Cold weather < than 20 degrees and stove Performance

[Doug Doty]

No lights, nothing, it looked a bit crazy but you know how young river rats are I done all that stuff when I was young too...good memories. They just parked at the dock, went up town for a while and came back and headed across the river back home I assume.

 

[bags]

We've all been there in the looking back and thinking, Damn that was stupid! I almost ran over a small boat at night like that once in my Formula. No lights, they were Cooter Brown drunk, and such. I wasn't going fast at all. I don't in the dark. If I would have they would have been dead. Scary! I was right up on them and thought I saw something and they were yelling out last second. Two clowns out on about a 14 footer. OD green to boot.

A lot of people are out fishing at night without lights.

 

[alternativeheat]

I see exactly where you are with this. That fresh oxygen rich air is not so oxygen rich if it's sucking in the warm oxygen depleted exhaust gases. Now is it? Kinda like running a hose off of the car's exhaust to preheat inside the car. Not real smart when it comes to things needing good oxygen.

Your analogy is in use in cars ( and more recently diesel trucks), it has been since 1969. Manufacturers and EPA stuff. Anyway EGR systems (Exhaust Gas Recirculation systems), takes some unburned gasses and runs them back through the intake for a second pass at combustion. This, crankcase ventilator recirculation, catalytic converters all lead to less power, less fuel efficiency. Performance robbers. Added to that is hot air recirculation into the intake and lastly Ethanol all reduce fuel mileage and power for the sake of clean air. Clean air not being a bad thing mind you, I like to breath too. Just saying.

 

[F4jock]

Looks like you answered your own question.

 

[alternativeheat]

To the OP: Might I suggest you clean a bit more often ? I mean why wait for inefficiency to set in with your stove, catch it on a regular scheduled cleaning cycle on your terms instead of the choked up stoves terms.

I hope you cleaned the vent, sometimes we tend to kind of blow that detail off around here ( some do anyway)..
Enjoy your new found heat !!

 

[bags]

To the OP: Might I suggest you clean a bit more often ? I mean why wait for inefficiency to set in with your stove, catch it on a regular scheduled cleaning cycle on your terms instead of the choked up stoves terms.

Good explanation on the recycling spent air above. Also, Doug has a very good grasp of what's going on with his stove and performance but his issue is that in order to do a really good deep clean he has to unhook his stove and roll it outside in order to do so which is no doubt a major PITA for starters and then to add insult to injury it is very cold outside where he has to do that. I think he is going far beyond in willingness to keep his stove running optimally. He is now trying to figure out things to achieve same results while it remains in place. I know zilch about his stove so I can not offer much in the way of suggestions. Anyone have any good ideas?

 

[F4jock]

Good explanation on the recycling spent air above. Also, Doug has a very good grasp of what's going on with his stove and performance but his issue is that in order to do a really good deep clean he has to unhook his stove and roll it outside in order to do so which is no doubt a major PITA for starters and then to add insult to injury it is very cold outside where he has to do that. I think he is going far beyond in willingness to keep his stove running optimally. He is now trying to figure out things to achieve same results while it remains in place. I know zilch about his stove so I can not offer much in the way of suggestions. Anyone have any good ideas?

Modify the installation such that the vent can be cleaned for general maintenance purposes while the stove is inside and do the major pull in the summer. You don't have to do a complete teardown every time.

 

[bags]

You don't have to do a complete teardown every time.

He hasn't until recently but noticed the output in decline. He is running a USSC 5660 and there seems to be many nooks and crannies with in depth cleaning to keep it performing well. The setup of being able to blow and suck these stoves out seems to be the answer. Key is to not dust the living areas like the Mount St. Helen episode so a little reconfiguring to be able to do so might be an option. Dunno?

 

[Doug Doty]

Well the jury is back in and the cleaning helped the heat output and in fact it is back to the highest levels + that I have ever seen. As said previously I check 2 specific places on my stove top on a regular basis but only when running on high for over an hour or more on high, and use these two temperatures as reference as to heat output. It is not direct heat output but relative to it and easy to test. Good and Bad heat making pellets show up fast this way. When I get crappy pellets I know it and when the stove needs deep cleaning I know it NOW. My clumpy ash buildup is seeming to be my pellets now and I am testing alternative pellets tonight for heat output and to see if the clumping and quick buildup goes away over the next 24 hours. If my results are what I hope for I am going to try to return the unsealed 2 pallets of the ones I have to their source and buy two more ton from the new source this week.

In closing I started this thread with questions and commenting that the forums were full of performance complaints and I really believe it is in a large part due to we are now at a time of the year where many of us have burned 1.5 to 2 ton of pellets and our stoves are just not as clean and moving air like they do when new or after a real serious cleaning like many people do at the end or beginning of the season and that is at least the, or part of the answer to most peoples comments about ...... " My Stove Is Not Heating like It Used to " It is likely dirty

My heat Exchangers were coated in soot and insulating them from the same thermal transfer we all get when our stoves are REAL clean. In my case mine is designed to do a half arsed feel good cleaning but it takes a lot of probing and blasting with air pressure in places brushes won't get to, to do a REAL good Job. It might be possible to get enough vacuum on the flue pipe with a good big well sealed leaf blower next time for a good cleaning. We'll see. I wanted to do a real good cleaning in order to get good information about what was going wrong on so I had to wheel it outside this time. It was easy for me, I shut down, pull the flue pipe off and throw a Refrig. cart under it and the door is right beside the stove, 2 minutes after shut down and I am outside getting after it and in 45 minutes I am in the shower.

If you don't have bad pellets and your heat output is down then chances are your stove could be cleaner than is is.

 

[F4jock]

Hal and Louie!

 

[Doug Doty]

Only half way, still clumping

 

[F4jock]

I'm trying TSC pellets, Indek. So do they. Switch. Lignetics and Blazers don't. . .

 

[Doug Doty]

Our TSC pellets around hear are all FEP Hardwood or another generic looking Arkansas based pellet with no info other than a website address that leads you to believe they are hardwood, zipp nadda nothing. I am trying the FEP pellets tonight. they had both in the store and a 3rd. kind earlier in the season. TSC stores just bring in what ever they can get regionally.

For what it is worth and it has only been maybe an hour and I am already measuring 225 and 250 degrees on my stovetop compared to last night after cleaning at 210 and 225 average. They are burning with a consistent strong flame and are HOT !! compared to any I have used. Ash buildup results will have to wait till tomorrow.


For what it is worth, they are cat approved...