Clinkers?

[MuchoBueno]

I think I know what they are, basically when I scrape my burn pot it feels like there's sand under the scraper. I also noticed the lumps of hard ash that look like porous rocks. Those are clinkers am I right? The only time I had them is with green supremes and I've burned 7 other brands and the only one that gave me those things were the GS.
EDIT: the reason I ask is that for the last 2 weeks all the box box stores by me only had green supremes and I read somewhere here that clinkers happen because of in optimal burn. Is that true? None of the other brands gave me the sandlike ash.

 

[alternativeheat]

I think I know what they are, basically when I scrape my burn pot it feels like there's sand under the scraper. I also noticed the lumps of hard ash that look like porous rocks. Those are clinkers am I right? The only time I had them is with green supremes and I've burned 7 other brands and the only one that gave me those things were the GS.
EDIT: the reason I ask is that for the last 2 weeks all the box box stores by me only had green supremes and I read somewhere here that clinkers happen because of in optimal burn. Is that true? None of the other brands gave me the sandlike ash.

Hey I'm getting a few on the latest Okanagan Douglas Firs I'm burning in my P61, mostly when it goes into low burn. I get some resinous clumps of what looks like welded together molten together hardened black pellets ( looks like two nuggets welded together in this case). Not much ash but I get some of those now and then. I don't know if you have read here yet that DF's should be top of the line pellets. You can get clinkers in any pellet really at times if the right conditions are present..

I did not get clinkers with Green Supreme, I burned 15 bags to see what all the fuss was about with GS and honestly other than using a few more because of relatively low BTU they burned like other box store pellets to me. Just about all box store pellets are quite ashy ( one exception being AWF White Pine Super Premiums which we don't often see at Box Stores .3% ash and 8600 BTU). And they all make heat in my Harman. In fact I don't mind mixing any of them with my DF's to stretch my DF supply. One of the hottest burns I've gotten from my Harman this winter came with a mix of DF and Pure Fire softwoods. It was a cold night and the stove was cranking out some serious BTU's. Certainly there was no loss burning those less expensive pellets in a mix like that. No clinkers that night.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

A real clinker.

 

[Bioburner]

I make one or the Bixby does every 15 hours on low.

 

[chken]

Is this show us your clinker day? or show us your hockey pucks?

 

[Bioburner]

Is this show us your clinker day? or show us your hockey pucks?

What can I say, I'm from the state of hockey and ten thousand taxes and rising, both burn my ash.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Is this show us your clinker day? or show us your hockey pucks?

Yes.

 

[MuchoBueno]

Wow those are some nice pucks.

 

[Snowy Rivers]

If the stove burns hot (Old quads have a very hot fire) and any impurities such that contain silica (dirt) melt and form CLINKERS

The are no pellets that are totally immune to this, but the cleaner the material, the less clinker.

Bark that's been drug across the ground during the handling is prone to contamination with dirt.

Clinkers are just part of life with a pellet stove.

It's just how big and bad they get.

We get a soft clinker even with the shells, and the stuff has been well cleaned.

 

[bbfarm]

I just cleaned the stove today. This was the only clinker. After a week and we don't scrape the burn pot ever. No need with the versa grate

 

[elevenMracing]

 

[pageyjim]

Is it a good idea if you are developing clinkers and not doing a cleaning yet to raise the combustion air? I can clean my stove twice a day and get them. So I don't avoid cleaning but it makes sense to me.

 

[CenterTree]

I thought clinker was the colonel from Hogan's Heroes.

 

[Bioburner]

I know nothing.

I thought clinker was the colonel from Hogan's Hero's.

 

[heat seeker]

Yup, this is a "mine's bigger than yours" thread.

Here one that my stove birthed from some so-so pellets:

 

[mbella1026]

How do you keep it from getting stuck to the metal? I use NEWP/ GS ash is OK cake is not that bad and glass is clear for a few days. But the wall of the pot is a mess and I can't get it all off.

 

[MuchoBueno]

How do you keep it from getting stuck to the metal? I use NEWP/ GS ash is OK cake is not that bad and glass is clear for a few days. But the wall of the pot is a mess and I can't get it all off.

The clinkers I get don't get stuck on the metal. The black carbon build up does and I scrape it off with a big screw driver.

 

[Bioburner]

How do you keep it from getting stuck to the metal? I use NEWP/ GS ash is OK cake is not that bad and glass is clear for a few days. But the wall of the pot is a mess and I can't get it all off.

Next time you get the pot clean, try rubbing in a bit of graphite dust. Wear a pair of disposable gloves as the stuff is dirty. Made a far happier Bixby that ejects a clinker puck.

 

[mbella1026]

Next time you get the pot clean, try rubbing in a bit of graphite dust. Wear a pair of disposable gloves as the stuff is dirty. Made a far happier Bixby that ejects a clinker puck.

Thanks I will get back to you. Does HD have graphite dust?

 

[mbella1026]

Is Graphite Lubricant the same thing? Is this OK?
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Blaster-5-5-oz-Graphite-Dry-Lubricant-8-GS/202597501