Condition of Heat Exchanger Tubes - Revisited
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This week I inspected the tubes again. The first pic shows a nice layer of fine ash which I was happy with. However after brushing the ash off the layer of black film was on the tubes again....not as bad as last week but it was still there. See pics.
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Sticky brown residue usually indicates a creosote problem. Have you been running the stove on low setting for extended periods? Or could be an air path blockage reducing flow through the stove ("rich" air/fuel ratio)? Last time the stove was taken apart and cleaned inside & out??
Have you tried running the stove on high setting for a couple of hours?
Have you tried running the stove on high setting for a couple of hours?
A little background history.
I burn Hamers Hot Ones
I recently installed an OAK
I did spray the inside of the stove with high temp paint in September (did not spray tubes)
I did the leaf blower trick in September
I clean the stove faithfully (Santa Fe)
I always for the most part burn on high
Venting consists of adapter from back of stove to a 4 inch transition .....horizontally thru exterior wall ...to a tee with cleanout....and then up 4 feet to and elbow and cap.
Stove is only 6 months old. Used during late Feb and all of March last year.
Did not take stove apart and give thorough cleaning because my dealer says that needs to done after burning 2 tons of fuel which I haven't approached yet.
I do get a nice strong vigorous flame ...never lazy flames.
Like I stated before I burn on high 99% of the time and I feel if creosote is forming on those tubes it should burn off.
I burn Hamers Hot Ones
I recently installed an OAK
I did spray the inside of the stove with high temp paint in September (did not spray tubes)
I did the leaf blower trick in September
I clean the stove faithfully (Santa Fe)
I always for the most part burn on high
Venting consists of adapter from back of stove to a 4 inch transition .....horizontally thru exterior wall ...to a tee with cleanout....and then up 4 feet to and elbow and cap.
Stove is only 6 months old. Used during late Feb and all of March last year.
Did not take stove apart and give thorough cleaning because my dealer says that needs to done after burning 2 tons of fuel which I haven't approached yet.
I do get a nice strong vigorous flame ...never lazy flames.
Like I stated before I burn on high 99% of the time and I feel if creosote is forming on those tubes it should burn off.
I plan on doing the leaf blower trick again tomorrow along with Dexter's recommendation of blowing air (150 psi) into the heat exchanger nest while the leaf blower is running. I also plan on blowing the air up the flue.
Xena
Minister of Fire
gerryger said:
I would give it the "thorough cleaning" now anyway.
Some pellets can clog things up in half the time of
a cleaner burning pellet.
Most of us here do a complete cleaning after 1 ton not 2.
The black sticky stuff on the firebrick, where the pellet chute is, also indicates an improper burn. Grey ash should be about the only thing in the firebox. Maybe some brown color on the brick. But definitely not black. The burn is very rich. Even an improper flame height (to big) shouldnt cause that.
Seems there may be another problem. It could be a number of things, but my most likely suggestion would be an air leak, robbing the pot of air.
With your stove, its more important to keep the path clear behind the right firebrick (exhaust). Cleaning that path, along with the combustion blower. Blowing the air to clean behind the tubes will only help with the efficiency of the unit. My stoves exhaust follows the tubes down into the back of the stove (vitally important I keep that area clean).
Have you checked your door gasket yet? Are the 8 little holes (4 front/4 back) in the bottom of the pot clear? How about the gap on the burnpot clean-out? Can you fit a dime in the gap between the pot and the plate? How long is your OAK intake pipe?
Last year I remember some say the OAK was letting high moisture air into the firebox for the burn. Was causing problems with the burn of the stove. Just a thought, seeing how you jist added the OAK. Something has changed.
Seems there may be another problem. It could be a number of things, but my most likely suggestion would be an air leak, robbing the pot of air.
With your stove, its more important to keep the path clear behind the right firebrick (exhaust). Cleaning that path, along with the combustion blower. Blowing the air to clean behind the tubes will only help with the efficiency of the unit. My stoves exhaust follows the tubes down into the back of the stove (vitally important I keep that area clean).
Have you checked your door gasket yet? Are the 8 little holes (4 front/4 back) in the bottom of the pot clear? How about the gap on the burnpot clean-out? Can you fit a dime in the gap between the pot and the plate? How long is your OAK intake pipe?
Last year I remember some say the OAK was letting high moisture air into the firebox for the burn. Was causing problems with the burn of the stove. Just a thought, seeing how you jist added the OAK. Something has changed.
checkthisout
Feeling the Heat
I will compliment you on how obsessive you are about stove cleanlinless and say I think your expectations are a little bit too high. Comparing your stove to mine makes me LOL.
You're not using a wire brush on the tubes are you??
Anyway, to me it just looks nomal but if something has changed compared to what you're used to the it looks like creosote forming due to a not so good batch of pellets.
I suggest buying a few bags of a different species and testing them out to see how much build-up you get.
You're not using a wire brush on the tubes are you??
Anyway, to me it just looks nomal but if something has changed compared to what you're used to the it looks like creosote forming due to a not so good batch of pellets.
I suggest buying a few bags of a different species and testing them out to see how much build-up you get.
checkthisout
Feeling the Heat
imacman said:
Did a full cleaning last year after my first ton.......now I am on next year.....going on my 3rd ton and no full cleaning.
Maybe I'll get me a leaf blower from HD today.
DexterDay said:
I appreciate everyone's replies.
1. Door gasket is brand new due to the fact that my dealer had to replace my entire door because of some cosmetic damage during delivery of the unit back in Feb. He replaced that during the summer.
2. All the holes on the burn pot are always clear and when the burn pot does fill up with ash I always vacuum it out. I do this once a day.
3. There is no gap on the burn pot clean-out. It is really tight and sometimes I have to struggle with it. Definitely can't fit a dime in there.
4. The OAK is about 3' long with very gradual bends.
Looks like the only possible cause to my problem is the lack of space between the clean-out plate and the burn pot. This should be there?? If so how do I adjust the plate.
I also will attempt to do some dis-assembly today and do a thorough cleaning.
Dexter, what do you mean by a "rich burn".
Dont make the gap bigger between pot and plate. I was worried it may be too much space (too much air).
Rich burn is to much fuel or not enough air.
Are you burning the same pellets as last year? Any chance that got some moisture in them?
Like stated above. I would try a different brand of pellet. Everything else seems to be in order. The 1st pic in your 2nd post looks "normal" as far as color. But the black underneath.
Rich burn is to much fuel or not enough air.
Are you burning the same pellets as last year? Any chance that got some moisture in them?
Like stated above. I would try a different brand of pellet. Everything else seems to be in order. The 1st pic in your 2nd post looks "normal" as far as color. But the black underneath.
Checkthisout said:
My first attempt to clean the tubes was with a wire brush but soon discovered that warm water, soap and a sponge works great.
I find it hard to believe that my pellets are causing the problem. I use Hamer's and have never heard anyone complain about them.
DexterDay said:
Thanks for clarifying the burn pot / plate gap. I didn't think I needed to open that up. I am burning Hamers for the first time this year. Last year, since I got my stove so late in the season I burned what ever I could find. This year, I bought 2 tons of Hamers the last week of September and stored them in my basement. I will admit my basement does get very humid during the middle of summer but not late September. The pellets are dry and I haven't seen any clumping of pellets in any of the bags.
checkthisout
Feeling the Heat
gerryger said:
Not to get too technical but I am pretty convinced that what you are seeing is normal creosote.
It's the volatile portion (unburned fuel) that sticks to the tubes first followed by the layer of fluffy white ash which prevents more volatiles from further condensing on the heat exchange tubes.
Some different pellets would help......if they are better than the ones you have now. Or they may make it worse. There really isn't anything you need to do at this time unless you want to try some different pellets. And let me just reiterate that when I say better or worse that I don't think you have a problem that requires any addressing.
Let me also just say that you are absolutely obsessed and will fit in well on this site.
You may be correct about the normal creosote build up. I was happy to see the fine ash on the tubes. There is nothing more I can do. The stove is running great ....putting out great heat....strong vigorous flames.
And YES I am OBSESSED and do love visiting this site.
And YES I am OBSESSED and do love visiting this site.
flynfrfun
Minister of Fire
I agree...unless it was a black gooey mess you shouldn't worry. It doesn't look that way to me. Looks like normal ash buildup. My tubes are painted black and are steel, so they always look black. I do use a brush and clean around them, but only ash falls off from them. Never do have any creosote. I believe there is a difference between creosote and black ash. I think creosote is kind of shiny in appearance and hard or crusty. I think some people on here mistake black ash for creosote although I'm no expert on the matter.
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