I had my Breckwell P2000i full of Greene Gold pellets yesterday, the stove was turned off all day as it was mild outside. We also had several inches of rain with heavy wind. I started the stove last night and it seemed to run fine but when I stirred the hopper this morning I noticed a LOT of sawdust mixed in with the pellets. My only guess is that water/moisture got in through the chimney liner. Any ideas? I'm fairly new, so any thoughts would be appreciated...do I need to empty out the hopper and vacuum the sawdust or just let the auger move it to the burnpot with the pellets?
Pellets in the hopper turned to sawdust.
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SmokeyTheBear
Minister of Fire
djs_net said:
I can't answer the question about whether to attempt running the stuff through the auger (depends upon what a lot actually is), but you need to make absolutely certain that your liner is properly installed and the cap properly sealed. Sounds like an installation issue to me.
I put a call into the installer, we'll see what he says...
I assume there must have been significant water to make the pellets break down into sawdust, more than just moisture. It REALLY rained hard with heavy winds yesterday.
What I don't understand is how water got into the hopper? I could see it getting into the liner cap but then I think it would collect in the base of the stove and not the hopper.
I assume there must have been significant water to make the pellets break down into sawdust, more than just moisture. It REALLY rained hard with heavy winds yesterday.
What I don't understand is how water got into the hopper? I could see it getting into the liner cap but then I think it would collect in the base of the stove and not the hopper.
SmokeyTheBear
Minister of Fire
djs_net said:
It is likely coming down around the outside of your liner and onto the top of the insert, from there it likely can get into the hopper.
Are the pellets expanding and breaking up? Or are you just finding a large amount of sawdust in one area?
Pellet's that have lots of fines will tend to deposit in one area of the hopper. While your stove runs and creates an inverted volcano look, it may reveal the large deposit of fines. I sift my pellets for this reason. Some people say they "Pinch" the corner to stop the fines. If you pour a bag of pellets thats heavy in fines out slowly, the fines come out for the duration of the entire bag. Even if it has very little fines, it will still be throughout. Pour it very slowly and what the little particles.
If its the pellets that were once whole, that are turning into sawdust?? Then you do have problem. Just dont know how water would get into the hopper. Unless the pellets were already wet?
Pellet's that have lots of fines will tend to deposit in one area of the hopper. While your stove runs and creates an inverted volcano look, it may reveal the large deposit of fines. I sift my pellets for this reason. Some people say they "Pinch" the corner to stop the fines. If you pour a bag of pellets thats heavy in fines out slowly, the fines come out for the duration of the entire bag. Even if it has very little fines, it will still be throughout. Pour it very slowly and what the little particles.
If its the pellets that were once whole, that are turning into sawdust?? Then you do have problem. Just dont know how water would get into the hopper. Unless the pellets were already wet?
SmokeyTheBear
Minister of Fire
DexterDay said:
Dexter it is an insert, they are noted for getting wet when not properly installed. If the water comes down the inside of the venting the combustion blower gets a mess of crud to deal with, on the outside of the stove's venting but still inside the chimney it usually hits the top of the stove which gives it access to the hopper.
It looks like the mystery is solved.
One of the reasons that I became interested in getting a pellet stove was to make use of my fireplace which I haven't used recently because one of my chimneys has settled, pulled away from the house and cracked. I don't have an extra $20K laying around to completely rebuild it, so the stove is just the trick to get cheaper heat and make use of the fireplace with an insert.
It looks like the water is leaking in above the stove from where the chimney has pulled away from the house. I rigged up some flashing a few yrs ago but it never really got sealed properly. I'm having it professionally fixed next week and hopefully that will be the end of water leaking on top of my stove.
One of the reasons that I became interested in getting a pellet stove was to make use of my fireplace which I haven't used recently because one of my chimneys has settled, pulled away from the house and cracked. I don't have an extra $20K laying around to completely rebuild it, so the stove is just the trick to get cheaper heat and make use of the fireplace with an insert.
It looks like the water is leaking in above the stove from where the chimney has pulled away from the house. I rigged up some flashing a few yrs ago but it never really got sealed properly. I'm having it professionally fixed next week and hopefully that will be the end of water leaking on top of my stove.
ShizzelDizzel
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