Tips on if Your pellet stove is burning lazy and or getting smoke in the house

If you are getting smoke in the house or you stove just don’t seem to be burning like should.


Check the door seal and latch for a tight fit.

Check the ash pan for shut tight and latched

If all doors seals are good and latched.

MOST pellet stove are Negative air. (Inside of the Firebox is vacuumzed)
If you don’t have the ash pan or door sealed less air will flow through the burn pot and you will have a tall lazy flame. You will see no visual change in the fire when you change the air control.

Without a Magnahilic this is the best way to dial In air adjustment.

With the stove on High and running for 15 minutes after start up.
Push the air rod in. you will see a tall ugly lazy flame
then [b}slowly[/b] pull the rod out
as the flame comes down, more intense and be more yellow
when the flame looks like it is not changing anymore stop pulling out.
If you have sparks popping this is normal
but you don’t want to see PELLETS popping out.
If you get Brown or Grey soot on the glass and firebrick this is normal
if you have BLACK soot on the firebrick and glass pull the air out a little more.

Cant get much adjustment out of the air?

The first thing to do is a good cleaning.

Follow the cleaning steps in your manual.

Clean out all the ashes in the burn pot and ash chambers.
Some stoves this will require you to remove the refractory brick and the REMOVE baffle behind it.
Photos here http://www.hearthtools.com/parts/adavantageII_clean.htm
http://www.hearthtools.com/new_pa1.gif

Scrap the heat exchange tubes or fins or clean with a Bottle or potato brush
http://www.hearthtools.com/parts/whitcl1.jpg
http://www.hearthtools.com/parts/buildupheatexchange.jpg
http://www.hearthtools.com/parts/IMG00393-20091119-1328.jpg
Check the placement of your burn pot and or burn pot liner. Make sure it sitting in the correct notches; Latches and push back were it belongs.

Clean out the ALL Venting (flue pipe) and just because you think your pellet vent is clean? Have you looked where the vent connects to the stove?
http://www.hearthtools.com/install/dirty_insert/images/IMG_1110.jpg
Check the cap some times if you are adapting to wood stove pipe there will be a screen in the cap.
http://www.hearthtools.com/parts/chimneycapplugged.jpg

Check the door seal and latch for a tight fit.

Check the ash pan for shut tight and latched


Try the steps above if your stove still is not burning correctly then go on to some trouble shooting in your owners manual and or here http://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/13413/

Feel free to add you tip here on your brand of stove or a solution to a problem you had.

Please only add tips and help not questions.
My idea for this type of page is for quick answers so searchers dont have to weed through a bunch of crap to find help.

You may also want to check if your venting (flue pipe) is properly installed according to your manufactures specs and recommended installation.

Most pellet stove manufactures show you can Direct Vent (DV) a Pellet Stove right out the wall and put a 45 deg elbow or an approved horizontal cap.
But if you read the manual almost all of them highly recommend 3 feet of vertical rise.

this is a very good way to vent if you can go all this way up.
the only thing I would have done is add 6 to 12 " between the 90 and the cap.
http://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/13695/

I personally will NEVER DIRECT VENT install a pellet stove even it if cost me the sale.
Reasons I will not:

1) When the power goes out smoke will back into the house for there is not blower to push the gases out of the stove with no power.

2) The side of you home and or decking or sidewalk may build up with soot and or ash.

3) The stove will draft much better with vertical run of pipe especially on lower setting.


But if you are direct venting a pellet stove:
1) Be sure you have ¼ inch per foot of rise in the horizontal pipe.

2) Be sure you are at your allowable clearances to Windows, Eves (vented and Non vented soffits), Porches, Walls, Public walkways and any Mechanical vents or Gas regulators.

3) YOU MUST HAVE OUT SIDE AIR. And the outside air must be below or far enough way the outlet of the venting.
http://www.hearthtools.com/install/pelletdirectventfix.jpg
http://www.hearthtools.com/install/outwallandup.jpg


Size of venting.
Your manual will state the required size of pellet vent for your installation. Every manual I have ever seen has a chart with Horizontal and Vertical runs with the size of pipe to use.
Rule of thumb is any pellet vent over 15 feet use 4” venting. Especially if you are above 4000 feet elevation I would use 4” on any height of run.

Any horizontal pipe keep it as short as possible and less than 3 feet.
Be sure to have ¼ inch per foot of rise in the horizontal run.

A T clean out is best to use as often as possible in place of a 90 deg elbow.
A T clean out will give you a ash trap for fly ash 90 deg elbows build up with ash quickly for there is no Reservoir for ash.


For offsetting stove pipe to always use 45 deg elbows. NEVER USE 90 deg elbows.
http://www.hearthtools.com/install/offsetpipe.jpg


Venting an pellet insert
ALWAYS vent a pellet insert with Stainless steel pipe from the stove all the way to the top and use a metal chase cap to seal off the top of the chimney so no air and more importantly to keep WATER from following your pipe down and Shorting out your stove.

Also block of and insulate the Damper section.
This will keep cold air out but even more important keep any Ash that you cant get out of the smoke shelf from being pulled into your house with the Room air blower of the stove. This convection blower is located behind your surround panels in side the fireplace and it will suck up an dust and or ash that is in the fireplace.
See this page for photos of a stove that was not installed with pipe all the way up.
http://www.hearthtools.com/install/dirty_insert/index.htm

Some subjects above have been updated

I have been working on pellet stove for 19 seasons now.

I learn something new every day. The best lessons are the completely stupid ones.

I have been trying to figure out a problem on a 7-year-old Breckwell p24 free standing.

My service guy did the yearly service on the stove.
A few weeks later the owner called and said the burn pot is over flowing and not burring very well door is black.

My service guy goes over and sees the DUMB ass flip type ash pan latch is not shut.
He cleans the inside of the stove and relights it. Re adjust the air
Sticks around and the stove is burning great.

4 hours latter the owner calls. Still not burning right. I tell her to shut off the stove and but don’t change any settings I will be over after it cools.

I get there every thing looks good as far as air control and doors shut.

So I turn it on and the combustion blower sounds bad.. I pull the blower
(1999 P24 FS pain in the butt) Clean out the pipe from the Bottom up past the (2) 45 elbows and to 4 - 6 adapt at the support box. With a flexible rod and brush. (My service guy was just did a full service 3 weeks earlier) I did not go up on the roof or even look at the cap because it just had a full service.
This is a 4” pellet pipe adapt to 6” wood stovepipe at the support box.

Put a new combustion blower in fire it up stove worked great. They said it has not had a fire in it like that all year.

Ok
10 days latter she calls it is doing it again.
I go out and look at the cap.
I don’t know whom but someone put what looked like DIRECT VENT HIGH wind cap on top of the wood stovepipe?????? NO BODY KNOWS WHO?
The last time I was at that house MY SELF for a full service about 3 years ago it had a wood stove cap on it.

We took it off and put on a wood stove cap and ran the stove. Worked good.
4 hours latter she calls doing it again.

I tell her to leave the stove on.
I go out there put a Magnahilic gage on it.
Poor pressure and little change with air adjustment.
Pull open the side panel test voltage to the combustion blower 123 volts

I screw around with the stove still burning Scrapped out the burn pot
Used pliers. Opened up the ash clean out sliders on the sides and back of firebox. Good and clean
I pulled the heat exchange scrapper and woof air started flowing.
The magnahilic gage pegs out to .20

I thinking between the tubes got plugged up from the Bad blower and wrong cap.
It was light fluffy BLACK soot that came down. Just enough blockages to restrict the exhaust flow past the heat exchange.
‘
So lesson learned
GO THROUGH ALL THE STEPS
DON’T TAKE SHORT CUTS
CHECK EVERYTHING EVEN IT IF HAS JUST BEEN DONE BEFORE.

I found this site yesterday,,helped me out "immensely" to say the least! So, came back to register, & express my thanks and appreciation to all!! My problem had to do with fire-box/pellet-pot overflowing "EXACTLY" like the other person mentioned on this site. It sounded like I had written the description myself, in fact! Same symptoms! Sooo',, I went back to the drawing-board, with tools, vacuum, etc,etc, in hand & tore-into said pellet stove ("antique Trailblazer 1600?-I believe?). Same story, thought I had 'cleaned everything'--NOT!! The base of the stove has a grill-work wrap/around about 1 in. high. Silly me, I figured it was a "closed heat/dissapating chamber", that did nothing but 'collect dust'!! Was I ever wrong. After removing said grillwork, using a "long" aquarium-bottle-type-brush, and a vacuum to suck out a multitude of "dust/bunnies",,(packed thick--the stove is a 93' vintage, that part had never been touched since it was 'originally assembled', & me with no instruct. book, etc, etc, to go by!), the stove "draws air" also from that underneath duct now, along with the rear single fan, to pressurize pellet-pot, air/tubes, etc.!! After reading the input yesterday from this 'forum', I believe we're on the "road-to-recovery" finally. I want to thank all involved, and will surely become a "regular" of this site! I hope I posted this update in the 'proper' area, so as not to upset, or deter anyone else from curing their problem/'s, like you've all helped me! Thanks again, Otter

When I talked to the City of Quincy building department, they said a product brochure with clearance and venting information would be helpful. You can get all this information by visiting the stove manufacture's website, downloading the owner's manual and printing it out.
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gordongreg
Connecticut Alcohol Addiction Treatment

Update here is some photos of behind a Advantage II firebrick and removal of baffle
http://www.hearthtools.com/parts/adavantageII_clean.htm

Your advice is:
Any horizontal pipe keep it as short as possible and less than 3 feet.
Be sure to have ¼ inch per foot of rise in the horizontal run.

How long do think you could have a run at 1 1/4" rise per foot?

It took me three years to stop the last little bit of occassional smoke smell on my Harman P68. The door always closed harder than I liked.
Last cleaning I took off the little ball bearing under the door latch, put a very small dab of silicon grease on it, and great! it closes very easy now.
What surprised me is now I just do not get any odor at all, none. I think when it closed before, the hard close was working the small hinges a bit, and it wasn't setting well.
I've tried this on two other stoves, and had the same result.

Thank you for this very informative thread! I have a Quad CB1200-I and was getting a very tall, lazy flame and a very black, sooty window. After reading your comments and digging in and troubleshooting a little I found a chimney rain cap completely clogged! My Quad now fires like a Quad should. I also learned a lot about how to take care of my stove in the future. Thank you to all of you who contribute! You are an enormous help to a lot of us "Newbies".

Bless you for this. I've been through my owners manual at least 100 times since we bought this stove last fall. Was NEVER able to get it to burn right, nor were the techs who came out (8 different times!). I had never thought to take a good look at how the ash pan sealed, and lo and behold, there was an edge all the way down the right side of the pan that was missing the sheet metal (trimmed about 1/4" inch too much at the factory). Called up the place where I bought the stove and they didn't believe me, but I was able to convince them to bring a new ash pan with them to compare- long story short, they just left with the old pan after swapping me and the stove finally works! This is the first time the thing has ever stayed lit for more than 3 hours straight (it's been going for 6 hours as I type), and it looks like I'll finally be able to see if the remote thermostat works. The best part is I'll finally stop getting "the look" from the wife after plunking down $3k for the pellet stove instead of buying a new heat pump.

What brand and model is your stove?

Just a quick note on Quad Santa Fe.... since there is no way to dial in an air setting (only reduce feul feed by closing down the hopper plate), I had found that you can actually use the ash pan door to give a little boost to your combustion air flow. I was experimenting a bit because I was not getting good intake through my external fresh air intake kit. Turned out that problem was because the installer did not hook it up to the stove correctly, but in the process of troubleshooting that problem, I discovered that leaving pulling out the ash pan 1-2 inches can increase your air flow to the burn pot to correct a lazy flame if you've already closed down the hopper plate as much as possible.

I don't know about other stove designs, but this is because the combustion air is drawn up by negative pressure through holes in the bottom of the burn pot. A correctly attached fresh air kit simply dumps in air into the ash pan chamber. If you open up the ash pan a bit, you will be burning house air, but it's also a good way to tell if your air intake kit is plugged up if your flame starts to get lazy.

Are you suggesting that if you open up your combustion chamber to house air (via the ash pan), which would slow the velocity of air, and your flame gets lazy then your OAK is plugged up?

The Quads aren't what you are used to.

The ash pan is below an otherwise blocked burn pot receptacle, opening the the ash pan is the same as opening a damper on most air intakes.

This is the opposite of a lot of stoves where opening the ash pan area results in a burn pot air bypass.

Problem with lazy flame and heaping pellets. Had a conversation with a local stove vendor. He told me that the quality of the pellets have lessened. Due to the popularity of pellet stoves, the pellet mfrs are using different sources of wood, that cause a significant amount of clumping ashe, that clog the holes of the burn pot. Hence, the air circulation and heat is decreased causing a call for more pellets. They lay on top and create a hill. Comments anyone?

Being a Giants fan myself, I consider your stove shops advice as

Sorry about broken link guys. I hope to have my webiste back up in a week or so