Cap knowledge anyone?

[Bioburner]

Did a deep clean and the exhaust fan mount plate needed new gasket but the main issue last winter was the fan did not want to spool up without a bit of encouragement. Now that we are not anywhere needing heat I want to get a handle on this issue. The german motor is serviced by lines coming from a pair of capacitors. Company seems to have went belly up and not answering phone etc.(Hestia) Would dead caps lead to the issue of the motor needing a push to start? Electrical issues are not my stronger point in fixing stoves.

 

[Mt Bob]

Hard to believe they used a 2 cap motor system just on a pellet unit.Post or send wiring diagram and motor info,will see if I can help.What you are describing does sound like a cap problem.Haven't been on in a while,but now have 4 ton ligs in basment,just bought an older(08) accentra,going to pick it up this weekend,may put in living room upstairs for shoulder seasons,as I can run it on programmable tstat.May pick up spare ton just in case next spring drags on like this one did!

 

[Bioburner]

Nothing the matter with a solid used stove. Putting some heat in main living area you may reduce your pellet use. Can use the savings elsewhere. Cap system is used on those german motors as we have a Elena and a Bixby with the same motor. They are the smoothest and quietest of the lot but with a higher price tag. Well after getting the manual up found that a wire was not on the right post. My disassembly picture was not clear an I screwed up putting things back. Running good now and ready for winter except for the leaky roof that's only 9 years old. So much for the new ridge vent system. Montana dry now or average? We went from record water in June to half of normal for July.

 

[Mt Bob]

Yep very familiar with the ebm/papst motors,single cap usually.Getting scattered showers but so hot just evaps.,everything drying up bad,fire season soon.Hate roofs,have to brush chimney this weekend,dug up base last weekend to get to cleanout(ground sluffed in about 3'),had never cleaned it out since built chimney,only brushed,and was full up to the 4" pellet pipe going through the 8" thimble.Most stuff was from wood stove days.Last stove burn was 3 weeks ago,might be good till end of aug.Put my roof on 92-93,carried t-loks up ladder on my head,still looked good last year,figure got 3-5 more years.Best hay season(local) in 6-10 yrs,very little irrigation for first cut,farmers very happy.

 

[Bioburner]

Most of the DNR firefighters from MN are in CA,WA or Oregon. MN has not been without a drought region for many years and hope it stays that way with increasing chance of rain next week. I went to fire refresher last spring again for another job but if anything breaks in MN I would probably get a call. To old to be ground attack but mechanical, pump etc. Crops all over the place. Some will be happy to get insurance with spring floods as corn price is more than a dollar under production cost.

 

[Mt Bob]

Most of the DNR firefighters from MN are in CA,WA or Oregon. MN has not been without a drought region for many years and hope it stays that way with increasing chance of rain next week. I went to fire refresher last spring again for another job but if anything breaks in MN I would probably get a call. To old to be ground attack but mechanical, pump etc. Crops all over the place. Some will be happy to get insurance with spring floods as corn price is more than a dollar under production cost.

Air has been clear out hear for about 10 days(most of our smoke problems come in from the west/south west).Please do not get me started on the dnr,I have seen our local people sent to other states,to fight fires,while dealing with other people from the south to fight fires in our state.Have seen it many times.Just another way for the fed gov to spend more money to make sure it comes back the next year.My neighbor has one of the few certified firefighter schools in this state(non gov and owns a buissness/company,certifies people for this type of work),and generally has to send all his equipment to the south to fight fires(to make money)appears the state does not like him because he is an independent,not the state run training place,which costs 3 times more!Have watched this game the last 10-12 years.Welcome to the socialist state of montana.Thought about doing this,but at my age,did not think I am a cantidate.Living out here,and the more I have studied wildland firefighting I have discovered what a scam most of it is.

 

[alternativeheat]

Now that we are not anywhere needing heat I want to get a handle on this issue. .

I figure we are 60-80 days away from needing shoulder heat with any regularity here. And a little longer for a full time burn. That's going to go by real fast !! I'm about 30-40 days away from my planned OAK install. And need to plan how I can rod out 23 ft of flue liner without going up a 40 ft. extension ladder. My 4" brush with fiberglass rods starts spiraling up and won't move after about 2 1/2 sections gets up there ( made it most of the way when it was brand new). Twisting it winds it up like a slinky. Cheap stuff I guess. Maybe I'll get the step son over here again with the ladder and he can rod it from the top down ( I tend to fall off of ladders, that's why my kids lost my 30 footer for me I guess after I went off the second story backwards. Mysteriously it got borrowed and nobody knows what happened to it !).

 

[Mt Bob]

I figure we are 60-80 days away from needing shoulder heat with any regularity here. And a little longer for a full time burn. That's going to go by real fast !! I'm about 30-40 days away from my planned OAK install. And need to plan how I can rod out 23 ft of flue liner without going up a 40 ft. extension ladder. My 4" brush with fiberglass rods starts spiraling up and won't move after about 2 1/2 sections gets up there ( made it most of the way when it was brand new). Twisting it winds it up like a slinky. Cheap stuff I guess. Maybe I'll get the step son over here again with the ladder and he can rod it from the top down ( I tend to fall off of ladders, that's why my kids lost my 30 footer for me I guess after I went off the second story backwards. Mysteriously it got borrowed and nobody knows what happened to it !).

Gotta do the ladder thing also,have not done it for a few years(8" clay flue).How about a smaller diameter pipe snake?Might work.

 

[alternativeheat]

Gotta do the ladder thing also,have not done it for a few years(8" clay flue).How about a smaller diameter pipe snake?Might work.

Ya I've been thinking of a 3", the 4" is snug but it doesn't push hard. I'm hoping there is no blockage up there but smoke comes out on start up and the pipe is not even a year old yet, so I rather doubt that. The stove runs fine and stoves don't run fine with lousy draft ! It's just the snake starts coiling up and you don't get much effective push that way. If it was metal like speedometer cable you could twist it with pliers maybe. But metal also might damage the liner. 23 ft is a long ways to push flexible fiberglass rods up ! I think if each section had a 3" brush on it that would give some side support and it would go right on up but they have that little plastic ball on top so I don't think one could attach the next section that way. I'll keep thinking.

 

[Bioburner]

Ya I've been thinking of a 3", the 4" is snug but it doesn't push hard. I'm hoping there is no blockage up there but smoke comes out on start up and the pipe is not even a year old yet, so I rather doubt that. The stove runs fine and stoves don't run fine with lousy draft ! It's just the snake starts coiling up and you don't get much effective push that way. If it was metal like speedometer cable you could twist it with pliers maybe. But metal also might damage the liner. 23 ft is a long ways to push flexible fiberglass rods up ! I think if each section had a 3" brush on it that would give some side support and it would go right on up but they have that little plastic ball on top so I don't think one could attach the next section that way. I'll keep thinking.

Could find some plastic balls and drill two opposing holes in, one the size of the rod and one that will fit over the rod so will help center the rod if you rod has larger metal joints.

 

[alternativeheat]

Could find some plastic balls and drill two opposing holes in, one the size of the rod and one that will fit over the rod so will help center the rod if you rod has larger metal joints.

Yes that's a good idea.

 

[SwineFlue]

23 ft is a long ways to push flexible fiberglass rods up !

Which brand do you use? The Lint Eater rods are much more rigid than the "Imperial" one that I have. I can daisy-chain 4 or 5 sections of the Linteater ones, no problem. (I do like the Imperial brush better, so I use that one during the season to clean out just the bottom 3' of the vent where most of the ash is.)

 

[alternativeheat]

Which brand do you use? The Lint Eater rods are much more rigid than the "Imperial" one that I have. I can daisy-chain 4 or 5 sections of the Linteater ones, no problem. (I do like the Imperial brush better, so I use that one during the season to clean out just the bottom 3' of the vent where most of the ash is.)

I don't recall but thinking its Rutland like the brush is. Pretty whimpy this time of year though what ever they are.

 

[SwineFlue]

Take a look at the Linteater... you might be able to open a box in the store to see if the rods are rigid enough for you.

 

[alternativeheat]

Take a look at the Linteater... you might be able to open a box in the store to see if the rods are rigid enough for you.

I'll think about that, thanks ! I didn't realize these that I have now get so noodle like as they warm up. In the winter they had more spring to them. Now you can bend them and they take a set . That can't be good !

Incidentally I notice the professional rods come in 3/8" thickness. Mine are not that thick. But I don't know if I could bend 3/8" rods under my cleanout .

 

[SwineFlue]

In the winter they had more spring to them. Now you can bend them and they take a set

(I was wondering what you meant about "this time of year"!)

Incidentally I notice the professional rods come in 3/8" thickness. Mine are not that thick. But I don't know if I could bend 3/8" rods under my cleanout .

I think the Linteater will work. They are about 3/8" thick, but I can easily bend a section into a U shape. I insert one section into the cleanout, then attach the next one to it.
The wimpy ones are easier to use, though, so during the season I use just one section to give the bottom a quick clean. I can spin it with the drill only while pulling it back out, otherwise it binds up.

 

[alternativeheat]

(I was wondering what you meant about "this time of year"!)



I think the Linteater will work. They are about 3/8" thick, but I can easily bend a section into a U shape. I insert one section into the cleanout, then attach the next one to it.
The wimpy ones are easier to use, though, so during the season I use just one section to give the bottom a quick clean. I can spin it with the drill only while pulling it back out, otherwise it binds up.

Ya they are stiffer in the colder weather, not now though.

Thanks, I'll keep the Linteaters in mind !

 

[alternativeheat]

Ya they are stiffer in the colder weather, not now though.

Thanks, I'll keep the Linteaters in mind !

So I took another whack at it with the existing equipment I have. I gave the brush a hair cut. I left it just about 4" at the center of the bristles but I tapered above and below that center line of bristels. Using a drill I was able to get almost to the top of the vent before the rods started to twist up. Actually they didn't bind at all but I lost about 18" of travel, just enough to not get the brush to pop out of the top. I got out quite a lot more ash too. Now it's hard for me to believe that there is a clog way up there in the last foot or so of vent. Or should I add one more rod and try to get this thing to pop out the top into the cap ? The air is whistling right up the vent I can feel it on my hand. The cap screen itself is perfectly clear and shiny, I looked with binoculars ( it's 26 ft up to that cap, I can't see that well without them) looking hoping the brush had made it. I hate the thought of pulling that cap just to rod out a foot or so of vent system, I doubt there is anything up there that far !

 

[Mt Bob]

Actually that is coldest part,where the hard stuff collects.My thoughts are to keep going but see what others say.

 

[alternativeheat]

Actually that is coldest part,where the hard stuff collects.My thoughts are to keep going but see what others say.

Bob, it's 26 ft from the bottom cap. All I have gotten is a little ash all this way up ( the most ash was the last time as I did the first ten ft but I got a fair amount more today up a ways more), you really think there will be crusty stuff way up there ? Damn ! I never thought I would need 6 rods to get up there.

 

[Mt Bob]

Bob, it's 26 ft from the bottom cap. All I have gotten is a little ash all this way up ( the most ash was the last time as I did the first ten ft but I got a fair amount more today up a ways more), you really think there will be crusty stuff way up there ? Damn ! I never thought I would need 6 rods to get up there.

If you see no gunk (usually larger flaky stuff) with the binocs,you are prob good for the winter.I was just saying what the chimney guys say,but if it was mine I would stop there and see what it looks like next year.You will see lots of posts on here where there were big restrictions at the chimney caps,but usually(in my opinion) from people not burning/maintaining stove properly.Don't worry,have a beer!

 

[alternativeheat]

If you see no gunk (usually larger flaky stuff) with the binocs,you are prob good for the winter.I was just saying what the chimney guys say,but if it was mine I would stop there and see what it looks like next year.You will see lots of posts on here where there were big restrictions at the chimney caps,but usually(in my opinion) from people not burning/maintaining stove properly.Don't worry,have a beer!

Well it would be bad if the brush isn't making it cause of a blockage. I'm having tea, don't drink alcohol anymore, that went out the window with the Gluten Free diet after being so sick last summer I could hardly walk less than a 1/4 mile. Went Gluten Free, no booze, new man now !.

 

[Mt Bob]

Depending on flue,can you look up it with a mirror on bright day?Might give you all the info you need.

 

[alternativeheat]

Depending on flue,can you look up it with a mirror on bright day?Might give you all the info you need.

Nope, got a gentle S bend where it goes past the old smoke shelf. Well, I don't want to mess with this in January short of a quicky mid season brushing so now I need my thinking cap on.

 

[Mt Bob]

At the least,for easing your mind,add another section and run up without the brush,see how much stuff falls down.