My father in law thinks he wants a pellet stove. But i don't want to here him complaining about cleaning it. What kind would mean the least amount of cleaning for him?
Least amount of cleaning
- Thread starter nksdad2007
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
- Status
kykel
Feeling the Heat
SmokeyTheBear
Minister of Fire
Just about any multi-fuel stove with a large ash pan will do, they normally have a means of removing the crud from the burn pot as they operate.
Not so sure about how the heat exchanger efficiency works out though.
Not so sure about how the heat exchanger efficiency works out though.
St_Earl
Minister of Fire
^^ all these guys have more experience than me.
but here's my take anyway
i would reinforce the fact that he will have to clean whatever stove he gets on some kind of a regular basis.
(though from what folks are saying above , maybe not as much so as i would deem the minimum)
after that, imo, you want something with a big enough door/firebox area that it's easy to work in.
i did read one member saying he had some difficulties with a very compact stove he has.
but there are other factors about the ease and function of any given model.
i only have direct experience with my stove. so this is just from reading here-
it seems to me that you have stoves which have more electronics on board that are more adjustable. but also, it seems, have more ways to fail.
top feeder vs. bottom feeder. and i think importantly the burnpot and how easy that is to clean are considerations.
i have to work a bit to scrape my burnpot. it's deep and i need to stick my head in the firebox to see it completely.
but i wonder what level of scraping is the minimum needed . and how well a stove will continue to perform if one was just to pull the slider bar and not do full manual scraping.
the air holes in the burn pot must be kept clear though.
the heatilators don't have heat exchange tubes to clean and have simpler electronics.
i'm happy with mine, but i'm not saying it's the one you need to get.
honestly, i'm not even sure any pellet stove is right for someone who doesn't want to clean it.
and folks can correct me if this is wrong, but i think some stoves drop more ash into the pan and some like mine blow most of the fly ash out of the pot and into the firebox.
one member who has a shop ran the heatilator for a ton w/o opening the door at all. it was still working. but it did have a small mountain of ash built up in the box.
@ referee below. i kind of like cleaning my stove too!
(actually i love it)
but here's my take anyway
i would reinforce the fact that he will have to clean whatever stove he gets on some kind of a regular basis.
(though from what folks are saying above , maybe not as much so as i would deem the minimum)
after that, imo, you want something with a big enough door/firebox area that it's easy to work in.
i did read one member saying he had some difficulties with a very compact stove he has.
but there are other factors about the ease and function of any given model.
i only have direct experience with my stove. so this is just from reading here-
it seems to me that you have stoves which have more electronics on board that are more adjustable. but also, it seems, have more ways to fail.
top feeder vs. bottom feeder. and i think importantly the burnpot and how easy that is to clean are considerations.
i have to work a bit to scrape my burnpot. it's deep and i need to stick my head in the firebox to see it completely.
but i wonder what level of scraping is the minimum needed . and how well a stove will continue to perform if one was just to pull the slider bar and not do full manual scraping.
the air holes in the burn pot must be kept clear though.
the heatilators don't have heat exchange tubes to clean and have simpler electronics.
i'm happy with mine, but i'm not saying it's the one you need to get.
honestly, i'm not even sure any pellet stove is right for someone who doesn't want to clean it.
and folks can correct me if this is wrong, but i think some stoves drop more ash into the pan and some like mine blow most of the fly ash out of the pot and into the firebox.
one member who has a shop ran the heatilator for a ton w/o opening the door at all. it was still working. but it did have a small mountain of ash built up in the box.
@ referee below. i kind of like cleaning my stove too!
(actually i love it)
referee38
Member
flynfrfun
Minister of Fire
referee38 said:I might be strange but I sort of like cleaning my P-43.
Me too :red:
I'd tend to agree with Earl's post above. If you know he doesn't like to clean, then a pellet stove might not be a good choice for him. To some people the money savings in heating makes cleaning a much easier chore to live with.
76brian
Feeling the Heat
referee38 said:I might be strange but I sort of like cleaning my P-43.
Ditto.
I am really liking the hands on approach to heating my house. Makes me feel more self sufficient or something, I dunno.
PJPellet
Minister of Fire
tony58
Member
referee38 said:I might be strange but I sort of like cleaning my P-43.
I agree--its something SOOTHING about cleaning your stove and seeing TONS of pellets waiting to be burned...
kykel
Feeling the Heat
Im just waiting to clean my stove. I would have done so already because Im like many here,Like to clean on sunday. Its thereputic for me .But this is my second stove and am amazed at how long I can go without opening the door. Havent cleaned it yet. Started burning oct 18 2011.
Also what is your definition of cleaning. Empty ash pan and quick vac is simple. A more thorough cleaning is not usually necessary very often. Once a month maybe.
Also what is your definition of cleaning. Empty ash pan and quick vac is simple. A more thorough cleaning is not usually necessary very often. Once a month maybe.
jtakeman
Minister of Fire
There are a couple of things to note! One is dirty glass and the other is burnpot cleaning. I'll take a stove that doesn't need these things done on a daily basis anyday. Or even a couple of times a week. Specially when burning low to mid grade fuels.
Look for a stove that keeps the glass clean with a good airwash system. Some poeple are really bugged by this. Look for a stove that cleans the burnpot by itself as well. Especially if you plan on using a stat and having the stove light every time. Or you'll come home to a cold house. I have only found one that does both these things well. Its in my sig!
Keeping the stove clean is a must for any stove owner, But choose one that does some of the chores for you and you can limit this to a once a week thing no matter what fuel you use. I do mine on Sundays and I just fill the hopper and pull the scrapper rods during the week. Gives me lots of free time to do many other things and less stove tinker time. Yes, you can say I'm very spoiled now!
Many stoves handle the top brands that are cleaner burning, But you see a lot more mess with the fuels that are more reasonably priced. Multifuel stoves are more forgiving in what you can afford to burn. In other words there are some picky stoves out there that require better grade fuels or you'll be cleaning more! After all most of use went the pellet route to save cash, Why settle on a stove that reqiures higher priced fuels. Doesn't make much sense IMHO. Choose the unit wisely and you can save a bit more in the long run! Carry on..........
Look for a stove that keeps the glass clean with a good airwash system. Some poeple are really bugged by this. Look for a stove that cleans the burnpot by itself as well. Especially if you plan on using a stat and having the stove light every time. Or you'll come home to a cold house. I have only found one that does both these things well. Its in my sig!
Keeping the stove clean is a must for any stove owner, But choose one that does some of the chores for you and you can limit this to a once a week thing no matter what fuel you use. I do mine on Sundays and I just fill the hopper and pull the scrapper rods during the week. Gives me lots of free time to do many other things and less stove tinker time. Yes, you can say I'm very spoiled now!
Many stoves handle the top brands that are cleaner burning, But you see a lot more mess with the fuels that are more reasonably priced. Multifuel stoves are more forgiving in what you can afford to burn. In other words there are some picky stoves out there that require better grade fuels or you'll be cleaning more! After all most of use went the pellet route to save cash, Why settle on a stove that reqiures higher priced fuels. Doesn't make much sense IMHO. Choose the unit wisely and you can save a bit more in the long run! Carry on..........
kykel said:
The total number of cleanings may be lower, but the actual cleanings will HAVE to be more time consuming.....you're still producing the same AMOUNT of ash overall. Ash is ash is ash......no stove itself will produce less.
kykel
Feeling the Heat
Very true imacman. Im just trying to compair to your 59 bags. I will eventually settle in to a weekly cleaning schedule. I would not have been able to do this with my previous stove. It was a daily chore having to empty the burn pot.
kykel said:
Good to have a stove capable of going more than 1 week since sometimes things just come up and you just can't get to the stove exactly when you want to. I know I can go well past 1 week between cleaning if need be, but it's good to do it weekly...a clean stove is just more efficient.
gotta agree with what many said above........in selling these things, even to folks who understand and agree they have to clean them, I find often people do a poor job, but when a customer comes in syaing he HATES to clean or doesnt realize he has to clean them, that scares me.........4 months down the road, a down stove, and a customer refusing to pay the repair bill because noone TOLD him he had to clean it (the manual? what manual?!).....issues down the road.....maybe a stove isnt for this guy???!
RKS130
Minister of Fire
tony58 said:referee38 said:I might be strange but I sort of like cleaning my P-43.
I agree--its something SOOTHING about cleaning your stove and seeing TONS of pellets waiting to be burned...
I am on board with this sentiment. I love cleaning my stove. Never really thought about why I do but it IS soothing. I think it has to do with being self sufficient as one of the earlier posters mentioned. Obviously, we have to buy the stove and the pellets so it is not a true case of self sufficiency, but it is, I think , more a sense of freedom from the oil companies.
Hell, my son was detailed with this task when we got the stove about a month ago, but I haven't given him a chance to do it yet. That may be because it has been warm on days he was at school and I just did it while the stove was off anyway, but once I did it I liked it - a lot.
I might add that I am cleaning my Accentra FS more than needed according to the book and it is easy to do.
My stove has to be cleaned DAILY, scrape burn pot, clean ash out, clean the glass. But, to me, it is sooo worth the heat I get from it. Would love to have a better stove, but this little one does the job. Maybe if I hit the lottery.............LOL!!
Tried talking my son into getting one and they don't want the mess of cleaning a stove. Oh well, his loss!!
Tried talking my son into getting one and they don't want the mess of cleaning a stove. Oh well, his loss!!
This thread has "contest" written all over it...
Seinfeld Quote "I bet I can go longer than you.....care to make it interesting? I'm sure that we'll all feel comfortable within the confines of the honor system. ..."
I think my Quad 1200 can go 40 - 50 bags without a cleaning.
Seinfeld Quote "I bet I can go longer than you.....care to make it interesting? I'm sure that we'll all feel comfortable within the confines of the honor system. ..."
I think my Quad 1200 can go 40 - 50 bags without a cleaning.
I just cleaned my Europa 75 after three weeks and 20 bags - the ashpan was less than half full, and only had to scrape the burn pot a bit - I'll bet I could put through 50 bags without cleaning it, once it gets cold enough to keep the stove on a hotter, cleaner burn setting all the time.
The part I like about the Harman is the ability of the home owner to be able to do routine cleaning for the whole season w/out having to do any disassembly that requires tools or removing guards. Once a year the stove needs a good cleaning that includes venting, fans feeder box ect. The venting can even be shopvacced out from inside the stove by homeowner by removeing the fan cover which requires no tools. Seems like harman had the service man in mind the entire time the stoves were bieng designed. Some of the others I have worked on require alot of disassembly and replacing white fiber gaskets when doing a deep cleaning. Does anybody know of a stove that is easier to clean than a Harman?
jtakeman
Minister of Fire
Glosta said:This thread has "contest" written all over it...
Seinfeld Quote "I bet I can go longer than you.....care to make it interesting? I'm sure that we'll all feel comfortable within the confines of the honor system. ..."
I think my Quad 1200 can go 40 - 50 bags without a cleaning.
With some of the best brands maybe, But burn some middle of the road or lower grade stuff. I would have to doubt it. This is where the multifuelers shine! I burned over 20 bags of "dirt in a bag" that would have made my quad choke in less than 3 days.
59 bags is the record imacman set. And a fellow member that has the same stove as me went over 39 bags. Both never opened the door.
Thank you for all of the help. We are trying to steer him towards propane as we think he would be happier with it. But if we can't, just wanted some ideas as i know i will be the one doing most of the cleaning.
- Status
Similar threads
