fireplaces

Seems consistent with a bad batch...

 

[30WCF]

190 on the outside of double wall is likely half of what it is on the inside.
You could be dancing all over 500 in there.
But then again, the outside surface is where the paint is. I don’t know if the inner layer is painted though before assembly.
And 500 isn’t all that hot. Not saying there isn’t an issue, just that 500 in a stove pipe is warm, but not cooking.

 

[woodstove4heat]

I have the same one but the longer version, installed summer 2024, a Duravent 6DVL-68TA sitting on top of a Duravent DVL Adapter/Damper Section 6DVL-ADWD.

According to the spec sheet for the stovepipe, the materials and construction are 0.016” stainless steel inner wall and 0.018” galvanized outer, painted black. I do not see any temperature ratings for this "DLV" product line; however for the recently discontinued, and seemingly similar, Canadian offering "DDW" the instructions state: "Temperature rating of 1000°F Max continuous; 1400°F brief forced fired; and 2100°F 30 minutes tested." I operate within the "rated" temperatures.

I sit here this morning with a headache after having aired out the house while its 18 deg F outside so I feel your pain and frustration. If I don't keep a good eye on the flue interior temp (Condar FlueGard™ stovepipe probe thermometer installed 2ft above stove outlet) while getting it started (I burn pine mainly, so easy to do) it will get above the "Optimum Operation" (about >900F) as indicated on the thermometer and the off gassing gets really bad until the temp drops by reducing the air intake with the air vent control. I hope one day it stops doing this because as you have experienced it certainly smells and feels toxic.

For reference my thermometer's IFU states:

• 100℉ to 400℉: Temperature too low. Incomplete combustion, causing smoke, soot and hazardous creosote. Open draft and/or add dry fuel.
• 400℉ to 900℉: Safe operating temperature. Complete combustion and best efficiency.
• 900℉ to 1200℉: Wasting energy, possibly overheating. While high temperatures are often reached on initial firing, should not be maintained for normal operation. Reduce draft.

I hope you are able to address your issue as soon as possible.

 

[begreen]

In some cases, the DVL adapter makes a poor and leaky fit at the flue collar. What stove is the adapter on? Is the inside liner fitting snuggly at the flue collar?

FWIW, it sounds like the air is not being closed down fast enough. Try to keep the flue temps below 700º by closing down the air as quickly as possible without squelching the flame to the point of smoldering. Mechanical probe thermometers have a bit of lag in them. They react somewhat slowly to air control changes by as much as as a minute. When a fire is building quickly, that minute can mean a lot. Try to keep ahead of the fire. This may mean closing down the air at 500º on the Condar.

 

[Pinesmoke]

Summer of 23 I used 3 pieces of DVL to hook up my stove with nothing like you are describing. Another vote leaning towards a bad batch of paint.

 

[begreen]

Yes, I replaced our DVL last year with no serious off-gassing issues. The pipe has seen a couple of forays to 1000º due to me getting distracted . I usually keep it under 700º during startup.

 

[woodstove4heat]

The label on my Duravent 6DVL-68TA has a number (in addition to the ORDER # "6DVL-68TA", STOCK # "810000909" and UPC) which may be lot/batch or serial number so I will share it here in case it helps others with the same issue: "000007920557".

@begreen The adapter is connected to an Englander 30-NC, 50-SNC30, 50-TNC30 (not sure which one, all three are listed on the label) and the inside liner was fit snuggly to the flue collar or so it seemed. You are certainly right about the air is not being closed down fast enough, happens every time I get distracted, too often apparently! Great advice on reacting early at the temp you suggest based on the lag etc, I usually try to intervene early but I get distracted 🙄. I appreciate your feedback.

@Pinesmoke Thank you for sharing your experience and info on a potential bad batch.

 

[begreen]

It's easy to get distracted. I switched to a digital probe thermometer which has helped a lot. It reacts in real time to air control changes and it has a user settable high temp alarm. The 30-NC is a great heater. The other model designations are just label changes depending on which big box store was selling it. The only difference was usually a little bling added.

 

[woodstove4heat]

@begreen Great info, thank you!

 

[begreen]

Carrying a timer with you also is helpful. It can be a kitchen timer or a cell phone timer.

 

[Woody73]

@EricHech did you get your problem resolved? I waited a while to email them to see if I could get it good and hot a few more times which didn’t help so I sent them a email a little over a week ago, they forwarded it to the right department but I haven’t heard anything back yet

 

[EricHech]

@Woody73 They offered to send replacement parts, which is surprising since we had no proof of purchase whatsoever. They will be here within the week, and then I'll replace it and see how that goes.

I also plan to get a thermometer, especially after reading many of the very helpful messages above. But I'm hesitant because I don't know what I'm doing, I would want something that doesn't draw attention and that works well, and drilling into the pipe sounds awful lol.

 

[stoveliker]

If you buy an analog (condar flue probe), you can put it where yo don't see it. I.e. the side/back.
Defeats the purpose a bit, but you can.
If you buy a digital display (Auber), you can put it wherever you want.

Measuring is knowing.