Multi fuel stove problem

Connacht

I hope somebody out there can help me.
We installed a Nestor Martin multi fuel stove and have had problems from day one.
Whether we burn wood, coal, briquettes, or even smoke free stove coal, quite poisonous fumes fill the room and we cannot stay in it.
I stress that no smoke enters the room - it is purely a very chemical odour that stings the eyes and is unsupportable.
The stove is installed with a dedicated flue - no chimney. The flue is single wall in the room, then double walled through the attic and out into the open.

Avns1s

How long is the stove installed?

Is the fumes of the paint curing, which would be exactly as you describe and would likely last for a week or so after installation.

De_man

we've two nestor martins, as Avns1s said it's the paint curing...

the first one we set up took a few days for the smell to go away, the second one (smaller one) i saw a kinda blue haze in the room and was very uncomfortable, it ended up me taking everything apart to ensure i installed the flue correctly....:rolleyes: (i had)

after that evening it took about a week to sort itself out, having a small fire every day, gradually building the fire up to increase operating temp. since then we've no probs and the odour has disappeared

but you'll always have some odour from the stoves, when they radiate heat into the room

btw which stove do you have?

Connacht

Thanks guys.
We have the stove for well over a year, but gave up lighting it months ago as the poisonous smell was unbearable.
I don't think it's the paint curing, although I wish it was, because it lasted much too long before we gave up trying. We lit the stove easily 12 to 15 times.
Anyway, this morning I'm going to try again for the first time since early last winter ...
I've no idea what type of N Martin it is.

gsxr1

Connacht wrote: »

Thanks guys.
We have the stove for well over a year, but gave up lighting it months ago as the poisonous smell was unbearable.
I don't think it's the paint curing, although I wish it was, because it lasted much too long before we gave up trying. We lit the stove easily 12 to 15 times.
Anyway, this morning I'm going to try again for the first time since early last winter ...
I've no idea what type of N Martin it is.

this seems strange.

where is the flu piped to? Is it a plastic smell ? The smell of HT paint has gone from mine after day 4 of running. the paint smell was not that bad.

Can you call the installer to ask his advise. The flu touching wires would cause a toxic smell as the insulation burned

youtheman

Can't help with your problem, but I'd give one piece of advice:

FIT A CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTOR TO THE ROOM WITH THE STOVE.

This will give you some peace of mind.

gsxr1

it could be rain water falling back down the flu. In turn this wets the soot, turns it to sludge and it falls back into the stove causeing a very bad smell when heated.

tullachBuí

My parents just installed a Majestic multi-fuel stove. Today was the first time it was lit. They called and said there were a lot of fumes. I know now it is most likely the paint curing. They also said that there appears to be something flaking or peeling off the top of the stove.

Is this something that can happen also? Can the paint come off if it got too hot too fast?

Thanks

copper12

It really dose sound like carbon monoxide although they say you cant smell it ;the effect on you certainly sounds like it to me
You need to get a smoke test done' to determine if the stove is spilling
A spillage test will determine if the flu is working properly
There could be a blockage in the flu
Is there any singe of any nesting material behind the stove

pjq

We have had a problem with our Nestor Martin caused by burning wood that is not 100% bone dry , after 20mins a brown liquid smelling of creasote runs down the chimney. This is caused by the moisture in the wood condensing on the cold chimney, the short term solution for us is to light the fire with briquettes and after an hour when the chimney is warm we can use our 2yr old wood . Longer term we will put in a flue liner.
pjq

cavanleader

Hi just wondered have you still a problem with a smell from your Nester Martin Stove? We installed one in 2008 and continue to have a toxic smell. Just lit it today and you can't sit in the room without opening a window! We've had it taken apart and checked by a stove installer and he could not find a problem with the installation. He was sent by the supplier who also called to the house and could not explain the smell. Wondering is it something specific to our stove/installation or is it a problem with the Nestor Martin. We were told it was the same stove as an Efel which our neighbours have and which had no smell. frustrated that I'm three years on with no answers.

K

stephendevlin

Is the flue higher than the pitch of the roof?

miznomer

Has anybody made any progress on this? I have the same problem with a nestor martin! It's terrible, i have to open the window when i light the fire!

LostCovey

miznomer wrote: »

Has anybody made any progress on this? I have the same problem with a nestor martin! It's terrible, i have to open the window when i light the fire!

Might be the mastic/sealant used in the flue/stove joint.

There is a note on the website of the UK distributor of Nestor Martin ranges which says:

Ensure that all joints are sealed with a suitable fire resistant sealant. We recommend Fraxfill (available from Euroheat Part No: MS9045). Some so called “Heat Proof” mastiks will only stand a temperature of 300°C before they start breaking down. In many cases they may give off an obnoxious smell at temperatures much lower than this which will persist and become apparent each time the stove is lit.

LostCovey

miznomer

thanks, I kind of felt it was related to my spray painting the flue a couple of years ago, but the description "starts every time the fire lights" (and then goes away) is exactly what happens, I did have my plumber look at the joints where the fire cement was and he didn't think there was a problem. Are they suggesting he should have used "mastik" or "sealant" and not fire cement? I will give them a call. Thanks again for the input, it's a bit of a nightmare at present, so all help is appreciated.

miznomer

just a follow up, i spoke to the uk suppliers and they said there shouldn't be a problem with fire cement, so i'm back to thinking it's the paint on the flue, any ideas how to get it off?

cnocbui

Did you spray the flue with a heat-proof paint approved for the purpose?

I would contact the paint manufacturer - if you know the brand - and ask them. Failing that I would try a paintstripper gel containing Methyl Chloride. Nasty stuff that will burn your skin if you get it on, you but works very well on every paint type I have tried, but heat-proof might require something else.

If you use a stripper you would want to make sure the flue is then well scrubbed clean of that before lighting up again.

Connacht

Miz,
One possibility is that you are lighting too strong a fire straight away. With stoves, we have found that we need to begin the fire only with kindling and not much of it. This allows the stove to 'warm up'. Only later (min 30 mins) do we add ecobrite coal and the smell doesn't seem to happen. By the way, we gave up using wood, even 2 years dried wood.
We had painted our flue in heat-resistent black paint also ('Painter's Touch' from Rost-Oleum) and the smell may have come from there. We definitely never had any problem with sealant decay.
TBH, if it wasn't for my leader, I wouldn't bother with stoves. Can't stand the smoke that will get out from time to time.

miznomer

Hi Cnocbui, i may just have to try that, i tried white spirits but to no avail. Yes, it was a heat resistant spray, it came in the stove, and when i ran the scenario by the supplier in Ireland, i was told that the spray was for the stove and not the flue and they couldn't understand why i would use it on the flue and by implication couldn't be responsible for a spray they had supplied for a purpose not recommended. Then interestingly, when i spoke to the uk distributors today, they said it was perfectly normal to use a heat resistant spray on a flue, and i hadn't done anything out of the ordinary.

Hi Connaught, i don't ever have very big fires, i might try your approach though, it sounds like you never got to the root of the problem did you? this is a shame, it's quite an efficient stove if you don't have to open the window for the first 15 mins:) and small (3 ecologs) fires are enough to warm my room for the evening.
Unlike you, i really want the stove working, I think timber is probably the most reliable source of fuel we have into a very uncertain future. Thanks for checking back in.

miznomer

Hi Connaught, just reading through your message again, why did you give up using wood? Are you suggesting a connection between the wood and a toxic smell? The other day when i used coal for the first time (in trying to burn the fire really hot in case i hadn't cured the paint properly) I noticed there was no smell, though later the room had a coal smell.

Connacht

Sorry for late reply, Miz, haven't been around.
I don't know if there's a connection or not, but we use no wood; have no smell ...
Also, overstated time before adding ecobrite, more like 10 mins than 30. Sorry about that.