Ash Overload - Enviro Mini and New England Brand Pellets

[LI-Mini-Owner]

Has anyone had a problem with New England pellets (from the NY factory)? For me they are producing ash that is so think that it clogs the grates over the ash bin (I would say that only 50% of the ash is making it into the bin). I've been having to shut down the stove most every day to vacuum the ash off the grates.

Attached is a pix after 24 hours of running.

 

[imacman]

Has anyone had a problem with New England pellets (from the NY factory)? For me they are producing ash that is so think that it clogs the grates over the ash bin (I would say that only 50% of the ash is making it into the bin). I've been having to shut down the stove most every day to vacuum the ash off the grates.

Attached is a pix after 24 hours of running.

This is in comparison to what other pellets you burned?

IMO, as long as the burn pot stays clean & the air holes are open, there's not a problem. Just open the door every 2-3 days, and brush the ash into the pan through the slots w/ an old paint brush.....that's what I use.

Here's the Astoria I used to have, after a week of 24/7 burning NEWP. And it still was running great. My conscience made me clean it finally.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Macman, that old picture looks like my stove just before I turn it off and clean it ash piled everywhere. The ash is only a problem if it lands back into the burn pot.

One of these days they'll discover how to build these puppies so the ash can actually reach the ash pan without all of the manual intervention.

H e double l, it was never any issue on the old Glenwood those ashes always made it to the pan (err, I mean the concrete floor under the grates) ;-) .

 

[imacman]

Macman, that old picture looks like my stove just before I turn it off and clean it ash piled everywhere. The ash is only a problem if it lands back into the burn pot........

Yep, as long the air flow through the stove is good, the ash should get blown out of the pot, as it did in the pic. Other than a problem with the rest of the stove being dirty, the ash sitting in the bottom of the firebox should have no effect on the burning in the firepot.

 

[kenzmadie]

I bought New England Pellets this year....and they are terrible. The ash is so course and thick and there is TONS of it. I had Lignetics last year and they were fantastic.

 

[LI-Mini-Owner]

Thanks macman and others... I did manage to get 2 1/2 days of running out of it before the ash piled up over the door threshold, then was able to coax it down through the grate with the burn pot scraping tool.

I've used Junita, Green Team, Energex, and Freedom Fuel over the years. None of these would ever accumulate ash on the grate. I also think I'm not getting as much heat out of the New England (based upon the max temp I could get the house up to on some really frigged days).

Unfortunately the choice of pellet brands on Long Island is limited, and I've never been able to get the same brand more then once. I'll probably call my dealer and see if he is willing to take back a ton of New England if I buy 2 tons of what ever he is offering now.

In any case, I will heed the advice of folks on the forum and test burn a bag or two before any future purchases.