Grate getting clogged

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Flem

Member
Dec 12, 2009
131
Western MD
I have always used Lignetics with great success. Recently the grate keeps clogging up with too much ash. I have the auger feed on low and it does not appear to be overfeeding. Is the fan not pushing enough air through to keep the pellets burning properly? I have it set on high. My stove runs on a thermostat. Really appreciate any help!
 
Which traps are you talking about? I empty the ash collector every time I clean it. Cleaning happens once or twice a week and I'm pretty thorough about it.
 
With burning season over, I may wait and take stove into garage for a through cleaning. I have an ash vac and a shop vac. No leaf blower. How do I get to the ash traps? Can I see them behind the fire wall? Worked on this stove alot and had no idea they were there. I was thinking my blowers needed a good cleaning.
 
Flem,

There should be two clean out ports behind the fake firebrick or just below it, on some Whitfield's there are baffles on either side that have to be removed, on other Whitfield's the top baffle has to be pulled from underneath the heat exchanger tubes as the entrance to the traps is just below the tube on either side of stove.

Those areas can get very full of ash.

Frequently all that is needed is a good application of some firebox thumping, removal of the clean out port covers, baffles etc ... , vigorous application of a good bottle brush, followed by use of a good strong shop vacuum or leaf blower in vacuum mode.

The leaf blower trick is done from the outside by attaching to the vent and making sure that the leaf blower isn't pointed at anything you don't want totally dusted.
 
A thorough stove cleaning is recommended, but you might also try a different bag of pellets, bought at a different time. The quality of pellets, even from a good manufacturer like Lignetics, can vary with different batches. Sometimes a bad batch can also result in "clinkers" from contaminates in the pellets that don't burn. These can also clog the burn pot and result in excess ash build up.
 
my ash traps do collect a fair amount of ash. Once, I forgot to clean them out prior to doing the leaf blower cleaning. When I opened up the traps following the leaf blower, I found them to clean, without any ash. Of course you want to tap tap tap the walls prior to cleaning. You will be surprised by the amount of black and white flakes that fall off the walls of the ash traps.
 
There are 2 baffles or "flaps" at the top of the stove on each side of the heat exchange tubes. I have always cleaned them out each year and each time I clean the stove, I bang on it so it releases some of the loose ash that accumulates there.

This batch of pellets I got recently is a much darker color than the other couple ton I burnt earlier this winter. I'd say I may have a bad batch. When Lignetics just produced hardwood, they were great. Now that they are mixing in conifer, my luck with them has started to vary.
 
Flem said:
There are 2 baffles or "flaps" at the top of the stove on each side of the heat exchange tubes. I have always cleaned them out each year and each time I clean the stove, I bang on it so it releases some of the loose ash that accumulates there.

This batch of pellets I got recently is a much darker color than the other couple ton I burnt earlier this winter. I'd say I may have a bad batch. When Lignetics just produced hardwood, they were great. Now that they are mixing in conifer, my luck with them has started to vary.

If you want a list of everything that it could be you'll discover that while pellets may be on that list they are usually way down it. But by all means get something else and rule that out as a cause.

Bad gaskets, failure to latch or broken or loose latches on the ash pan or stove door. A failing combustion blower, a plugged or dirty vent including the termination screen.

Crud in the combustion blower cavity and from there back to the heat exchanger.

Broken seals anywhere in the combustion air path, a broken or warped burn pot and on the list goes.
 
Located the lower ash traps and cleaned them out. They had a decent amount of ash builtup but were not totally clogged up. Also cleaned the heat exchange tubes and pulled out ash that tends to hide behind them. Firing up the stove now to see if it makes a difference.

What's the average life expectancy of a stove? I've replaced many parts through the years (auger motor, seals, control panel, and on and on). Seems as long as I keep it clean, it will keep on heating.

If I ever hit the jackpot, I'll consider a pellet boiler. Already have the system in place but the oil burner can sit idle as long as oil prices are ridiculous.
 
They'll last a long while provided you keep them clean and free of corrosion.

ETA: Even a minor thing can have a major impact, these things burn on the edge.
 
Flem said:
I have always used Lignetics with great success. Recently the grate keeps clogging up with too much ash. I have the auger feed on low and it does not appear to be overfeeding. Is the fan not pushing enough air through to keep the pellets burning properly? I have it set on high. My stove runs on a thermostat. Really appreciate any help!

Something's wrong with this picture. Why no mention about the strength of the flame? Weak combustion due to weakened air flow results is a slower air speed through the grate, which results in a less than wind-blown flame. If the flame is strongly blown and the pellets aren't being blackened, then ash accumulation isn't the problem. That would point then to the pellets. If it's not the pellets, then the first place to look to is the grate and whether or not the holes are being reduced in size by crud accumulating in them. But to make a difference, there'd have to be a lot of crud making the holes much smaller than when clean. Improper damper setting would make for a weak flame but your stove probably doesn't have a manual damper.
 
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