Seems Like there is a blockage

Hi all, it has been a long time and my "old Whitfield" is still running. (1993) I cleaned my stove today, completely. Firebrick, baffles removed, and the leaf vac to thoroughly clean pipes. Vacuumed blowers and oiled.

What I have noticed that it seems the exhaust pipe outside isn't blowing out as usual. And tonight it seems the flame is not as high. The flame is dancing, and there are what I call " sparkles" rising when pellets drop. I did notice a few weeks ago, a small rumble in one of the blowers. Not all the time, just once in awhile. With not feeling the exhaust, like I use to, wondering if blowers are heading south, or what else I can check. Snowy Rivers ? Smokey?

Thank you!!
JWade

One more thing I have noticed about starting my Whit up. Seems it takes a bit longer to get a nice flame, outside exhaust still hasn't the flow of air coming out as usual.( again only at start up) After a bit of time flame is back to normal, and exhaust is flowing normal as well.

Jwade.

Motor going bad or the impellers building up with residue.

Sounds like it could be a number of things.

Then as Bioburner stated there is likely some build up on the blower's impeller and if it is there there is likely some crud between the blower cavity and the firebox, time to open it up and get the brushes and vacuum out and do a deep cleaning from the ash traps out to the end of the vent while you brush off the impeller (be sure to have the gasket or gaskets before doing this.

Follow it up with a good dose of the leaf blower treatment.

There are a lot of smart folks here, who will chime in shortly. Once I did a head to foot cleaning of my stove in the basement which is an up and out. After finishing with the outside, came back in and started the stove to a really poor flame, shut things down and started over. Turns out when cleaning the outside I pushed a bunch of ash back down the pipe and plugged the clean out tee. A leaf blower is in my future.

I have been heating with pellets for 20 years in two houses, and have learned more here this winter, than in the previous 19.

Thanks for responding I understand about crud between the blower cavity and firebox. I did have a few bags of pellets that were simply awful. I will take your advise first thing in the morning. I usually do a head to toe cleaning once a month on my old Whit. If you remember Smokey, I wrote a few years ago wanting to replace my Whit because I thought at 17 yrs, it was time. It was a logic board, and have had no problems since.
Bioburner, thank you, my Whit, now 19yrs, doesn't owe me a thing, and she can have new blowers. Arnold18, you are so right! There are so many smart folks here.

I still think the old Whitfield is a work horse!! Thanks again for ideas.

Truly grateful,
Jwade

Gave my Whit the works this morning. Blowers seem better. I didn't remove motors because I didn't have gaskets on hand, and when I called the local stove place in Harford County, they pretty much tell me I need to replace the stove.

Anyhow, start up was better, and the flame is great. Thanks again. I'll post after I remove the blowers.

When you are cleaning the stove and have the firebrick off to clean out the ash traps remove the burn grate adapter plate and pull out the ash traps themselves. They are held in by two screws each and can be a bit of a pain to remove but that will let you get into the exhaust passages behind the firebrick and ash traps. Shove a vacuum hose in through those and clean out there too. My Whitfield was having issues with it's burn, not terrible, just not up to it's usual levels and after giving those a good cleaning this weekend it is back to burning like it usually does.

Yep MountainSean, gave my Whit the super clean today, plus a leaf blower treatment!! ( the best) My stove is 19yrs. and I believe nothing runs like an "Older Whitfield" stove. I learned of the leaf blower trick two years ago on this page.

Long Live The Whitfield