Austroflamm Integra Owners : How often do you clean your stove?

[jumpinin]

I dont mean a daily cleaning of burn pot / ash removal - i am talking of removing the cast iron plates and cleaning the heat exchanger tubes and exhaust port. I find myself cleaning the heat exchanger every other week. I have only cleaned the rear chamber (via the round plate w/thumbscrew) once. I can tell usually the build up by how soft and mushy the rods feel when scraping the tubes. I really didnt plan on spending this much time with my stove - though it does seem to burn much better after a cleaning - though this might be psychological. I have only burned newp pellets - so maybe they have excessive ash? In the spring I plan a complete cleaning - though i hate to pull the exhaust motor to clean the exhaust port.

 

[imacman]

In general, most pellet stoves should be given a good thorough cleaning (exhaust pipes, remove blowers & clean, etc, etc) after a ton of pellets or so. That also depends on the brand of pellets....I also have NEWP pellets, and clean my stove after 1 ton.

You should also consult your owners manual.....what do they recommend?

Remember, 80% of stove problems/poor burning/poor heat output are due to dirty stoves.

 

[pelletfan]

take a look at
(broken link removed)

it explains it quite nicely. Your stove will run better after a good cleaning.

i am talking of removing the cast iron plates and cleaning the heat exchanger tubes

I do it every two weeks. Don't like my current pellets as they produce a lot of ash. Have not pulled the motor out yet but probably will do it in the next 3 weeks.
Just have to be in the right mood.