First time leaf blower this weekend!

[rickwai]

If you just leave the door open on most stoves you wont pull any vac on the switch.

 

[DonD]

I was thinking of getting this one: Homelite. It's not much more than half the price of the Toro. Anyone try it? Does it work as good as the Toro? The Toro has more CFM but I wonder if it's worth the extra cost?

That's the one I use, the HomeLite works perfectly, and the bottom flips right up so you can insert a PVC adapter to fit your PL vent pipe. You can buy a PVC 5" to 4" sewer adapter and it'll fit around your 4" pipe almost perfectly. I used mine this past Spring and not too much ash came out, most of it was white/gray in color, not the thick black stuff I've seen in videos on YouTube. Last year was my first year of burning, had about 1 ton through the stove, so that's probably why the leaf blower didn't suck out as much ash as it could have had I burned 2+ tons.

So I picked up the Homelite blower but I'm having trouble finding an adapter that will connect it to my 4 in vent.

Chris - can you post a link to or better yet a picture of exactly what you used? I've been to Home Depot twice and Lowes once and found nothing that matched your description. I can probably make this work but if you found something better it'll save me the trouble of having to trim this one down to size to fit into the blower.

NIBCO 4 in. PVC DWV Coupling

 

[nhredbird]

Wouldn't it be easier to just leave the door propted open?
So it won't pull an extreme vacume?
As well most have an OAK?

 

[jtakeman]

Actually, I leave the door open. Go out and start the blower. Once its going I hussle back into the house closae the door and let it build vacuum. Then open the door again. I can usually see and hear more ash heading outside. I repeat until its clean.

One reason I disconnect the vacuum switch. I don't want to wreck it if the vacuum gets to high!

 

[imacman]

Actually, I leave the door open. Go out and start the blower. Once its going I hussle back into the house closae the door and let it build vacuum. Then open the door again. I can usually see and hear more ash heading outside. I repeat until its clean.....

Let me add that with the cpm stove that nhredbird has, after you remove the fiberboard "brick" panel and the firepot, the back walls are steel and you can give the steel some decent "bangs" with a small hammer while the blower is running.....you'll get even more ash out that way.

 

[MacP]

I have a Harman P61a and I was wondering where this tubing or switch that everyone keeps talking about. I'm thinking about doing it tomorrow before we get blasted with frigid weather.

Should I just try it with the door open?

 

[krooser]

I'm going to try to hook up a vacuum gauge to the stove the next time I do the LBT... I suspect there isn't enough vacuum to do any component any harm.... after all these stoves are not airtight and, at least in my case, the connection at the vent pipe and the leaf blower is less than tight.

 

[mepellet]

I have a Harman P61a and I was wondering where this tubing or switch that everyone keeps talking about. I'm thinking about doing it tomorrow before we get blasted with frigid weather.

Should I just try it with the door open?

I have the same stove and was hoping to find out where the tubing is also.
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/86662/
Noone pointed me in the right direction to find the tubing so if you find out could you kindly post the answer? I just haven't had time to dig around with the back covers off to search for it yet.

 

[RKS130]

If anyone knows where the vacuum switch is on the Accentra FS and whether the LBT poses a danger to it, I'd appreciate hearing about it. Also, I have an old (15 years) Craftsman gas powered blower/vac. Any reason not to use that?

Much obliged.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

If anyone knows where the vacuum switch is on the Accentra FS and whether the LBT poses a danger to it, I'd appreciate hearing about it. Also, I have an old (15 years) Craftsman gas powered blower/vac. Any reason not to use that?

Much obliged.

Check page 25 in the manual for the location of the vacuum switch in your stove. There are light blue and white wires leading to it.

 

[RKS130]

As always, many thanks Smokey (both for the information and for not making me feel like an idiot for not checking the manual first!) Happy burning in 2012.

 

[jeffd3889]

I tried this after doing a thorough cleaning and i cant believe what came out. Not as much as some of the videos but it was well worth the effort. Easy to do now that i have the adapters so I plan on doing it after each ton. Thanks everyone for their posts.