We finished our first ton of pellets, so I thought I'd give the stove a major clean. Whew! I learned a few things.
First, I see why you guys insist on cleaning thoroughly.
When the manufacturer says to use penetrating oil on the screws, do it. It made a big difference.
There are port holes in the brick liner, which should be opened during every regular clean, in my opinion, and the space behind should be vacuumed. Otherwise, what are they for? The manual makes no reference to them, except to say that they should be removed before removing the brick liner for a major clean.
I suppose opening the holes could be useful in getting the liner out, though, because it was really tricky. I wish the manual had more detailed instructions. Having done it once, however, I'll be handier at it next time.
There was a really surprising amount of ash lurking behind the baffles. Opening the port holes and vacuuming during regular cleanings would be very helpful.
I couldn't get the cap off the cleanout 'T'. I got it off once, a month ago, just to see how it was done, but I must have tightened it too much when putting it back on, because I could not loosen it today. I was only trying by hand, though; I suppose I could have gotten out my big pipe wrench and repainted afterward, but should it be that difficult to remove? Any tips? Since I've only burned one ton of pellets, how big a deal is it that I didn't clean the pipe?
ETA: Forgot to mention that there's a bit of rust on the backs of the baffles. Is that a problem?
First, I see why you guys insist on cleaning thoroughly.
When the manufacturer says to use penetrating oil on the screws, do it. It made a big difference.
There are port holes in the brick liner, which should be opened during every regular clean, in my opinion, and the space behind should be vacuumed. Otherwise, what are they for? The manual makes no reference to them, except to say that they should be removed before removing the brick liner for a major clean.
I suppose opening the holes could be useful in getting the liner out, though, because it was really tricky. I wish the manual had more detailed instructions. Having done it once, however, I'll be handier at it next time.
There was a really surprising amount of ash lurking behind the baffles. Opening the port holes and vacuuming during regular cleanings would be very helpful.
I couldn't get the cap off the cleanout 'T'. I got it off once, a month ago, just to see how it was done, but I must have tightened it too much when putting it back on, because I could not loosen it today. I was only trying by hand, though; I suppose I could have gotten out my big pipe wrench and repainted afterward, but should it be that difficult to remove? Any tips? Since I've only burned one ton of pellets, how big a deal is it that I didn't clean the pipe?
ETA: Forgot to mention that there's a bit of rust on the backs of the baffles. Is that a problem?
Last edited:
