Below 30 degrees

[chrisasst]

Why would my stoves performance go down when it goes below 30 degrees. The pellets in the burn pot build up more, and the glass gets dirty, and the flame looks lazier. Why would this happen... any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[iron stove]

eveything you say indicates a lack of airflow. Causes of diminished air, clogged exhausrt port, negative pressure in house if you close it up tight and have other items using air.

 

[Snowy Rivers]

If your stove is vented into a tall chimney therein could be the problem.

Cold air is dense and settles/Falls

The warm air trying to rise up a chimney will cool rapidly as it ascends and then in the cold upper reaches will tend to stall out and try to fall back.

Pellet stoves normally dont put a large amount of heat up the stack

If your stove is direct vented out the wall, the issue is likely a buildup of ash in the exhaust system.

Let us know more

Snowy

 

[imacman]

What pellets are you using?

IIRC, Chris is burning Cubex pellets this year.

 

[Don2222]

Hello

A Lazy fire and more soot is not enough air for complete combustion. I found the air restrictor needed to be opened more after an extreme change in temperature.

Here is what my wood pellet stove manual says:
Pic 1 - Not Enough Air.

Visual Inspection
Not Enough Air: If clinkers develop or the flame appears lazy and slow to blow the ash out of the firepot, pull the
restrictor outward until the flame becomes active and the firepot holes remain clean. NOTE: If the restrictor is fully out
(“5”), yet the firepot does not remain clean, the stove needs to be cleaned and checked for air leaks (see
“Maintenance” section of this manual).
Too

Pic 2 - Too Much Air.

Too Much Air: If the flames are too active (small, flickering flames) or if burning pellets are expelled from the firepot,
move the restrictor rod inwards until the flame slows down and no burning pellets are expelled. Another symptom of
too much air is the heater “blowing the fire out” – a condition in which the air pushes the burning pellets out of the
firepot, extinguishing the flame.

Hope this helps.

 

[chrisasst]

If your stove is vented into a tall chimney therein could be the problem.

Cold air is dense and settles/Falls

The warm air trying to rise up a chimney will cool rapidly as it ascends and then in the cold upper reaches will tend to stall out and try to fall back.

Pellet stoves normally dont put a large amount of heat up the stack

If your stove is direct vented out the wall, the issue is likely a buildup of ash in the exhaust system.

Let us know more

Snowy

It is direct vented....the exhaust system is clean.....

If it wasn't it wouldn't burn right at any temp..

I understand the air flow thing but why does it effect it when the temp is below 30 degrees. So if the temp goes below that I should open the damper more....If I do that, then more heat escapes correct... So I guess it is a catch 22
I will try that tonight, supposed to get down to 23 degrees..

 

[krooser]

If your stove is vented into a tall chimney therein could be the problem.

Cold air is dense and settles/Falls

The warm air trying to rise up a chimney will cool rapidly as it ascends and then in the cold upper reaches will tend to stall out and try to fall back.

Pellet stoves normally dont put a large amount of heat up the stack

If your stove is direct vented out the wall, the issue is likely a buildup of ash in the exhaust system.

Let us know more

Snowy

It is direct vented....the exhaust system is clean.....

If it wasn't it wouldn't burn right at any temp..

I understand the air flow thing but why does it effect it when the temp is below 30 degrees. So if the temp goes below that I should open the damper more....If I do that, then more heat escapes correct... So I guess it is a catch 22
I will try that tonight, supposed to get down to 23 degrees..

The damper controls INLET air NOT exhaust like on a wood stove.

 

[imacman]

So if the temp goes below that I should open the damper more....If I do that, then more heat escapes correct...

If the "damper" we're referring to controls how much burn air goes through the stove, then more air is available to the burnpot. And yes, if you make more heat, more goes up the pipe, but hopefully more heat is generated for the room too.

It will probably be a "trial & error" kind of thing.....open it up a little at a time and see if the flame gets more lively. Remember, just enough to see yellow flames w/ a little blue at the base, if possible.

The thing you mentioned about the pellets building up to me indicates not enough burn air.

 

[Lousyweather]

Why would my stoves performance go down when it goes below 30 degrees. The pellets in the burn pot build up more, and the glass gets dirty, and the flame looks lazier. Why would this happen... any thoughts would be appreciated.

Its a Kozi?

 

[jtakeman]

I'm with snowy. Colder air is more dense(like me hehe). Its also harder to move. I am pretty sure chrisasst is OAK'ed as well. Sounds like the OAK needs a preheater on the kozi's.

chrisasst try removing the OAK for a bit and see if it helps. Maybe drawing warmer air will help??? IDK! If it seems better you might need the vent setup krooser has???