Mt Vernon AE and soot

I have been burning presto logs and ligs. It has been cold here in Maine so I have been really going through some pellets - I have been running on med-hi with a flame adjustment of +3 on the hardwood setting. They seemed to be burning well and producing some really good heat. I did my deep cleaning yesterday and noticed black soot on and behind the baffle plate - I have never seen this before and I have had the stove for 3 seasons. Everything I have read here would indicate incomplete combustion - too much fuel not enough air.
My first question is this. Which setting yields the most air for combustion? I thought it was hardwood.
My next question...if I am already running on the setting that yields the most air for combustion, can I switch to high elevation to get more air flow? I know that if I do, then any updates to the fuel tables, ignition cycle, etc will be lost. I have not any updates done WHILE I HAVE HAD THE STOVE. Is it possble that the dealer performed updates on this stove before he sold it to me. I have had ZERO issues with the stove and ignitor and would like to keep it that way. Although I really want to try "high elevation" mode, I am hesitant to take the chance of loosing my software version.
Any technicians/avid MVAE owners have any input?

Hoot23 said:

Hey, where are you getting the PTL's and the Ligs in Maine?

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Home Depot in South Portland had them. I got them this week so they may still have them. Home Depot in Westbrook/Portland on Riverside st usually carries the same selection as HD in South Portland, but I haven't checked lately. Windham HD seems to have a different supply chain.

When did you check last? I was in HD in SoPo 2 weeks ago and all they had was MWP and AWF. I did some checking on AWF on this web page and decided to try some. I went in last week to grab a few bags and saw MWP, AWF, Ligs and Presto Logs

Hoot23 said:

It's been a few weeks. My wife is heading that way today, I'll have her stop in and check it out.

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Good luck

Madcodger said:

I've had an MVAE for four years, and after trying a wide variety of settings I'm back to just running on automatic, hardwood, with the flame height at 0. Seems to work well. Flame height is really feed rate as I understand it, so I wonder if backing off just a tad would help. Going to high elevation does increase air flow, but I found it wasn't all that helpful, frankly.

I do still get some black soot but personally find that this varies greatly depending on the pellet being burned (with softies giving me the most soot). Also, I did have a dealer update to the tables in the fall and that was the single worst thing ever done to my stove. In fact, that's how & why I tried the change in elevation - to get rid of that horrible "update", which wouldn't burn my remaining softies well at all.

After trying a wide variety of settings and pellets, I find that I am going to get some soot with most pellets but that if I do a good job with my monthly cleaning oft the exhaust channels below the baffle, all is well. And if you don't get a small hose in there and clean those exhaust channels (many MVAE owners don't as I understand it), nothing is well! Just my two cents...

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I had my hose out yesterday

Hoot23 said:

They have Premium Wood Pellets(MWP) and Nations Choice, same makers of Inferno.

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yuck