Help with St. Croix Pellet Stove?

[Csst]

Ok this unit i bought brand new and it was installed yesterday now i own the same model down in my basement and the one in the basement runs great!! Now the problem im having is the guy who installed it (Which was a profess. installer) said you dont need to install a air kit but i told him i had one in the basement and rather be safe than sorry so he said that fine i'll install the kit for you well someone told me about the pencil trick with the stove i have in my basement which worked perfect!! But this stove seems to be doing the samething having a little black build up on the glass on the sides not really bad but a little that wipes right off. but i notice some of the pellets overflowing into the ash bin below. Now i try to open the damper using the pencil but didnt seem to help much this time with mt new unit. i turn the unit off and cleaned it out and notice a large build of ash inside the tray where the pellets drop into when its burning there was quite a bit any advice on how i can stop the little bit of black buildup on glass and help stop the pellets from overflowing? here a quick vid below of my pellet stove setup pretty basic run just go straight outside.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nle-KYexw0s

Thanks
Chris

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

How about starting by making that OAK a nice graceful bend and making it shorter as well. Nothing like restricting your air intake before the damper.

What is on the outside for additional venting? Got to know whats there, we are very nosy on this forum aren't we?

Is your vent 3"? Just so I can do a quick EVL check.

How is the OAK protected from critters on the outside? I'm looking for an airflow restriction. A number of shields can act as a closed damper.

Does your OAK terminate below your vent and how far from the end of the vent is the OAK termination? You don't want to suck oxygen depleted air and soot into the air intake.

That should do for now, you might want to check your door gaskets even though the stove is new, funny things happen when stuff gets shipped or moved.

 

[Csst]

Hello Smokey and thank you for the reply and yes its a 3inch pipe i also bent the OAK so its a little smoother.. Not sure if you remember but you helped me out a while back with the same unit in my basement i bought another unit for my upstairs im hoping you can help me solve this problem im having i cleaned the unit out again and made a few adjustments.. Who knows maybe its surpost to look like it does tell me what you think?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ayTs88gXrU

PS i have 2 more vids uploading now.. give me 2 mins

 

[Csst]

Here another Vid smoky of the outside?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaUKVtivXBU

 

[Csst]

Also Smokey i notice too inside i can see i little bit of black smoke inside? not a really lot but i do see some.. is this normal? also what do you think i should set my damper at?

 

[Csst]

Sorry for all the post here my last vid? tell me what you think it just seems like there alot of black inside my unit not like my other one downstairs..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsvUe-AQnNY

 

[Wi Thundercat]

One thing to check is that the clean-out rod for the burn pot is pushed all the way in.
What number is the stove set to in the last video?

 

[Csst]

Yep i made sure both rods are all the way in.. Also it just seems to me that there alot of black buildup inside the unit like on the back walls of the unit? is this Normal? Also if its not normal how do i correct this? does the damper need to be closed more or open more ect? I always have it set at setting number 4

 

[Wi Thundercat]

Mine will do it slightly at start up and then seems to disapear shortly after. Seems closing the damper on a pencil is still the best way to set the damper.
Looking at your video, your flame does not look as brisk as mine does( a liittle lazier). Might want to see where your damper is at and shut it a little at a time and see if it helps.

 

[Csst]

Ok i'll redo it now again just to see but i didnt have the greatest luck this way becuase seemed like the pellets were overflowing into the bottom bin i would say by after about 12 hours of burning on setting 4 i would have enough unburned pellets to fill maybe a half of a Dixie cup

 

[Csst]

Do you know what causes the black to build up on the walls on the stove? Also on a side note not sure if it matters but the installer said to me you really don't need the air installed but i told him i would rather have it he said that is fine and he did.. Do you think i should have not installed it?

 

[Wi Thundercat]

I find very few unburnt pellets in my ash pan. Think most have bounced out of the burn pot when dropped.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Well first off there should not be any smoke from any venting inside the house. You need to either seal the venting or if it is a bad seam replace that piece.

I still don't like all of the turns in that OAK, an OAK is technically venting and should be a short as possible with the fewest turns that does the intended task.

Continuing with the vent is there a sight rise in the horizontal portion of the vent and is the vertical portion true plumb left to right and front to back.

Your EVL has to be close to the limit for 3" pipe, you might want to check your manual. But I'm seeing red on two of the calculations and a big right at the limit on the third. Likely I'll catch it from some of the other folks that calculate it but such is life.

It is too soon to tell after your last adjustment if things are any better.

 

[Csst]

By looking at what you see does it look normal or abnormal to you?

 

[Wi Thundercat]

IMHO You are better off with the outside air hooked up! This could also be the brand of pellets you are burning, what are they?

 

[Csst]

See thats the problem i dont know much of anything about these things? i just know the pipe goes straight out like you see in the inside vid and goes right out and up and back down.. Also you think i should cut back that OAK pipe down? i dont see that being to hard? its a very small run of pipes i do know that? As far as that black soot from the pipe i did call them on that today waiting for a call back from the company. What do you think it causes the black smoke i see inside the stove its not alot but i can see it on the top right side and seems like the black buildup on the wall of the stove? not sure what to do to correct this?

 

[Wi Thundercat]

Smokey, does his flame look a little lazy to you? I have about the same stove and my flame seems to dance more with taller, narrower licks. Also on #4 mine is reaching the baffle under the tubes.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Black soot generally occurs on low burns where there is a lack of air and not enough heat.

The controllers are basically tuned to run at a "normal" firing rate and they fall down on the job when running a low fire and some times even a high fire.

It is critical that your venting doesn't contribute to the situation, to much restriction in the vent system is equivalent of not enough air and thus produces a bad burn with all of the same problems as a mis set damper. Pellet pile ups, clinkers, black everywhere, crud all throughout the stove, a pile of the same questions on hearth.com every 6 hours or so etc ....

Remember the OAK is the input air's equivalent of the venting system for the exhaust.

 

[Csst]

Im using Green Team pellets.. they worked great for my same unit downstairs!! This drives me crazy how about smokey Wi come drive down here and look at this..lol Should i cut the tube down you think?

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

I tend to not mind a flame that runs a bit more to orange than other folks, but the flame should tend more to bright yellow than orange, there also should be blue at the base of the flame and the pellets should wiggle in the pot.

I never try to judge from pictures posted on here because if there is any discoloration on the stoves glass, or the camera aids and abets incorrect color renderings, there are other light sources that light off, or even reflection of wall colors on the glass.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Well you could just put that termination on your outside venting where the Tee is.

That would really cut the EVL down to within spec no matter which book one uses.

ETA: No way this Bear is going anywhere, have animals that have to be tended. I never get further away than a few miles during the winter.

 

[Wi Thundercat]

I guess i was refering to the flame shape and movement more than the color. On my st.croix the flames start to look fat and lazy also with too much air, short and lazy without enough air.

 

[Csst]

This has to be the most frustrating thing ever!! lol well here the leastest vid of the flame.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hIV79pPxGE

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

I tune strictly by color and absence of black tips, too many different flame patterns due to burn pot differences.

Csst has another unit to reference in his house for flame quality.

But he has a very touchy vent set up. Something as simple as the vertical not being plumb or no slight rise on the horizontal, or one less turn in the OAK could make that flame stand up.

 

[Wi Thundercat]

Only other thing i can think of, are both of the latches on your ash pan latched tight?