Ash Buildup on Fire Pot - How Frequently to Remove?

I usually take the Harman tool and swipe the ash 2-4 times a day if I'm home.

Bank said:

I usually take the Harman tool and swipe the ash 2-4 times a day if I'm home.

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agreed, morning, when I get home at 4, before going to bed
I also fondle the pellets at these times, so they do not feel neglected

I'm used to having to clean my old Quadra Fire Santa Fe every single day, so when the sales guy at the Harman dealership told me that you only have to clean the Harman stoves once every 2 or 3 weeks, it was really hard for me to believe. Now that I've owned my Advance for a few weeks, I can definitely attest to the fact that it will indeed keep running without having to clean it every single day.

Still, I clean mine out every couple or three bags. I'm so programmed from having a Quad all those years that I HAD to clean every day, that it just doesn't feel right to go for days without cleaning this Harman stove. I knock the ash out of the burnpot about once a day, and scrape the burnpot free of clinkers and buildup every two days - three at the most. I also vacuum it thoroughly while I'm at it. I clean the glass every day or two.

In all the years I've burned a pellet stove (since 2004), I can say that some pellets definitely leave less ash and clinkers than others, but you'll just have to test the brands that are available to you locally to find what works best for you. Around here, Hamer's Hot Ones seem to do well, and Greene Team burn pretty good - although they leave more ash and residue this year than in past years. Actually my favorite pellets are ones that I can't even get locally: I prefer softwood pellets, they leave more ash, but it's a light and fluffy ash that is very easy to clean. My Walmart got in a load of Blazers softwood pellets a couple years ago and I bought 20 or 30 bags, and I'd love to be able to find a source of softwood pellets here in the mid-Atlantic. The only thing I can find are hardwood.

My stove has a black knob lower left side that I pull to clean pot.

slls said:

My stove has a black knob lower left side that I pull to clean pot.

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Me too,the Cab50. But I looked in my pot and there was buildup on the walls. I use a screwdriver every few days. Too much buildup and it's a bear to get off.

My stove doesn't need daily scraping. Just a once a week cleaning whether it needs it or not ands its mostly not. 3 bag hopper so I fill it every other day. Don't miss the pot scrapping much! More fun chasing the wifey around instead! :cheese:

MarkF48 said:

I installed the stove (Harman XXV) a couple of months ago and have been running it pretty much daily. Naturally ash will build up at the front of the fire pot and as it builds it appears to restrict the width of flames base. This apparent restriction doesn't seem to affect the heat output, but I've been wondering if there may be any loss of efficiency by not routinely pulling the ash build up off to ensure the holes have free air flow. Usually every 2-3 days or when the flame is idle between calling for heat I do clean the fire pot front, but wondering if I should do it more frequently to keep it clear, such as the morning and evening.

Also I've noticed reference to "scraping" the fire pot in a few threads which infers a build up of a hard crusted residue. Simply pulling the ash off of mine reveals the bare metal and no holes appear clogged or otherwise. Does the grade of the pellets tend to leave this cleaner? I've been using Geneva's from the onset of firing the stove.

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Ahh, the ash mustache... Depends on the pellet. No need with Somersets. With ProPellet, I would give it a shave twice a day. Don't really have to, but it made me feel better. Chisel out the pot 1 time per week is MANDATORY, IMO. The Harman tool is wimpy and not cut out for removing the coal like carbon deposits that form at the base of the pot, close to the auger. Some call it the speed bump. Best thing you can do is go to Sears and buy a 14" (or so) mechanics pry bar. Try not to hit the auger, but you'll need to be pretty aggressive to get all the carbon out. Will build up along the sides of the pot as well.

If you haven't done this, you might have .25" of carbon build up on the bottom of your pot, so get it clean.

I am using Genevas,and they produce more ash than other pellets I have used,but the flame seems to push them over the edge pretty well.Every once in a while I will open the door and pull the ashes off the burn pot.It does fill the ash pan quicker.I do a shut down and cleaning every week.

I've always used a wood chisel with a nice medium blade to scrape the burnpot. The one I use is a Craftsman, but any will do. It's nice and heavy, sharp, and the perfect width. I've been using it for years and it's just as effective now as it was when it was new.

When I bought my old Quadra Fire years ago, they gave a pathetic little "scraper" with the stove - a very thin piece of metal with a wood handle. That's what gave me the idea of using a wood chisel. Same principle, except that the chisel actually works and easily scrapes away clinkers and carbon deposits.

Bank said:

I usually take the Harman tool and swipe the ash 2-4 times a day if I'm home.

Click to expand...

Do you turn the stove off to clean it or open the door when the flame is on to scrape it ?

My burn pot is a round cast iron pot full of holes. The need to clean it out is dependent on what pellets I am burning. MWP, no build up by day three, Energex, at least every other day. I usually do a good cleaning on day three, but never longer than 4-5 days. Nearly never a need to scrape. I do scrape the pot about once a year just to make sure the holes are still the same size. Most all my cleaning is done with a paint brush and the vac. Even the glass. Once in a while have to wash the glass with a damp cloth.

I heard a build up of ash on the pot creates more heat. Watched a video on youtube about it. Guy states it creates a charcoal effect and burns hotter.

I recently started scraping the "speed bump" almost every day. I use the harman tool but have been thinking about getting something better. After reading the threads I guess a trip to Sears (or somewhere similar) is in order. I just hope I come home with just a chisel/bar. I think the odds are against that!

glenc0322 said:

Bank said:

I usually take the Harman tool and swipe the ash 2-4 times a day if I'm home.

Click to expand...

Do you turn the stove off to clean it or open the door when the flame is on to scrape it ?

Click to expand...

I have the same questions for all of you that say you clean the burn pot daily. Do you shut it down everyday, clean it quickly and turn it back on? I have tried opening the door to my stove while it's running and although it opens it seems like it would be tough to scrape the burn pot and keep the stove on.

Md2002 said:

glenc0322 said:

Bank said:

I usually take the Harman tool and swipe the ash 2-4 times a day if I'm home.

Click to expand...

Do you turn the stove off to clean it or open the door when the flame is on to scrape it ?

Click to expand...

I have the same questions for all of you that say you clean the burn pot daily. Do you shut it down everyday, clean it quickly and turn it back on? I have tried opening the door to my stove while it's running and although it opens it seems like it would be tough to scrape the burn pot and keep the stove on.

Click to expand...

My stove does not run during the day when no one is home. 'Stat is set to 50 when we leave the house. House is insulated well and we get a lot of direct sunlight into the house all day long. When i come home house is normally 60 (this winter it has never been below 60). That is when I scrape and clean. But I have found that it is easier to scrape the pot while it is warm. I never shut mine down to clean.

I live in The Great State of Tennessee so my winters are 30ish.

saladdin said:

Md2002 said:

glenc0322 said:

Bank said:

I usually take the Harman tool and swipe the ash 2-4 times a day if I'm home.

Click to expand...

Do you turn the stove off to clean it or open the door when the flame is on to scrape it ?

Click to expand...

I have the same questions for all of you that say you clean the burn pot daily. Do you shut it down everyday, clean it quickly and turn it back on? I have tried opening the door to my stove while it's running and although it opens it seems like it would be tough to scrape the burn pot and keep the stove on.

Click to expand...

My stove does not run during the day when no one is home. 'Stat is set to 50 when we leave the house. House is insulated well and we get a lot of direct sunlight into the house all day long. When i come home house is normally 60 (this winter it has never been below 60). That is when I scrape and clean. But I have found that it is easier to scrape the pot while it is warm. I never shut mine down to clean.

I live in The Great State of Tennessee so my winters are 30ish.

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No kiddin. Good for you..... I wish I could do that.

I live in the crappy state of Mass. where the winters are -10 to high 50's, depending on the day of the week.

Pelletfisky said:

I heard a build up of ash on the pot creates more heat. Watched a video on youtube about it. Guy states it creates a charcoal effect and burns hotter.

Click to expand...

It can also ruin burn pots.

It depends upon the grade of steel the pot is made of and how long you allow it to burn in that manner.

This is part of what is destroying a lot of Harman Furnace and Boiler burn pots from what I'm reading on here and I can attest to being in that mode of operation due to ash and various burn pot air bypasses early on, it did a number on my burn pot.

glenc0322 said:

Bank said:

I usually take the Harman tool and swipe the ash 2-4 times a day if I'm home.

Click to expand...

Do you turn the stove off to clean it or open the door when the flame is on to scrape it ?

Click to expand...

Nope, just open the door swipe the front crud off and then scrape under the hot pellets for built up crap.

I use an old large bladed screwdriver with a shortish handle and a hammer to clean off the hardened carbon from the burn pot whenever I do a vacuuming. I can focus the tip of the screwdriver on the edge of the carbon and a few taps break the carbon off in large chunks. I just stay away from the auger area when using any focused force. With the great batch of Green lignetic all hardwood pellets I picked up this season the amount of ash and carbon is super low even after burning 20 bags. The glass gets no more than a light coating of white ash which I can just wipe off. Point being that pellets make a BIG difference.

ironpony said:

Bank said:

I usually take the Harman tool and swipe the ash 2-4 times a day if I'm home.

Click to expand...

agreed, morning, when I get home at 4, before going to bed
I also fondle the pellets at these times, so they do not feel neglected

Click to expand...

Haha. I do the same.

SmokeyTheBear said:

Pelletfisky said:

I heard a build up of ash on the pot creates more heat. Watched a video on youtube about it. Guy states it creates a charcoal effect and burns hotter.

Click to expand...

It can also ruin burn pots.

It depends upon the grade of steel the pot is made of and how long you allow it to burn in that manner.

This is part of what is destroying a lot of Harman Furnace and Boiler burn pots from what I'm reading on here and I can attest to being in that mode of operation due to ash and various burn pot air bypasses early on, it did a number on my burn pot.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the input it makes sense. I like to scrape a few times a day just because a clean burning pot looks better.

After reading all these posts I should have done more research on ash pan sizes. The pellets I'm using haven't made a ton of ash but the ash pan is so small that after 2 days of burning it needs to be cleaned. The ashes start to build up around the burn pot. They kind of make a volcano shape around the pot so I need to shut it down and clean it.

Live and learn I guess.

Nice to hear I'm not alone on the frequency of clean ups. I had been on a 3 day cycle as of late, but the other day had to shut down and clean after 48 hours. As a result I took the burn pot liner to the basement and scraped it all off, including a file to the holes and flat surfaces. Then a soaking in hot soapy water really got the rest lose for a scrubbing with a brillo pad. It looks almost as good as new. I did notice some pitting on some of the surfaces of the liner. I am burning Infernos, lots of clinkers in my pot!