Something is clogging my exhaust pipe!!

[Pellet-King]

Tried to fire my stove up which i haven't since last friday, well the auger wont drop any pellets, i have a Whitfield Advantge 2 T, my stove is clean, my pipes are clean, removing the pressure hose i instantly got pellets dropping, well ok you might think his pipe is clogged with ash...well it isn't!!
Took off pipe looked inside T nice and clean, while stove is running you can take off pipe which is installed last fall 3" stainless up 20' of chimney with a cap on top, and it drops pellets....well i'm starting to think there something inside my pipe?, went outside in the dark with a flashlight and it looks ok.....do i have possibly a squirel or something clogging my exhaust?

The cap has a center ring and then a pointed cover on top i guess a squirrel could fit in there.....this is really weird and being a cold night cant run my stove!!...GRRRR, birds wouldnt be making a nest this time of year

 

[imacman]

.....removing the pressure hose i instantly got pellets dropping....

Although they seldom go bad, did you try by passing the pressure switch?

 

[Pellet-King]

while stove is running you can take off pipe which is installed last fall 3” stainless up 20’ of chimney with a cap on top, and it drops pellets….

 

[Lousyweather]

Tried to fire my stove up which i haven't since last friday, well the auger wont drop any pellets, i have a Whitfield Advantge 2 T, my stove is clean, my pipes are clean, removing the pressure hose i instantly got pellets dropping, well ok you might think his pipe is clogged with ash...well it isn't!!
Took off pipe looked inside T nice and clean, while stove is running you can take off pipe which is installed last fall 3" stainless up 20' of chimney with a cap on top, and it drops pellets....well i'm starting to think there something inside my pipe?, went outside in the dark with a flashlight and it looks ok.....do i have possibly a squirel or something clogging my exhaust?

The cap has a center ring and then a pointed cover on top i guess a squirrel could fit in there.....this is really weird and being a cold night cant run my stove!!...GRRRR, birds wouldnt be making a nest this time of year

no, but a dead bird would cause a clog......took 6 dead birds out of a pellet stove once, and had a duck in a coal stove as well.....quack!

 

[Bkins]

Ya, they like the EPA certified heat. I've had dead ones in ny furance chimney a couple of times.

David

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

We had pigeons that that spent most of the winter on the chimneys to our two gas fired boilers at our last house. Seems they like a warm toasty hind end when it gets cold. You could have just about anything in that 20' tube. Maybe even a stuck burglar.

 

[krooser]

Try this...

 

[Pellet-King]

Ok....i bypassed the pressure switch i am burning now with a good flame, is the pressure switch work on this stove POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE?

 

[imacman]

Ok....i bypassed the pressure switch i am burning now with a good flame, is the pressure switch work on this stove POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE?

If you mean does the switch work on pos. or neg. pressure, I guess the answer is Pos.......it's designed to shut off the auger if pressure in combustion blower becomes too high (blockage in pipe).

You said the pipe is clear, and clean, but did you check the port that the rubber hose slides onto? These can become clogged too.

 

[Pellet-King]

Port is clean macman .....i've ben thinking for 10 years i had a 6' peice of 3" stainless up my old house flue with a blockoff plate at the damper, i moved so last yr got a 25' flue reline kit and last yr no problems, this year ive smelled smoke in my house and now this, thinking there's a nest or something blocking my flue, i bypassed my presure switch so i fired it up for a 1/2hr and smelled a smoky smell thru pipe air vents in front, shut it down and have to inspect my pipe to chimney for anything inside, bird may of made a nest?

 

[1BadTitan]

What have you come up with? I am having the exact same trouble with my whitfield profile 30...

 

[Pellet-King]

Hooked up a leaf blower on my exhaust pipe, from inside the house my bro-inlaw turned it on as i watched from the outside, some dust blew out the top rain cap and what appears quite a bit of black creosote looking material, this is the first year i used a complete flue liner kit about 20' to the top of chimney, why is there black chunky material coming out as i had seen anything before other than ash dust?
Is there a cooling/condensation effect during cold weather that builds up moisture and as the exhaust gases go up the liner they create a creosote effect??

I used a blockoff plate and about 6' of 3" flew pipe before and never saw this, it sure made alot of ash buildup above the blockoff plate were the flue damper used to be.

 

[Lousyweather]

Ok....i bypassed the pressure switch i am burning now with a good flame, is the pressure switch work on this stove POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE?

If you mean does the switch work on pos. or neg. pressure, I guess the answer is Pos.......it's designed to shut off the auger if pressure in combustion blower becomes too high (blockage in pipe).

You said the pipe is clear, and clean, but did you check the port that the rubber hose slides onto? These can become clogged too.

No, I think the opposite.....most pressure switches dont allow feed unless they detect negative pressure....

 

[Pellet-King]

It powers off the auger when positive pressure is felt, which like a blockage in pipe pressure would buildup and shutdown stove.

 

[Lousyweather]

It powers off the auger when positive pressure is felt, which like a blockage in pipe pressure would buildup and shutdown stove.

so, if the switch detects negative pressure (vacuum), it allows the auger to be powered....depends on the switch....pressure gets close to zero, power gets cut out.....fairly typical with modern pellet appliances