Film on Windows and Fine Ash in House

[Dataman]

Is it normal for the film on Windows?
Normal for Fine Ash in the House?

I am assuming it's from cleaning.


My 1st year with Pellet stove. Replaced Blaze King King last May with Harmon XXV (Non TC). Professional Install.

I have fine dust on ceiling fan and buildup of film on windows from the stove.

No Leaks in the pipe that I can smell. Small leak and I would think I could smell it.

I use Loveless Cougar Vacuum and most of the time shut it down for daily cleaning (scrap burn pot, vac out burn pot, clean glass). Brand new filter in Vacuum.

I know with Wood Stove we got more coarse ash. This is finer and I assume it's when I do the 1 Ton Cleaning. Really stirs up the ash cleaning the heat exchange.

Thinking of hanging up filter like we use in Wood Shop or put it beside the stove and run it when cleaning.

JET 708620B AFS-1000B 550/702/1044 CFM 3-Speed Air Filtration System with Remote and Electrostatic Pre-Filter

I do have a couple of small filters for smoke if I clean it while hot and running (Simple Scrape of Burn Pot and Newspaper on Glass, 15 seconds with stove having full burn pot).

GermGuardian 3-in-1 Air Cleaning System (Left over from Wood Stove and for Days of Bad Air we have in Summer from Forest Fires)

 

[Mt Bob]

I will say it,again.does your stove have an OAK,because that can make a difference on the dust/dirt.Pellet stoves are 99% sealed,and the small part they are not(the shaft,on the combustion blower) are mostly sealed by the vacuum in the firebox.Just the fact the stove has a blower is moving already existing dirt/dust inside the house.You can also get dust,from dumping in a bag of pellets,but that can be greatly reduced.

 

[Dataman]

I will say it,again.does your stove have an OAK,because that can make a difference on the dust/dirt.Pellet stoves are 99% sealed,and the small part they are not(the shaft,on the combustion blower) are mostly sealed by the vacuum in the firebox.Just the fact the stove has a blower is moving already existing dirt/dust inside the house.You can also get dust,from dumping in a bag of pellets,but that can be greatly reduced.

Yes I have OAK. Nice 3" tube to outside. Very close to stove. Chimney is 8" at least 20ft tall (above house). I am thinking the film on house windows is when I clean it and it's still hot. Ash from cleaning (deep cleaning and normal). Running filter now 100% and see how it affects it.

One of the things I wanted out of Pellet Stove was cleaner house. Not happy with it. We got about week left of use left for this season. On 1/2 day use now with temps in mid 30's for day and 7f this AM. Running from 7pm to 10am.

 

[Deezl Smoke]

Like Bob said, just dumping a bag of pellets in the hopper will create a dust cloud. You're still burning a wood fueled fire in the house. As you have stated your observation, the stove cleaning stirs things up pretty good.
If you have carpet, you may be cleaning dust from the wood stove yet for several years, or even forever or until the carpet is replaced.

What I recently did to help combat dust in the house, and i have no carpet, is I watched a few youtube videos of people putting a furnace filter in front of a box fan, and run it most all the time. So I bought a 20" box fan and some 20"x20" filter. I tape a filter to front side of the fan and use it to help push the heat around the house. I was absolutely floored how much dust it catches. I buy white colored filters so I can better gauge the amount of dust it catches and when to put a new one on. Wow has it made a difference. Windy days and low humidity also seem to fill the filter up faster.

 

[Dataman]

Like Bob said, just dumping a bag of pellets in the hopper will create a dust cloud. You're still burning a wood fueled fire in the house. As you have stated your observation, the stove cleaning stirs things up pretty good.
If you have carpet, you may be cleaning dust from the wood stove yet for several years, or even forever or until the carpet is replaced.

What I recently did to help combat dust in the house, and i have no carpet, is I watched a few youtube videos of people putting a furnace filter in front of a box fan, and run it most all the time. So I bought a 20" box fan and some 20"x20" filter. I tape a filter to front side of the fan and use it to help push the heat around the house. I was absolutely floored how much dust it catches. I buy white colored filters so I can better gauge the amount of dust it catches and when to put a new one on. Wow has it made a difference. Windy days and low humidity also seem to fill the filter up faster.

Thinking of Doing the Same Thing with Box Fan and Filter. Already use 2 box fans in hallway to push warm air around. We have Plank Flooring. I take big dust mop and mop it 1-2x weekly. No carpet except 1 bedroom. Next year going to be more careful and not do any hot cleanings. 20 Min without stove won't be major downturn in temp. Going to look into making vac attachment for when I brush/scrape the heat exchanger. Time will tell how much dust I can cut down. Film on windows (house) I hope 2 filters will catch that. Glad heating season is almost over. We have 20ft ceiling with Fan. Blades are almost white (brown normally). Can't get our ladder out with all the snow we have right now. It all dumped in Feb and big piles from sliding off roof. Like 20ft high or more. This afternoon going to clean chimney again.

 

[maple1]

No idea how good or bad Loveless vacs are, have never seen one let alone use one, but I never trust any vac I use to not put dust into the air when trying to vac ash or other real fine stuff. Even when I load my shop vac up with all the filters I possibly can for it, plus the bag. I don't think it gets it all. It really didn't get it all that one time I used it on the living room fireplace. Since that episode, I got more hose for it, and set the vac outside & run the hose in through a cracked open window or door when dealing with ash.

Aside from that, it must be coming from when you load up.

 

[Deezl Smoke]

Thinking of Doing the Same Thing with Box Fan and Filter. Already use 2 box fans in hallway to push warm air around. We have Plank Flooring. I take big dust mop and mop it 1-2x weekly. No carpet except 1 bedroom. Next year going to be more careful and not do any hot cleanings. 20 Min without stove won't be major downturn in temp. Going to look into making vac attachment for when I brush/scrape the heat exchanger. Time will tell how much dust I can cut down. Film on windows (house) I hope 2 filters will catch that. Glad heating season is almost over. We have 20ft ceiling with Fan. Blades are almost white (brown normally). Can't get our ladder out with all the snow we have right now. It all dumped in Feb and big piles from sliding off roof. Like 20ft high or more. This afternoon going to clean chimney again.

I'll be curious your results on the fan filters. Please get back to us and tell how well they work for you. I am extremely happy with how much dust mine catches. I have wood floors as well. Only carpet I have are roll out haul mats that I clean a few times and then replace with new. But i have a 35# cattle dog in the house as well, so......

 

[SpaceBus]

I got a pair of Levoit brand cylinder air filters for our house and they work very well. Pretty quiet on the lowest setting and they help move air around the house. At night, if I remember, I run the living room filter and the bedroom filter during the day, again if I remember. Seeing this post reminded me to run the living room filter since I forgot about it the last few days.

 

[tlc1976]

I don't know if your stove has the ability to run the exhaust fan when the stove is off. But I modified my stove to allow this. I run the exhaust fan on high with the damper fully open when cleaning. It sucks out most of the ash dust that otherwise just billows around and ends up in the house.

 

[Dataman]

On Test it runs the exhaust fan. I forgot it can do that. Going to stop doing cleaning everyday too. 2x Weekly. No that it needed it (Harmon XXV). That along with not using vac to clean it out (burn pot). Will post filters on fans next week. Almost at end of burning season. Only using Pellet stove during night.

Wife want to wait until dark and see if smoke if visible in flashlight beam. You think any leakage would show on pipe. But it's clean.

Big Learning Curve on Pellet Stove. Next year I hope not to have such dusty house.

 

[Watcher1]

Is it normal for the film on Windows?
Normal for Fine Ash in the House?

I am assuming it's from cleaning.


My 1st year with Pellet stove. Replaced Blaze King King last May with Harmon XXV (Non TC). Professional Install.

I have fine dust on ceiling fan and buildup of film on windows from the stove.

No Leaks in the pipe that I can smell. Small leak and I would think I could smell it.

I use Loveless Cougar Vacuum and most of the time shut it down for daily cleaning (scrap burn pot, vac out burn pot, clean glass). Brand new filter in Vacuum.

I know with Wood Stove we got more coarse ash. This is finer and I assume it's when I do the 1 Ton Cleaning. Really stirs up the ash cleaning the heat exchange.

Thinking of hanging up filter like we use in Wood Shop or put it beside the stove and run it when cleaning.

JET 708620B AFS-1000B 550/702/1044 CFM 3-Speed Air Filtration System with Remote and Electrostatic Pre-Filter

I do have a couple of small filters for smoke if I clean it while hot and running (Simple Scrape of Burn Pot and Newspaper on Glass, 15 seconds with stove having full burn pot).

GermGuardian 3-in-1 Air Cleaning System (Left over from Wood Stove and for Days of Bad Air we have in Summer from Forest Fires)

White ash on your ceiling fan blades is a leak somewhere.. The green can ash vacs work great, best filter and you can wash it to reuse. Right on about checking stove vent pipes in the dark with a flashlight. I am betting you have a leak on the exhaust of your stove somewhere.

 

[Dataman]

White ash on your ceiling fan blades is a leak somewhere.. The green can ash vacs work great, best filter and you can wash it to reuse. Right on about checking stove vent pipes in the dark with a flashlight. I am betting you have a leak on the exhaust of your stove somewhere.

We will know tonight. I will shine my Pistol's Green Laser at it. Smoke should show up very well. Gotta remember to unload it! ha ha.

How often do people clean their burn-pot Harmon XXV? Been doing it daily. Have yet to have any holes clogged up or clinkers.

 

[mtnbiker727]

I have a shop vac with a HEPA filter and a fine filtration bag. I use it when dumping pellets in so the dust doesn't float all over. I use test mode when cleaning, and for certain parts of the cleaning I use the shop vac with and without a brush.

 

[Dataman]

Ran the smoke test in the dark with Green Laser. Nothing. Very Very Slight smoke smell I think I could smell when 1st started. 2 Min start and going full bore. Did test after checking every joint over multiple times. No signs of Smoke or Discoloration. Match smoke easily shows in laser light. Smell was 100x or more stronger with match than what I smelled faintly with Pellet Stove. I think I will have box fan with filter when I pour pellets in sucking up pellet dust and go to cleaning 2x weekly instead of daily. No use of Vac until 1 Ton Cleaning.

Still thinking about Big Shop Air Filter. We have one in Wife's Happy Place. We sealed the floor before anything went inside. That makes cleanup a Joy! Glad I put in two 5k Electric Heaters for Shop. Pellet stove not as clean as I hoped.

 

[Arcane John Wayne]

Hi All,

I'm writing in hopes that someone has a good idea for fixing a bad situation. My GF works in a converted barn that has a pellet stove for heat.
I'm sending pics with the general situation. Her boss set this thing up and I need a quick, cheap way of fixing it so that its not spewing soot all over the office and into her lungs. The problem is the soot the stove is kicking out, the picture with the filter is after 2 days over the heat outlet pipe. The picture of the outside shows the chimney and the intake pipe, which can't be more than 5 feet apart from each other. I'm sure none of this is to code. Anyway to improve the situation economically so that less soot is produced...?

 

[Ssyko]

What is the make model and age of the stove. Soot is the byproduct of a poor burn. Either to much fuel not enough air or the stove is plugged up inside and not breathing well. The not up to code pvc pipe on the intake is restricting the intake air flow big time. Firebox has a hole if soot is coming out the convection pipe

 

[Arcane John Wayne]

What is the make model and age of the stove. Soot is the byproduct of a poor burn. Either to much fuel not enough air or the stove is plugged up inside and not breathing well. The not up to code pvc pipe on the intake is restricting the intake air flow big time. Firebox has a hole if soot is coming out the convection pipe

Just so I understand fully, there are two air intakes in a pellet stove? One that goes to the combustion of the pellets and is then vented out the chimney outlet, and a second that draws air in to be warmed outside the combustion chamber and then is vented out the convection pipe to supply heat? These two streams, combustion and heating/convection, are walled off from each other by the firebox? So any soot coming out the convection pipe is a result of a compromised firebox, not from issues associated with burn efficiency caused by lack of airflow, fuel load, etc...?

 

[Ssyko]

Yes air is drawn in through the smaller pipe goes through the stoves burn pot up throught the heat exchanger down the back side of the firewall to the combustion blower chamber then the combustion blower sends it out the exhaust pipe. The air that ends up going through the opposite side of the heat exchanger is sent into the room. It is recycled air from you room. So i would tell her boss he needs to rectify the situation because it is more than just soot, it’s CO2 that is going to do more damag even death. I wouldn’t run the stove till it’s repaired,replaced

 

[Mt Bob]

LOL!First off,your pictures will not enlarge,for clarification.Second,whatever that stove,or stove conversion,is a positive pressure stove,otherwise you would not get ash on that strange filter setup.on the exhaust.I have no idea what that antique is,but probably should have been destroyed 20 years ago.A positive pressure stove has no reason to ever exist,again.In the "bad old days" people used anything that burned pellets,they did not worry about lung problems.Then,I look at the outside flue,totally dangerous,and totally illegal.

 

[Arcane John Wayne]

Thank you guys. You've confirmed what I was worried about, that there was an internal problem with the stove, beyond the shoddy way it was installed... shambolic. I'll check the stove info tomorrow and post it in case there is anything else to be done, which I seems doubtful...

 

[SpaceBus]

Does that exhaust exit inside? What is even going on?

 

[Watcher1]

Hi All,

I'm writing in hopes that someone has a good idea for fixing a bad situation. My GF works in a converted barn that has a pellet stove for heat.
I'm sending pics with the general situation. Her boss set this thing up and I need a quick, cheap way of fixing it so that its not spewing soot all over the office and into her lungs. The problem is the soot the stove is kicking out, the picture with the filter is after 2 days over the heat outlet pipe. The picture of the outside shows the chimney and the intake pipe, which can't be more than 5 feet apart from each other. I'm sure none of this is to code. Anyway to improve the situation economically so that less soot is produced...? View attachment 242356 View attachment 242357 View attachment 242358 View attachment 242359

Looking at the pics on the big screen it is a neg air stove, that big pipe out the top is your hot air and yes if you have that much soot ash the heat exchanger is either shot or one other thing: Some stoves have the room fan intake near or pointed toward where the auger shaft turns and if you have a bad seal at the bottom of the auger shaft then you could get the wood pellet fines being sucked into and thru the heat exchanger and this would cause that black soot. Time for repairs or a replacement.

 

[zrock]

lookiing at your piping your exhaust has a leak up by the OAK this will be contributing to some of the soot and i can imagine the soot comming out the end of the pope is getting sucked back in as well. As well as the issues above

 

[JRemington]

Is it normal for the film on Windows?
Normal for Fine Ash in the House?

I am assuming it's from cleaning.


My 1st year with Pellet stove. Replaced Blaze King King last May with Harmon XXV (Non TC). Professional Install.

I have fine dust on ceiling fan and buildup of film on windows from the stove.

No Leaks in the pipe that I can smell. Small leak and I would think I could smell it.

I use Loveless Cougar Vacuum and most of the time shut it down for daily cleaning (scrap burn pot, vac out burn pot, clean glass). Brand new filter in Vacuum.

I know with Wood Stove we got more coarse ash. This is finer and I assume it's when I do the 1 Ton Cleaning. Really stirs up the ash cleaning the heat exchange.

Thinking of hanging up filter like we use in Wood Shop or put it beside the stove and run it when cleaning.

JET 708620B AFS-1000B 550/702/1044 CFM 3-Speed Air Filtration System with Remote and Electrostatic Pre-Filter

I do have a couple of small filters for smoke if I clean it while hot and running (Simple Scrape of Burn Pot and Newspaper on Glass, 15 seconds with stove having full burn pot).

GermGuardian 3-in-1 Air Cleaning System (Left over from Wood Stove and for Days of Bad Air we have in Summer from Forest Fires)

We had this same issue a couple weeks ago. A person had a relative do a “professional install”. This year they called us complaining about the stove. They said there was a light film of fly ask everywhere. I asked them about the install and if the appliance adapter was sealed well. They again informed me the person installing was a professional and I was trying to avoid replacing the stove. The mother in law finally came in ranting so this is when the fun began. That afternoon we went to look at the stove and the “professional installer in-law” was there. I asked them if they sealed theflew and no one could remember. I took the back plate off the stove and there was fly ash. When the wind blew into the pipe outside flyash was coming in around the app adapter and flue and the convection fan was sucking it in and blowing it into the room. Every wall and ceiling needed to be washed. Psycho was at the shop when Icame back and he will tell you how happy I was. I couldn’t quit smiling. I was the happiest I had been in ages. The thought of them scrubbing those walls still makes me smile with joy. Seal the flu pipe.