Again With Pics...

Is that blue I'm seeing in the burn pot, middle picture?

Looks like someone was playing around with a copper based compound.

Get a couple of bags of something else and try them.

As for the ash, you should see gray almost white if the air/fuel mix is correct.

It will usually be black otherwise, now if you are burning a high fuel to air mixture there will be a tendency to have a brown haze deposited on the glass, can't say I've ever seen brown ash from burning wood.

Looks like clinkers to me and big ones too! A friend of mine was burning lignetics with the same results as you are getting. He was stirring the pot 3 times a day to keep it going. He finally returned them for another brand seem's his stove was fine. I tried the lignetics in my multifuel stove and never had any issue's burning them.

I would look around for another pellet to try. This will rule out the stove. If the next pellet burns good. There might be an issue with the lignetics and your stove. Some stoves are just pellet picky. Thats why I bought and recommend Multifuel stoves. Far less pellet issue's. Or just maybe Lignetics might have issue's this year! Hmmm.

What other brands do you have available near you?
jay

I was thinking the same thing, Try another good brand. try a softwood pellet.
Good luck, don't get discourge it will work it's way out.

Looks to me like poor pellets, maybe alot more ash content than what the bag may say on the label.

1BadTitan said:

jtakeman said:

Looks like clinkers to me and big ones too! A friend of mine was burning lignetics with the same results as you are getting. He was stirring the pot 3 times a day to keep it going. He finally returned them for another brand seem's his stove was fine. I tried the lignetics in my multifuel stove and never had any issue's burning them.

I would look around for another pellet to try. This will rule out the stove. If the next pellet burns good. There might be an issue with the lignetics and your stove. Some stoves are just pellet picky. Thats why I bought and recommend Multifuel stoves. Far less pellet issue's. Or just maybe Lignetics might have issue's this year! Hmmm.

What other brands do you have available near you?
jay

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We have Omalley pellets out here, I'm sure we have others too, those two are what I've seen the most of.

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1BT,

I have some O Malleys too. They seem decent not a lot of ash. But personally I would gather a few bags of multiple brand pellet's to try. You have to find out what that stove likes. And I would also be looking towards the softwood variety as well. They just seem to burn with far less deposits in the burnpot. Great heat too.

Keep us posted and stay warm
jay

1BadTitan said:

My exhaust blower is getting 113vac on high, 104vac on medium and 89vac at low. Someone had asked that before. Anyway, what are some softwood brands?

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Softwood brands. Okanagans, Spruce Pointes, LG's, Dragon Mountains, Eco Flames, Shurefire, and Rocky Mountains. Those are the top brands and I may have missed a few.

1BadTitan said:

Would this have anything to do with me not using an OAK? I run this in my basement and I leave the furnace fan set to "on" position. I let it run for about an hour and open the basement window, but when I do the flame doesnt change. I'm about out of ideas here... I'm going out today to score a few bags of different pellets.

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Only one real way to find out. Install the OAK and see if it happens again. You would have to watch if for quite a long time to see if it happens because of negative pressure drops. I highly recommend the OAK myself and it seems to only have positive effects on the stove.

Have a ton of Omalleys here. Starting the season off with them.
They are a good pellet.

1BadTitan said:

SmokeyTheBear said:

Is that blue I'm seeing in the burn pot, middle picture?

Looks like someone was playing around with a copper based compound.

Get a couple of bags of something else and try them.

As for the ash, you should see gray almost white if the air/fuel mix is correct.

It will usually be black otherwise, now if you are burning a high fuel to air mixture there will be a tendency to have a brown haze deposited on the glass, can't say I've ever seen brown ash from burning wood.

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What do you mean by "copper based compound"? Could be a bluish gray color, what does that mean?

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A blue or blue green tint is associated with compounds that contain copper such as copper sulfate which is used in a number of products including garden fungicides.

I just happened to note a blue tint that is all.

Inorganic compounds (such as metal sulfates, are usually present in larger amounts in some wood, if any of that gets into pellets they will have one of the required things to form clinkers. Temperature, moisture, and time in the burn pot will then work their magic resulting in clinkers.

Your combustion fan motor is running a little bit slow but since you can get the pellets to dance is likely fine. If there is an adjustment the voltage on high should be the rated voltage on the motor casing.

Time to try a different brand of pellet, you mentioned having a furnace fan on could you elaborate a bit, since it is possible that periodically that induces a bit of "negative pressure" in the room with the pellet stove. This can cause burn issues.

Go over to the Home Depot or Lowes and get you some Penningtons and try those. that seems to me like bad pellets.

1BadTitan said:

Reguarding the OAK, I hear mixed feelings about them and do not want to start a war over that... Especially on a thread where I'm trying to get some help and insight from you guys.

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Understood loud and clear.

Keep us posted.

I have the same problem. From what I can see is that the pellets give out alot of ash so it blocks the air movement in the burn pot so that lets the pellets pile up. I get this even with may damper wide open..

current pellets = dry creek & energex.

the oak has nothing to do with it i would bet.... I was told that some older stoves where not made to burn hardwood pellets try some soft wood pellets or just try a few bags of something else and i would bet you would see a fix. I had a buddy have the same problem with an older quad and it would clog up with hardwood pellets but the same pellets run perfect in my newer harman. btw he would get huge clinkers he would have to chip them out of his burn pot....I never get any.

1BadTitan said:

Well, the Maine pellets did the same damn thing. I came home from work this morning and my wife said she shut it down at 3:30am because of the built up pot and smell of burning wood. The brick is black again and there are unburned pellets on the bottom of the firebox from the pot overflowing. I had to scrape the pot this morning and fired it back up. Once again, it looks great... But for how long this time? Yesterday, it ran for 12 straight trouble free hours. I'm gonna try a brand of the softwood pellets mentioned above, if that doesnt work, I'm installing an OAK, then going to 4" exhaust. Any other ideas? I opened my damper all the way this morning and am going to see how that works out for now, while I sleep today. ( I work nights)

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Baby steps, One change at a time. I would try some softwoods first. If that has the same results then add the OAK and go back to the original pellet. Otherwise you will lose track of what fixed it.

Before changing out the vent. Give a discription of what you have now. Maybe your over on the EVL? Some one here can help with that. 3" vent can't go over 15 on the EVL. I will look around for a chart and post it here if needed.

You will get it.
jay

1BadTitan said:

I'm 13 on the EVL thing. Is that too close to 15? I have a T out of the back of the stove, 3ft vertical to a 90* to 2ft horizontal through the wall, to my horizontal cap. I have the cap turned very slightly down just to keep rain out. I'm gonna try the pellets today. My stove has been burning for about 1.5 hours now after the restart and i just shut it down to look into the pot. Already there is some buildup in the right corner.

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13 should be OK. Start with the softwood pellets. See what you get.Lets do the simple cheapest first. Sound more like a real picky stove.

Then maybe an OAK?

Why did you not buy softwood pellet and bought another hardwood? Just try a good softwood pellet.
We will get you warm don't worry!

As Jay said your EVL is fine.

Could you provide a picture of your control board from both sides?

Could you explain exactly how you clean your stove?

When were the door and ash pan gaskets replaced?

Do you have a manual? If so can you provide an on line copy?

Can you provide pictures from above, below and all four sides of your grate when cleaned, I'm looking for possible warping (air flow bypass), and a top view of the area the grate sits into?

I have a link for you to look at: http://www.butkus.org/whitfield_pellet_stove.htm