Why Does the Vermont Casting Defiant Wood Stove Smell?
A Vermont Castings Defiant wood stove is a high-end wood stove with advanced options that require proper use for optimum efficiency. The Environmental Protection Agency regulates wood stoves and their emissions and classifies wood stoves into three categories: catalytic, non-catalytic and pellet. The Vermont Castings Defiant wood stove comes with a catalyst, which might be one cause of the stove smelling. Does this Spark an idea?
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First Use
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Every wood stove will smell when used for the very first time. Most of these smells go away with time, but oil used to lubricate parts, gaskets and paint all produce an odor on the stove’s first use. This is also true at the beginning of each burning season, as dust and debris missed during cleaning and maintenance must burn off and smell when they do so.
Catalytic Wood Stove
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The Vermont Castings Defiant wood stove contains a catalyst, which is a honeycomb unit coated with ceramic. Smoke passes over the catalyst, which then completes a second burn on the exhaust gases and particles. While this process reduces emissions, the unit gets dirty while used often over the course of a season. To avoid smells from the catalytic unit, thoroughly clean it before use. The manufacturer recommends cleaning the catalyst with a vacuum cleaner a minimum of three times during the burning season.
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Using the Catalyst
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Don’t use the catalyst until the proper temperate inside the firebox is reached. The Defiant comes with an optional thermostat in the top of the stove to signal when to use the catalyst. The inside of the stove must be a minimum of 450 degrees Fahrenheit before using the damper to activate the catalyst. Using the catalyst before the wood stove is properly heated may result in odd smells. Also operating the wood stove at temperatures in the range of 600 to 700 degrees can also cause the catalyst to malfunction or degrade sooner. A worn catalyst won’t function properly and will begin to smell as the ceramic breaks down. Catalysts can last up to five years with proper use, though some degrade in as quickly as two years.
Maintenance
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Recent maintenance will also make the stove smell. New gaskets, gasket adhesives and cleaning materials will affect the wood stove when used. The opposite is equally true -- lack of cleaning will make the stove smell. Do the dollar bill test on the door to ensure the door is tight enough to keep smoke and gases inside the stove where they belong. Insert a dollar bill between the door and the stove, and close it. If you can pull the dollar bill out, replace the gaskets, as small amounts of smoke and gas are escaping into the room.
Burning
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Burning unseasoned wood, or wood that is still green, causes an extra buildup of gases and materials inside the wood stove. When the stove is heated sufficiently, these gases might cause unusual smells, as well as affect the life of the catalyst. The manufacturer recommends not burning green wood, ink-coated materials, trash or anything that isn't seasoned, untreated wood.
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References
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