4 Tons, 2 Stoves...Did the leaf blower cleaning this weekend! Wow!

Pardon my ignorance, but I am a newbie to Pellet Stoves. I just purchased a used St. Croix Pepin Model and I want to "blow it out" clean before I try it out. Please describe the Leaf Blower method of cleaning,step by step.

Thanks, Don

So for outside pipe installations do you need to remove the clean out tee to do this?

Here you go Don

https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/29847/

the dude

and this is a fun video of a cleaning too

http://s32.photobucket.com/albums/d48/ResOps/?action=view&current=DSCF0138.flv

hope this helps
the dude

Thanks, Richard.

Don

waikikidc said:

and this is a fun video of a cleaning too

http://s32.photobucket.com/albums/d48/ResOps/?action=view&current=DSCF0138.flv

hope this helps
the dude

Click to expand...

Me thinks me see a big woofy German Shepherd trying to get in on the act.

Perhaps the moderators should consider making the leaf blower instruction thread into a sticky. It always seems to generate interest,

waikikidc said:

and this is a fun video of a cleaning too

http://s32.photobucket.com/albums/d48/ResOps/?action=view&current=DSCF0138.flv

hope this helps
the dude

Click to expand...

Dude,

I wish I had video taped my cleaning. The grey and black smoke was 50x worse and I don't have snow as a background!

I bought a craftsman leaf blower yesterday. Hoping to try it today. I was thinking though, won't this only clean the exhaust chanel in the stove? It won't clean the fans right? What in the exhaust chanel effects the burn (except the air).

chrisasst said:

I bought a craftsman leaf blower yesterday.
Hoping to try it today. I was thinking though, won't this only clean the exhaust chanel
in the stove? It won't clean the fans right?

Click to expand...

I would recommend using the leaf blower in addition to your regular cleaning,
but still strongly recommend removing the fans annually and give them a thorough cleaning.

zeta said:

I would recommend using the leaf blower in addition to your regular cleaning,
but still strongly recommend removing the fans annually and give them a thorough cleaning.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I really need to take my fans off, but I am afraid I will mess something up and my stove won't work. Since this is my only heat source. Maybe this summer. I usually just stick my shop vac in there from the back and get what I can.

OK gang, I did the leaf blower thing today. What a riot! I would count myself in as a proponent for a Harman P61A, with a bit of a twist. The Harman combustion and exhaust design is very simple with few inaccessible areas. However, using the blower (a new Toro Ultra), I was able to use compressed air to blast away deposits and ash buildup that would have been a beast to clean with a shop vac. One work of caution, though, is to make sure you remove the guard plate that sits over the combustion blower blades, otherwise they will spin at a frightening rate. The compressed air really did the trick, and the stove seems to be happier. Again, I'd give the leaf blower trick a thumbs-up.

Ok, I as well did the leaf blower / vac today. I got very, very little out. The pipe was dirty which is not clean but as far as I can see that is about it. I started my stove back up, no real change in heat output. However now the flame does not really change if the damper is pushed all the way in (used to be lazy orange) or if the damper is pulled out. What does this mean?

Here is a pic of my setup....and yes that is soot all over my house (on left) that I got last year and I can't seem to remove it.

chrisasst,

Try taking the blower pipe off the leaf blower; it may be restricting the air flow. Make sure you are getting a good seal between the leaf blower suction pipe and the stove vent pipe.

Did you open a door on the stove or provide an air flow path at the stove end of your vent pipe? Sounds like you are not getting enough air flow to pick up the flyash and get it sucked out the vent pipe. Does your vent pipe look cleaner after using a vent pipe brush on it? How many amps is your leafblower?

exoilburner said:

chrisasst,

Try taking the blower pipe off the leaf blower; it may be restricting the air flow. Make sure you are getting a good seal between the leaf blower suction pipe and the stove vent pipe.

Did you open a door on the stove or provide an air flow path at the stove end of your vent pipe? Sounds like you are not getting enough air flow to pick up the flyash and get it sucked out the vent pipe. Does your vent pipe look cleaner after using a vent pipe brush on it? How many amps is your leafblower?

Click to expand...

I was going to use it with out the vac pipe extender on but it would hit the fan. I thought about cutting a small piece of and attach it. Dust was flying out between the vac extender and the unit, so there wasn't the tightest seal there. I did have to door open and did feel air sucking. Also I took my shop vac and blew the exhaust chanel outward so the leaf blower sucked it up.

Blower is 12 amps...

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_07174824000P

Would this work on my chimney? Its about 25 feet up from where the pellet stove feeds into it....

chrisasst said:

Ok, I as well did the leaf blower / vac today. I got very, very little out. The pipe was dirty which is not clean but as far as I can see that is about it. I started my stove back up, no real change in heat output. However now the flame does not really change if the damper is pushed all the way in (used to be lazy orange) or if the damper is pulled out. What does this mean?

Here is a pic of my setup....and yes that is soot all over my house (on left) that I got last year and I can't seem to remove it.

Click to expand...

If yur flame isn't lazy anymore it means you now have a cleaner stove.

well something is sure different because I have to have my damper almost all the way closed or the pellets will almost all burn up in the pot. Usually it fills about half full of pellets. However the heat output is still no better.

pelletizer said:

So for outside pipe installations do you need to remove the clean out tee to do this?

Click to expand...

I couldn't remove my T so I simply took the vertical pipe off, at the top of the T, and hooked the blower there. (Left the clean out cap on the bottom.) It seemed to work just fine that way.

chrisasst said:

....................However the heat output is still no better.

Click to expand...

How long has it been since you scraped the crud off of your heat exchangers? A build up there reduces the stove efficiency.

Is the fan putting out a good air flow across the heat exchangers and out into the room; like when it was new? Possibly ash/clinkers are blocking the air paths.

How does this work? I have a Whitfield standalone with a 1 foot horizontal pipe to the outside. I have no vent from outside to supply fresh air if this matters. tks

exoilburner said:

chrisasst said:

....................However the heat output is still no better.

Click to expand...

How long has it been since you scraped the crud off of your heat exchangers? A build up there reduces the stove efficiency.

Is the fan putting out a good air flow across the heat exchangers and out into the room; like when it was new? Possibly ash/clinkers are blocking the air paths.

Click to expand...

Unfortunately I bought a show stove so I have never had a new stove..

I feel the heat exchangers often and don't feel any real build up on them.
Do you guys have a plate covering your heat exchangers? I have one one mine, or they necessary?

The fan does ok I guess. I have nothing to compare so I don't know.

chrisasst said:

Do you guys have a plate covering your heat exchangers? I have one one mine, or they necessary?

The fan does ok I guess. I have nothing to compare so I don't know.

Click to expand...

I know my stove has a plate covering them. It's referred to as a baffle,
and it's easy to remove it for cleaning. I use a wide paint brush to clean
them while at the same time I have the shop vac hose inside the stove.
Works pretty well. I'd guess that most pellet stoves have a removable baffle.