# Mine stinks!!!



## Guest (Jan 24, 2005)

What can I do to stop the smell...I just put this in and it really seems that my propane ventless fireplace is not burning efficiently...or maybe that's just the way these things work????? It even smells up the place with just the pilot light on!!! Any ideas...anybody had this same expereience!!! I hate to just toss it but I can't take it anylonger. I am even thinking of venting it myself and just using the blower although I really need it for heating not just looks!! Any help would be appreciated!!!!! Thanks!! Jolly Roger


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## Cosmic (Jan 19, 2005)

Might try to check the burner gizmo and see what adjustments are available. Maybe read the instruction manual carefully. What does the flame look like??? Any visible vapors / smoke / or gases that seem to be given off in the flame envelope???

I also might question the entire principle of burning anything in a ventless manner, including propane. Trying to relate it to the smells when using a propane torch. That is probably more volume, just isn't an idea that would thrill me. I don't even like natural gas ranges, to me they also have an odor.

Maybe it is the propane source. Did you notice any difference if the propane source is switched. I know many gaseous fuels burn / smell difference if they have a number of contaminates.

Also could be a break in period, what sort of phony logs / coals or whatever is the flame being routed over / though?. Could be a coating, paint, etc on something in the fireplace structure / elements that may burn off after some use. Maybe this is mentioned in the instructions.


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## agmantoo (May 23, 2003)

If you are smelling the propane gas odor then you have a leak that needs to be attended to immediately. I use a ventless set of fire logs as a backup and they do not stink.


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## Cat (Jun 19, 2004)

My ventless propane wall unit has that smell for the first few days after I light it. When I first got it was afraid that I wouldn't be able to stand it so I have either gotten used to it or it doesn't smell quite so much anymore. I'd say it's normal, burn a scented candle for a few days to mask the odor and see if it doesn't go away. (Of course if you suspect a leak then by all means check that out first!)


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## BeeFree (Feb 23, 2004)

I have had 2 ventless propane heaters and both smelled when they were new and was burning the paint off. This only lasted the first 30 min and after it was burned off they were ok. 

We recently put a new one in a rental and a few days later I walked into it, no one was renting it at the time, and this stench about knocked me down. I figured out right away we had a gas leak. Went home an told DH. He went back and sure enough there was a big one right where I told him the worse smell was coming from. Just a very small leak from them can really make a stink. 

Be sure an check an recheck for gas leaks.


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## mtman (Sep 2, 2004)

mix a little dish soap with water spray it on all the joints if you have a leak it will blow bubles from the soapy water


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## Randy Rooster (Dec 14, 2004)

they are always gonna have that smell to them. ive had a propande stove with the little pilot lights now for 15 years. there are no leaks on it or the ventless heater i installed 5 years ago. thats just the smell of the left over byproducts of the propane burning. nothing you can do about it except shut it off.


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## snoozy (May 10, 2002)

I don't know about ventless heaters, but our propane stove used to kick out evil odors when we used the oven until we had the appliance guy come out and adjust the gas/air ratio or the amount of propane coming through to the oven burners. After that, we could use the oven without having the windows open and it used a LOT less propane! 

Remember, if you're smelling propane (ah, garlic odorant), you're breathing propane: don't burn a candle to mask it, because either you might blow up or poison yourselves: the odorant is there to alert you that propane is in the air! Maybe get a canary!


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## homestead2 (May 11, 2002)

A few things to check: Some Nonvented stoves are very sensitive. If you use certain products in the house while they are burning - or even if the pilot light is burning, they emit a strong smell - like a kerosene or deisel smell.

Here are a few things that "set ours off". WD40, oil based paints, varnish, boot watersealer. If you even have a piece of furniture that is freshly varnished and still has the strong varnish smell, it will set some nonvented stoves off. 

If you remove the "offending" item/substance and air out the house, the stove will stop sending out the strong "fumes/smell". 

Not all the nonvented stoves react this way. We have friends and relatives whose stoves have never done this and also several whose stoves have done the same thing. Sometimes, it takes us a minute to figure out who/what "set the stove off". Happens at least a couple times during a heating season for us.

Your stove (after the initial few minutes when its surfaces heat up and the dust heats and smells) should not make any unpleasant odor. If it does, either something of a petroleum nature is setting it off or it is malfuncitoning.
homestead2


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## Jollyrogersloot (Jan 26, 2005)

The stinkiness of my stove went away when the outside temperature increased???? The last few days were in the teens and lower and it stunk up the house...not a gas smell, just a very acidic, eye burning smell..........I can't help but think this is related to the outside temperature nad the tank temp..........I know it sounds crazy!! ANybody experienced this or might have an idea of what is happening here????


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## fordy (Sep 13, 2003)

.............I guess I'm alittle Cornfused , but I have a Dearborn stove that is NOT vented . I've had it in my living area now for 11 years and it has never given off any odor . This is the Smaller of my 2 Dearborn stoves . The larger will work off of a Thermostat if I chose to run it that way . I've never had any problem with it as far as I know . fordy..


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## Jollyrogersloot (Jan 26, 2005)

homestead2 said:


> A few things to check: Some Nonvented stoves are very sensitive. If you use certain products in the house while they are burning - or even if the pilot light is burning, they emit a strong smell - like a kerosene or deisel smell.
> 
> Here are a few things that "set ours off". WD40, oil based paints, varnish, boot watersealer. If you even have a piece of furniture that is freshly varnished and still has the strong varnish smell, it will set some nonvented stoves off.
> 
> ...


Thanks Homestead!!! Come to think of it i was using a glue product over the weekend in the room where gas logs are.HMMM!!!! Thanks for the advice!!


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## sisterpine (May 9, 2004)

a ventless heater is just the same as a ventless propane frige and you need to take the same precautions. Firstly, the pilot flame (will tell you this in directions) needs to be entirely blue and when the heater is on the flame also needs to be blue. Since you cannot smell propane(but you can smell the added smelly stuff!) you may be smelling burning by-product of propane which is not good. You could also be smelling a new heater breaking in, which is not bad. So...check for leaks with the soap bubbles trick, look at the pilot and the running flame and if all three of these elements check out ok then go with the candle thing. You can get a co2 detector and hang it nearby if it will make you feel better. We did this with our propane frige (an old Servel that I rebuilt) cause DH was afraid I was trying to kill us LOL. Properly running propane appliances vented or not vented should not be producing co2 period. good luck


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## snoozy (May 10, 2002)

Sisterpine -- You say the pilot light should be blue? We've got a propane Aquastar on-demand water heater, and I have noticed that the pilot light is not burning blue (though it had before.) Do you know what needs to be adjusted? More air, less gas? More gas, less air? Clean the jet?


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