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Whitfield Advantage II T C Freestanding smoke smell in room

Discussion in 'Pellet Stoves, Pellet Fireplaces, Pellet Furnaces' started by Robyn, Nov 8, 2019.

  1. Robyn

    Robyn

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    I have an Advantage II-T C freestanding stove. I began noticing a burned pellet smell coming from the back of the stove and blowing out into the room. I had the stove cleaned and the gasket replaced on the exhaust fan. I replaced the window gasket and checked the door gasket. I siliconed and taped all of the pipe joints but I am still getting the smell. Does anyone have any ideas about what could be causing this leak and where it might be coming from? The flame is fine so I can't figure out what the problem might be. I tried shutting off the lights and using a flashlight to see if I could see any smoke in the back of the unit but couldn't see anything. Should I replace the exhaust blower or could there be a crack somewhere that I can't see?
     
  2. TurboDiesel

    TurboDiesel

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    Welcome to the club, Robyn !:handshake:
    I think you're gonna like it here!:yes:
     
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  3. eatonpcat

    eatonpcat

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    X2...

    I am sure someone will be along shortly to help
     
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  4. Eric VW

    Eric VW Moderator

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    Welcome Robyn :salute:
    Is that at startup or throughout the burn?
    Also, how old is this setup?
    And finally, did the pipe get swept, making sure there’s not a wasp nest or bird nest , etc.?
     
  5. wildwest

    wildwest Moderator

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    Nice to meet you Robyn :)

    I'm glad you brought this up Eric, I have a different stove so disregard if this does not apply-----I had a similar odd smoke smell, I cleaned everything, pipe, exhaust blower, convection blower, exchange pipes, inside the burn box, and the back of the stove, everything. Of all things I had a build up in a short (8" long) horizontal pipe from the exhaust blower and tee'd into my chimney pipe. Seems some of our sweeping the chimney was settling in there along with a couple overdue exhaust cleanings was clogging it. NO where in the manual does it say to clean there, never occured to me.


    LOL, we're going to have to put Snowy Rivers on payroll:rofl: :lol:
     
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  6. Robyn

    Robyn

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    Thanks for the responses. I actually took apart all of the pipes and cleaned them thoroughly and reapplied the silicon and tape after the pellet guy came and cleaned the stove so the pipe cannot be the reason. The smell gets worse the longer the stove is on. The stove is approximately 10 years old but has been moved from its original location to the current location about 4 years ago.
     
  7. TurboDiesel

    TurboDiesel

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    Was it windy?
    what direction is the prevailing wind?
     
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  8. Robyn

    Robyn

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    The prevailing wind is west or north. I have the end of the pipe run facing east and down at an angle. The problem does not seem to be related to wind unfortunately.
     
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  9. wildwest

    wildwest Moderator

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    Well darn, sorry to hear it's not an easy fix. :confused:

    PS, is this smoke smell since you reinstalled it?
     
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  10. Robyn

    Robyn

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    do pellet stoves ever get cracks in them somewhere other than the exhaust blower that could cause this? Or should I replace the combustion blower? He cleaned it and replaced the gasket and it seemed to be running fine but that did not solve the problem. I'm stumped and its cold here! Need my pellet stove!
     
    Last edited: Nov 8, 2019
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  11. don2222

    don2222

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    Check the exhaust flange where it is bolted and siliconed to the housing. The small screws get loose and then the silicone seal breaks. Common problem.
    I take the flange off then wire wheel it, then put clear silicone on the inside, then slide it on, put in larger stronger Stainless Steel self tappers and then add extra silicone to the outside edge for a very permanent fix!!!
     
    Last edited: Nov 8, 2019
  12. Robyn

    Robyn

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    Actually, maybe wind is the problem. My exhaust pipe runs horizontally thru the wall to a Tee with a cleanout and then vertically up about 6 feet and ends in a 45 that points to the east and down on a 45 degree angle. Should I get another 45 to make it point directly at the ground?
     
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  13. Robyn

    Robyn

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    I did find a missing nut on one of the bolts after the "repairman" left and I replaced it. Will I be able to see the silicone if it is still intact?
     
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  14. Robyn

    Robyn

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    And how do you like Salem? I am originally from Hanover NH and was thinking about moving to Salem . Tired of the CT taxes and no end in sight!
     
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  15. ChandlerR

    ChandlerR

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    Welcome Robyn from NH. I think Don is correct when he suggests the flange. A pellet stove doesn't rely on a draft to exhaust the combustion gasses. Gasses are ejected by a fan so any place that isn't sealed perfectly can leak. Seeing as your pipe is short before it goes through the wall, you probably have just a couple of joints to seal. The flange is often overlooked. Could there be a connection IN the wall thimble? One that's hidden so it's not sealed? I had a friend who was trying to track down a smoke smell and when I went over to look at it, the smell was pretty strong. Using my flashlight and my nose, it seemed strongest where the pipe went through the wall. We removed the pipe that passed through the wall and there was a seam. We sealed that, and where the pipe passed through the thimble and that got rid of 99% of the smell. I noticed that he did not have a fresh air intake either and wondered if the air being sucked into the stove was causing fumes from outside to be drawn in. I helped him install an outside air kit to the stove and not only did it get rid of the last of the smell, the house was warmer.
     
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  16. Snowy Rivers

    Snowy Rivers

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    Hi Robyn...WELCOME :handshake:
    All the info so far is good.

    We have a stove identical to yours...

    As mentioned..the exhaust is pushed out of the stove by the draft/exhaust fan

    Everything from the fan back to the fire pot runs under a low vacuum and should not leak.

    With the LH side of the stove removed you can get a good look at things.

    Unscrew the draft rod and remove.
    Open the stove door
    Remove the 2 screws (one top/bottom) on the front flange of the side panel where it mates with the front of the stove.

    Carefully open the side panel and then you can lift it slightly and slide it up and off the "hinge/hooks" at the rear of the panel.

    Here is a good piccy of that side of the stove

    (My stove has been modified...so you will not see some things that are in the pic)

    The aluminum transition pipe by the orange hose where it is sealed to the exhaust housing can leak.

    As Don mentioned "leaking or missing screws)

    Run the stove (Be careful not to grab any wires with the side off)

    Use a red laser pointer (Room dark) and shine the red light around the area to try and snoop out the leak.

    Start the fire and make it SMOKE
    Get the fire barely going and then go out and make a bunch of smoke that the exhaust will suck out and hopefully become visual.

    The transition duct is a very likely spot to leak.

    Was the exhaust fan oiled ??

    Get some pix of things in there too and post (Close ups 18" away)
     

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  17. Robyn

    Robyn

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    The problem started when I first fired up the stove this winter. It has been in the same spot for 4 years with no problems. That is why I called the Pellet Stove Store to send someone out to clean and check it out. They cleaned it, replaced the gasket in the exhaust blower and fired it up and left. Within a short time I smelled the smell again so they clearly did not identify or fix the problem. Since then I took all the pipes apart, cleaned them and reassembled them. I used silicone and almost a whole role of tape and wrapped the entire length of pipe inside my house with it just in case there was a pin hole somewhere. I also put door gasket around the pipe where it enters the wall and caulked around the pipe on the outside of the house where it exits the wall. Didn't help . . Last night I opened it up and checked the fan gasket. It looks very secure and all the bolts are there and tight. Not sure if this is a clue, but when I open the door of the stove there is a strong burned pellet smell inside it, even after I clean it. I don't recall smelling this last year. I switched to Hamer Hot Ones from Greene Gold and the pellet feed is very random because they are not uniformly sized. Do you think the stove needs more makeup air than it is getting from the room because of the pellets? If that is the case, wouldn't opening a window eliminate that problem? I have never needed to hook up the outside air intake before and hesitate to do that until I rule out everything else. I cracked a window last night and tried starting it up and got the same smell.
     
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  18. Robyn

    Robyn

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    Pipe.jpg Blower.jpg Inside.jpg Blower 2.jpg Blower 3.jpg Pipe.jpg Blower.jpg Inside.jpg Blower 2.jpg Blower 3.jpg

    Here are photos. I will try the laser trick tonight. I assume the guy oiled the fan when he cleaned it. The store is a very reputable pellet/fireplace store called Deans Stove and Spa here in CT. Let me know if you see anything funky in my pictures and thanks to all of you for your support!









     
  19. imacman

    imacman

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    A regular flash light and a dark room while stove is running will work too. Best time to look is during start-up while pellets are starting to smolder.
     
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  20. Robyn

    Robyn

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    Here is one more picture of the back side of the exhaust blower where it connects to the rectangular piece (sorry, don't know the name for it) that eventually connects with the exhaust piping. If you look carefully you can see a spot where it looks like there is possibly a gap. Is there supposed to be gasket material there? Can I silicone it with high temp silicone?
     

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