My diesel stove (heater with a cook top basically) gives off a sweet smell. Thoughts on what it is?

[Gueyog8a7]

If you don't what I mean look up wallas xc duo. It is a diesel heater just with cooking ability 99% the same internals with just a cook top above the glow plug as far as I understand. Mine isn't that make. I bought a chinese knock off for about 1/2 the price but same type of deal. Unfortunately the knock off did have some obvious flaws in product quality. As such this does raise questions about the safety of it.

I thought it might be new appliance burn off like ovens. I also asked the resellers and they said yes that is what it is but I think they had no idea and just wanted to shut me up. It has been a couple of weeks now of daily running and this smell has not gone down.

I have a carbon monoxide monitor in the van which works when pressing test and has gone off when driving my van before from exhaust fumes coming in the bottom vent so worked in the real world.

It doesn't go off when the appliance is running and it is sat right near it and I have waved all around it during operation.

Regardless of this after I start it up, soon after the diesel starts pumping, there is a very noticeable sweet smell that is produced and wafts out of it. I am not sure if that is what burning diesel smells like. I have gone outside and taken a few sniffs of the tailpipe and it does seem a somewhat different smell but hard to tell definitively if the inside version is just a lesser.

I don't care if it is a benign thing. The smell is not the problem. What I am concerned by is whether these are some kind of toxic fumes as I run this thing every day now so don't wanna be breathing something which could give me cancer in a couple of years. From what I have read diesel fumes are not something to be played with on any regular basis.

I will note that I have plugged the exhaust and intake holes with fire paste as well as the exhaust pipe which connects to the appliance which is situated withing the vehicle; unlike diesel heaters which usually have the connection outside.

Not sure how I can figure out what it is. If the CO monitor doesn't go off does that indicate it is not toxic fumes from combustion?

 

[ElectricIslander]

If you don't what I mean look up wallas xc duo. It is a diesel heater just with cooking ability 99% the same internals with just a cook top above the glow plug as far as I understand. Mine isn't that make. I bought a chinese knock off for about 1/2 the price but same type of deal. Unfortunately the knock off did have some obvious flaws in product quality. As such this does raise questions about the safety of it.

I thought it might be new appliance burn off like ovens. I also asked the resellers and they said yes that is what it is but I think they had no idea and just wanted to shut me up. It has been a couple of weeks now of daily running and this smell has not gone down.

I have a carbon monoxide monitor in the van which works when pressing test and has gone off when driving my van before from exhaust fumes coming in the bottom vent so worked in the real world.

It doesn't go off when the appliance is running and it is sat right near it and I have waved all around it during operation.

Regardless of this after I start it up, soon after the diesel starts pumping, there is a very noticeable sweet smell that is produced and wafts out of it. I am not sure if that is what burning diesel smells like. I have gone outside and taken a few sniffs of the tailpipe and it does seem a somewhat different smell but hard to tell definitively if the inside version is just a lesser.

I don't care if it is a benign thing. The smell is not the problem. What I am concerned by is whether these are some kind of toxic fumes as I run this thing every day now so don't wanna be breathing something which could give me cancer in a couple of years. From what I have read diesel fumes are not something to be played with on any regular basis.

I will note that I have plugged the exhaust and intake holes with fire paste as well as the exhaust pipe which connects to the appliance which is situated withing the vehicle; unlike diesel heaters which usually have the connection outside.

Not sure how I can figure out what it is. If the CO monitor doesn't go off does that indicate it is not toxic fumes from combustion?

Likely takes a while for paint to degas from the heat and for surface oils left on the unpainted metal bits to burn off, both of which could cause the sweet smell you are noticing.

The fumes from burning diesel are different. They smell more like oil or kerosene burning.

When you say that you plugged the exhaust and intake holes - you mean that you plugged the gaps around the pipes where they passed through the wall, right? If you did that, all the exhaust and combustion air will be outside air and you should have no diesel fumes inside.

 

[Gueyog8a7]

When you say that you plugged the exhaust and intake holes - you mean that you plugged the gaps around the pipes where they passed through the wall, right? If you did that, all the exhaust and combustion air will be outside air and you should have no diesel fumes inside.

Hah yea not that I filled in the actual exhaust pipes! It is just questioning whether the manufacturing process was sound wondering if somehow there were some leaks on the device.

To get a feel for pure diesel smell I have an old school gasoline burner - optimus 8r which I have seen can run off of diesel with a lot of coaxing - so thinking to give that a burn one day. I am interested to try that anyway to keep as a backup. I tested this with petrol before I was cooking inside the van and it sure did kick out some smoke while it was priming.

 

[MisterB1959]

Is the intake pipe (not the combustion side) taking air from outside the van or from inside the van?

 

[Gueyog8a7]

Is the intake pipe (not the combustion side) taking air from outside the van or from inside the van?

inside

 

[Gueyog8a7]

I am starting to think it is actually a diesel smell again. I just tried to start my van but the battery had died again. When I got out the smell of diesel did seem similar to that being emitted inside the van when operating the cooker/heater! Not sure why the CO monitor doesn't go off though? Could it just not be sensitive to it? I certainly don't want to be huffing diesel fumes on any regular basis so would like to find a way to get to the bottom of this to know one way or the other if that smell is indicative of something harmful or not.

 

[mikefitz]

A CO monitor detects incomplete combustion products, carbon monoxide, it will not detect unburnt diesel fumes. So whilst it would respond to fumes leaking from the combustion chamber , it would not respond to diesel leaking onto a hot sutface.

It's not uncommon for faults in these type of hob/ heater to develop faults that generate fumes and in the relatively small space of your van its going to be more of an issue. Note from the Wallas manual,

 

[Gueyog8a7]

A CO monitor detects incomplete combustion products, carbon monoxide, it will not detect unburnt diesel fumes. So whilst it would respond to fumes leaking from the combustion chamber , it would not respond to diesel leaking onto a hot sutface.

It's not uncommon for faults in these type of hob/ heater to develop faults that generate fumes and in the relatively small space of your van its going to be more of an issue. Note from the Wallas manual,
View attachment 186454

Thanks. So odor at the start = ok. Odor after = not ok. I will have to watch that. I think it does calm down after some time of operation. Is a little non combusted diesel bad for you or only combusting?

That is somewhat good to know that even wallas have stated such issues so not necessarily an issue with poor quality of the chinese copy.

I had thought about running on biodiesel/hvo then I can feel better even if some did leak then it is much less harmful.

 

[OM617YOTA]

Hah yea not that I filled in the actual exhaust pipes! It is just questioning whether the manufacturing process was sound wondering if somehow there were some leaks on the device.

To get a feel for pure diesel smell I have an old school gasoline burner - optimus 8r which I have seen can run off of diesel with a lot of coaxing - so thinking to give that a burn one day. I am interested to try that anyway to keep as a backup. I tested this with petrol before I was cooking inside the van and it sure did kick out some smoke while it was priming.

How the heck did you get a self pressurizing 8R to run off diesel? Have the pump and special cap?

 

[Bluedog225]

Also a CO monitor that gives a numeric reading with peak measurement is a good idea.

 

[Gueyog8a7]

How the heck did you get a self pressurizing 8R to run off diesel? Have the pump and special cap?

I haven't done it myself but I have seen videos of similar ones, not 8r specifically, I think it was a modern coleman. They just said you have to prime it a lot I think from what I remember. I am gonna buy some more diesel for the heater soon so will give it a go once I get the jerry can filled.

 

[Gueyog8a7]

Someone on another forum has recommended either PM10/2.5 monitor and/or VOC monitor. Sure they might not pick up everything but if it picks up some of the bad ones it will allow me to gauge progress at blocking leaks to safer levels aside from just the smell test. Would the pm one be enough since VOC seems more expensive.

 

[OM617YOTA]

I haven't done it myself but I have seen videos of similar ones, not 8r specifically, I think it was a modern coleman. They just said you have to prime it a lot I think from what I remember. I am gonna buy some more diesel for the heater soon so will give it a go once I get the jerry can filled.

An 8R and a Coleman are very different stoves.

I'm a stove collector, definitely don't recommend burning anything but the manufacturer recommended fuels in your stoves. You might get the Coleman to run on diesel, yes with tremendous preheating. Keep a spare generator for the Coleman on hand, or be ready to clean it. You won't get the 8R to run on diesel, even if you have the pump, it simply doesn't back feed enough heat to the burner to vaporize fuel that heavy.

 

[Gueyog8a7]

An 8R and a Coleman are very different stoves.

I'm a stove collector, definitely don't recommend burning anything but the manufacturer recommended fuels in your stoves. You might get the Coleman to run on diesel, yes with tremendous preheating. Keep a spare generator for the Coleman on hand, or be ready to clean it. You won't get the 8R to run on diesel, even if you have the pump, it simply doesn't back feed enough heat to the burner to vaporize fuel that heavy.

Not only on colemans. I asked on classic camp stoves, which I am sure you must know of that forum if you are an enthusiast and they said 8r will also run on it with enough priming.

 

[OM617YOTA]

Not only on colemans. I asked on classic camp stoves, which I am sure you must know of that forum if you are an enthusiast and they said 8r will also run on it with enough priming.

Yes, I'm a member of CCS as well. Give it a shot and then get back to us. Good luck.

Be warned there are plenty of well meaning folks with zero knowledge themselves over there too.

Think I found it. I'm even the one who said a Coleman stove will burn diesel very unhappily. I didn't see anyone saying an 8R will burn diesel.

Good luck.

 

[Gueyog8a7]

Disaster! I was on a long drive yesterday, 7+ hours, and when I got back I happened to see a little black shiny thing on the worktop where the stove is situated. I pick it up and it was what I thought...a chip of the ceramic glass!!! I then open up the hood to see the ceramic stove has cracked!!!!

I was driving on some uneven roads due to road works and a few pot holes on various roads in rural wales. It must have smashed it during that time. Regardless if it cannot handle driving on normal UK roads it is not fit for purpose. Time to see if the seller will honour the gaurantee... I am glad I at least bought from the UK rather than direct from china!

I am not sure whether to continue with this thing. Been a load of trouble but the alternatives don't seem so great either. Paying 2x as much £1800 for a genuine wallas but even then there is no saying that wouldn't crack either on bumpy roadws. Or buying propex heater (for the dry heat) £500-900+ then installation of underslung tank £500+ and gas cooker. Yes diesel heaters are cheap but then I would have to buy gas anyway and install it for cooking.

I think it could be tweaked with loads of work. If they give me a replacement I will look into fire resistant foam than I can use as a bed to absorb bumps.

 

[Reed Cole]

You can refill the 1lb propane bottles from a 20lb or 30lb tank, if you can store the tank at your mum's or something. Save you from installing a tank.

I wonder what it would be like using your current stove in the summer, wouldn't it get super hot in your van?

 

[OM617YOTA]

Man that's a big bite of a crap sandwich. Hopefully the seller takes care of you.

Get your money back, use that money to get one of the several electricity free options that are available, which can also be cooked on.

 

[mikefitz]

then open up the hood to see the ceramic stove has cracked!!!!

Others have had similar issues with this model.
Best of luck dealing with Thermotechnica.

Mike

 

[Gueyog8a7]

Others have had similar issues with this model.
Best of luck dealing with Thermotechnica.

Mike

I have noticed they are sold out of the single stove one I have and were running a discount on the dual stove one and now sold out of that one so I wonder if they were trying to get rid of the stock and not restock due to all the problems. Could be coincidence but we will see.

Do you think wallas will be better? I wouldn't want to end up paying 2x the price and the same thing ends up happening. I think any ceramic top would have this risk if driving on rough roads. I also do most of my driving in the country so it is going to always be an issue of driving on bumpy surfaces. I can fit some kind of cusioning though if I do decide to stick with diesel but the benefits are starting to seem less appealing than the more standard options . The one fuel system only was initially a big appeal although I am not too bothered about it any more if you only have to refill gas every now and then. I also originally did it for price saving of diesel but I think it works out about the same when all the other costs are considered so might try propex heater and gas stove.