Wanting WC vacuum recommendations for USSC 5660

[Doug Doty]

My stove was a challenge the 2nd. day but I worked through that ( auger issue ) and going pretty well but still can be better. I am running on 5 and using 2 bags a day + a little maybe. It does seem to run the best and cleanest on this high setting. I am getting a small area of soot on the two side windows at the top after running 16-20 hours. it is burning good and throwing a lot of heat but I am wanting to test the level of vacuum in the combustion and have ordered the DWYER 0-1 gauge from Amazon and realized my manual is so poor and vague that it does not even give this info. At least after 5 to 6 trips through the manual I cannot find this info. I do wish I would have bought a more well supported higher quality stove now !! I just want to optimize or find the best setting for burning on high med. and low. The is basiclly no tuning on this stove with feed or fans and only a butterfly restrictor in the fresh air intake tube that can close off 50% at maximum. If nothing else I would like to have some data when it is running the best so I can try to get back there if having problems.

Would some of you pellet stove veterans offer some advice on helping me set it up more optimally.

 

[Mt Bob]

2 bags a day and soot should be eveywhere inside of stove,and glass so-so.Cheaper units are sometimes "overblown" with combustion air,as they cannot predict the install,and being sold cheaply,are"covering the bases"If your stove changes burn rates like better ones,you do not want a butterfly valve,but if you have to go over to it to change settings,I think ok.Just remember,in most stoves,the cleaner the burn,the sharper the flame,the less dirt on glass(not harmans)the more heat going up the chimney.I think most safety switches shut at .17,.3 to .4 seems normal for a lot(regular burning),anything over .5 would make me wonder.Hope this helps.

 

[Lake Girl]

Owen1508 is a US Stove Company tech and should be able to give you more particulars ... If he doesn't catch this, PM him. Congrats on the new install...

 

[Doug Doty]

Bob,

I am no stove tech after only a week but I am very analytical and I understand all of the electrical and mechanics of what is going on so this was my thoughts as well. I can see the stove burn at it's best several hours after a vacuum out and cleaning as it seems the combustion air is over blown at first, looks to come into a good air fuel ratio tune sometime between scraping/cleanings and then starve for combustion air and begin sooting the glass in the corners late into the need for a cleaning again. My IR gun is on the boat and unavailable easily so I will have a new one come in today along with my manometer, planning to do a permanent setup on the manometer at least for a while so I can monitor the reading throughout the clean to dirty cycle. Also want to feed direct 120v to the combustion motor to allow me to use the meter to search for any air leaks. Kind of thirdly I want to try to figure out if there is some better setting than wide open on my intake draft butterfly for the lower settings as it seems to burn dirty on lower settings and this is my only tuning variable other than pellets and very few options are available at this time around here. I am being forced to stock up on some more pellets like I started with called Easy Heat premium's, they are all anyone is carrying at this time.

 

[Doug Doty]

Well, I am adding to my data, I got my Dwyer 0-1 Magnehelic in today, I hooked it into my vacuum pressure safety switch tube and took a quick reading and got 2.2 with my stove running on the #5 high setting. I also used the new IR temp gun and took a reading on the top center of the stove and it was showing 180 degrees which I plan to use as a reference. I am data collecting all of my 3 motors volts, and amps, vacuum readings and reference temperatures on this stove since so little factual data was searchable. I will edit and add it to the original post when complete maybe this weekend. I will have data for settings 5, high and 3 medium in the short term and will get all 5 settings in time. I also am gathering detailed pellet consumption and actual auger on and auger off time since it was different than the manual. Manual is poor for this stove and I guess that is part of my motivation to put some good info out there.

 

[Lake Girl]

Thanks Doug ... looking forward to seeing your data. I'm sure there will be a lot of folks out there that will appreciate your efforts if it helps them operate their stove more efficiently

 

[SidecarFlip]

Gotta make some fresh buttered popcorn for this one.....

 

[Doug Doty]

I see the same stove I bought for sale everywhere so there sure seems like there would be a lot of them out there compared to the information and support that is available online. I tried calling their tech all day recently with no answer and only busy signals so fourms like this look like to me to be the go to spot for help so I decided to put the info in writing to make is findable for the next guy. It was in another thread and I will consolidate my experiences in one place in the future but I could not get enough fire burning in my burn pot on the second day i owned it to even be visable !! These stoves are for sure a price point stove at 40% of the cost of a Harman and that is all the more reason to try to come on here and offer up my problems, solutions and information.

Here is what I have so far.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Too techno for me. I just set it where I have the best flame and forget it. I haven't touched mine in 3 days other than filling the hopper 3 times a day. I used to use the Fluke IR to check output temperatures, I don't do that anymore either. I can tell by 'feel' when it's outputting all it can (and house temerature as well).

When it's running hard, I shut it down every 7 days and clean it real well, soaking the pot in warm water and the stirrer too. If it's not working hard, every 2 weeks.

My big gripe with any of them is lack of humidity in the house that causes dry skin and a 'cold' feeling. We run 2 humidifiers, one in the great room and one in the upstairs to keep the RH at a tolerable level.

 

[Doug Doty]

I'll be the same as you in a few weeks, just new and fun right now. I also thought some good notes on when it was running good might help me fix it later. I'm toping off 3 times a day too, wish i had a hopper that would carry me a bit past 24 hours on high.

 

[SidecarFlip]

I'll be the same as you in a few weeks, just new and fun right now. I also thought some good notes on when it was running good might help me fix it later. I'm toping off 3 times a day too, wish i had a hopper that would carry me a bit past 24 hours on high.

Thats the wife's job, keeping the hopper full. I keep all my pellets (on the original skids) in my Clearspan hay barn and I load 16 bags at a time in the front end loader and transfer them to the back deck in 4 plastic trash cans (Rubbermaid with click lock lids). Each can takes 4-40 pound bags or 2 bags and the rest in corn. She only has to go out a couple times a day and fill a 5 gallon pail with pellets and transferring them into the pail allows the wind to blow off any sawdust. Same applies to the corn, the wind blows off the chaff.

I'm more into the mechanics of the stove than anything. I've modified all the drives with ball bearings and alemite fittings on the gear boxes and I even run a K&N washable air filter on the intake side of my room air blower...keeps the dust under control. After 30 years, it's all about keeping warm. My fun is outside with a long gun hunting.

 

[LordmetalZ28]

Idk about all that. Im getting about 20 hours on a bag of green supreme on setting one with my 5660. I clean the burn pot every day cause of those undersized air holes.

 

[pell it]

Idk about all that. Im getting about 20 hours on a bag of green supreme on setting one with my 5660. I clean the burn pot every day cause of those undersized air holes.

I had to replace the burnpot gasket on my 5660 as the factory one had a large gap in it. Use the Imperial brand 7\8" rope gasket for it. Also on my stove, the ash pan gasket did not seal worth a crap. I added self stick flat gasket around the opening to seal it up. The last thing I did wad to lay a length of 1\2" rope gasket in the airwash channel to block it off.

The more air moving through the burnpot, instead of around the burnpot, the better the stove runs.

 

[LordmetalZ28]

What kind of flat gasket that wont burn up? Lyotherm?

 

[Doug Doty]

I am going to have to take my igniter assy. out this weekend and shorten it's nose a little as it is running into the back side of the burn pot and not allowing it to sit flat and level so there is barely any pressure on the front side rope gasket. I will be burning on the lower settings this weekend so I can revise those on my chart.

Mine seems a bit inconsistent in how often it wants the pot cleaned. I have seen it clogging with low flame at 30 hours before but right now I am at 60+ and no change in the flame pattern or heat output so I was going to do it tonight at the 3 day mark. I think this is from the pot not seating due the igniter issue mentioned above.

When you guys scrape the pot in these 5660 stoves are you in and out quick enough to not shut down and have to restart ?? I have done both but thinking now I can get the bulk of the ash knocked through the holes and out the bottom with out loosing my fire to the point of a re-start even if it takes two quick sessions. It is my understanding that if the pressure switch opens for 30 seconds there is an automatic shutdown and re-start which is a pain cause I feel like I need to keep an eye on it when it's firing up but that is probably new guy stuff.

 

[LordmetalZ28]

I dont run mine 24 7 all the time so i just give the chamber and pot a complete cleaning before start up. Somebody spoke to me about drilling out the burn pot holes to 1/4 so it gets more air and the ash falls out and dosent build. I have not tryed this yet but it worked for him

 

[SidecarFlip]

A drill bit and a larger drill works wonders on the holes, but, just enlarge the bottom center row and one row adjacent to the bottom center row. That will allow the ash to migrate out. more easily. I bumped mine up a couple letter drill sizes.

 

[SidecarFlip]

I dont run mine 24 7 all the time so i just give the chamber and pot a complete cleaning before start up. Somebody spoke to me about drilling out the burn pot holes to 1/4 so it gets more air and the ash falls out and dosent build. I have not tryed this yet but it worked for him

IMO 1/4" is too much, about half that and don't forget to deburr the edges.

 

[LordmetalZ28]

IMO 1/4" is too much, about half that and don't forget to deburr the edges.

You tryed this on a 5660? I very much thinking about trying this

 

[SidecarFlip]

You tryed this on a 5660? I very much thinking about trying this

No, 6039 HF but the pots are similar. Just don't enlarge the holes too much and only the 3 bottom center rows. You need to keep the holes smaller than the smallest bit of pellet/kernel. not all pellets are equal length. One other thing I did was I radiused the stirrer fingers on my 6039. From the factory they are just cot off stock so the sharp edge cathes on wedged fuel and causes the stirrer to jump. Radusing the fingers allows the stirrer to push the ash through the holes rather than hanging up and banging and clanging.

 

[pell it]

What kind of flat gasket that wont burn up? Lyotherm?

the flat gasket I used around the ash pan opening was self adhesive flat window gasket. It is woven rope type gasket, but flat.

 

[Doug Doty]

I fixed that igniter / fire pot fitment issue today and my vacuum jumped to .3 from .22, below is the latesd data sheet.