Creosote Remover

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RKBAGUY

Feeling the Heat
Sep 29, 2013
291
Milford, PA
Do any of you use a creosote remover for your pellet stoves? If so, which one would you recommend?
 
Burn your stove on high for a few hours. Enjoy! No need to pay for marketing claims.
 
So the "chemical reaction that catalyzes creosote" and makes it easier to remove is BS?
 
Do any of you use a creosote remover for your pellet stoves? If so, which one would you recommend?
I just had a post last week for same problem.
Most of it was in the lower ash pan area... black, sticky, etc....All over the inner walls.
Probably from too long of a low burn..[shoulder season now]
Put my Harman on Stove temp mode/ 75 degrees for couple hrs..
Now all I have is a light gray, powdery ash to brush away and vacuum.
as someone posted earlier,
No Need for chemicals.High Heat disolves it all.
 
So the "chemical reaction that catalyzes creosote" and makes it easier to remove is BS?
why pay extra for it when a hot fire will do the same thing?
 
So the "chemical reaction that catalyzes creosote" and makes it easier to remove is BS?
Don't know.. Never used it and never will.. not needed.
just do the high heat thing.
if it's too warm, open windows like I did.
 
Burn your stove on high for a few hours. Enjoy! No need to pay for marketing claims.
Huh? Yeah okay!! So if I run my PELLET stove hot it will burn off the glass? I'll have to call BS ON THAT ONE! Even with my raging Harman blasting on the glass, that's not cleaning squat off the bottom where it builds. That ain't happening

To the original poster-- AW Perkins KRYSTAL KLEER Hearth Glass Cleaner. Works wonders on all degrees of build up, whether in your wood or pellet stove. Easy peasy spray and wipe.
 
Do any of you use a creosote remover for your pellet stoves? If so, which one would you recommend?

There better NOT be creosote in a pellet stove, EVER!

Eric
 
I just use magic eraser for the glass ... works great..
 
creosote is a formation from incomplete combustion and low temperature. i suspect the only way one would have a lot of it would be due to a lot of bounders (pellets bouncing outta the pot) where they may "cook to combustion" in the ash pan or other areas outside of the air pathway or possibly an air leak allowing too much cool air into the burn chamber cooling the exhaust present there below 211F.
 
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There better NOT be creosote in a pellet stove, EVER!

Eric
Exactly! The only thing needing cleaning is soot buildup on the glass, in which case the above mentioned creosote product works great. But to need to burn off creosote in a pellet stove would signal there is some problem in the system and they should probably not be using it. NEVER have I needed to do any more than brush off the fly ash and clean the pathway of soot.
 
Not sure about you guys, I get a resinous buildup on my glass, and I've seen photos of it from other members here who also have it happen and have their own methods of dealing with it from straight edge razors to elbow grease. Thus, I conclude what I'm seeing is not 'fly ash', and if it's on the glass, then it's elsewhere, coating the combustion burner impeller and other surfaces.
 
Not sure about you guys, I get a resinous buildup on my glass, and I've seen photos of it from other members here who also have it happen and have their own methods of dealing with it from straight edge razors to elbow grease. Thus, I conclude what I'm seeing is not 'fly ash', and if it's on the glass, then it's elsewhere, coating the combustion burner impeller and other surfaces.



is it a "tacky" substance? if so does your unit utilize an "airwash" system that uses unheated air?
 
is it a "tacky" substance? if so does your unit utilize an "airwash" system that uses unheated air?
I believe he has an integra,sucks air from outside,top of center glass.Long low burns will put nasty stuff on the glass,esp. with cheap pellets.Just crank stove up above 1/2 for 30-50 minutes before shutdown,clean glass with damp paper towel dipped in ash.Been doing it for years on mine.This year started to finish cleaning the glass with the rutland cleaner with silicone(thanks to this forum) and the glass stays cleaner longer,and easier to clean next time.Some years back let integra go out after burning low a long time,and glass was sticky,learned my leason,crank stove up 2 times a day.However now I am running latest eprom,glass is cleaner,and as it kicks itself up once and hour,have had less problems with glass residue sticking.
 
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I just had a post last week for same problem.
Most of it was in the lower ash pan area... black, sticky, etc....All over the inner walls.
Probably from too long of a low burn..[shoulder season now]
Put my Harman on Stove temp mode/ 75 degrees for couple hrs..
Now all I have is a light gray, powdery ash to brush away and vacuum.
as someone posted earlier,
No Need for chemicals.High Heat disolves it all.
I believe he has an integra,sucks air from outside,top of center glass.Long low burns will put nasty stuff on the glass,esp. with cheap pellets.Just crank stove up above 1/2 for 30-50 minutes before shutdown,clean glass with damp paper towel dipped in ash.Been doing it for years on mine.This year started to finish cleaning the glass with the rutland cleaner with silicone(thanks to this forum) and the glass stays cleaner longer,and easier to clean next time.Some years back let integra go out after burning low a long time,and glass was sticky,learned my leason,crank stove up 2 times a day.However now I am running latest eprom,glass is cleaner,and as it kicks itself up once and hour,have had less problems with glass residue sticking.
Cheap pellets...Green Supreme (burning them off) always dirties the glass. Watching GS burn is like watching fireworks...stuff blowing off all over.
 
IMHO
Time, temp or Air (combustion air) can lead to incomplete combustion and creosote formation. For it to form in a pellet stove is not normal. Inadequate combustion air is the most likely cause. Smoldering pellets that missed the burnpot could be it like Mike said. It could be dampened down too much, negative pressure in the home, not enough combustion air being drawn in by the draft fan. The gases that are formed during Pyrolysis are not being burned off more than likely by not having enough air mixing in with those gases. Now in very rare cases too much cool air entering the combustion chamber (also as Mike has stated) can slow/stop complete combustion by cooling the fire so that those gas vapors don't reach ignition temp (some over 1100 degrees). that would be the two reason (Air and Temp) for it to form in the combustion chamber. As far as time, if those gases aren't allowed enough time in the chamber they exit to the venting too fast then cool within the venting and form creosote on the exhaust end.

*Edited for spelling mistakes
 
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