Chimney cleanout reason - to avoid FIRE!
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TimfromMA
Minister of Fire
Pellet stoves produce very little creosote. Probably the most common chimney problem for pellet stoves is fly ash.
Agreed
Had a flue fire once, but only after a failure changed the airflow causing the flame to occasionally go out till more fuel was needed while in the lowest stove temp mode. Stove would puff smoke when the flame went out, and with just red spent embers in the pot.
I equate the no flame with this dangerous condition, even though the flame was out perhaps under 10% of the duty cycle
The flue fire occured after just a few weeks of running in this condition.
However standard cleaning would not have prevented the fire, as the results was sticky goo condensing onto the relatively cooler metal.
If your fly ash is grey or silver, threre is no fuel value to it and is relatively benign aside from decreasing the efficiency of heat transfer.
Had a flue fire once, but only after a failure changed the airflow causing the flame to occasionally go out till more fuel was needed while in the lowest stove temp mode. Stove would puff smoke when the flame went out, and with just red spent embers in the pot.
I equate the no flame with this dangerous condition, even though the flame was out perhaps under 10% of the duty cycle
The flue fire occured after just a few weeks of running in this condition.
However standard cleaning would not have prevented the fire, as the results was sticky goo condensing onto the relatively cooler metal.
If your fly ash is grey or silver, threre is no fuel value to it and is relatively benign aside from decreasing the efficiency of heat transfer.
I was reading in another pellet website and seen pictures of a pellet stove fire burning in the elbow above the stove before going through the wall. later it was determined to be caused by bees building a hive in the pipe.
When I bought our first stove the dealer told us 3 things that were important. 1-- When done in the spring do a good cleaning including the exh system.
2-- Cover the end of the exh pipe so nothing can get in like bugs-animals.
3-- put a note in the hopper to remind yourself to unplug the exh.
In my 10 years of burning pellet-corn stoves and servicing the same I
have seen bird nests, mice nests, wasp homes in the pipes or even in the stove
when the owner moved them out of the house and never covered the air intake or exh hole.
When I bought our first stove the dealer told us 3 things that were important. 1-- When done in the spring do a good cleaning including the exh system.
2-- Cover the end of the exh pipe so nothing can get in like bugs-animals.
3-- put a note in the hopper to remind yourself to unplug the exh.
In my 10 years of burning pellet-corn stoves and servicing the same I
have seen bird nests, mice nests, wasp homes in the pipes or even in the stove
when the owner moved them out of the house and never covered the air intake or exh hole.
TimfromMA
Minister of Fire
Good points
Once my combustion blower wouldn't turn more than 270 degrees, found a dried up bat stuck to the impeller!
Found that plugging in the off season also keeps abundant spring moisture from surface rusting the inards of the heat exhanger that would compromise eficiency. Another fan of the Damp-rid here as well
Once my combustion blower wouldn't turn more than 270 degrees, found a dried up bat stuck to the impeller!
Found that plugging in the off season also keeps abundant spring moisture from surface rusting the inards of the heat exhanger that would compromise eficiency. Another fan of the Damp-rid here as well
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