Anyone with a Piazzetta Sabrina ?

[SmokeyTheBear]

And that is also why I asked about OAKs and any other air movers including fireplaces and furnaces etc... Because some of these devices move a lot of air and can depressurize a house and cause all kinds of burn issues even for some stoves with an OAK.

After you get all of the likely interference sources ruled out then you can play with the draft setting on the stove and likely clean up your burn.

If you really want to see a really powerful air mover you need likely go no further than an empty clothes drier. Makes a leaf blower vacuum pale in comparison. I have such a critter about 30 feet from my stove.

 

[NorthoftheQuabbin]

Nice and crisp!

"Follow Up Report"

After following your advice to increase the stove's parameters (i.e. combustion fan speed), I'm pleased to say that it has resulted in a profound improvement in performance.

In addition, I also decided to change the stove's settings with regard to the frequency and duration of the "grate cleaning" process.

Basically, I programmed the stove to perform its grate cleaning function every 30 minutes, instead of the factory setting of 60. Curiously, mine was set to occur every 180 minutes ? Also, I decided to increase the grate cleaning time from the the factory setting of 20 seconds, to 30. My hope is that this will keep the burn pot cleaner, and stave off the inevitable clinker.

Any thoughts on my decision to make these additional adjustments ?

 

[chken]

"Follow Up Report"

After following your advice to increase the stove's parameters (i.e. combustion fan speed), I'm pleased to say that it has resulted in a profound improvement in performance.

In addition, I also decided to change the stove's settings with regard to the frequency and duration of the "grate cleaning" process.

Basically, I programmed the stove to perform its grate cleaning function every 30 minutes, instead of the factory setting of 60. Curiously, mine was set to occur every 180 minutes ? Also, I decided to increase the grate cleaning time from the the factory setting of 20 seconds, to 30. My hope is that this will keep the burn pot cleaner, and stave off the inevitable clinker.

Any thoughts on my decision to make these additional adjustments ?

I didn't want to confuse you with changing any of the other settings given your combustion issue, but yes, I and Pascal, the dealer from Canada, who posts here both have changed our grate cleaning times and intervals just as you have. There was some talk that the manufacturer might release a new OS that including grate cleaning for P1 and P2, since they don't currently.

Oh, and I'm glad that the stove is burning much better. If you change pellets just be aware you might want to adjust your combustion. I do, since the two varieties of pellets I have, Blazers and FSUs are rather different. For example, the FSUs may have the shortest pellets I've seen, which means more fuel drops into the pot each augur turn. More fuel requires more air.

I'm still just shaking my head that your dealer tech basically gave up by telling you to shut down and clean every 12 hrs. That's ridiculous.

 

[NorthoftheQuabbin]

I didn't want to confuse you with changing any of the other settings given your combustion issue, but yes, I and Pascal, the dealer from Canada, who posts here both have changed our grate cleaning times and intervals just as you have. There was some talk that the manufacturer might release a new OS that including grate cleaning for P1 and P2, since they don't currently.

Oh, and I'm glad that the stove is burning much better. If you change pellets just be aware you might want to adjust your combustion. I do, since the two varieties of pellets I have, Blazers and FSUs are rather different. For example, the FSUs may have the shortest pellets I've seen, which means more fuel drops into the pot each augur turn. More fuel requires more air.

I'm still just shaking my head that your dealer tech basically gave up by telling you to shut down and clean every 12 hrs. That's ridiculous.

It wasn't the dealer tech who told me that I had to live with shutting down the stove and cleaning it very 12 hours, it was the head honcho at Piazzetta's distribution here in the north east who said that

Any way, as far as pellets are concerned, it seems that the Sabrina does best with a premium softwood like the Okanagan Red or Douglas Fir. With the Monia, I could run Fiddle-Faddle through it, and it would still perform perfectly.

Right now I'm out of the Okanagans, and I'm stuck using some local brand that consists of mixed hardwood and softwood pellets, which seem to be doing fine.

Also, is there a setting that's different from the factory, which better optimizes the feed rate ? Or, is it a finesse thing that one changes base on pellet type ?

 

[chken]

It wasn't the dealer tech who told me that I had to live with shutting down the stove and cleaning it very 12 hours, it was the head honcho at Piazzetta's distribution here in the north east who said that

Any way, as far as pellets are concerned, it seems that the Sabrina does best with a premium softwood like the Okanagan Red or Douglas Fir. With the Monia, I could run Fiddle-Faddle through it, and it would still perform perfectly.

Right now I'm out of the Okanagans, and I'm stuck using some local brand that consists of mixed hardwood and softwood pellets, which seem to be doing fine.

Also, is there a setting that's different from the factory, which better optimizes the feed rate ? Or, is it a finesse thing that one changes base on pellet type ?

Okay, that's a little better, you'd expect the tech to know better! Head honcho, not so much.

I'm not sure why the Monia would differ from the Sabrina, as they're pretty much the same stove but a different size. Presumably if the Monia can burn anything, then the Sabrina should too, with the proper adjustments.

As far as the feed rate goes, not too many have adjusted feed rates. I ran a test last year to see how quickly a bag would burn on setting P5, and it took 8 hrs, when it should have taken 7 hrs, so I adjusted the feed rate up to better span the stove's rated BTU range. Of course, that meant upping the air to match, and since I was already near the max setting on air, upping the feed rate just put me more against the max limit on air, so I've since adjusted the feed rates back to about original, just to give myself more air adjustment room.

Ultimately, it's far easier to change air rates, than pellet feed rates, since it's so hard to tell if the pellet feed is too much or too little, given the variability of pellet drop. I use a manometer just to get things in the ball park, and even then it requires a lot of further adjustment. If you're buying tons of pellets, then changing rates once in a month or two doesn't seem so bad, but to have to change more often than that seems like a hassle.

 

[NorthoftheQuabbin]

Okay, that's a little better, you'd expect the tech to know better! Head honcho, not so much.

I'm not sure why the Monia would differ from the Sabrina, as they're pretty much the same stove but a different size. Presumably if the Monia can burn anything, then the Sabrina should too, with the proper adjustments.

As far as the feed rate goes, not too many have adjusted feed rates. I ran a test last year to see how quickly a bag would burn on setting P5, and it took 8 hrs, when it should have taken 7 hrs, so I adjusted the feed rate up to better span the stove's rated BTU range. Of course, that meant upping the air to match, and since I was already near the max setting on air, upping the feed rate just put me more against the max limit on air, so I've since adjusted the feed rates back to about original, just to give myself more air adjustment room.

Ultimately, it's far easier to change air rates, than pellet feed rates, since it's so hard to tell if the pellet feed is too much or too little, given the variability of pellet drop. I use a manometer just to get things in the ball park, and even then it requires a lot of further adjustment. If you're buying tons of pellets, then changing rates once in a month or two doesn't seem so bad, but to have to change more often than that seems like a hassle.

Since some of the other settings are off, I guess I should go back and make sure the feed rate is set to factory specs in accordance with the file you provided me.

 

[Drew65]

It's like having a brand new stove once you dial it in

 

[chken]

It's like having a brand new stove once you dial it in

Yep, night and day, I feel sorry for anyone with a stove that's not running the way it should, because there's such a big difference when it runs right.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Moral of the story NorthoftheQuabbin?

 

[NorthoftheQuabbin]

My Sabrina had a relapse this morning

After running for approximately 24 hours, I awoke to this mess.

Just out of habit, I was still shutting down the stove every 24 hours or so, and cleaning out burn pot. And, short of some typical build up, there were no signs of the stove reverting back to its old ways.

However, over the last 24 hours, I noticed that big, fat lazy flame starting to rear its head again.

I recall you saying, that before I change any of the stove's parameters, I should give it a thorough cleaning. Unfortunately, I hadn't received my new ash vacuum yet, so I had to forgo it. Besides, it had received a thorough cleaning just 3 weeks ago.

In any case, now that I have my new vacuum, I decided to pull everything apart, to included the combustion fan compartment, and clean the stove within an inch of its life.

Hopefully, I'm now back on track.

Otherwise, I'm not sure if I need to call in a stove tech or an exorcist at this point

Yep, night and day, I feel sorry for anyone with a stove that's not running the way it should, because there's such a big difference when it runs right.

 

[chken]

My Sabrina had a relapse this morning

After running for approximately 24 hours, I awoke to this mess.

Just out of habit, I was still shutting down the stove every 24 hours or so, and cleaning out burn pot. And, short of some typical build up, there were no signs of the stove reverting back to its old ways.

However, over the last 24 hours, I noticed that big, fat lazy flame starting to rear its head again.

I recall you saying, that before I change any of the stove's parameters, I should give it a thorough cleaning. Unfortunately, I hadn't received my new ash vacuum yet, so I had to forgo it. Besides, it had received a thorough cleaning just 3 weeks ago.

In any case, now that I have my new vacuum, I decided to pull everything apart, to included the combustion fan compartment, and clean the stove within an inch of its life.

Hopefully, I'm now back on track.

Otherwise, I'm not sure if I need to call in a stove tech or an exorcist at this point

Yeah, first a thorough cleaning. I'd include the vent pipe, because poor combustion leads to deposits all the way down to the termination cap.

Then, as soon as you see a lazy flame, you have to look at the pot, to see if the pellets are building up a clinker blocking the air holes, because that will eventually form a brick, which will lead to pellets filling the pot and flowing over as in your picture. I've only had that happen once when I went about 18 bags straight without touching the stove.

You should always be able to see the igniter hole. If not, it's time to clean.
The ash color, a salt n pepper appearance looks fine.

 

[NorthoftheQuabbin]

Yeah, first a thorough cleaning. I'd include the vent pipe, because poor combustion leads to deposits all the way down to the termination cap.

Then, as soon as you see a lazy flame, you have to look at the pot, to see if the pellets are building up a clinker blocking the air holes, because that will eventually form a brick, which will lead to pellets filling the pot and flowing over as in your picture. I've only had that happen once when I went about 18 bags straight without touching the stove.

You should always be able to see the igniter hole. If not, it's time to clean.
The ash color, a salt n pepper appearance looks fine.

The stove was definitely a mess when I pulled it apart. I'm not sure if the build up was typical, or symptomatic of my stove's issues, but it's certainly clean now.


Gee, every time I claim victory, this stove conspires against me.

 

[chken]

The stove was definitely a mess when I pulled it apart. I'm not sure if the build up was typical, or symptomatic of my stove's issues, but it's certainly clean now.


Gee, every time I claim victory, this stove conspires against me.

Just to be clear, there are 3 basic routines: a daily scrape of the grate to make sure the air holes aren't blocked, and a wipe of the glass, and a quick suck on the ash vac. I used to do this daily, but now, once a week under moderate use, i.e. less than 2 bags a day, and twice a week under heavy use, 2 or more bags a day. Weekly, which includes vacuuming out the firebox, including behind the back plate. Monthly, or after a ton of pellets, clean out the vent pipe. I do the Leaf Blower Trick when I do the monthly clean, but the last 2 times I did it, there was no ash at all. I take this as a good sign that my regular cleaning routine is working. If you get a big ash cloud, I'd take that as indicative of a cleaning routine that needs some more elbow grease.

 

[NorthoftheQuabbin]

Just to be clear, there are 3 basic routines: a daily scrape of the grate to make sure the air holes aren't blocked, and a wipe of the glass, and a quick suck on the ash vac. I used to do this daily, but now, once a week under moderate use, i.e. less than 2 bags a day, and twice a week under heavy use, 2 or more bags a day. Weekly, which includes vacuuming out the firebox, including behind the back plate. Monthly, or after a ton of pellets, clean out the vent pipe. I do the Leaf Blower Trick when I do the monthly clean, but the last 2 times I did it, there was no ash at all. I take this as a good sign that my regular cleaning routine is working. If you get a big ash cloud, I'd take that as indicative of a cleaning routine that needs some more elbow grease.

Based on your routine, it sounds like I may have been a bit remiss on my cleaning regiment. I didn't realize that I should be cleaning behind the back plate so often. No worries, I have a new Power Smith vacuum

Also, I noticed when I was giving the Monia a thorough cleaning tonight, that the combustion fan seems to move more freely than the Sabrina. Not sure if this was just my impression, or there's some significance to it ?

 

[Drew65]

Don't forget the upper part of the heat exchanger. I work it over with a good sized paint brush. I also run the ash vac along the under side of the heat shield at the top in the daily cleaning.

 

[NorthoftheQuabbin]

I reached a milestone with my Sabrina this week. It ran for 3 days nonstop, wherein it produced the most beautiful torch like flame the whole time

I decided to shut it down, only to give it a complimentary vac and wipe of the glass, in which case the fire pot, as well as the ashtray, contained nothing but the finest powdery like ash.

I haven't exhibited this much excitement over a home appliance since my Ronco Slice-amatic. Or was it the Pocket Fisherman, I can't remember ?

 

[chken]

I reached a milestone with my Sabrina this week. It ran for 3 days nonstop, wherein it produced the most beautiful torch like flame the whole time

I decided to shut it down, only to give it a complimentary vac and wipe of the glass, in which case the fire pot, as well as the ashtray, contained nothing but the finest powdery like ash.

I haven't exhibited this much excitement over a home appliance since my Ronco Slice-amatic. Or was it the Pocket Fisherman, I can't remember ?

Hahaha, just in time for the arctic blast. And, I know the feeling. Having a stove run that well, makes you sad for everyone who hasn't optimized their combustion.

 

[cheap4heat]

Hey guys! Awesome thread!

Glad to know I'm not he only one with this problem!
North.... My question for you is after your relapse did you make further modifications to your settings or ever use a manometer? I definitely need to adjust my airflow I am running a Sabrina with oak. My house is only about 1400 sqft so I run it on power 3 this gives me about 24 hours before my glass is asked up and burn pot clogged

 

[NorthoftheQuabbin]

Hey guys! Awesome thread!

Glad to know I'm not he only one with this problem!
North.... My question for you is after your relapse did you make further modifications to your settings or ever use a manometer? I definitely need to adjust my airflow I am running a Sabrina with oak. My house is only about 1400 sqft so I run it on power 3 this gives me about 24 hours before my glass is asked up and burn pot clogged

Chken is the man to ask, but based on my experience, I would recommend increasing the parameters for the combustion fan speed to the max, and running the stove on its highest power setting and controlling it by temperature. I may be wrong, but I don't think the Sabrina goes through the grate cleaning process when rum on P3, nor does it have a combustion speed that provides enough rpm's. Also, I found setting the grate cleaning function to occur every 30 minutes, for the longest cycle (which is 30 seconds) helps too.

Lastly, I've found that the Sabrina really likes to be cleaned. I've made it almost a bi-weekly ritual to pull everything apart, to include the combustion fan compartment, and clean the hell out of it. As a basic routine, I still shut my Sabrina down every 36 to 48 hours and give the fire pot, ash container and glass a once over. Also, I've found that the Sabrina runs best with premium soft wood pellets - such as the Okanagan Premium or Douglas Fir.

 

[cheap4heat]

So just to be clear you set your combustion fan speed at 2800? I think setting my stove at the highest settings might be to much for the size of my home...

Right now I am cleaning it out ever 24 hours or so or I will jam up. I am burning LG currently.

Do you find your glass is getting less dirty?
Are you runnin more efficient?

Also when I reach the menu for the access code I find E9 how do I access the settings once my screen reads E9?

Thanks for your patience!

 

[NorthoftheQuabbin]

So just to be clear you set your combustion fan speed at 2800? I think setting my stove at the highest settings might be to much for the size of my home...

Right now I am cleaning it out ever 24 hours or so or I will jam up. I am burning LG currently.

Do you find your glass is getting less dirty?
Are you runnin more efficient?

Also when I reach the menu for the access code I find E9 how do I access the settings once my screen reads E9?

Thanks for your patience!

Don't confuse combustion speed with the room fan/blower setting. A higher combustion fan speed is what's going to give your stove what it needs in terms of added air flow relative to the burn process, and not necessarily the effect of having more hot air being blown into the room. That you can control separately.

As far as accessing the stove's parameter settings, once E9 appears upon the screen, you need to press the set button. From there, the display will begin to show the stove's settings.

Making these adjustments on my stove. had a profound effect on its performance. It's truly been a night and day difference. Previously, my stove wouldn't even run for 24 hours before I had a clinker/overload crisis on my hands, to include a glass screen that was almost completely covered in soot.

 

[chken]

So just to be clear you set your combustion fan speed at 2800? I think setting my stove at the highest settings might be to much for the size of my home...

Right now I am cleaning it out ever 24 hours or so or I will jam up. I am burning LG currently.

Do you find your glass is getting less dirty?
Are you runnin more efficient?

Also when I reach the menu for the access code I find E9 how do I access the settings once my screen reads E9?

Thanks for your patience!

LG is an excellent pellet. I burned 2 tons of those last year.

When your menu shows E9, you've got to punch it in, then the menu will show you setting 1. You can then scroll thru all 28 settings.

The combustion fan is the air for the fire, not the room blower. So, setting the combustion blower higher, won't affect the room blower at all.

 

[chken]

Hey guys! Awesome thread!

Glad to know I'm not he only one with this problem!
North.... My question for you is after your relapse did you make further modifications to your settings or ever use a manometer? I definitely need to adjust my airflow I am running a Sabrina with oak. My house is only about 1400 sqft so I run it on power 3 this gives me about 24 hours before my glass is asked up and burn pot clogged

Pictures help, but if you follow the thread carefully, basically North had a poor burn, which was evidenced by black soot, overflowing pot, lazy flame, and needing to shutdown every day.

If your stove is running well, it needs to be clean, and the fire needs enough air. I've found that you need to add lots of air to get it to mfr.'s spec, at least in my house. That also seems to work for North. I've used a manometer, but if you have an experienced eye, you can do it manually. I can easily burn 10 bags without having to shut down or scrape anything. If your stove is running well, you should be able to, too.

 

[cheap4heat]

Thanks guys I bumped up some settings after cleaning my stove tonight my flame looks less lazy, time will tell how we make out over the next couple days. Your thread has been a huge help seriously. Like I said my issue has been very similar to norths so this should sharpen up the function.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Proper installation and setup is critical, there are thousands of threads on here that have one or the other or both messed up.