What do you think? To avoid the stench of the curing paint inside the house could we put the stove outside with a partial chimney on top and burn it there a few times with small fires? By the way very disappointed with instructions that came with it: There are no temperatures mentioned anywhere, like the max before it over fires. And read this How to test your wood: Add a large piece if wood to the stove when it has a good large bed of coals. (how did you get a bed of coals in the first place?) It is dry if it is burning on more than one side within 1 minute. It is damp if it turns black and lights within 3 minutes. If it sizzles, hisses and blackens without igniting in 5 minutes it is soaked and should not be burned. So, you don't know what you have in wood. You shove it into the stove wait until everything is black and the smoke bellows out. Wow now you know your wood is too wet Lighting a fire: Place crumbled "newspaper" in the center of the heater. In case of chimney fire: Close air inlet. Call fire department. And happily watch your house burn down. I wonder when this was written? Over 50 years ago?
I never thought the smell was worth the hassle of messing with moving the stove twice. It smells bad the first time- but at least the install is done.
if it' still on trailer it is real easy, if and only if you are not going to disassemble stove easier to do that clean IMO.. a single wall piece of top hole will work.. Lucy do you have a moisture meter? what type of stove is it.. my stove recommended 3 succssive burns 150 300 and 450.. with a cool off between each one generally over firing by magnet thermometer is over 700 degrees..on hottest part of stove.. got more questions just ask
oh does your stove room have windows and door if so a box fan will get most of the stink out pretty quick also realize as you hit a new high temperaure your paint will cure more and have a little odor
The paint hardly smells when curing in my opinion. Then again I'm a freak who breathes in curing industrial paint 40+ hrs a week at work.
110% cure it outside if you can. Even after this, for the first few burns (heat and cool cycles) I was still getting a bit of stink off the thing. After that, it was fine. Here's a video of mine curing out in the yard. This will probably convince you which way to go.
Thank you Canadian border VT, I have a moisture meter and understand what wood to use. I just think giving such terrible instructions is almost criminal. You may say it's common sense - but how common is common sense really? What is a newbie to do who doesn't have the advantage of this great forum? Same with the stove temperatures, not one word in the instructions that would be useful. I've been around you guys here on the forum long enough to not make really basic mistakes - or so i hope
I have made a few.. yup most instructions are not worth paper they are printed on why most guys tossem.. yeah that' it
Wood stoves come with instructions? Well, I never! What'll they think of next! I have lit up two different wood stoves indoors without causing any huge problems with the curing paint smells. I think I actually got more off the single wall pipe! Just start with a small fire....maybe kindling only. After it cools down, repeat but this time bring the temps up a little more, repeat and repeat. No big deal, worked great here.
I think i go with blacksmithden and cure outside. The stove is off the truck and in the house but not installed. Chimney isn't up yet. It can easily be rolled back outside. I'm sensitive to chemical smells of all kinds. At least it should be less then when we start burning inside. That is what i will do! sounds great. Thanks a lot, i'm glad i asked.
My T5 made absolutely no smoke from the paint...and why would that paint only be smoking from the stove top and no where else? My guess is because you exceeded break in temps and maybe this is what happens when you do that...?
I tried a couple fires outside but the stove wasn’t drafting well. I didn’t get a pipe for it and when I did, it worked lousy. So I just had the door open for a couple times doing it gradually. Then another fire the night I got it installed. It was 60° out that day and sunny! For a couple weeks, the smell would come and go. I didn’t think it was too bad and my nose is pretty sensitive. Like dryer smell...lint. But different paints will react and heat differently. As for the wood test...seems like it was written where it was manufactured. I don’t look that up but its likely on the stove label that is on the back of your stove. Of course They write for the layman but honestly that’s just making sure that you have dry wood. If you read how some guys load their wood on coals here after the kindling fire or relight on coals, they tend to have it start fast. Within a couple mins if that depending on how much coaling is there and still hot as they get. I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Just burn a little at a time, it’s nice to do that if it’s you at home to get used to how long the wood burns based on what you have.
It's amazing you can go half a season on anything that's been painted or new, accidentally run the stove too hard and your house is stunk up by the new high temp mark. Break it in outside. I save old single wall stove pipe for these outdoor burning adventures now.
Update! Finally got the first burn in the new TN20. Outside and very little draft. It's been a warm day around 56. Here are a few pics. We warmed it up to 200 first, let it cool down some and then put more kindeling in to get it to 350. All with an open door, the 4' pipe just didn't give enough draft. I tried to get some pics of the smoke coming from the chimney and showing the fire inside the stove. However. the sun was rather bright and it didn't work. First the fire starter. Next put some very dry kindling over it and set it on fire. Lit great no problem there but had to leave the door open and it started smoking. It took a while until the pipe got warm enough to draw. Added more kindeling and it started to burn better but only with open door. The back started to burn off chemical odor. The smoke isn't very clear on the pics. When it got just over 300 I closed the door and did some other chores. Had to put it under the porch in case of rain tonight. Hopefully we can do another burn tomorrow.
