How often should you clean out your pellet stove?
How often should you clean out your pellet stove?
Compared to a wood burning stove, a PELLET STOVE is easier to clean. It produces little ash so cleaning it shouldn't be very messy. Depending on how often it is used, it needs to be cleaned every three days or at least once every two weeks. Proper cleaning and maintenance is necessary to keep it from malfunctioning.
Why does the glass on my pellet stove get dirty so fast?
Airflow. Poor airflow can cause even the best pellets to create a lot of smoke and soot. Many pellet stoves are designed so that the direction of airflow minimizes the amount of grime on the glass, but when vents near the doors become dirty the mechanism stops working, so the vents must be cleaned regularly.
How many years does a pellet stove last?
While a pellet stove may cost a bit more than a wood stove, the total cost remains about the same, given that the chimney is actually cheaper. On the other hand, pellet stoves have a shorter life span than wood stoves: 15 to 20 years, versus 20 to 25 years for the latter.
Can you use Windex on pellet stove glass?
To do this all you will need are two or three paper towels and some generic Pellet Stove Glass Cleaner. This can even be Windex. If this is sounding overly simple already just wait.
What is the best setting for a pellet stove?
Proper placement, correct installation, fuel quality and scheduled maintenance will result in pellet stove operating at peak performance and efficiency. It is best to run the appliance on the lower heat settings like 2 or 3 rather than up at 4 or 5.
What should the flame look like in a pellet stove?
This kind of flame needs more air for the pellet stove to be efficient. A bright white or blue flame is too hot and is burning too intensely for a pellet stove. This flame is receiving too much air and needs to be reduced. The proper flame is yellow, steady and solid, without flickering or wavering to either side.
Can I leave my pellet stove unattended?
The biggest advantage of pellet stoves is their safety as they pose virtually no fire hazard. It's safe enough to leave a pellet stove burning while you're out and it will continue to burn unattended as long as there are pellets to burn.
Why does the glass on my pellet stove get black?
Black on Your Pellet Stove Glass? If you're experiencing blackened glass, it can most likely be fixed with one tweak. Your problem could be caused by a lack of air flow. Burning on too low of a setting can make your air-to-pellet ratio out of balance, which results in the build-up of creosote.
Do you need fresh air intake for pellet stove?
An Outside Air Kit feeds uninterrupted combustion air into your appliance from outside your home, helping to maintain proper air/fuel balance and ensure even burning. Though these kits are not required in every installation, they may be required for your home.
Do pellet stoves build up creosote?
Pellet stoves burn fuel at a higher combustion rate than wood-burning stoves or fireplaces. In turn, most of the creosote burns before it can build up in the stove or vent. You can get the remaining creosote residue out of a pellet stove with the help of a creosote remover and a vent brush.
Why do pellet stoves smoke?
Improper venting caused by a closed or blocked flue, soot in the pipes or even an obstruction near the top, like a bird or squirrel nest, will cause smoke to back up into the fire box.
Why is my pellet stove not burning pellets all the way?
Besides a faulty burn spot or a leaking gasket, another thing that could cause pellet stove not burning pellets completely is a blocked air inlet cap. If the air inlet cap becomes blocked or develops a fault, then it would be very difficult for the pellets to burn completely.
Why does my pellet stove have so much ash?
Too much ash indicates poor efficiency, and it may be due to the feed rate. The feed rate determines how often pellets are moved from the hopper into the main chamber to fuel the flame. Too much ash may indicate that the pellet stove's feed rate is too high.
Should a pellet stove smell?
A new pellet stove may have a "burn off" smell that goes away once it is broken in. A stove will usually give off a smoke smell the first time it is fired up for the burn season, but that smokey smell is normal.
Why does my pellet stove backfire?
A lack of maintenance is often the root cause of pellet stove fires. Fly ash can accumulate in the ash traps and the flue, resulting in blockage. If these blockages occur, they can result in pellet stove malfunctions that can cause a fire inside the body of the stove.
How long will 40 lbs of pellets burn?
A: According to the Pellet Fuels Institute, a 40-lb bag of pellet fuel can provide up to 24 hours of solid heat. A winter's supply of wood pellets is about 100-150 bags—depending on climatic and lifestyle variations.
Why does my pellet stove keep shutting down?
You may have noticed the common causes for most pellet stove problems by now – a dirty unit, and poor air adjustment which won't provide enough heat to trip the sensors. Also, your pellets might not being feeding into the auger correctly, due to a worn down or broken part.
What causes clinkers in pellet stoves?
When wood is pelletized for use in pellet-burning stoves, those impurities can result in "clinkers." A clinker is a particle that isn't burned during the normal combustion process. Clinkers can also form when minerals in the ash fuse together or when dirt is introduced into the combustion chamber.
How do I stop my stove glass from going black?
The other common thing which causes the glass to go black is incorrect use of the top air flow controls. To correctly use Airwash you half-open the top vents once the fire is mature. This circulates the smoke in the correct manner, deflecting from the glass.
What does the combustion blower do on a pellet stove?
The pellet stove exhaust blower pulls air into the burn pot for combustion. It then pulls the heated air across the heat exchanger and pushes the air and smoke up and out the flue venting. A blower in top condition produces optimum combustion, completely burning your pellets and providing cozy heat.
What does a convection blower do on a pellet stove?
Convection is the transmission of heat that occurs from this forced combination of cool and hot air currents. So, the convection blower pulls cool air in from the room, passing over the fire in the burn pot and making the flame hotter, which enables the pellets to burn evenly and efficiently.