Always something to learn each year

[camdids]

Into my 4th year now with my Accentra Insert. Each year so far I have found out something. Whether it be about the Quality of Pellets, how to prepare the stove for the Short Summer, or how to keep the stove running smoothly through the winter.
This last one came up just this week after having been running for a few days before the nice warm days we just had. As it hadn't been too cold, we were running the stove on a low setting for a little longer than we had in past years. we shut it down for a few days while the temps reached 70. Started back up today and started to get the old favorite, Auger Squeal when feeding.
So Went into the Burn Pot expecting carbon Buildup, and wasnt surprised. Scraped everything I could see, but still kept getting the Squeal.
After 2 hours and almost giving up, gave it one last go.
Ran in test mode to spin the Auger to different positions, and was able to see some very small, but visible build up on the Auger. Scraped it off and no squeal.

Just goes to show. All the things I've learnt here ,Dont run it on low for a long time, and keep it clean, but still fall for it.

 

[Freddels]

I've had a Harmon Accentra for about 10 yrs and the carbon buildup in the burn pot is just ridiculous. I keep a hammer and an old flathead screwdrive near the stove to chip that stuff away.

 

[Cincinnati Kid]

Camdids,

Thanks for the update. Any advice on how to scrape the carbon off the auger? I Have enough problems just scraping the burn pot.

Living here in Cincinnati, I run my insert on low most of the time. I need to watch the carbon build up. Thanks!

 

[PJPellet]

Camdids,

Thanks for the update. Any advice on how to scrape the carbon off the auger? I Have enough problems just scraping the burn pot.

Living here in Cincinnati, I run my insert on low most of the time. I need to watch the carbon build up. Thanks!

FWIW I have found that what works best for me is to give things a quick scrape every day. I use the Harman tool to pull away any ash and then I use a smaller pry bar with an angled head that looks just like a screwdriver really. I keep it sharp and it cuts through with no elbow grease. I use this same tool to carefully clean into the auger opening as much as I can.

My dealer and most folks only scrape the pot twice per week, that's what I did at first. But doing it every morning this season has helped immensely. It's amazing how much buildup there is in just 24 hours from certain pellets. I am burning Allegheny Pellets currently and there is nothing to scrape. When I was burning other cheaper pellets I had quite a buildup.

Another trick I have used is during my weekly cleanings when the stove is off and cool is to use a wet rag and wipe as much of the auger tip that I can reach. The same with the tube. All of that junk in there is water soluble and comes off nicely. Just a heads up that it will fill the rag quick and you might even want to use a pair of cheap rubber gloves. I just wash my hands afterward.

 

[camdids]

Good advice from PJ. I do give the burnpot a quick daily scrape. It does help.
I use an assortment of different size flathead screw drivers.
The wet rag sounds interesting. As I said before though, running
On a low setting for a length of time, really speeds up the buildup.

 

[Trickyrick]

I agree with everything that is being posted here. I do one scrape a day to get the carbon off the sides of the burn pot. This usually keeps things clear but the Bottom if the pot where it lopes down to the auger gets caked with a nice layer of carbon. I have found that I builds up till my Sat morning cleaning. I clean every week so nothing ever gets out of hand but I use a smaller tipped long flathead screwdriver and the stiff comes right off in about 4 or 5 scrapes.

One suggestion I can make is that I do my scrap just as the fire dies and the last embers go out. I think this heat helps with the ease of removal. The other thing I do is take a flat file to the scrape tool and make sure that I have 90 degree corners on the scraper once a year and use the high temp paint to protect it. This helps as the tool comes from the factory very dull.