Help with my Prescott EXL stove! Not burning well at all!

[mooney]

Hi folks - I wonder if the braintrust here can help me out. I have a St. Croix Prescott EXL stove that has been running great all year long on about the #3 setting.

Lately, it's been colder and I've had it on the #4 setting. I'm seeing so much more black smoke / soot on the window and the sides of the firebox. The flame is a lazy orange and it just doesn't look like it's getting enough combustion air. I've opened the combustion air inlet as wide as it can go. I left the stove on the #4 setting and cleaned and scraped the firebox at about 11pm. By 7am, the burn was so poor that pellets had backed up the feed ramp and it was and awful mess.

I cleaned it out again, making sure it was all set before re-firing the stove. Now I'm seeing the same black sooty / poor burning conditions on the #3 setting. I left the stove on this morning around 10 and I've just returned home about 5 and it's once again, backed up the feed ramp with pellets and black and sooty.

The only thing I can think of is that I've just reached the bottom of the pallet of pellets that I've stored in the basement. Is it possible that they are more humid than the bags on the top?

Help!

 

[jtakeman]

About how much have you burned ton wise?

Sounds like its starving for air. Probably time to do a full cleaning including the vent. Most here like the leaf-blower trick to get the extra crap out of there stove.

Search leaf-blower, You will See what I mean.

jay

 

[mooney]

Hmm, I'm probably through a ton so far this year. I'll look for the leaf blower trick, thanks!

 

[Xena]

If you wind up having to do a full cleaning, this
thread will help you alot. Different model but
still a St Croix stove and the principals are the same.
Gd luck! https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/45319/

 

[imacman]

Hmm, I'm probably through a ton so far this year. I'll look for the leaf blower trick, thanks!

Just cleaning & scraping the burnpot isn't a real good cleaning, Mooney. What you described is classic "dirty stove" syndrome. After a ton, the ENTIRE stove and pipes need to be cleaned, including removing AT LEAST the combustion blower for a thorough cleaning/scraping/wirebrushing, and also the convection blower. I'm guessing that there are ash traps that you've never had open or cleaned 100%.

All of the above things need to be done BEFORE doing the leafblower.

 

[jtakeman]

Hmm, I'm probably through a ton so far this year. I'll look for the leaf blower trick, thanks!

Just cleaning scraping the burnpot isn't a real good cleaning, Mooney. What you described is classic "dirty stove" syndrome. After a ton, the ENTIRE stove and pipes need to be cleaned, including removing AT LEAST the combustion blower for a thorough cleaning/scraping/wirebrushing, and also the convection blower. I'm guessing that there are ash traps that you've never had open or cleaned 100%.

All of the above things need to be done BEFORE doing the leafblower.

Thanks for correcting me macman, Thorough cleaning first then leaf-blower to get what you can't see!

I would also remove the hose from the vacuum switch if you going to use the leaf vlower. Just in case. Don't want to hurt the switch.

 

[krooser]

geez you guys are schmart!

 

[jtakeman]

geez you guys are schmart!

I think its all your fault too! :lol:

 

[mooney]

Hmm, I'm probably through a ton so far this year. I'll look for the leaf blower trick, thanks!

Just cleaning scraping the burnpot isn't a real good cleaning, Mooney. What you described is classic "dirty stove" syndrome. After a ton, the ENTIRE stove and pipes need to be cleaned, including removing AT LEAST the combustion blower for a thorough cleaning/scraping/wirebrushing, and also the convection blower. I'm guessing that there are ash traps that you've never had open or cleaned 100%.

All of the above things need to be done BEFORE doing the leafblower.

Thanks MacMan. My normal cleaning is at least once a week, shut down the stove, vaccum out the whole thing including the ash traps on each side behind the little metal flaps.

I'm going to take out both fans and run a brush up inside each of the ash pan cleanouts. Will report back on how that goes.

 

[imacman]

.....vaccum out the whole thing including the ash traps on each side behind the little metal flaps.

Get some 1/2-3/4" rubber hose about 2 ft long, and tape it to the smallest vacuum tool you have so you can snake it all around inside the ash traps too. Also, banging on the metal walls of the firebox with a small hammer will help loosen a lot of crud that gets heated and stuck up inside the ashtraps too.....you'd be surprised at how much more falls down doing this.

When you get the combustion blower out, scrape/wirebrush as much of the fan box insides as you can too.

Not sure what kind of exhaust setup you have, but this has become one of my favorites to get the pipes clean:

www.northlineexpress.com/itemdesc.a...le&kw=5GA-RLE202&source=froogle&kw=5GA-RLE202

 

[mooney]

Wow... just holy crap wow....

I feel like I just got my PHd. in Pellet Stove Cleaning.

Ok, removed both the combustion fan, and the other fan as well (We'll call it the room air fan...)

So the combustion fan was pretty well caked with black soot. See here:

And here:

So much buildup that the soot was touching the bottom of the impeller. Well I scraped it all off, used an air compressor to blow out all the gunk and scraped some more. Here's the cleaner version:

And here:

The room air fan was fairly caked in dustbunnies, so another long few shots of compressed air and the shop vac and it was clean to go.

I have to say, the thing that surprised the hell out of me was ho much I got to fall into the ash traps when I shoved a long tapered brush up there. My god, it just kept coming, never in my wildest dreams did I think there was that much up there.

So it's all back together now and the flame is roaring, bright orange and tons of motion.

I'll have to go and pickup a $30 blower and try the leaf blower trick soon as well.

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate all the help

 

[jtakeman]

mooney,

Nice work! Glad you are back going good again.

Keep it clean it will keep you warm.
jay

 

[Xena]

Great job cleaning that fan in the pic!

 

[mooney]

Thanks Jtakeman and Xena, it was fun and I learned a lot!

 

[magsf11]

Had almost the same problem with my stove. frist time in 3 yrs I had any typ of problem. This past week I replaced my door gasket, tore apart both fans, and stuck a rod up the ash traps. did not know about the rod in the ash traps to get all the ash out, a ton came out. work like a charm now. was up till 130 am doing all of that.

 

[jamesdjs]

Wow... just holy crap wow....

I feel like I just got my PHd. in Pellet Stove Cleaning.

Ok, removed both the combustion fan, and the other fan as well (We'll call it the room air fan...)

So the combustion fan was pretty well caked with black soot. See here:

And here:

So much buildup that the soot was touching the bottom of the impeller. Well I scraped it all off, used an air compressor to blow out all the gunk and scraped some more. Here's the cleaner version:

And here:

The room air fan was fairly caked in dustbunnies, so another long few shots of compressed air and the shop vac and it was clean to go.

I have to say, the thing that surprised the hell out of me was ho much I got to fall into the ash traps when I shoved a long tapered brush up there. My god, it just kept coming, never in my wildest dreams did I think there was that much up there.

So it's all back together now and the flame is roaring, bright orange and tons of motion.

I'll have to go and pickup a $30 blower and try the leaf blower trick soon as well.

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate all the help

You'll be amazed at how much more ash will come out when you use the leaf blower.

 

[gnewlen]

I am new to all of this but I bought a new house last fall and it has a pellet stove that was already installed. I found out the first time I went to use it that the previous owner hadn't cleaned it when the ash pan was still half full. The first thing I did was go to Lowe's and buy the smallest shopvac there ($19). Great idea. Then I came home and tore what I thought was the whole thing apart and clean it. So it burnt alright for a while and then started burning just as yours was. Very frustrated for a month. Thank god I found this site today, all of the comments on here were a big help. And I did use the leaf blower,WOW. sO i just refired the stove after a proper cleaning and what a difference. Who knew the flame would look like this. Thanks guys for the great pointers.

 

[schoondog]

When your stove looks good......... You look good!!

Schoondog

 

[magsf11]

the guys/gals in here are great. I had problems with my St. Corix this yr with the vac. and the responce i have recived it unbelivable. if you can find out how to retreive older post about st croix the info is helpfull I learned a lot this month. happy heating.