Anyone with a Piazzetta Sabrina ?

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NorthoftheQuabbin said:
"Follow Up Report"

After following your advice to increase the stove's parameters (i.e. combustion fan speed), I'm pleased to say that it has resulted in a profound improvement in performance. :)

In addition, I also decided to change the stove's settings with regard to the frequency and duration of the "grate cleaning" process.

Basically, I programmed the stove to perform its grate cleaning function every 30 minutes, instead of the factory setting of 60. Curiously, mine was set to occur every 180 minutes ? Also, I decided to increase the grate cleaning time from the the factory setting of 20 seconds, to 30. My hope is that this will keep the burn pot cleaner, and stave off the inevitable clinker.

Any thoughts on my decision to make these additional adjustments ?
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perfect ! I always adjust all my customers stove this way, it as became my default settings.
 
I had another setback with my Sabrina today.
Following a thorough cleaning yesterday and it's usual scrap of the fire pot and wipe of the glass this morning, that lazy old flame and sooty film reared a its ugly head again for most of today. And, after only about 8 hours of running, I had to shut it down :(
Every time I claim victory with this SOB, it conspires against me. I'm really considering throwing in the towel at this point :(
 
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Don't give up yet your almost there. Spend the $50 and grab a manometer and set the air then play with the feed rate like chicken said. Mine was over feeding because of the smaller pellet pieces in the firesides I'm burning. It would build up a bed of pellets and the grate clean couldn't blow the ash from underneath it. Then the cake built up and crusted over the pot.
 
Drew65 said:
Don't give up yet your almost there. Spend the $50 and grab a manometer and set the air then play with the feed rate like chicken said. Mine was over feeding because of the smaller pellet pieces in the firesides I'm burning. It would build up a bed of pellets and the grate clean couldn't blow the ash from underneath it. Then the cake built up and crusted over the pot.
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I'm a little confused about what a manometer can do in my situation? If I already have the combustion speed on its highest setting, what would having a manometer do ?
 
It was designed to work at a set draft pressure. Sometimes more isn't better as chicken said.
 
NorthoftheQuabbin said:
I had another setback with my Sabrina today.
Following a thorough cleaning yesterday and it's usual scrap of the fire pot and wipe of the glass this morning, that lazy old flame and sooty film reared a its ugly head again for most of today. And, after only about 8 hours of running, I had to shut it down :(
Every time I claim victory with this SOB, it conspires against me. I'm really considering throwing in the towel at this point :(
Click to expand...
Sometimes when you clean a stove, you clean the visible parts, and dislodge ash which collects in the non-visible parts. I would do two things before giving up, one: check the horizontal part of the venting. That's the hardest part to clean and most likely place for ash to collect. Two, I would just check the gasket to make sure there aren't any leaks, and the grate to make sure it's seated nicely. Leaking air can cause a poor burn as well.
 
chken said:
Sometimes when you clean a stove, you clean the visible parts, and dislodge ash which collects in the non-visible parts. I would do two things before giving up, one: check the horizontal part of the venting. That's the hardest part to clean and most likely place for ash to collect. Two, I would just check the gasket to make sure there aren't any leaks, and the grate to make sure it's seated nicely. Leaking air can cause a poor burn as well.
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Basically, I clean the area behind the back and top plates, the fire pot and tray and the compartment for the combustion fan. I'm not sue where else I should be cleaning ?

When you say gaskets, what specifically are you referring to ? The asbestos trim that lines the plate on top of the combustion fan compartment ? What a makeshift design that is !
 
NorthoftheQuabbin said:
BTW, my Piazzetta Monia continues to run like a Patek Philippe watch.

I'm completely baffled why my Sabrina can't seem to perform beyond that of a drugstore watch ?
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Post #43 - I suspect your second story structure is blocking draft..

Our home also has a loft on the North East corner which blocks the Western side, creates a vortex / 'dead zone' , lot's o' snow piles up in that corner..

The Monia is vented through the chimney, correct (?) Look how much higher up the chimney / roof line is in that picture..
 
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NorthoftheQuabbin said:
Basically, I clean the area behind the back and top plates, the fire pot and tray and the compartment for the combustion fan. I'm not sue where else I should be cleaning ?

When you say gaskets, what specifically are you referring to ? The asbestos trim that lines the plate on top of the combustion fan compartment ? What a makeshift design that is !
Click to expand...
The horizontal part of the vent pipe, where it comes out of your stove and goes toward the T. That's often where ash accumulates and is hard to clean out.

As for gaskets, I was referring to the mesh surrounding the door frame. Leaky gaskets can cause a poor burn. People recommend using the dollar bill test, i.e. stick a dollar bill in the door and close door, pull out, check all the way around. What doesn't look leaky, may in fact be leaky.

Cleanfire makes an interesting point about your vent termination. Your draft pressure can be affected by wind blowing past your vent termination. Yours is in an unusual spot, right under the soffit. Wind can run down your roof and past the termination. The manual states that your termination should be 24" below the eave, while yours looks less than a foot.
 
CleanFire said:
Post #43 - I suspect your second story structure is blocking draft..

Our home also has a loft on the North East corner which blocks the Western side, creates a vortex / 'dead zone' , lot's o' snow piles up in that corner..

The Monia is vented through the chimney, correct (?) Look how much higher up the chimney / roof line is in that picture..
Click to expand...
Interesting how you would know that my Monia is vented through the chimney ? :)
 
chken said:
The horizontal part of the vent pipe, where it comes out of your stove and goes toward the T. That's often where ash accumulates and is hard to clean out.

As for gaskets, I was referring to the mesh surrounding the door frame. Leaky gaskets can cause a poor burn. People recommend using the dollar bill test, i.e. stick a dollar bill in the door and close door, pull out, check all the way around. What doesn't look leaky, may in fact be leaky.

Cleanfire makes an interesting point about your vent termination. Your draft pressure can be affected by wind blowing past your vent termination. Yours is in an unusual spot, right under the soffit. Wind can run down your roof and past the termination. The manual states that your termination should be 24" below the eave, while yours looks less than a foot.
Click to expand...

The gaskets around the door seem fine.

As far as the venting is concerned, shouldn't the experts have known how to vent the stove properly ? :(
 
Interesting how you would know that my Monia is vented through the chimney ? :)

I work for the NSA. :) Nah, you posted it above.

Snow is a great visual indicator of airflow - if you have the means, take some video of the snowfall up at the chimney cap / Southern side of the house, where your exhaust vent is located, and directly above -> further up the roof line, for your info. so you can review for air direction / change / speed.

A smoke pellet test is a great way to verify the stove and piping is air-tight, and observe airflow at the exhaust vent -



Setup the stove in test mode, light up a smoke pellet, dial down the combustion air to 1800, and enjoy the show.

" As far as the venting is concerned, shouldn't the experts have known how to vent the stove properly ? :( "

They are, the good folks right in this thread. ( I'm just a newbie, follow their sage advice. )
 
So, the thread started at the end of last month, and it's been three weeks since. On the first page, you said the last full clean was 2 weeks before, so in total, you've gone 5 weeks since the vent was cleaned? You could easily have burned a ton and a half in that time period. Plus, whenever you get a bad burn, you send far more black ash up the vent than if you were burning clean, so you're probably way past due for a vent cleaning. If you haven't cleaned the vent, you should do it before anything else. Consider doing the leaf blower trick just to be sure it's clean.
 
chken said:
So, the thread started at the end of last month, and it's been three weeks since. On the first page, you said the last full clean was 2 weeks before, so in total, you've gone 5 weeks since the vent was cleaned? You could easily have burned a ton and a half in that time period. Plus, whenever you get a bad burn, you send far more black ash up the vent than if you were burning clean, so you're probably way past due for a vent cleaning. If you haven't cleaned the vent, you should do it before anything else. Consider doing the leaf blower trick just to be sure it's clean.
Click to expand...
How is that done ?
 
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NorthoftheQuabbin said:
How is that done ?
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There are numerous threads explaining the whole process of the LBT, Leaf Blower Trick, plus which leaf blower to buy, etc. Lots of videos embedded on Hearth as well as on Youtube. Just do a search. Bring a piece of your vent pipe to a DIY store find a cheap $40 leaf blower by Homelite, Toro, etc., they're all made by the same company, and walk over to plumbing to find an adapter.
 
chken said:
Cleanfire makes an interesting point about your vent termination. Your draft pressure can be affected by wind blowing past your vent termination. Yours is in an unusual spot, right under the soffit. Wind can run down your roof and past the termination. The manual states that your termination should be 24" below the eave, while yours looks less than a foot.
Click to expand...

chken, Thank You for that info., observed and confirmed here using an external temp. probe, hugs the wall 4 - 6 inches and creates a downdraft that can be felt. - I learn something new & useful each time I visit, Thanks again.

NorthoftheQuabbin said:
Other than the smaller Piazzetta stove and an oil burning furnace in the basement (which, I only use for heating hot water), I have no other heat sources in the house. There's is a fireplace in an adjacent room that is only used to vent the other pellet stove.
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Post #7, first page, in response to Smokey's request for info. - that's how I knew.

Off to shovel, again..
 
I dialed back the pellet feed on the stove this morning. Let's see how that does.

BTW, my Monia is by no means vented according to text book.

From the back of the stove, it vents vertically for about 6 feet or so, before making a sharp right angle and venting horizontally through the ceiling for about 20 feet - before emptying into the chimney.

Initially we thought, if either stove was going to have venting problems, it was going to be the Monia.
 
NorthoftheQuabbin said:
I dialed back the pellet feed on the stove this morning. Let's see how that does.

BTW, my Monia is by no means vented according to text book.

From the back of the stove, it vents vertically for about 6 feet or so, before making a sharp right angle and venting horizontally through the ceiling for about 20 feet - before emptying into the chimney.

Initially we thought, if either stove was going to have venting problems, it was going to be the Monia.
Click to expand...

3" or 4" and have fun if you are using an ash generator for pellets.
 
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