Change in pellet stove ash consistency & amount

[mdteamcad]

Hello,

Can anyone provide any insight into why my Whitfield Pellet Insert might be producing fewer and coarser ashes than before? I have a Whitefield Profile 30-INS and after technicians came to troubleshoot a problem last year, the consistency of the ashes changed. I used to have to clean the stove's ash catch much more often than I do now and the ash was much finer than now. I am burning the same Lignetics pellets as I had previously.

Some background: the stove was installed in a pre-fab fireplace and so the installing company told me I'd need a new stove pipe for the stove. When I balked at the additional $1000 for the pipe, they told me they could put in a few feet of pipe above the flue. The flue was sealed and a plate with a hole for the pipe was put in. They also (after they realized the chimney could never be cleaned as a result of their installation) put in a t-cleanout off of the stove pipe. I empty this regularly, but its never more than 1/5 full of fine ashes. The fine ash that is in the clean out used to make up all or the majority of the ash that was in the stove's ash catch. It now seems that there is no fine ash in this stove.

A local company I called suggested that the stove might be getting too much air, so I closed the stove's damper some, but I haven't noticed any change in the ash consistency.

My concern is that the fine ash is blowing up the few feet of stove pipe and then falling back down onto the plate/chimney flue, which I can't clean out. It seems this would be a real fire hazard. Where else could the ash be going? Or why has the consistency changed? There is about 1/3 to 1/5 of the ash in the stove's ash cathch as there used to be.

Do you all have any thoughts/suggestions?

Thanks for your help,

Asher

 

[GVA]

Is this a recent change in ash?
Or are you comparing last years pellets to this years pellets?
Pellets do change as far as content a bit through each heating season and from year to year.
As far as the pipe.... You should have run the full length as eventually as you stated the ash will become level with that pipe in the chimney.
How far up did they go?

Don't know, but on a whitfield where does the air intake get its air from?

 

[mdteamcad]

Thanks for the response. Yeah, had the installer told me the chimney would fill with ash I would have made a different decision. I think they went up maybe 3-6 feet with pipe, but I can't remember.

The change in ash consistency occurred even with the same pellets - this was at the end of last winter. I thought they might have gotten a little wet since they were the last of the pallet.

Re: air intake, air is drawn in from the back of the stove, coming from the fireplace and the room.

Could the feed rate have something to do with it? On medium, I get a taller flame, which is a little more yellow, than when on low, even when I open up the damper all the way. But the flame is definitely sharper than when the damper is closed.

Thanks,

Asher

 

[hearthtools]

Most of the time Larger ash or clinkering is from the Moisture content of the pellets.
Yes if they sat around they will pick up moisture.

The amount of FINE BLACK soot build up on the glass and sidewalls is from air adjustment and or poor maintenance of the stove and flue system.

 

[mdteamcad]

Thanks Rod. I really don't have any fine black soot and I can burn two bags before I need to clean the ash out of the stove. Before, I'd have to clean after every bag or so and it was mostly a fine brownish ash. BTW, the pellets are stacked in my basement which is dry.

How would I know if the chimney's clogged/full of ash? I guess I could get a chimney sweep in after the season to see how much ash is in the chimney, any way to tell otherwise?

Thanks guys,

Asher

 

[hearthtools]

IS the stove ran into a Masson Chimeny?
If it is just connectected to Pellet vent, Take the cap off the T and Bang on the pipe.
With normal used (2tons) most pipe runs get about a 1/2 gallon of ash.

If you basment is Cement then the Pellets sitting on the floor or against the walls will suck the Moisture out of the concret.

 

[mdteamcad]

Yeah, the pellets are in a concrete basement in a corner. We got them in Sept and didn't use them until Nov. so they could be wicking up the moisture. But this didn't happen last year.

The stove's connected to a pellet vent, so I'll take the cap off and see what happens.

Also, one corner of the burn pot always makes clinkers, but only in one corner. Any thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[hearthtools]

Yeah, the pellets are in a concrete basement in a corner. We got them in Sept and didn't use them until Nov. so they could be wicking up the moisture. But this didn't happen last year.

The stove's connected to a pellet vent, so I'll take the cap off and see what happens.

Also, one corner of the burn pot always makes clinkers, but only in one corner. Any thoughts?

Thanks!

This will be normal.
With this years Poor quality PINE pellets we are getting stoves are clickering even more.

Just be sure you clean you burn pot more often and check your air adjustments.

 

[mdteamcad]

Will do.

Thanks Rod,

Asher