Help I'm smoking out the neighborhood!

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Mohawk97203

New Member
Jan 14, 2016
2
Portland, Oregon
we have a Whitfield pellet stove 20 FS-2. Lately when we turn it on, it will not only be a little slow to start, it will emit a heavy white smoke outside... Often we don't notice, being inside, however I can start to tell because it will struggle to light and when it does, it pushes out a puff of smoke into the room then burns quite hot. We've had the fire sept called by neighbors who thought there was a fire. Our thought was that we need to clean out the exhaust, but, we can't seem to disconnect the elbow outside the house, it has screws but won't come off. So
1. Is all the smoke a result of built up spot in the pipes/exhaust?
2. Are the exterior exhaust pipes supposed to come apart for cleaning? If so, do we strong arm it? Hubby is threatening to cut it!
Thanks!!!
 
Removing the screws is one part, they are also sealed with RTV. I have heard a oil filter wrench is helpful;) Exhaust venting should be cleaned after every ton burned. Sometimes folks will get critter surprises in their venting if there are no screens in the end cap.

Sounds like you need to spend a lot of time cleaning your pellet beast. Has the exhaust blower been cleaned lately including vacuuming or using compressed air on the motor windings? Internal exhaust pathways in the stove itself (I use a dryer vent brush and attach length of hose to vacuum attachment? Cleaned the room fan blades and vacuumed or used compressed air?
 
Don't fire it back up until the stove and the exhaust has been thoroughly cleaned.
 
After you clean it, try one bag of your current pellets, then a couple bags of some new, fresh pellets from the store somewhere and see if they make a difference. It sounds like you may have a couple bags (if you are using bagged pellets) of a higher moisture pellet. They will lay in the burn pot smoldering for some time before they ignite, then once the flame hits the smoke in a negative atmosphere, it ignites the smoke too, making a soft boom and blowing the smoke out of any spot that it can, including an old door gasket.
IMO.
 
How is the vent setup? If i understood correctly you have an "elbow" outside? Might want to consider replacing that with a cleanout T. Rather than having to seperate the venting all of the time.
 
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This happens to me every once in a while on stove start up. When the first attempt to start the stove fails to light the predetermined amount of pellets. While attempting to start a second time it drops an additional round of pellets. Almost filling the pot to the top. Then it really struggles to light. And will let the pellets around the igniter smolder for a while till enough air flow hits the spot and it will roar to life.

Normally if it will not start the first time I will scoop out the majority of the pellets so this doesn't happen.

I would verify that you stove is not over feeding on startup or that you igniter is working properly.
 
We've used a shop vac from outside (the stove is right on the other side of the wall and on the same level) to clean out the exhaust pipe. We are still smoking out the neighborhood. I don't know what to do? Girl over the $200 just to get someone to look at it??
 
seems like they are lighting too slow. they smoke before they ignite. I have an auto ignite stove - it does the same thing. Most of the time, I dont want to wait for the auto igniter to do its thing so i'll put a handful of pellets in there and light them off with some pellet starter gel. or alcohol, hand sanitizer or even my mapp gas torch. whatever i have around. When i do this, there is no smoke on startup.

Funny how "useful" neighbors can be. I havent had the fire dept out yet for my stove but i did have a neighbor bang on my door. It was a humid day when i exercised my diesel genset and it made a lingering smoke cloud. They thought there was a fire.
 
Pellet stoves will smoke just a little at initial start up but that should not smoke out the neighbors. What kind of shape are your door gaskets in?

Do a thorough cleaning of the stove and vent. The vent should come apart but if they were siliconed together at the joints that might not happen easily at all. Do the dollar bill test on your rope gaskets.

Reason I am saying this is I forgot to latch my firebox door after a clean and I started the stove and it was smoking quite a bit. Latching the door sealed it and fixed the issue but my gaskets are going to get replaced because they are smashed and weak. For now I am fluffing them up because I'm running 24/7 and it has been cold here.
 
I had almost the same exact situation. Hard starting, box rolling smoke, then a pop as it lit. I checked my seals, checked the piping, all good. I'm thinking my ignitor is getting weak. The stove is 11-12 years old, and im on my second ignitor, so it's due. I hand feed a scoop of pellets into the burnpot before I set the dial to light. That seems to get a handful hot from a longer contact with the hot spot.
 
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