ASH quantity

[Pellet1]

I just have to ash this question. I have read that a bag of pellets will yield about a cup or less of ash. Well, I am pretty sure that I am getting closer to 3 cups per bag. I have tried 3 different pellet brands, all premium and including hardwood Lignetics. I expected that the hardwood pellets would leave less ash but after my usual 3-4 bag burns, I still had about the same quantity of ash. no matter what I was burning. My stove is set to burn about a bag per 24 hrs., and I watch my air damper pretty closely. So, what determines the ash quantity? Is it pellet quality, burn settings, air settings, or a combo of everything. I am getting way more ash than I expected. Will a hotter burn produce less ash???

 

[hossthehermit]

I just have to ash this question. I have read that a bag of pellets will yield about a cup or less of ash. Well, I am pretty sure that I am getting closer to 3 cups per bag. I have tried 3 different pellet brands, all premium and including hardwood Lignetics. I expected that the hardwood pellets would leave less ash but after my usual 3-4 bag burns, I still had about the same quantity of ash. no matter what I was burning. My stove is set to burn about a bag per 24 hrs., and I watch my air damper pretty closely. So, what determines the ash quantity? Is it pellet quality, burn settings, air settings, or a combo of everything. I am getting way more ash than I expected. Will a hotter burn produce less ash???

As I understand it, theoretically, yes, but other variables may affect the outcome. Either continue to experiment, ask again later, or consult the Magic 8 ball. The more complete the combustion, the less ash there will be. For any particular batch of a particular brand of pellet. That said, I go with a setting that will give a good flame at a setting that gives what I need for heat at a given time, around here, that ain't easy right now, hi 14F yesterday, -3F this morning, 39F right now, supposed to be 50's tomorrow.Go figger.

 

[crausch]

Not sure how you are measuring, but I get ash build up that looks like it has body and mass. It is very porous and fluffy. It looks like more than what it is. Once you break it up it becomes only a small portion in mass of powder. A lot less ash than when it was fluffed.

Yeah, I know that sounded weird but its miller time

 

[imacman]

......A lot less ash than when it was fluffed.

Yeah, I know that sounded weird but its miller time

Yes, that DID sound funny. :lol: Ash & fluffed....sounds like it should be in a porn film....

But the other statement about "Miller Time"....NOT funny (yech) :sick:

 

[sparkydog00]

I just have to ash this question. I have read that a bag of pellets will yield about a cup or less of ash. Well, I am pretty sure that I am getting closer to 3 cups per bag. I have tried 3 different pellet brands, all premium and including hardwood Lignetics. I expected that the hardwood pellets would leave less ash but after my usual 3-4 bag burns, I still had about the same quantity of ash. no matter what I was burning. My stove is set to burn about a bag per 24 hrs., and I watch my air damper pretty closely. So, what determines the ash quantity? Is it pellet quality, burn settings, air settings, or a combo of everything. I am getting way more ash than I expected. Will a hotter burn produce less ash???

Pick up a bag of Maine Woods Pellets...you will be amazed at how little ash is produced by the other premium brands of pellets you have burned.

 

[pduby]

SparkyDog -

LOL - how true I was just thinking that

 

[woodsman23]

I get about 1-2 cups of ash per day when its cold out. Whats the big deal! are you warm? if so burn and have warmth. Think about wood ash, buckets of smokey floating ash everywhere.... and hot.

 

[stoveguy2esw]

ash simply is about the same in volume rrom brand to brand (especially if its a PFI member) what you see is how much "heavy ash" stays in the pot, a pellet brand which has a lighter ash which is powdery tends to release more 'fly ash" which ends up in the flue system, a pellet which has more heavy ash tends to clump in the burn area. but the amount is actually the same. if you could capture the total amount of ash you would find virtually all are literally identical in volume. the makeup of the ash is what folks usually single out. soft wood pellets generally tend to leave the pot cleaner but dirty the flue faster, and the opposite is common with hardwood. its all perception

actually 1/2 of 1 percent of 40 lbs is 4 ounces , but its very dry , you do not get a "volume" estimate. the "volume" of the ash when collected and not compressed is actually closer to a half a small coffee can of ash to a bag , at least it seems that way based on my experiments , which arent exactly "exact"

 

[Lobstah]

My restrictor setting seems to impact my ash by quite a bit. There is a range of air that all produces an "acceptable" flame, by standards I've read on this forum, but.
If I adjust my air so that the pellets are "wiggling" in the pot, but not quite jumping out?...I get a LOT of ash. I think that embers are being blown out of the pot before they fully burn. If I cut my air back, not all the way to a "lazy" flame, but lets say a "1 cupOcoffee" flame? I still get good heat, but no where near as much ash.
I began to notice this when my wife would turn the heat setting down without decreasing the air.
By cutting the air down to where my pellets don't "wiggle" in the pot, I can run the stove for 3 days without having to move ashes from the combustion chamber down into the ash pan.

Jim

 

[pellet0708]

That has always been a question of mine that nobody has answered: Can the damper setting effect the amt of ash or does a pellet burn and leave a set amount of ash no matter how much air? I can see the air effecting the consistancy and make up of the ash but the amount?

 

[mnoack]

Not sure how you are measuring, but I get ash build up that looks like it has body and mass. It is very porous and fluffy. It looks like more than what it is. Once you break it up it becomes only a small portion in mass of powder. A lot less ash than when it was fluffed.

Yeah, I know that sounded weird but its miller time

This is a good point, though. When I clean my stove, the quantity of ash looks like it should fill the ash vac in 3 cleanings. In reality, I empty the vac about once a month (about 12 -15 cleanings) & it is at most half full. I think those pellet manufacturer claims refer to "packed" ash ;-P

 

[Pellet1]

All sorts of great discussion on my question. I appreciate it. The concept of fly ash vs solid ash in the pot is interesting. Most of the ash in my stove is fly ash, which gathers mostly on the door side of the pot, as that is the general direction of the air flow. There is generally very little ash in the pot when I clean(every 3-4 bags burned), and I have never seen what some have called "clinkers". My stove is over 7 years old now and the technology has no doubt improved over those years. The air wash system and the round burner pots being two examples. So it seems that "fluffed" up ash may appear to be more volume than there actually is present after it is knocked down.
Anyway, oil is still coming down, and it may be that I will run the furnace and save the pellets for leaner times.