Piazetta Sabrina

[Wes Nesbitt]

Hi Pascal,

I have a Piazetta Sabrina which I bought last year. This is my first foray into the pellet stove world. I would like to get some info on the type of pellets I should use - hardwood or softwood and which company manufactures the best pellets for this unit. I live in Ontario and last I used numerous brands but Curran hardwood/softwood mix seemed to perform best.

The most annoying part of this stove is having to clean the burn pot each day as it fills to the top with hard ash after a few hours burning. I clean the burn pot, ash tray, the glass and vacuum the inside of the stove. Also the major cleaning as suggested by the owner's manual. I obviously need a manometer if I want to get this stove working at peak efficiency. I use a remote to operate this unit which I find very convenient.

I have a 3" vent which goes up 70" to a 90 elbow through the wall and protrudes out 18" beyond the outer wall and 24" from ground level. This stove is installed in my basement. I suspect with the burn pot filling up so fast it must have a negative effect on the overall performance. At this time setting the temp and blower speed with my remote is about the level of my expertise. Obviously I need to get my ass in gear and learn how to make this unit perform to max efficiency.

Thanks.

 

[Lake Girl]

You do not mention whether you have an OAK ... fresh air intake. From what I understand, dealer should have set-up with a manometer. Need to get his butt out there to set it up properly... as he should have at install.

 

[Bioburner]

Welcome to the site. Hopefully you will get an answer or two. The burn tray filling seems to be a lack of proper exhaust fan setting to help blow out the ash. I have a Ecoteck Elena and is a good pretty stove IMO but is a bit needy in the maintenance dept but the other stoves in house are one ton per full cleaning.

 

[velvetfoot]

I recall several threads on that make, for example:
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/anyone-with-a-piazzetta-sabrina.140220/

 

[Wes Nesbitt]

You do not mention whether you have an OAK ... fresh air intake. From what I understand, dealer should have set-up with a manometer. Need to get his butt out there to set it up properly... as he should have at install.

Dealer said I didn't need an OAK and I did not see him use a manometer on set-up unless he did it before delivery. We'll have to get his butt over here to solve this problem before the cold weather comes. Thanks for your reply

 

[Lake Girl]

Looked at the EVL (equivalent vertical length) which sits around 13 from what you describe. EVL over 15 recommends that 4" venting be used so you should be OK there. What other air handlers are resident in your basement ... furnace, clothes dryer, radon mitigation system, bathroom fans, etc? How old/airtight is the home? This will affect the burn as it could be starved for combustion air which the OAK would mitigate.

How frequently do you clean the venting? Not sure about the specifics of the Sabrina but standard practice is after every ton burned.

Let us know how you make out...

Edit: Manometer should be used at your house not before delivery as each installation will be slightly different.
Multiple elbows in install could allow for more ash being trapped at those points so cleaning venting will be more important to burn quality.

 

[Wes Nesbitt]

Looked at the EVL (equivalent vertical length) which sits around 13 from what you describe. EVL over 15 recommends that 4" venting be used so you should be OK there. What other air handlers are resident in your basement ... furnace, clothes dryer, radon mitigation system, bathroom fans, etc? How old/airtight is the home? This will affect the burn as it could be starved for combustion air which the OAK would mitigate.

How frequently do you clean the venting? Not sure about the specifics of the Sabrina but standard practice is after every ton burned.

Let us know how you make out...

Edit: Manometer should be used at your house not before delivery as each installation will be slightly different.
Multiple elbows in install could allow for more ash being trapped at those points so cleaning venting will be more important to burn quality.

Have an oil fired furnace in the basement but it is never operating at the same time as the pellet stove. Talked to the dealer today and he will be visiting me when the weather is cool enough to run the stove.

Any idea where I might obtain a technical manual for the Sabrina, I sure would love to get my hands on one.
Thanks for all your input, I'll keep you informed if anything new develops.

 

[Lake Girl]

Reason I asked about the OAK is that part of the ash build-up in the fire pot may be due to diminished supply of air required for combustion. May find improvement in burn with an OAK.

Are your basement stairs or areas around the stairs drafty feeling?

 

[Wes Nesbitt]

Reason I asked about the OAK is that part of the ash build-up in the fire pot may be due to diminished supply of air required for combustion. May find improvement in burn with an OAK.

Are your basement stairs or areas around the stairs drafty feeling?

This is an 1800 sq. ft. house with R50 in the ceiling and R20 in the walls. Haven't noticed any drafts in the basement

 

[Lake Girl]

For the sounds of it, you have a very energy efficient house ... likely very low air infiltration. You really need to consider installing an OAK as that may be your biggest problem with the hard ash build-up.... section 1.2 in the manual below (page 5).
http://www.piazzetta.com/files/8413/4990/4395/manual_sabrina_E.pdf

 

[Wes Nesbitt]

For the sounds of it, you have a very energy efficient house ... likely very low air infiltration. You really need to consider installing an OAK as that may be your biggest problem with the hard ash build-up.... section 1.2 in the manual below (page 5).
http://www.piazzetta.com/files/8413/4990/4395/manual_sabrina_E.pdf

I neglected to tell you that I have a HRV unit that runs in the winter which should compensate for any extra oxygen I need. I have an owners manual but I understand that there is a technical manual available but I'm not sure how to get one, Pascal or |Chicken may be aware of how to get one. It seems that they mentioned it in one of their threads. Thanks for all your suggestions and assistance.

 

[Lake Girl]

Haven't seen Pascal or Chicken for a while but it may just be that it's summer...

 

[drshaws]

We're getting a Sveva installed this Friday. Had a chat with the NE Regional Sales VP about the Sveva/Sabrina twins (same combustion parts, different cladding). He suggested really targeting a good softwood pellet. Using Okies or VT Wood Pellet, he noted a much less frequent cleaning schedule with his own Sabrina install. I've ordered Okie Platinums for this year and hope we have a good result. We're also having an OAK installed.

 

[Wes Nesbitt]

We're getting a Sveva installed this Friday. Had a chat with the NE Regional Sales VP about the Sveva/Sabrina twins (same combustion parts, different cladding). He suggested really targeting a good softwood pellet. Using Okies or VT Wood Pellet, he noted a much less frequent cleaning schedule with his own Sabrina install. I've ordered Okie Platinums for this year and hope we have a good result. We're also having an OAK installed.

After using different brands last year I settled for Curran pellets which are 85% hardwood and 15% softwood, it was a satisfactory mix but apparently a good quality softwood pellet is the way to go. I'm going to be using Le Crete softwood pellets this winter. For anyone in Ontario looking for this brand of pellet they are going to be available in Home Depot.

 

[Lake Girl]

Le Crete softwood pellets this winter. For anyone in Ontario looking for this brand of pellet they are going to be available in Home Depot.

I was in Thunder Bay and saw them in Home Depot there for $5.99 ... a dollar less than I paid for the Spruce Pointes but then they were delivered to my door!