Cleaning St. Crox Lancaster

[aviator79]

Bought a St. Crox Lancaster last year for $200 for my garage. Have only run approximately 5 bags or so thru it (can see ashpan almost full). I have yet to permanently install so just using scrap ~ 8ft long 4in chimney liner run thru window (leftover from Harmen Accentra install) with 3in-4in adapter. I only run it when im in garage and double wall liner doesn't get hot. Will do permanent install soon.

First time cleaning seems very easy.
For now:
Emptied ash pan.
Vaced and tried to wire brush an burnpot.
Vaced and removed lower decorative grills.
Removed cleanup covers and vaced ash traps.
Vaced and removed heat exchanger baffle and vacuumed and brushed exchanger and walls (dont have decorative plates installed as was told just makes harder to clean).
Was going to remove exhaust and vac but taped it so leaving for next time.

I do have manual.

Do I need to remove burnpot to clean? Looks ok for now.
Do I need to run wire brushes up into ash traps?

I read about banging something with rubber mallet?

Now that ive done cleaning think have basics figured out. Just wondering if missed anything.

Basically if someone could just list how they do cleaning would be helpfull. Im just not as familiar with this unit as I am with my Accentra. Only needed a quick clean for now and will do more thorough clean later.

Runs pretty good.

Any help appreciated.

 

[rickwai]

Yes run a small brush up thru the ash traps. You will me amazed how much stuff drops down. Also suck it out with the leaf blower on the exhaust with stove door open. That is the very most important part of the St Croix stoves. There are areas between the ash trap and exhaust outlet you cannot not get to. Leaf blower takes care of all that. Check the 3-4 rectangular holes the pot for engages into on the back wall. And look down into the pot to see if the pot bottom is full of ash. I just slide mine in and out sharply and that shucks it out.

 

[aviator79]

I'm wondering that is why just now started making tinging noise like exhaust fan hitting something. Comes and goes. Now stopped. Lasted like 2 min then stopped. Came back for 1 min then stopped. Will redo cleaning and do wire brush and hook leaf blower/vac too it. I also know not running at high is not ideal so should start running it hotter just only had 2 bags left. Using Greene Team but will grab some cheaper pellets and just run hot after clean and just clean more often...for now I can literally roll if outside and also spray compressed air up passages while leaf vac going so may do that if not too cold.
Thanks.

 

[aviator79]

So used leaf vac a few weeks ago after cleaning and works good but today went ahead and after vacumung, brushing and running leaf vac used compressor to spray air while leaf vac going and worked well. Able to clean all heat exchanger tubes and areas that are hard to access. Lots of crap came out and leaf vac sucked most out but took breaks also using vacuum. Think this is way to go to remove all dust as came out very clean.

 

[ThePoncho]

Is the burn pot easily removable? On the Avalon Newport I had for 14 years and just sold as well as my new Ravelli, I remove the burn pot every couple of weeks and hit the exterior with wire wheel on a bench grinder and the inside with a drill wire cleaning attachment. Sometimes scrape it first with a gasket scraper if there was build up.
But the pots easily lift out of both of those stoves.

 

[aviator79]

Been working great.

Other night started to overfeeding. Not non stop. But piling up and huge flame. To point I was worried would overheat glass so dropped into ashpan.

Ashpan was not full. It was just piling up as board thought needed more pellets.

Wonder if I blew ashes up air intake or was just that I didn't clean it as air intake was dirty so cleaned that set back to pencil size opening.

Emptied hopper. Vacuumed out intake. Added a bit to hopper be sure if happened again would not have full hopper.

Been running for few hours now with no issues.

So make sure to clean intake!

If I was not there to shut off stove idk...but would say its possible things could have gotten to point where fire could have started. I almost had to pull plug as would not respond to turn off. And no matter what did still heard it feeding.

I need to research some sort of fail safe.
Simple is pull power at outlet but rather soothing that puts into shutdown mode to keep burning if overheats.
But also makes me want more but...idk how.

I will never run this stove while not home...I will never leave unattended for more than 30min.

Read this about cleaning intake.

St. Croix Technical Service

Troubleshooting or Fixing your St. Croix Pellet Stove? Mr. Pellethead explains auger overfeeding and airflow issues - what should be tested and inspected.

pellethead.com

My door seal fine.

A dirty intake allowing this is not acceptable IMO. I may talk to person I know that sells them see if this is normal. Scary.

 

[rickwai]

Clean the 4 square holes on the back wall where the ash pan floor mates also the double cavity of the burn pot sliding floor. I have seen those 2 areas jammed. That will reduce air flow. I usually shake the bottom cleaning rod in and out quickly when doing a cleaning and it will shake the ash out of that area. My St Croix runs 24/7 for weeks at a time. There is still a cleaning issue it sounds like with your stove.