First major clean out of the season, and how to build a easier to clean stove.

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Status
Not open for further replies.

buildingmaint

Feeling the Heat
Jan 19, 2007
459
Oil City PA
First major clean out of the year , no more of a pain now then in the past. But why don't they design a pellet stove you can take apart so you can do a better cleaning job? Or at least give access to behind the burn chamber, no those little doors don't give me enough room to get any thing easily behind them. But I dream.
 
I disassemble the guts of my m55 every 3 weeks for a thorough cleaning, adds 20 mins or so to the normal cleaning time.
 
My pet peeve with cleaning the PDVC is lack of access to the room blower. I cut a hole in the side so I don't have to remove the blower to clean it. I cut a piece of sheet metal slightly larger than the hole, painted it, and just siliconed it over the hole. Also I don't have to remove stove from venting (move the stove) to clean it. just pry off the panel with a screw driver, get out the toothbrush and 1/4 inch suction hose and get it clean.
 
Some Harman's have a removable back wall as do many England's.... makes it easy. But most dealer's don't tell their customers about it....

Geez... watching this video almost made me drink the Harman Kool-Aid!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBUfkD-GiaE
 
Easy to clean ash dump, don't know maybe if they kept the electronics and such sealed off, and built a drain in the thing you could flood it with warm soapy water once a week, let it sit for a bit and flush it out with more warm water, hey maybe Eric will add that to his perfect pellet stove design and self washing, self flushing pellet stove (errr, ash dump).
 
krooser said:
Some Harman's have a removable back wall as do many England's.... makes it easy. But most dealer's don't tell their customers about it....

Geez... watching this video almost made me drink the Harman Kool-Aid!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBUfkD-GiaE

Krooser, Does the P-43 have the removable back wall? I never paid attention when cleaning if it did or not. If so I need to do it next cleaning!! Thanks.
 
buildingmaint said:
First major clean out of the year , no more of a pain now then in the past. But why don't they design a pellet stove you can take apart so you can do a better cleaning job? Or at least give access to behind the burn chamber, no those little doors don't give me enough room to get any thing easily behind them. But I dream.

My stove has a couple cleanout holes and two removable doors. I can just see the opening to where the exhaust blower is through the cleanouts. I grabbed a three foot piece of 5/8 garden hose and duct taped it to the hose of my ash vacuum. I can snake the hose through the cleanout hole and get back by the exhaust blower where there is another nice place for ash to pile up. The hose can snake around behind the back wall of the stove fairly well also. Its not the prettiest piece of equipment ever invented, but it makes it easier to get into the nooks and crannies.
 
francis.g said:
I disassemble the guts of my m55 every 3 weeks for a thorough cleaning, adds 20 mins or so to the normal cleaning time.

Just curious what "guts" you are talking about? Do you mean taking out blowers and such or just the firebox accessories/ baffle plates? Just wondering if I should be doing more than what I'm doing. Did the leafblower trick today and it worked like a charm!
 
dw06 said:
Krooser, Does the P-43 have the removable back wall? I never paid attention when cleaning if it did or not. If so I need to do it next cleaning!! Thanks.

Nope. Just a single fire brick.
 
whlago said:
francis.g said:
I disassemble the guts of my m55 every 3 weeks for a thorough cleaning, adds 20 mins or so to the normal cleaning time.

Just curious what "guts" you are talking about? Do you mean taking out blowers and such or just the firebox accessories/ baffle plates? Just wondering if I should be doing more than what I'm doing. Did the leafblower trick today and it worked like a charm!


so far I have only disassembled and cleaned the fire box, its so easy to do on the m55 you don't even need any tools.

I am planning to remove and clean the fans at the end of the season.
 
"Geez... watching this video almost made me drink the Harman Kool-Aid!"

Ill bet your kool-aid wont freeze if you stuck it outside Kooser! :lol:
 
I also did a major cleaning today. I was thinking of adding a 3" Tee w/ cleanout to the pipe of my insert. I'm concerned that there might not be enough room behind the stove and also assume that I'll need to rotate the combustion blower 90* from top to side venting. Has anyone done this and is it worth it for easier cleanings? My chimney cap is pretty high and not easily accessable so the leaf blower trick isn't easily done.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.