Creosote from a pellet stove?

[Pellet-King]

Few weeks ago had problems with my pressure switch, i cleaned my stove very well and banged on my pipe to drop the ash, been doing it for over 10 yrs without a problem...
Last yr i moved and bought a 3" pipe kit 25' long with a T on the bottom and a Rain Hat, well my flue isn't a straight shot up the chimney so theres a curve about 6' up then straight up 15' to top.

Well i used a Toro leafblower inside my house attached to the pipe behind the stove with duct tape, it blew out a bunch of black crusty material along with ash, alot of it fell into my gutter and i collected some to look at.

I never knew a pellet stove could create this, all that comes out is ash dust, is it maybe cause the pipe is so long and there cooling and condensation forming at the higher level?

I do burn my stove on low most of the time, i have a Whitfield 2T insert built 1999.

 

[hearthtools]

Few weeks ago had problems with my pressure switch, i cleaned my stove very well and banged on my pipe to drop the ash, been doing it for over 10 yrs without a problem...
Last yr i moved and bought a 3" pipe kit 25' long with a T on the bottom and a Rain Hat, well my flue isn't a straight shot up the chimney so theres a curve about 6' up then straight up 15' to top.

Well i used a Toro leafblower inside my house attached to the pipe behind the stove with duct tape, it blew out a bunch of black crusty material along with ash, alot of it fell into my gutter and i collected some to look at.

I never knew a pellet stove could create this, all that comes out is ash dust, is it maybe cause the pipe is so long and there cooling and condensation forming at the higher level?

I do burn my stove on low most of the time, i have a Whitfield 2T insert built 1999.

Yes burning it on low will cause some sticky buildup you want to burn it on high sometimes to burn off the crap.

also very important to pull the firebrick and the baffle behind the firebrick to get all the ash out of the ash traps.

most advantage stoves the baffles on left and right come out with two screws you will find lots of ash behind it.
more
http://www.hearthtools.com/parts/whitclean.htm

 

[dbjordan]

Your 3" pipe is probably not doing you any favors. With 25' of pipe you should move up to 4".

 

[hearthtools]

here is photos us us cleaning a advantage http://www.hearthtools.com/parts/adavantageII_clean.htm

 

[sydney1963]

Creosote? Only thing I've ever seen is very fine ash dust.

 

[Wood Heat Stoves]

here is photos us us cleaning a advantage http://www.hearthtools.com/parts/adavantageII_clean.htm

Dang Rod, you one very helpful bro,


if anyone finds my company slow to respond, its only due to over attention, pls feel free to get me directly [email protected] or call 877-265-8618 business hrs pst

 

[Pellet-King]

I already know how to clean the stove completely, doing it for 10+ yr's
Just wondering why i seen black crumbly matter come blowing out of the pipe outside when all i ever saw was dust, just wondering if the length of the pipe and cooling as the warm air blows out could cause this?
There was no signs of this when cleaning from below earlier in oct, must be forming near the end of the pipe, top of chimney

As of switching to 4" and wasting $3-400+, no thanks.

 

[hearthtools]

I already know how to clean the stove completely, doing it for 10+ yr's

I was just trying to help.
you will be surprised on how many times I have been to service calls removed the bricks and baffles and the homeowner says.
"OMG look at all that ash. I did not know the brick had to come out?" or some people remove the brick but did not know the baffle came out.

 

[littlesmokey]

I've been burning pellets more than ten years, and last year while repairing a friends stove, like mine, found a chamber I didn't know was there, not sure the purpose, but I tore mine down and found the small box jammed with ash. Even after I cleaned it, it spit grit in my exhaust stream for a few days. What really surprised me was the increase in circulated heat. I suppose this Summer I'll take one or two completely apart and find all those hidden secrets.

Back to your spitting..... I use a direct vent on one stove and have realized that it will pick up light pieces of pellet and through it out of the burn pot. When real clean the exhaust stream can carry the hot piece out completely before it is burned fuly thus leaving a piece of grit. When I notice this the tweaker in me dials back the combustion air a tad and basically stop the pellet dance in the burn pot. It's an issue of just a tad too much air, but not noticable by casting out unburndt chunks. I also think they might be the less than quality friable material in the pellets.