Another Cleaning Tip

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peirhead

Feeling the Heat
Aug 8, 2008
409
PEI Canada
Some time ago I inquired if someone had a way to clean the backside of the heat exchanger tubes in a Quad Castile...Short of some fancy flexible brushes the solutions were few...Anyways I have a leaf blower and have done it both the proper way and inadvertently also the improper way blowing the air back into the stove...(Bad)

However while cleaning up the mess I had a eureka moment, and hauled out my air compressor and gun with the little blower nozzle (see attached pic)

While vacuuming, (and the combustion fan running) I blew air in and around the inside of the box, including up around the exchanger tubes and combustion fan...Man it works!! It loosened the ash and the vacuum sucked it up...In about 5 minutes I couldn't get any more ash out.....very clean!!

I plan to do the proper leaf blower trick in a few weeks when the snow is gone. but I bet there isn't much left to suck out except maybe in the pipe itself outside!...give it a try!!
 

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Had the Millrights at work make mine up 2 weeks ago (Air nozzle). He made it with a quick disconnect on the end and gave me 2 different lengths of 1/4 hose. One is about a foot long. The other is almost 2 feet. Works like a charm. The 2 foot piece goes all the down the top baffle and can hit where the end of the heat exchange tubes are. Its a PITA to clean that area through the clean-out port on the side, with just a standard brush or other self made cleaning tools. A few good old blasts of air and its good to go. I run my leafblower the whole time. To eliminate the need for a vacuum (except inside firebox). Between the leafblower and the air nozzle, I have almost eliminated every cleaning tool I ever used, up until this year. Two gun bore brush's (.22 cal and .38 cal), a little wire brush (best way to clean the burn pot, IMO),and a dryer vent brush (long skinny type) are they only tools I use now. Other than the PL Vent brush before I attach the leafblower.

This year was a good one for learning. Finding this Forum, has taught me a lot. Wish I would have known about it 3 years ago. Nice people, with Nice stoves.

Do you use a Big compressor? I just use my little pancake compressor. It runs out of air pretty quick, but then I clean something else while I wait for her to refill and get back up to pressure.
 
Air compressor always does the trick for those hard to clean areas. But just be careful not to make a big mess! Happy Cleaning!
 
I use kinda the same style blow gun with changeable tips i made my own out of brake line with different bends and lengths. I vac what i can run the brush down the vent pipe hook up the leaf blower on low and i just use a portable air tank a few blasts of air in the hard to reach areas and the leaf blower sucks it out when i think i have it as clean as i can get it i go outside and kick the blower on high and tap around with a leather hammer on the inside and when nothing else comes out the vent i'm done. I have learned some much from this forum and try to pass what i have learned to others. Thanks for the site and keep it the stove clean and it will reward you.
 
Or just disconnect the hose - and remember to reattach it!
 
I'll try that one WHEN THE BOSS HAS GONE SHOPPING for the day!!!!! I'm not as dumb as I look!
 
1/4 copper tubing attached to a trigger and brass compression fittings on a 2 GAL Porta Compressor. Go inthrough the ash drawer on most stoves with the vac sucking through the air intake. BLAST BLAST BLAST. The only thing I have found to get rid off the St. Croix blues and that ole flashin #2
 
HopeItBurns said:
That looks like it works good but if your stove has a vacuum switch, I would at least put a piece of tape over the hole.

[Or just disconnect the hose - and remember to reattach it!]

yes I was worried about both this and over spinning the combustiuon fan, but so far no issues....I need to find out exactly where the vacuum tube terminates in the firebox so I can be careful not to blow directly into it (or cover /plug it as was also suggested).
 
Hello

I found a nice quick tool for Over the Heat Exchanger Tubes cleaning!

It is long and thin and should get all the way in! It will scrape out the caked ash right above the heat tubes!

See pic. I found it in my tool box. It is an older wooden handle 12†icing spatula for icing a cake my wife bought 25 years ago.

Here is a link to a similar one you can buy today!
http://www.cheftools.com/prodinfo.asp?number=02-0617 01&utm_source=google+base&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=google+shopping
 

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Don2222 said:
It is an older wooden handle 12†icing spatula for icing a cake my wife bought 25 years ago.



She just got around to icing the cake?
 
Hello

Yes and I can tell her to clean the pellet stove while she is at it. :)
 
HopeItBurns said:
.I need to find out exactly where the vacuum tube terminates in the firebox so I can be careful not to blow directly into it (or cover /plug it as was also suggested).

You could just pull the hose off the vacuum switch itself - whichever is easier to get at. Just remember where it came from, some switches have more than one nipple to attach to. Make a drawing, or mark the proper fitting.
 
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