Burn pot scraping

I use the Harman tool and a flat screwdriver as well.

Gasket scraper works great.

Went to a Harman seminar and the Tech suggested a gasket scraper.
I use a 1 foot chisel that I sharpened. I do not use a hammer with the chisel!
Have had good luck with this. The tool that came with the stove doesn't work.

lessoil said:

Went to a Harman seminar and the Tech suggested a gasket scraper.
I use a 1 foot chisel that I sharpened. I do not use a hammer with the chisel!
Have had good luck with this. The tool that came with the stove doesn't work.

Click to expand...

Where and when was the Harman Seminar? I am interested in going to one.

Go to Harbor Freight or one of the other el-cheapo tool places and get a set of wood chisels with handles. They work great and cost nothing. Just stick it straight down into the build-up and twist.

lessoil said:

Went to a Harman seminar and the Tech suggested a gasket scraper.
I use a 1 foot chisel that I sharpened. I do not use a hammer with the chisel!
Have had good luck with this. The tool that came with the stove doesn't work.

Click to expand...

A lesson I just learned a couple weeks ago. I thought I was doing a good job using the tool that came with the stove, till I used a chisel. It removed a big chunk of built up carbon from the deepest part of the burn pot. I'm going to get a gasket scraper to use to keep it that way. Great idea!

I hold it under the sink running water and scrap with a cheap folding knife. I also wash my vent pipes at the end of the season. It all seems to be water soluble.

The tool that came with the stove.
In the pic to the right of the brush.
With the stove running just open the
door and I give the pot about a 5 second scrape.
The angle of the included tool makes it a
very simple task.

I NEVER have to scrape the burn pot on my St. Croix Pepin... just a quick vacuum job is all that's needed.

Now the St. Croix Greenfield I have does not have a Versa-Grate so I expect to become friends with that little scraper I got with the stove.

Went to a Harman seminar and the Tech suggested a gasket scraper.
I use a 1 foot chisel that I sharpened. I do not use a hammer with the chisel!
Have had good luck with this. The tool that came with the stove doesn’t work.

Click to expand...

My Harman dealer called and said the Rep would be there to show how to clean stoves, I couldn't go...

I haven't had to use it yet, but my dremel (sp?) tool with wire brush and stone sanding attachments are ready.

Millsk said:

I haven't had to use it yet, but my dremel (sp?) tool with wire brush and stone sanding attachments are ready.

Click to expand...

I use my Dremel with the wire brush attachment. Works great for the stubborn build ups. Make sure you wear the safety glasses....that stuff goes everywhere

My Napoleon has a cast iron removable round pot that I just lift out and vacuum. Any clinkers just dump out and never stick. If I use the right pellets, the burn pot never has anything other than some loose ash dust.

A gasket scraper works great for me.

A putty knife works fine for me. Its flexible and contours to my burn pot.

I have a POS version of this nail puller. The split in the tip lets me get the lip of the auger tube.

I use the pointed end of the Harman tool and the flat end of this:

.

Add in a paint brush and a slightly modified shopvac and thats al I need.

I use a wood chisel...works great

I'm surprised that so many people need to use
dremels and chisels and shut the stove off to scrape
the burn pot and on a daily basis?
I think there was only one time
that the burn pot on mine got messed up that bad
but it has been years since that happened. I'd look
at adjusting the stove settings or changing pellets.
A 5 second stir while my stove is running
and all that is there is some loose, dry ash that falls right
down into the ash pan.

Xena said:

I'm surprised that so many people need to use
dremels and chisels and shut the stove off to scrape
the burn pot and on a daily basis?

Click to expand...

Does depend on the pellets, but a chisel or small chisel-like pry bar is definitely what I need for my Santa Fe for the ones that leave anything sticking to the bottom plate on the pot. That's a plate on a lever to pivots open to drop the ash and clinkers. Except when there's crud stuck to it the crud wedges under the edge when it pivots, either sticking it closed or sticking it open. Pellet brand makes the difference between whether that's a daily or weekly need. Fireside Ultras it's daily. Vermont pellets weekly. Others in between.

All-in-all poorly engineered. The bottom should drop slightly as it pivots. The rod that's pulled to pivot it should be heftier, so it's easier to put force on to open or close. I often have to pull out the ash pan and shut it from the inside. The cleaning tool that came with the stove must have cost 'em 50 cents, and is a joke.

I use a Painters 5-in-1 tool available at any hardware store.

It is a bit stiffer than a putty knife and the point helps get into those nooks and crannys.

---Nailer---

Xena said:

I'm surprised that so many people need to use
dremels and chisels and shut the stove off to scrape
the burn pot and on a daily basis?
I think there was only one time
that the burn pot on mine got messed up that bad
but it has been years since that happened. I'd look
at adjusting the stove settings or changing pellets.
A 5 second stir while my stove is running
and all that is there is some loose, dry ash that falls right
down into the ash pan.

Click to expand...

Mine is on a weekly basis when I do a thorough cleaning. My Thelin has no ashpan so you need to shut it down and vacumm out the ash. The scraping is not a big deal, just a little build up after a week of burning.

Sounds like some of you may need one of these.

I've been using a 1/4" and 5/8" inexpensive chisels. Working out great for me.