Today I have moved a woodburning stove from dining room to living room. All pipes and stove have been used before. I went to suppliers not BnQ! And they advised me to use flexible joint compound. I have used it and I’ve been generous too on each joint making sure it is well in the joint ie putting it on rim and then connecting the two ends, plus using the excess putty to cover the joint again. I am confident that joints are all sealed up.

The problem is it is smelling quite bad and I’m not sure if it’s just the compound bedding in or if there is something else going on?

Please help O knowledgable singletrackers, ta

Edit: rhetorical questions don’t need answering even with stupid answers

Thanks Edukator for response as stated tho the stove has been in use for a few yrs and so I’m pretty sure it’s not the paint it’s the joint compound that I’m questioning.

I guess the chimney has been checked and you have a monoxide detector? (not one of those silly spots that changes colour)

Any sign of sleepiness or headaches, get out or it may be the last time we hear from you…

Sorry, I should have ignored but tried to be clever then realised that I was being too clever or not clever enough and edited. In all honesty I think you are better placed than anybody to know what the problem is as you can use your nose. Put a bit of jointing compound in a frying pan and heat it up if in doubt.

spooky_b329 – Member
I guess the chimney has been checked and you have a monoxide detector?

V Important – in the Building Regulations for solid fuel appliances.

EDIT: oops forgot silly comment er…….does it smell like something’s burning?

Edukator that is a good idea………* toddles off to kitchen * ps that is not me being sarcastic

Spooky, no! I need to get monoxide detector, chimney was only built 3yrs ago and has been swept

Approved Document J

Just in case – Page 41

Thanks mr ben no it doesn’t smell as if something is burning ie burning wood kind of smell, it smells more like paint being burnt I suppose but without the burnt smell if you understand? It’s a strange smell which is why I’m wondering if it is the compound bedding in? Essentially the stove was fitted all I have done is take pipes apart and rejoined them with a different sealant.

Ps also building control passd it all, the main reason I have done what ive done today is that the fella who fitted it sealed up the opening piece on flue pipe so chimney sweep could not get access! And that was passed off by building inspector!

What product are you using – got a link…?

I fit stoves for a living. I would say it is just the compound curing. New stoves give off a smokey haze the first few times they are lit and they stink which is sort of similar.
Is the register plate sealed properly?
Idealy you should have flue lined your chimney, but hey who i am to tell you what to do. 😉
Definitely get a carbon monoxide detector though!

I haven’t used any jointing compound on some joints to allow the joints to slide to take up the 12mm of expansion over that 2.5m section of the flue. The draw is such that air is sucked into the joints but no fumes come out, even with the regulator fully open.

Thanks soops much appreciated, the chimney is made from concrete liners about 10 inches in diameter or so. With it being a new chimney on an extension we did just a couple of yrs ago it would appear from what we’ve been told we don’t need a liner too? Would you disagree with that then? Like I say its had a fire in the chimney since we built it but I have taken flue pipes apart and then put them back together using ‘purimachos flue jointing compound’. It doesn’t say anywhere on the tub or online that’s can find about how long you need to leave it before lighting fire etc do you have any recommendations or is it a case of put the compound on and that’s it?

is this the stuff?

http://www.bhl.co.uk/product/FLUE_JOINTING_500g_

Bingo……..was told by fella in shop it’s what all tradesmen use?

It is only suitable up to 250 deg celcius.
Flues get alot hotter than that!
You should have used fire cement.

Soops, I’m interested you say flue pipes get hotter than 250 deg, our stove pipe thermometer suggests the “best operating range” is 125 to 250 deg, and that 300 is “too hot”. Do you mean flues can get a lot hotter than that, rather than regularly burn hotter than 250?

OP, we used fire cement, which is prone to cracking as its hard to get the cure right (it wants to dry slowly with heat over a few hours) but had ours signed off today. Assuming it is the compound that is smelling, why not leave it as is, perhaps slowing the burn down, and get yourself some smoke pellets? Then before you next light a fire, you can use the smoke pellets to check the compound has sealed, and if not, you know you’ll have to re-do it with fire cement.

And as has been said, get a CO alarm, just incase.

Well thanks all. Soops thank you, I even said about using fire cement and fella in suppliers said this is what everyone used. It was a trade suppliers too not a general shop. Think I might get some fire cement even though the smell is subsiding now.

In fact I might see about getting someone registered out to look, soops where are you based?

IS the smell subsiding or are you just getting used to it?!

trusslebabes – we were looking at fitting an inset stove to a 8″ clay flue but we’ve been told by two different fitters and the stove manufacturer that a stove may not send enough heat p the flue to maintain a proper drafts all the way up and that it’s likely that creosote deposited could come running back down into the stove (it’s even more likely if you don’t always use good dry wood or ifnyoundont burn every night). So we’re lining the flue even thought its only 20 years old.
A 10″ flue would be even worse.

Yes it is the joint compound that smells, either that or dust burning off.

Sharkbait – you have had good advice from your fitters. We always fit a liner down clay liners and we always use stainless steel single skin flue off the stove instead of enamel pipe. Make sure they have an expansion joint as well.

We only use fire cement when we do need to use anything. If you drive your stove hard it will exceed 250deg.

We finally got our stove fitted last weekend after weeks and weeks of nonsense. And it too absoutely reeked after the first two burns – I thought it was the paint but it could be the fire cement I suppsoe. The smell is truly appalling and quite overpowering (but I have a sensitive nose).

Interesting point about running it gently initially to cure the fire cement – the instructions said this but not why. Does running gently mean holding it back so there vare barely any flames (which is what I’ve been doing) although the pesky thing goes out whenever I put more wood on it (and open the vents)? I’m pretty sure the garden-centre sourced wood is pretty crap too. I need to build a wood store before getting any delievered.

Apologies for hijack!

Strangling wood burners results in lousy combustion which quite apart from polluting the air clags up the flue. If want to run it gently put less wood in but run the air regualtor at at least one third open.

Make sure they have an expansion joint as well.

Actually, as it’s an inset stove that’s going in, the flexible liner is fitted directly to the stove via a short adapter – according to the instructions from Clearview.
To make sure it’s done properly I’ve mananged to get hold of a fitter that now only fits Clearview stoves.

I’m pretty sure the garden-centre sourced wood is pretty crap too.

I bought a moisture meter and it’s pretty enlightening as without one you really have no idea how dry the logs are until you put them on the fire/stove. Make sure you split the log and measure the moisture on the inside i.e. where it’s just been split.
Also if you haven’t got a stove thermometer you should get one as it’s gives you a real indication of how the stove is running. I personally run the stove quickly up to about 4-500 degs then reduce the airflow to get a ‘lazy’ flame. The stove will then hold this temp for quite a long time and if it drops to 350 degs I add more wood.

If your wood is properly dry, i.e. less than 20% inside a freshly split log, you should be able to run with next to no air. This all depends on the design of the stove, the flue & whether it’s properly backfilled and what type of wood it is. I like to get my Burley nice and hot (including the flue) before turning the air right down. I can usually get 2 hours of burning on an initial 2 medium sized logs. This is with no discolouration of the fire bricks or door glass.

The key is dry wood and a hot flue

Well I went and bought some fire cement. When I took the flue apart the other stuff had obviously burnt hence smell. Redone it all in fire cement no smell and working really well. Also bought some carbon monoxide detectors so thanks all for advice much appreciated