Forgot to reinstall the flame guide after cleaning tonight

[mark d fellows]

Since it was warm today and it had been cold for the last week, I decided to give the stove it's initial cleaning and after I was done and had shut the door and went outside for a minute the stove came back on.

It started after only five minutes but when I looked in, I notice the flame looked kind of funny. So I got the flashlight out to look at it and realized I had left the flame guide in the empty ashpan before I closed the door. I didn't know what to do so I shut off the stove in hopes that the combustion fan would keep running and not feed any more pellets so I could wait for the flame to die down and put the flame guide back on.

Since the stove wasn't warm enough yet, the combustion fan when out and the stove started to back up with smoke.

Well crap, that won't work, so I turned the stove back on and at first the fan didn't come back on as the stove didn't continue its lighting cycle.

So then I had to turn the temp back up and the combustion fan came on.

I grabbed an oven mit and picked the flame guide out of the ash pan and put it on the top of the burn box. However, the burn pot was now stuffed with un burnt pellets and it took me a couple tries to get the guide back on.

Good thing oven mits are flame retardant, and the glove came up to nearly my elbow cause the flames were rolling around the glove as I tried to put the guide back on.

I am not sure what would have happened if I just waited a while to put it back on. Would the pellets have overflowed the sides?

Would the flame try to back up into the auger? I don't know. The hopper was closed tight as always so probably not I guess.

The Flame guide could just be for cosmetics, I don't know.

The stove is clean, lit and running, and the guide it back on now. I guess I will know in the future not to put the guide in the ashpan while I do one last brush off.
From now on, I will do as I usually do, and put it in a conspicuous place like blocking the door.

On another note, I found some rust on the steel parts. Not sure what to do about that. Kind of like an exhaust system?

Mark

 

[slow-al]

Glad things woked out OK, I keep welding glooves on hand for such things, I never though of the flame rolling ot at me though, going to have to look for a longer gloove.

Doesn't opening the hopper stop the auger?

Any witnesses, or can you deny it ever happened?

 

[mark d fellows]

Opening the hopper probably would have shut down the auger but I wanted to keep it sealed as I didn't know what would happen without the flame guide. Like If the flame would try to back up into the hopper. I probably should get some elbow length fire retardant gloves for the occasional oops. The oven mit worked, but I should have something better.

I could have probably just left it off and kept the door shut and it would have been fine. I had the stove installed with at least a five feet vertical section to create draft, but didn't want to chance it.

No real danger I guess, just a moment of confusion as to what to do. All though I wasn't frantic or anything, the oven mit was probably a little hasty but I didn't think I could hold the flame guide with my leatherman and scoop the un burnt pellets out of the way in a coordinated movement so I just used the oven mit and let the flames roll around my 'protected' fingers. It didn't get hot at all.

Thankfully, there were no witnesses to my carelessness here at home. The only ones who know about it are you guys.

It's all good now, but it was an easy, yet stupid mistake to make. I can't believe I am the only one who has ever done this. I guess that is what I get for cleaning it at night after a long day at work.

Oh well, lesson learned.

Mark

 

[tinkabranc]

If it makes you feel any better, you are not the only one that has forgotten to
put the flame guide back on after cleaning.

I have done the same thing a couple of times but realized it just before firing up
the stove back up....so far. ;-)

 

[Clay H]

forget the pricy gloves, take an old dish towel, wet it good and lay it over the burn pot...fire gone, problem solved.