Leaf Blower Trick
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Smudge88
Member
I always give the stove itself a good cleaning before I use the blower. The blower gives it the final touch I.M.O.
jtakeman
Minister of Fire
BXpellet said:
I do it after the full cleaning. I use it like the vacuum for the stuff I can get. Leaf blower for the hidden places you can't get to. I pull my stove completely apart and scrape, brush and vacuum everything then reassemble. Next I brush the vent from the outside. Hook up the blower and have the wife at the stove door(to open and close a few times). I do leave my vacuum switch hose disconnected. I don't want to damage my switch. Even after my cleaning I still get a good cloud from my clean stove. Where it comes from? All the hidden places you can't get to.
I would at least brush the vent first to help loosen the big stuff.
OK, I did that for the first time yesterday, cleaned the stoveout and the pipe, but when I hooked up my leaf blower, I was disappointed by the lack of ANYthing coming out. Did I do that good of a job cleaning or did Ido it wrong?
ChandlerR
Minister of Fire
Jay, I never thought of pulling the hose off the vacuum switch. It's a "can't hurt" precaution.
Like you, I do it after the full cleaning. I don't think the leaf blower has enough pull to get heavy ash buildup but it certainly has enough to get what's left after the cleaning.
Chan
Like you, I do it after the full cleaning. I don't think the leaf blower has enough pull to get heavy ash buildup but it certainly has enough to get what's left after the cleaning.
Chan
jtakeman
Minister of Fire
CWR said:
Hey chan
It helps clean out the hose and fitting that way. I don't think there is with many leaf blowers. But my little toro will almost suck the doors closed. You actually have to tug a little to break the seal to open the door when its running. I don't want to chance it. I don't know what the rated max vacuum is for the switch(I am sure there is). Safest way I know of it to disconnect it!
All the safety first stuff at work has worked I guess!
jay
Just cleaned with the leaf blower cleaned inside of stove first then hooked the leaf blower up and wow that was my first time cleaning that way worked very well.I didn't use duct tape to make a seal though got a rubber fernco coupling clampped it to the blower then to the pipe worked great. Its so cold out figured the tape wouldn't hold anyways
UncleAnthony
Member
I use the leaf blower after a very thorough teardown & cleaning.
I am still absolutely amazed at what comes out afterward ! I hold the leaf blower on for
about 10 minutes, then seems to be clean.
The stove runs super after that !
I am still absolutely amazed at what comes out afterward ! I hold the leaf blower on for
about 10 minutes, then seems to be clean.
The stove runs super after that !
krooser
Minister of Fire
jtakeman
Minister of Fire
OK I read a lot of post saying the leaf blower trick works very well. I have a St. Croix pellet stove. How do you hook this up to suck the dirt outside? Surely you don't blow it in from the outside exhaust pipe and it goes all through your house!! Also I routinely clean out those 2 ash clean outs on left and right side but I did not know there was 3!! You say there is one behind the ash pan? Mine is burning black and wild high fire on #3. I am going to clean it tomorrow. Has anybody ever heard of these pellet stoves catching on fire? Catching your house on fire?
Thanks for everbodys response. I have learned a lot from everbody
Thanks for everbodys response. I have learned a lot from everbody
Absolutely clean the stove first. Why run the leafblower, and have crud that's stuck in the ash traps still. Clean everything, vacuum as much as you can get to, and let the leafblower get the rest.
SmokeyTheBear
Minister of Fire
61snowrider said:OK I read a lot of post saying the leaf blower trick works very well. I have a St. Croix pellet stove. How do you hook this up to suck the dirt outside? Surely you don't blow it in from the outside exhaust pipe and it goes all through your house!! Also I routinely clean out those 2 ash clean outs on left and right side but I did not know there was 3!! You say there is one behind the ash pan? Mine is burning black and wild high fire on #3. I am going to clean it tomorrow. Has anybody ever heard of these pellet stoves catching on fire? Catching your house on fire?
Thanks for everbodys response. I have learned a lot from everbody
The leaf blower trick requires that your leaf blower also be a leaf vacuum.
You use the vacuum side of things to suck the ash out your vent after doing normal cleaning, such as ash traps, blowers, baffles, heat exchanger, burn pot, vent brushing, etc ... .
krooser
Minister of Fire
Use your brains please,
Take your stove apart.
Use the leaf blower to blow our your disconnected exhaust flue from inside your house
Take your stove outside. Open the door and hook the blower to the exhaust port on your stove
If you need more info let me know
Take your stove apart.
Use the leaf blower to blow our your disconnected exhaust flue from inside your house
Take your stove outside. Open the door and hook the blower to the exhaust port on your stove
If you need more info let me know
U definately want to suck not blow.
Not too many house fires with these stoves. Only one's I've heard of involved burn backs into the hopper (in exceptional circumstances) and totally improper exhaust vent connections that caused overheating and transmission of the fire into improperaly insulated walls.
Not too many house fires with these stoves. Only one's I've heard of involved burn backs into the hopper (in exceptional circumstances) and totally improper exhaust vent connections that caused overheating and transmission of the fire into improperaly insulated walls.
Wait....you mean standing in the living room blowing into the stove isn't the proper way to clean it?
That explains the upset wife.
That explains the upset wife.
becasunshine
Minister of Fire
=/ We have a horizontal direct vent exhaust that I can reach from outside. After I pull the sides, pull the motor,pull the two little ports in the back of the firebox, the baffles, the pot, vacuum everything out from the inside including what I can reach of the exhaust vent, I put everything back together. Then I take the Shop Vac outside. I put all three extension wands on the hose and vacuum up to the 45' elbow behind the stove.
I just finished doing that, as a matter of fact. Second time this season. We haven't burned two tons yet, but I promised myself I'd do The Big Clean three times a year: in the fall after our early burn season before we hit the big burn season, in mid-winter and then again at the end of the burn season in the spring.
Hello, my name is Cinderella and I'm addicted to cleaning my pellet stove.
Anyway, we do have a leaf blower but it seems like I'm getting it plenty clean with the Shop Vac, vacuuming the exhaust port from both ends. Whatdya think? Good enough?
Napoleon NPS40
Last season: Hamer's Hot Ones with a few bags of Lignetics mixed in
This season: O'Malleys
I just finished doing that, as a matter of fact. Second time this season. We haven't burned two tons yet, but I promised myself I'd do The Big Clean three times a year: in the fall after our early burn season before we hit the big burn season, in mid-winter and then again at the end of the burn season in the spring.
Hello, my name is Cinderella and I'm addicted to cleaning my pellet stove.
Anyway, we do have a leaf blower but it seems like I'm getting it plenty clean with the Shop Vac, vacuuming the exhaust port from both ends. Whatdya think? Good enough?
Napoleon NPS40
Last season: Hamer's Hot Ones with a few bags of Lignetics mixed in
This season: O'Malleys
Sounds like your doing a very thorough job. The leaf blower, or should I say sucker, is a man thing that is done mainly to see a big plume of black soot shooting into the environment.
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