Help! My pellet stove is exhausting black soot onto the side of my house...

I recently installed a pellet stove in my walkout basement. My problem is that I am accumulating black soot on the exterior vent, wall plate (thimble) and the siding. The first several days I burned in it I did not accumulate anything on the exterior. Now, less than a week later I have significant soot on the exterior piping and siding.

The stove was purchased at Lowes and is a England Stove Works Pellet stove designed for 1500 sqft. Model #55-SHP1OL. It exhausts in the rear and has about a 5 foot rise prior to penetrating the exterior wall at approx. a 2 ft. horizontal. I also have a 2" fresh air hook-up that runs about a 3 1/2 foot horizontal. I have switched pellets a couple of times ensuring the use of premium grade pellets. My electric control panel has heat range and blower speed both range from 1-9 and I operate them at the same rate (usually 4 or 5). Also there are buttons (set at factory) for "low fuel feed", "low burn air", and "air on temp".

I'm not sure what to do, I will clean out the burn pot tonight and am considering increasing the blower speed to be set at 1 rate higher than the heat range to increase draft.


1. What can I do to stop the accumulation of soot on the exterior of my home?
2. Do hardwood pellets burn better than pine (they seem to at least burn slower)?
3. What are the buttons at the bottom of the control panel for?
a) "low fuel feed"
b) "low burn air"
c) "air on temp"

Thanks in advance for your help...

I thought that one possible cause of the soot maybe because the exterior vent only extends about 1 foot from the heat shield against the house. Although the first several days I ran it, that didn't seem to be the problem. I've also been keeping a close eye on it and that soot situation has not been re-created. I have been careful to clean out the burn pot more frequently.

Do you have to power all the way off to clean the burn pot... I do it when the melted mass starts piling up. I don't have a fresh air adjustment... just a electronic blower adjustment. Is there any way to fine tune the air flow for a cleaner burn when all you have is feed control and blower control?

Thanks for the welcome and the info about the buttons!

Well... that's easy! I'll extend the vent pipe out another foot from the wall. I have just over a 5 foot vertical rise and will soon have a 3 foot horizontal...

I only get smoke on start up and shut down (incomplete combustion), however is all of the melted bricks in the burn pot normal for pellet stoves?