Black soot all through my house!!

[captainmt3]

Hello, I have never posted anything on a forum board before but I am ready to sell my pellet stove and thought I would take one last shot to see if someone can help me. I bought a used USSC American Harvest 6500 stove this year. It seemed to work pretty good but the flame was never quite right so I got on the computer and found out my door gasket was shot! Fixed that problem solved...until I discovered the BLACK SOOT in my shower upstairs....OK I thought, it's from the door gasket. Cleaned the whole house, walls, cabinets, bathrooms, you get the idea. A week later more soot I'm at the end of my rope. Is it possible I don't have my flu set up properly? I have it installed manufacturer specks and the whole side of the out side of my house is black too.

 

[kinsmanstoves]

How is the stove vented?

How close is the stove to a window and do you have a combustion air kit installed?

Eric

 

[gfreek]

Post install size of vent pipe, length, elbows, etc., maybe pics . Outside air etc.

 

[Shortstuff]

It could be any number of things and/or a combination of some. My first thought would be inadequate ventilation for the exhaust and/or air intake - is there enough air going into the stove to allow the best draft out. Bad pellets, improper installation, needs a thorough cleaning, etc.

Can you give us details on how the air is getting in (do you have an air intake kit?) and exactly how it is exhausted out.

 

[Doocrew]

One other important question. What are you cleaning the stove with? A vaccum without a proper filter? That alone can cover your house with soot.

 

[littlesmokey]

Don't sell it yet, the stove elves are on the job. First, give us more detail on the set up, so we can target the issues there, BUT, your stove should not be producing "soot" in any quantity to leave deposits on the interior in another room on another floor from the stove. Got to clean the burn up first. That's why folks are asking about your air supply. If your flame is lazy, like a slow burning campfire, you need more combustion air. The flames should be active and their should be some observed active with a few dancing pellets in the burn pot. You should read through the stickies at the top and get a good sense of the best case burning.

Important to any used stove install is, get the stove clean.... Clean it again, and then one more time. You don't know what the previous owner's routine and cleanliness processes were. Build up of ash and crud in the stove will stop it from properly working, and no tweaking will overcome the problems.

BTW, we might be grumpy sometimes, but we still love ya Welcome.

 

[krooser]

Many used stoves are sold after the previous owners have problems because they have never learned to thoroughly clean their stoves... the stoves malfunction, they don't know why and they give up.

Stick around... we can fix that.

 

[captainmt3]

[Well it's not the greatest. It's vented through the foundation and all distances are according to manufacturer specks. The nearest window is about 6 or 7 feet as well as the front door. There is a large accumulation on the inside of the front door!

 

[captainmt3]

Don't sell it yet, the stove elves are on the job. First, give us more detail on the set up, so we can target the issues there, BUT, your stove should not be producing "soot" in any quantity to leave deposits on the interior in another room on another floor from the stove. Got to clean the burn up first. That's why folks are asking about your air supply. If your flame is lazy, like a slow burning campfire, you need more combustion air. The flames should be active and their should be some observed active with a few dancing pellets in the burn pot. You should read through the stickies at the top and get a good sense of the best case burning.

Important to any used stove install is, get the stove clean.... Clean it again, and then one more time. You don't know what the previous owner's routine and cleanliness processes were. Build up of ash and crud in the stove will stop it from properly working, and no tweaking will overcome the problems.

BTW, we might be grumpy sometimes, but we still love ya Welcome.

Wow! I never expected this kind of a response...Thank you all! The stove is vented as follows: T out of the stove straight up the wall 4 feet then a 90 degree through the foundation and then the pipe manufacturer end cap or deflector. I believe the stove to be clean, I purchased a small shop vac just for cleaning the stove and I do it every couple days. (I didn't clean it that often when I first started using it.) The flame is good, it was lazy when the door leaked but now its good.

 

[Doocrew]

Don't sell it yet, the stove elves are on the job. First, give us more detail on the set up, so we can target the issues there, BUT, your stove should not be producing "soot" in any quantity to leave deposits on the interior in another room on another floor from the stove. Got to clean the burn up first. That's why folks are asking about your air supply. If your flame is lazy, like a slow burning campfire, you need more combustion air. The flames should be active and their should be some observed active with a few dancing pellets in the burn pot. You should read through the stickies at the top and get a good sense of the best case burning.

Important to any used stove install is, get the stove clean.... Clean it again, and then one more time. You don't know what the previous owner's routine and cleanliness processes were. Build up of ash and crud in the stove will stop it from properly working, and no tweaking will overcome the problems.

BTW, we might be grumpy sometimes, but we still love ya Welcome.

Wow! I never expected this kind of a response...Thank you all! The stove is vented as follows: forty five out of the stove straight up the wall 3 feet then a forty five through the foundation and then the pipe manufacturer end cap or deflector. I believe the stove to be clean, I purchased a small shop vac just for cleaning the stove and I do it every couple days. (I didn't clean it that often when I first started using it.) The flame is good, it was lazy when the door leaked but now its good.

What are you using for a filter on that shop vac Captain?

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

You also need to be certain that the filter on the vacuum is a hepa one, other wise you just shoot the crud you vacuum up right back out.

Then you need to be certain that you follow any cleaning devices with the vacuum otherwise you are just letting ash and its ilk loose in the air to be sucked up and blown through out the house by the convection blower.

You also need to make certain you do not open the door a lot when the stove is running as doing so will disturb the ash and once again you will see it blown around the house by the convection blower.

Then we come to any dust that you allow to accumulate in the convection air system, it will also get blown around the house, some of it can even be charred before being blown around the house.

Now let's discuss what happens when you pour pellets into the hooper, yup that is correct those fines also will get picked up and sent through the convection system, some even getting charred on the way.

Now, I sit several hundred feet from the nearest road and try as I might I can't stop crap entering the house from the cars going by.

In short, once you get the burn cleaned up, you really need to watch out how you clean and fill the stove.

 

[captainmt3]

It's whatever came with the shop-vac. Theres a foam one with a cloth type cover over it.
Also this stove did not call for an outside air source. However it does have a place in the back on the lower part where the room fans are for a filter!

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

What comes with a shop vac isn't always a hepa filter. You are looking for a drywall one, the really really fine one.

 

[littlesmokey]

OOPS! That vac is now a dust gun. Go back to the store with the model number and an extra filter, if you have one, and get a HEPA rated filter. They pick up and trap the smallest particles, which are now floating through your home

 

[Doocrew]

It's whatever came with the shop-vac. Theres a foam one with a cloth type cover over it.
Also this stove did not call for an outside air source. However it does have a place in the back on the lower part where the room fans are for a filter!

Well, problem solved. Now go out and get yourself a HEPA filter.

 

[jtakeman]

Nice detective work Doocrew!

Been there, done that(still remember the look I got from the wifey). Got to use the hepa or drywall dust rated filters. Most never notice the fine ash coming out the vac until its all over the house.

 

[Doocrew]

Nice detective work Doocrew!

Been there, done that(still remember the look I got from the wifey). Got to use the hepa or drywall dust rated filters. Most never notice the fine ash coming out the vac until its all over the house.

Thanks. The minute I read the post I had my suspicions. Probably would have happened to me if I had not spent hundreds of hours on this site learning all about pellet stoves.

 

[littlesmokey]

Wait a minute, we aren't done yet. Re-read the original post. This doesn't have anything to do with the black outside walls, or less than optimal burn. You folks who specialize in vacuum and filters and leaf blowers can take a rest for now.

 

[jtakeman]

By the way Welcome Captainmt3!

Oops, Sorry littlesmokey your right. See that now. The vac should help the inside. Now on to the outside.

Probably best to snap some pictures so we can see the vent setup. Knowing what brand the pipes are would also help. Also discribe how you sealed them. The 6500 also has gaskets on the little clean outs doors. How are there condition?

 

[Doocrew]

Yeah, I missed that. One problem solved and on to another!

 

[captainmt3]

OK Guys....but the dirt on the vacuum filter is grey...the soot on the inside of the house is BLACK!

 

[Doocrew]

Yup. That is normal. Guess you will have to trust us on this one. Stop using that Vac without a HEPA filter and your problem is solved.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

OK Guys....but the dirt on the vacuum filter is grey...the soot on the inside of the house is BLACK!

Funny thing about what it looks like in the vacuum and what it looks like on other surfaces.

How about posting a picture of your outside venting so we can see what it looks like.

 

[smalltown]

I agree that installing a hepa filter will help keep things a lot cleaner. I'm with J-takeman and others saying that a photo of your install/venting would be great help. Your stove can't be burning right, if it was you would have a good fire and no soot at all on the outside of you home.

We are all rooting for you captain so hang in there!

 

[BobMac]

See this is a used furnace ussc had problem or you could say factory defects.


Where excess sawdust was leaking from the auger shaft opening and landing on the hot exhaust blower housing which charred and turned to soot.
might want to try installing outside air and sealing all pipe joints