Okanagan Pellet Problems

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RyanF

Member
Dec 6, 2009
14
Northern Ontario
Hello,

I realize everyone loves the Okies, and they are actually one of the cheaper pellets available right now in Sudbury ON (Northern Ontario). I recently purchased 1/2 tonne, and I agree they burn great, low ash and clean burn, but I have a problem with a firm ash deposit, I've only experienced this with the Okanagans. I have a Jamestown J1000, I've tried adjusting damper settings and feed rate, but it seems after a couple bags I have to break up this ash to clear up the air vents in the burn pot. Okanagans are the only pellet that I've had this problem with. The desposit is not like typical clinker, its just ash thats a bit too stiff to be expelled by the intake air.

Thanks for any help and sorry if this is a common problem, I couldn't seem to find anything on it in the forums.

Ryan
 

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I have been burning OKIES for quite some time - I have never seen that. Maybe BTU can shed some light.
 
How does that burn pot liner look when clean? To me it looks like you have plugged holes thus not enough air at some spots in the burn pot.

Is there a gasket that needs to be replaced say around the door or possibly around the burn pot liner?

How have you been cleaning the stove and when was the last time and how much have you burned since then?

Do you scrap the mineral deposits off of the burn pot? Frequently if there is a bit left on it will act as a catalyst for clinker build up.
 
Hi Everyone,

Thanks for the replies. It is a cast iron burn pot, and I do scrape it clean every time I clean the stove. Lately, I've been cleaning the stove every 3 - 4 bags when I notice the flame getting lazy. I usually do a thorough cleaning including the ash chambers. The stove is new, and there are no signs that the gaskets are defective. The burn pot does not have a gasket though, it just sits flush with the chamber. I'm going to try fully opening the damper to see if it makes a difference. Also, next time I'll try really cleaning up the burn pot, maybe there are some nasty deposits (I just burnt 6 or 7 bags of the Michigan pellets.) The holes are always fully opened, but maybe there are mineral deposits?

The deposit is not like typical clinker at all, it can easily be broken with a gentle pressure. Other clinkers I've seen are much more hard and brittle.

Thanks again and I'll keep everyone posted.

Ryan
 
I have burned about 1.5 tons of Okies so far this season and have liked the heat that they put out. That being said, I have had a fair amount of clinkers. The ash is super low, which I like a lot. Overall, I'd say that I like the pellets and would buy them again if the price is right. It may be an issue with my stove (Harman Accentra Insert) that is causing the issue, but I cannot find any problems. I do a thorough cleaning every 5-7 days that includes cleaning the fans and scraping the burn pot along with a wire brush. The gasket around my door is in great shape.

I'm not bashing the Okies...just sharing my issues. It maybe that not all stoves burn them as efficiently.
 
I have also recently picked up not quite a ton , TSC had them on sale a couple weeks ago. They do seem to burn very well , good and hot, But I am also getting a strange deposit in my burn pot. Overall , nice pellets, but I found there is a fair bit of very fine dust in the bags, and I can go maybe 4 days now and I need to do a full clean vs the week plus with the hardwood pellets I've been using since I picked up my stove last winter. I have a feeling that the bags I got might have been sitting a while at TSC , as the normal price they ask is WAAY to high. May also just be a coincidence, but have had an error light come on and stove shut off a couple times since I've been burning these. Going to do the leaf blower thing tomorrow, see if it makes any difference.

Cheers
 
I think it has something to do with the cast iron burn pot. A friend down the road has an older breckwell and he had about the same issue with the Okies. Its like what ever salt(chloride) or resin that is in the fiber is reacting with the cast iron. He ordered a new stainless burnpot and the issue went away completely. That was his only change. Says he just gets a little carbon buildup now.

I am really not sure. but sure seems like a reaction issue to me.
 
I get a hard deposit around the perimeter of my cast iron burn pot in my Rika 1/2 inch from the bottom of the pot. I clean it out regularly.
 
Hi Everyone,

I burnt a bag of pellets since the last post with the damper fully open and only noticed a small amount of the ash / clinker build up. It seems to have made a difference, but I'm not sure how efficient the stove is with the damper fully open. The next cleaning I'm going to use a wire brush on the burn pot to see if that helps.

Ryan
 
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