Tested some Hamer's Hot Ones ........CLINKERS!

[unklechuckles19]

I sell and burn Hammer's in my personal stove at home and the show stoves here in the showroom. I noticed at home on a ton I got earlier in the year they did defiantly burn dirtier and produce a bit more chunky clinker like in the pictures. I talked to our sales rep. down at Hammer and his side of the story was the clinker can be caused by different minerals in the trees that the dust came from that cannot be burned into dust, and that is what's creating the clinker. How valid that is, I have no idea. My own personal opinion of the problem has been Hammer has had pellets stacked outside 3 skids high for quite some time. This info is coming from the drivers who deliver to me and one driver in particular who I trust as he's never led me wrong before and brings us at least 5 loads a year. I personally think the pellets we got, and maybe the pellets off the load that you received were close to the bottom of the pile and had been sitting outside for some time. Hammer wraps the pellets, but when they sit outside for months on end there has to be some moisture getting into the bags, as all bags have two vent holes to let air out....some moisture has to get in. I did start on a second ton which are burning wonderfully, just as the pellets from Hammer always have in our stoves.

 

[jtakeman]

Ok pellet swap has been handled on our lunch break! I'll give the stove a quickie clean tonight and put in geeks buddy's batch. Seems his is worse than the other fella's.

I got 2 bags with 8/30/2010 from geek's buddy and 2 bags with 9/13/10 from the other fella. I'll start with the 8/30/2010 batch. I will also try to rearrange my piles to get at my stashed Hamer's.

I'll keep you all posted!

 

[smilejamaica]

my bags are from 1/20/10 and my stove just love hamer's ultras.

 

[jtakeman]

Pellets are burning and the flame is hugh! Temps are about what I tested. I have the stove set at the same as the test(heat setting 3 feed trim at 3 and the air set to mid point .13 on the mag). I'll try upping the feed trim some more and dropping the feed air some. Plus it will go to low once the stat is at temp. I want to see clinkers dang it.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Just for everyone's information:

clinkers = ash + temperature + moisture + time.

Change any one of the items and clinker formation isn't likely to happen.

 

[jtakeman]

Smokey, I am hoping that burning on low might be what I missed in the test? Willing to play some to see if I can get a clinker. The only pellet I got to clinker was the Inferno's.

Plus I can't be recommending pellets if my stove doesn't clinker. Might have to consider another test stove that does clinker.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

I bet you can get all of the clinkers you'll ever want to see in that stove you currently have, turn the agitator off, and lower the burn air, put it on low sit back and wait.

Eventually most pellet brands will clinker and you'll hate the cleaning job you'll have to do on the stove.

 

[tsmith]

I had been running my AE on the auto setting and for the most part it was always on medium to low. Tonight I switched to Manual high. I wanna see if maybe burning at hotter temps helps the clinker problem, i am thinking maybe the lower burn rate was allowing this to happen by not providing as hot a burn.

 

[jtakeman]

I bet you can get all of the clinkers you'll ever want to see in that stove you currently have, turn the agitator off, and lower the burn air, put it on low sit back and wait.

Eventually most pellet brands will clinker and you'll hate the cleaning job you'll have to do on the stove.

I guess I could disconnect the motor leads, Pretty sure I would have an air leak if I didn't put the agitator in the burnpot. It protrudes through the firebox.

I had been running my AE on the auto setting and for the most part it was always on medium to low. Tonight I switched to Manual high. I wanna see if maybe burning at hotter temps helps the clinker problem, i am thinking maybe the lower burn rate was allowing this to happen by not providing as hot a burn.

Low fire didn't cause a clinker for me. I didn't even have clumps on the edge of the burnpot. Ran all night on low and cranked to high fire just before I got my can out of bed.

I increased the feed trim(heat setting 3 trim set to 5) to the max and dropped the air some, Just about were the flame got lazy. We will see if it might cause clinkers. But it looks like I am gonna have to work at it and probably kill the agitator. So far she's eating these like candy and cranking massive heat. Hopefully geeks buddy likes the Turmans and I can trade him for more. I'll burn it until it quites!

 

[tsmith]

I bet you can get all of the clinkers you'll ever want to see in that stove you currently have, turn the agitator off, and lower the burn air, put it on low sit back and wait.

Eventually most pellet brands will clinker and you'll hate the cleaning job you'll have to do on the stove.

I guess I could disconnect the motor leads, Pretty sure I would have an air leak if I didn't put the agitator in the burnpot. It protrudes through the firebox.

I had been running my AE on the auto setting and for the most part it was always on medium to low. Tonight I switched to Manual high. I wanna see if maybe burning at hotter temps helps the clinker problem, i am thinking maybe the lower burn rate was allowing this to happen by not providing as hot a burn.

Low fire didn't cause a clinker for me. I didn't even have clumps on the edge of the burnpot. Ran all night on low and cranked to high fire just before I got my can out of bed.

I increased the feed trim(heat setting 3 trim set to 5) to the max and dropped the air some, Just about were the flame got lazy. We will see if it might cause clinkers. But it looks like I am gonna have to work at it and probably kill the agitator. So far she's eating these like candy and cranking massive heat. Hopefully geeks buddy likes the Turmans and I can trade him for more. I'll burn it until it quites!

Sounds like the Omega is the stove to have. Eats everything without even a burp.

 

[jtakeman]

Not sure I want to kill the agitator as this is my only source of heat. And the cold angry wife factor. She doesn't like to be cold! Still going with a bit more than 1/2 bag left in the hopper.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Jay, it can take days to generate a clinker with some pellets, the primary trick is to make sure most of the ash stays inside the pot.

That provides the time and ash part of the four parter (slow roasted ash). So anything that helps eject ash can cause problems if the goal is to sinter it.

 

[jtakeman]

Well Bear, I might as well give up now. Because of Enviro's self cleaning design the ash slowly gets pushed from the center of the burnpot to the outer edges. It then cools and sometimes clumps. As the cycle goes even those get pushed over the edge of the burnpot to the ash pan.

Because I don't have the exact batch that imacman has its probably pointless. I don't think this is proving much anyway. I'll burn what I have and if it dies I snap a picture of what killed it.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Sorta like them bottom (pusher) feeders until things get cemented to the wear plate and backup the whole danged feed system ;-) .

Just be sure to keep the missus from applying the cast iron skillet (them things really hurt).

 

[jtakeman]

Sorta like them bottom (pusher) feeders until things get cemented to the wear plate and backup the whole danged feed system ;-) .

Just be sure to keep the missus from applying the cast iron skillet (them things really hurt).

I replaced the cast iron with Tfal's last xmas. Thinking they would smart a bit less. Well they just make a little different noise is all and I am still not to smart!

 

[geek]

jay, you want me to send 2 okies with our fella and you send me 2 turmans tomorrow?
I can call him now and stop by really quick....

 

[jtakeman]

jay, you want me to send 2 okies with our fella and you send me 2 turmans tomorrow?
I can call him now and stop by really quick....

Sure! Love to here what you think of the Turmans. I'll toss 2 in the car tonight!

 

[Grassman]

Hi guys Had to jump in here. Trying to max the temp on the AE, Jay I got some hamers as you suggested. I did get some high temps but also ash pan after ash pan full of clinckers. The bulldozer blade on the bottom of the AE ash door needs to be changed to a V plow to break these things up and push them to the side. Tried some Chow same deal only blue. Back to burning the home grown.

 

[jtakeman]

Nice to hear from you DJ. So far how do you like the Quad Mt Vernon AE?

 

[Grassman]

I really like the stove,it took almost three weeks to get a grip on operating parameters. If it wasn't for all the great posts on how to tweak this stove from list members I would be out in the snow pile along with the stove, My wife was not impressed at first with temp, but once I got it cranked up life improved. Through the cold spell I was using 3 4 bags a day. Burning all different combos of grass and wood trying looking for high temps. Checking ash and slagging. I was able to slag the ash on a few occasions. If I can figure out the pic. download thing I will post few pics of the clinkers and slag I have to say the blue clinker I got from the MWP from TSP was very impressive.

 

[imacman]

....Because of Enviro's self cleaning design the ash slowly gets pushed from the center of the burnpot to the outer edges. It then cools and sometimes clumps. As the cycle goes even those get pushed over the edge of the burnpot to the ash pan......

Yep, not the same scenario as I have in my 10-cpm. The Enviro self-clean system would eliminate the root cause of the clinkers.....excessive ash in the burn pot.

 

[jtakeman]

....Because of Enviro self cleaning design the ash slowly gets pushed from the center of the burnpot to the outer edges. It then cools and sometimes clumps. As the cycle goes even those get pushed over the edge of the burnpot to the ash pan......

Yep, not the same scenario as I have in my 10-cpm. The Enviro self-clean system would eliminate the root cause of the clinkers.....excessive ash in the burn pot.

I'm fighting a losing battle it seems. And there really doesn't seem to be excessive ash with these so far. I'm just curious is all, Not meaning to put stove to stove stuff in this. I would have liked to see if they did clinker and what might be a work around for some. I have seen a lot of posts with people and clinkers with these.

I just talked to geeks pal and it seems he is also getting clinkers with the Turmans. He also stated he had a chute back up with them. I'm thinking he has stove issues. But who knows?

 

[tsmith]

I replaced the auto clean springs on my AE tonight, they are much stiffer than the old ones. I had to set the stove to Hardwood normal elevation and -5 flame height. I am getting a very active hot flame now, hopefully this solves the Hamer clinkering for me.

 

[jtakeman]

Shifting through the burnpot I found these 2 hiding in the ash! Small yes, But clinkers they are. Had to work hard to get the stove to make them. I though air was the big adjustment but it was actually increased feed rate that got them to form. But man these things throw heat!

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

The air adjustment is to the less air side (creates more ash that stays in the burn pot) increasing the fuel feed in essence also creates more ash as well as long as you don't balance it out by providing the correct amount of air or even a little bit more.