On Wednesday, October 17, 2007 6:45:57 AM UTC-7, HerHusband wrote:
We've had our woodstove for about four years now. Late last year, we
started noticing a "plastic" smell when we are using the woodstove. It
seems to be most noticeable when we have a hot fire going. If I damper down
the fire, the smell goes away.

I assumed it was just the paint on the woodstove or chimney pipe, but the
smell never seems to burn off. And it's strong again the next time we use
the woodstove.

I've cleaned the chimney, vacuumed all dust on and around the stove,
cleaned the door, etc. I've checked the walls around the woodstove to make
sure it isn't coming from an external source, but they rarely even get warm
to the touch.

We burn only clean dry wood (fir, pine, cedar, and alder mostly), NEVER
garbage or other material that might produce the smell. In fact, we rarely
even smell smoke unless I've opened the door to load wood or something.

Our wood stove (Lopi Patriot model) also gets it's combustion air from an
external source, not from the living space.

I've checked everything I can think of. What am I missing?

Thanks,

Anthony

I am writing as have similar issue in two different stoves. The nasty chemical smell was very similar in both cases. The first stove i had was a " fake : gas stove. The kind with flames but you cant burn wood in it. It was newly installed. When I complained about the smell that came and went ...but was most strong if the stove hadnt been used in a while. The installer said it was the smell the insulation emitted at high temps from the insert box. Fast forward 10 years , different country. Had a wood burning stove for 8 years...then moved and had to get new pipes to fit right. the bottom ones are black heavy metal ones...hiher up they are shiny stainless steel ( I think) but the upper part is wrapped in rockwool covered in that metal looking wrapper. exact Nasty chemical smell again ..So it definetely either the new black pipies or the insulation...( the stove never had it the smell in 10 years.( or th eolder black pipes either which at one time were new to me) .I thought it was the insulaion ...but could be the paint on the black pipes. I am very sensitive to this chemical smell . I need to fix it ,,,, any ideas.