Second year with this unit, this year, we replaced the combustion fan, door and window gaskets, and replaced old warped upper baffle with new model with the fire brick. Had it serviced twice in two weeks, do to poor heat output and not burning pellets completely. Lots of thick grey/black smoke from the chimney. Tech told me draft was fine and everything checked out. Could it possibly be the pellets? I am burning CleanFire Hardwood - first 4 tons burnt clean.
PF 100 - Not burning pellets
- Thread starter Jslear
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
- Status
iceguy4
Minister of Fire
Call the company that serviced it. I'm thinking they didn't fix it. Unless the pellets are all swelled up from moisture my guess is your barking up the wrong tree if your thinking its the pellets.
iceguy4
Minister of Fire
Ok thanks, getting alot of black charing on the interior walls as well. Any thoughts or just lack of air? This thing is driving me crazy. Has been giving me problems for the past month.
Mt Bob
Minister of Fire
iceguy4
Minister of Fire
Air under the pellets...either your leaking air elsewhere... exhaust motor bad or getting improper voltage...plugged chimney. The black is soot and it will cover everything so I'm not surprised it on the walls . I assume its not overfeeding. Black smoke = too much fuel ,,,
It is over feeding, I have it set at the factor setting 3, and the ash pan is full of partially burnt pellets. I've shut it down for now and had to switch to oil until i get this figured. I appreciate your comments and time.
Kosmik
Member
If they get wet, they'll burn sooty, they may not even 'look' wet.
I had some get left outside, had some disintegration and burned sooty, but took some of the wet bags and left inside for a few weeks to dry out, burned fine. I always had softwood pellets, what we got out here.
Othertimes, it was a clogged heat exchanger causing draft problems.
Did he fire the appliance to check his work, or just trust his gauges...I'd at be leaving a 'I want my money back' call if not.
Lack of oxygen or excess of moisture (water), will lead to burn problems.
To check if it's the pellets, buy of one bag of every different type you can find locally and try them out one bag at a time...Try a bag of softwood to see the difference. One thing I learned about pellet stoves is they are like a lady...When they're working for you life is great, when they start being testy, well...Nothing you can say or do will fix it, and it's usually the same thing over and over.
If it's burned sooty a few bags, you'll probably have a good bit of stuff blocking your airflow through the heat exchanger, tight clearances make for happy place for soot/ash. And mine had two, didn't clear up till I found the second one and cleaned it.
But my guess is you have a blockage somewhere...
And since pellet stoves are fan operated, I'm not sure how big a difference his 'checking the draft' makes. I have a 1/2 gap between my stovepipe and flue collar, and it still ran fine, maybe too much draft to maintain proper flame...but it's fan operated, so kinda takes a lot of draft issues out the way.
Either pellets or constriction. If flame is dancing moderate/fast, I'd focus on pellets. If flame barely moving I'd say blockage.
They are designed to run with very efficient burn, even so weekly cleaning of box, bi-monthly of heat exchangers isn't over doing it. Sometimes weekly on the exchanger in dead winter, with a clean burn. They are not designed to ever burn dirty, save the minute at startup, so depending on how many bags have burned dirty since the last time you stripped it and cleaned it. EDIT: Just re-read your post, so you must know all the little maintanence stuff after 4-tons.
When I stored some pellets outside with a tarp, they were in the bag stacked on a pallet, but the tarp wasn't elevated like a tent, so the condensate was running down and finding any little hole in bags. Others that got laid on concrete and snowed on without cover fared worse though.
But I was running a Quadrafire P1000--P.O.S.!
I had some get left outside, had some disintegration and burned sooty, but took some of the wet bags and left inside for a few weeks to dry out, burned fine. I always had softwood pellets, what we got out here.
Othertimes, it was a clogged heat exchanger causing draft problems.
Did he fire the appliance to check his work, or just trust his gauges...I'd at be leaving a 'I want my money back' call if not.
Lack of oxygen or excess of moisture (water), will lead to burn problems.
To check if it's the pellets, buy of one bag of every different type you can find locally and try them out one bag at a time...Try a bag of softwood to see the difference. One thing I learned about pellet stoves is they are like a lady...When they're working for you life is great, when they start being testy, well...Nothing you can say or do will fix it, and it's usually the same thing over and over.
If it's burned sooty a few bags, you'll probably have a good bit of stuff blocking your airflow through the heat exchanger, tight clearances make for happy place for soot/ash. And mine had two, didn't clear up till I found the second one and cleaned it.
But my guess is you have a blockage somewhere...
And since pellet stoves are fan operated, I'm not sure how big a difference his 'checking the draft' makes. I have a 1/2 gap between my stovepipe and flue collar, and it still ran fine, maybe too much draft to maintain proper flame...but it's fan operated, so kinda takes a lot of draft issues out the way.
Either pellets or constriction. If flame is dancing moderate/fast, I'd focus on pellets. If flame barely moving I'd say blockage.
They are designed to run with very efficient burn, even so weekly cleaning of box, bi-monthly of heat exchangers isn't over doing it. Sometimes weekly on the exchanger in dead winter, with a clean burn. They are not designed to ever burn dirty, save the minute at startup, so depending on how many bags have burned dirty since the last time you stripped it and cleaned it. EDIT: Just re-read your post, so you must know all the little maintanence stuff after 4-tons.
When I stored some pellets outside with a tarp, they were in the bag stacked on a pallet, but the tarp wasn't elevated like a tent, so the condensate was running down and finding any little hole in bags. Others that got laid on concrete and snowed on without cover fared worse though.
But I was running a Quadrafire P1000--P.O.S.!
Kosmik
Member
Sorry, just saw last post.
Overfeeding at startup so it doesn't light? Try softwood pellets, light quicker. I never tried hardwood, but my stove would fail to ignite sometimes, which meant I hit reset, which added even more pellets to the pot...Sometimes I'd have a pot full of pellets, and that never was the cause of sooty smoke, just the cause of one raging inferno.
Sometimes I'd have to take a spoon or knife and scrape the firepot to get all the char out of openings and away from the heating element.
In regards to overfeeding, if you can adjust up the airflow, then you can bring balance back to the combustion mix, albeit you may lose more heat up the chimney...While you figure things out.
Overfeeding at startup so it doesn't light? Try softwood pellets, light quicker. I never tried hardwood, but my stove would fail to ignite sometimes, which meant I hit reset, which added even more pellets to the pot...Sometimes I'd have a pot full of pellets, and that never was the cause of sooty smoke, just the cause of one raging inferno.
Sometimes I'd have to take a spoon or knife and scrape the firepot to get all the char out of openings and away from the heating element.
In regards to overfeeding, if you can adjust up the airflow, then you can bring balance back to the combustion mix, albeit you may lose more heat up the chimney...While you figure things out.
Ejectr
Minister of Fire
exoilburner
Feeling the Heat
Your FEED RATE knob may be set too high.
Have you cleaned the furnace & the vent pipe? And cleaned out behind the burn pot access plate?
Does the furnace status light ever blink?
Check the backdraft damper in the air inlet to the furnace to see if it is swinging freely.
Check the holes in the burn pot for plugged holes and clean them out. (need an inspection mirror and flashlight for this)
Which "setting 3" are you talking about?
Does it have a lazy flame?
When you replaced the combustion fan did you check to see if the sealing overlap is flush and making a good seal on the cabinet. The shoulder of the sealing plate can get cocked pretty easily.
Find a repair shop that has a Harman test box that can be plugged into your unit to check it's settings and operation.
Have you cleaned the furnace & the vent pipe? And cleaned out behind the burn pot access plate?
Does the furnace status light ever blink?
Check the backdraft damper in the air inlet to the furnace to see if it is swinging freely.
Check the holes in the burn pot for plugged holes and clean them out. (need an inspection mirror and flashlight for this)
Which "setting 3" are you talking about?
Does it have a lazy flame?
When you replaced the combustion fan did you check to see if the sealing overlap is flush and making a good seal on the cabinet. The shoulder of the sealing plate can get cocked pretty easily.
Find a repair shop that has a Harman test box that can be plugged into your unit to check it's settings and operation.
I second exoilburner's comment:-
I never realised the burn pot had an air chamber within it till last week, when I finally read the manual. I opened up the hatch after loosening the thumb screws and cleaned it out. Burns like a charm once more, with air able to come through the holes in the burn pot and get under the burning pellets.
I never realised the burn pot had an air chamber within it till last week, when I finally read the manual. I opened up the hatch after loosening the thumb screws and cleaned it out. Burns like a charm once more, with air able to come through the holes in the burn pot and get under the burning pellets.
Kosmik
Member
All my problems with the Quad were (in order of frequency):
1) Moist pellets. (More expensive doesn't always equal better). :Smoke/soot buildup.
2) Clogged/obstructed Heat exchanger. :Smoke/soot, failure to light.
3) Obstruction in the firepot at the heating element. :Failure to light. (My holes never plugged, but the unit would shut off before the embers were fully ash in the bottom of the pot [issue with big gap at flue collar causing excess draft without proper air intake, I think, but went to wood stove for various reasons].
Oh, since it was in a rental house and last built in '97...Motors went out and other accumulated problems that wouldn't have been with a little maintenance in it's life. But I did make some magic happen with superglue.
1) Moist pellets. (More expensive doesn't always equal better). :Smoke/soot buildup.
2) Clogged/obstructed Heat exchanger. :Smoke/soot, failure to light.
3) Obstruction in the firepot at the heating element. :Failure to light. (My holes never plugged, but the unit would shut off before the embers were fully ash in the bottom of the pot [issue with big gap at flue collar causing excess draft without proper air intake, I think, but went to wood stove for various reasons].
Oh, since it was in a rental house and last built in '97...Motors went out and other accumulated problems that wouldn't have been with a little maintenance in it's life. But I did make some magic happen with superglue.
Last edited:
- Status
Similar threads
