Do you empty out your hopper at the end of the burn season??

First season burning with a pellet stove. I'll be cleaning both stoves myself this weekend. I was wondering if anyone leave their hopper full of pellets or empty it out to vacuum in preparation for next burn season. Does it make a difference? Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Frist season here myself but I plan on emptying the hopper and then I'll place a container of damp-rid inside both the hopper and also the ash pan. Hopefully that will slow down rust buildup. Oh, and I think a lot of people spray the inside of the stove with Pam cooking spray.

I won't empty the hopper, I don't see the point in it.

Dave

I burn 'em out so I can clean and vac completely...and I'm worried of what our summer humidity will do to them.

Emptying the hopper and the auger is part of my end-of-season clean-out routine.

Nope

I do a good cleaning on the fire box, vent and the mechanical cabinet, then wash the glass really good.

Many times I will go ahead and "lay a fire" (add pellets to the pot)

Sooooo, if we get a sudden cool day that requires a fire, I just grab the propane torch and set it off.

I use nut shells in my stoves and have never cleaned the hopper or auger.

Snowy

I don't fill the hopper nor empty it, will give the stoves a complete cleaning. This is just me and been doing it this way for the past 15+years.

i empty mine or run it empty then do my annual and put an opened box of baking soda in the hopper and anothe rin the burn pot.

i live in a humid climate in the summer, now if i lived in a dry climate i probably wouldnt worry about it. i suspect summertime humidity could be a factor as to the benefits of leaving fuel in versus clearing it

Yep.. Damp Rid in the hopper and Ash Pan here also. Empty the hopper and clean, clean, clean, and maybe even paint. . . . (Firebox that is)

I empty the hoppers and run the augers dry. If I don't, in the humid area here those pellets will swell and lock down the auger. Snowy doesn't have to worry with her shells (read jealousy into this ) It doesn't take long to empty it and why take a chance of having to pull the auger next fall?

Don't empty the hopper. If it happens to run out then its empty.

No damp rid or anything like that.

Don't even plug the vent on my vertical install.

I do plug the vent on my basement install.

Good actions to protect your stove. Esp. Important if your stove is in a basement where summer moisture is often an issue. I agree, clean, clean and more cleaning. Plug the vents. The DampRid really does a good job. I set one container in the hopper and one on the burn pot. Do what you can to protect your hard earned investment.

I got a nice cap for my venting that fits snuggly. Thanks to another forum member! Ill take my "nozzle" off and put the cap on also. Just to try to fend off rust for as long as possible.

Yes I clean out the whole stove, the hopper,pipe, inside and out, but I am a bit picky about keeping my stoves clean anyway. Remember a clean stove always works better than dirty one.

I would empty the hopper if you're in a humid environment so the pellets don't absorb moisture.

In 14 years I have never emptied the hopper, unless it happens to be empty. Never an issue, fires right up in the fall. YMMV depending on stove? I do throw a desiccant pack left over from electronics packing in the burnpot to minimize rust. So far I have remembered to take it out before the first fire.

Usually run it til it's empty then vac out the hopper as part of
the rest of the season end cleaning.

I do the same as many of you. Use up the remaining pellets, clean up any loose pellets and dust and ash. Complete year end cleaning. Leave the hopper empty until the first burn of the fall. First cool night, load the hopper, light up, enjoy.

I heard the Mad Dog takes out each pellet individually, dusts it off, counts and catalogs each one, then puts in an airtight storage container with damp rid of course and then puts the container in his climate controlled pellet storage vault!!

Don't forget to unplug your stove to avoid lightning strikes....

yes i empty it. its part of my major cleaning i vacuum all the fines out also.

I run the hopper empty prior to season end cleaning. I remove the stove from my OAK & vent and cap them with baggies & rubber bands. After a thorough cleaning I place a large desiccant container in the hopper with some wadded newspaper and do the same for the burn pot. The first summer I owned the stove I just cleaned it without removing the vents (no desiccant either) and wound up with rust. I live in the humid Midwest.

Do you burn the pellets out of the hopper or move them to a hod? Wouldn't humidity negatively effect the pellets in the hod just as it would affect them in the hopper?

But, if the pellets get soggy, they clog up the auger and the hopper; makes a real mess to clean up!

DEFINITELY empty out the pellets. If you can put the stove in "test" mode, it'll empty the auger of pellets, too. If you can get to the flue pipe outside, cover it with a plastic bag or a rag (I've pulled birds nests & bees nest out). At the end of the season, I, too put a container of Damp Rid in the ashpan. You can also spray the entire inside of the stove with WD40. Helps keep the rust at bay.