Integra requiring constant burn pot dumping

[Nuggets]

I've burned almost a ton of pellets so far this season, and have found that if I run my Rika Integra at more than 60% (no thermostat), after about 6-8 hours I have to shut it off and dump the "cookie" out of the burn pot. If I don't, the combustion fan starts blasting at maximum level, which is loud enough to wake me up at night. Is there anything I can do about this? I have the fan setting at "FU2" per the dealer, which provides additional combustion air, and when the burn pot is clean, the fan noise is minimal, but after several hours it gets to a pretty ridiculous roar. The cookie isn't a clinker, it's firm but not rock-like, and will break up when I stab it with my scraper.

I see all these posts about people not cleaning their stoves for days on end, and am trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong - I have to clean mine 3x a day. The ash buildup isn't huge, just the burn pot - I reduced the self-clean cycle to every 30 min from 45, but it hasn't been cold this week, so I don't know if that helps. I'm burning Ozark Hardwood pellets, if that makes a difference.

Any advice? Thanks

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

I've burned almost a ton of pellets so far this season, and have found that if I run my Rika Integra at more than 60% (no thermostat), after about 6-8 hours I have to shut it off and dump the "cookie" out of the burn pot. If I don't, the combustion fan starts blasting at maximum level, which is loud enough to wake me up at night. Is there anything I can do about this? I have the fan setting at "FU2" per the dealer, which provides additional combustion air, and when the burn pot is clean, the fan noise is minimal, but after several hours it gets to a pretty ridiculous roar. The cookie isn't a clinker, it's firm but not rock-like, and will break up when I stab it with my scraper.

I see all these posts about people not cleaning their stoves for days on end, and am trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong - I have to clean mine 3x a day. The ash buildup isn't huge, just the burn pot - I reduced the self-clean cycle to every 30 min from 45, but it hasn't been cold this week, so I don't know if that helps. I'm burning Ozark Hardwood pellets, if that makes a difference.

Any advice? Thanks

When did you last clean your vent system and how many bags of pellets ago was that?

 

[Nuggets]

The stove was just installed this summer, so this is the first ton I've burnt - I'm about 40 bags through. It's vented directly through a solid brick wall, 36" up from the stove exhaust opening, 18" over at a right angle.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

The stove was just installed this summer, so this is the first ton I've burnt - I'm about 40 bags through. It's vented directly through a solid brick wall, 36" up from the stove exhaust opening, 18" over at a right angle.

How is the ash amount coming out of those pellets and is it heavy dense ash or light fluffy stuff?

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Check to make certain that nothing has been placed to block the air intake, and then humor me by going outside and checking the end of the venting, usually there is a wire guard over the vent to prevent birds and other small animals from crawling in and setting up housekeeping. If your stove is cycling on and off frequently it will become plugged by ash blown out during shutdown. Also while there remove the termination cap and see how much ash has built up in the horizontal portion of the venting.

Remember that venting is very hot and this is best done with the stove off and cold.

 

[Nuggets]

It's pretty fluffy ash - it's not as dense as the stuff that will fall out the bottom of the pot, but not as fine as the stuff that collects under the heat exchanger tubes. Every time I take out the burn pot, I vac up the chamber beneath it, and I just stuck my hand as far as I could under there, and there were a few little crumbs, but not enough to block airflow. I just looked at the exterior, and the outside is clear - there's no cap, just wire mesh over the exterior. A little black creosote buildup on the vent itself, but nothing on the wall.

It's almost as if I need something to just stir up the burn pot every once in a while and break up the denser ash - it seems like the bottom holes in the burn pot get blocked by the cookie, so maybe the unit isn't sensing enough airflow as a result. Maybe the auto-clean setting needs to be more like every 20 mins? I did pick up another ton of pellets last weekend, these are Somersets, so I wonder if that'll make a difference.

I appreciate the help - I don't know anyone else that owns a pellet stove, so this site has been an invaluable resource!

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

It's pretty fluffy ash - it's not as dense as the stuff that will fall out the bottom of the pot, but not as fine as the stuff that collects under the heat exchanger tubes. Every time I take out the burn pot, I vac up the chamber beneath it, and I just stuck my hand as far as I could under there, and there were a few little crumbs, but not enough to block airflow. I just looked at the exterior, and the outside is clear - there's no cap, just wire mesh over the exterior. A little black creosote buildup on the vent itself, but nothing on the wall.

It's almost as if I need something to just stir up the burn pot every once in a while and break up the denser ash - it seems like the bottom holes in the burn pot get blocked by the cookie, so maybe the unit isn't sensing enough airflow as a result. Maybe the auto-clean setting needs to be more like every 20 mins? I did pick up another ton of pellets last weekend, these are Somersets, so I wonder if that'll make a difference.

I appreciate the help - I don't know anyone else that owns a pellet stove, so this site has been an invaluable resource!

Hold on, there is no cap ???.

Can you take a picture, there must be something to prevent the wind from directly entering the venting or rain from coming down the venting.

If your stove has an auto clean system and it has been doing its thing I'd really start to wonder about the pellets you have. The ash should have been blown out of the burn pot unless your stove is a gasifier. In which case you may have to change the cycle time for the cookie cutting and drop.

If that venting is 3" pellet vent and after removing the termination cap there is a layer of fine ash more than 1/8 of an inch the venting needs a cleaning.

I may be way off here but after 40 bags of unknown to me pellets and the pot build up, I'd start looking for things like ash in the plumbing or loose latches and bad gaskets, etc ....

 

[Nuggets]

I'll take the cap off and poke around in the horizontal part, but I'd think if the issue was there, it'd be blowing rough all the time, wouldn't it? I was thinking I need some magical spoon or something to stir the pot every once in a while. When the current hopper runs out, I'll burn a bag of the Somersets and see if they make a difference - the Ozark pellets are a lot bigger, and maybe that affects things.

Here are some photos - note that the first time this was installed, the installer didn't silicone together the pieces going through the wall, which is the reason I have the smoke marks on the interior:

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

God help you if that isn't a jet cap as any time a really strong wind comes at it you are going to have burn trouble.

Venting into the wind can be a major issue without the proper termination and venting into the prevailing wind is advised against in almost every installation manual.

Can you verify the size of your venting as being 3" or 4" inside diameter?

 

[Nuggets]

The wind pretty much only blows across the front of the cap, but I can definitely see where even that'd be a problem. I should probably get some sort of termination cap - something like this possibly?

My installer had some talent, it seems. Wonder if the burn pot issue is related.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

The wind pretty much only blows across the front of the cap, but I can definitely see where even that'd be a problem. I should probably get some sort of termination cap - something like this possibly?

My installer had some talent, it seems. Wonder if the burn pot issue is related.

What ever passes for a horizontal termination cap by the manufacturer of the venting you have, they are not interchangeable.

Yes all kinds of talent and yes that can be part of your problem if the wind has been coming from that direction.

And the more of an ash load the more of a problem it will be.