Found out something interesting yesterday that might or might not apply to your situation..

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SidecarFlip

Minister of Fire
Hearth Supporter
Feb 7, 2010
5,273
S.E. Michigan
Keep in mind that I have multiple burn pots. In fact 2 pots for the house unit and soon will have 2 for my almost refurbished 6039 (that I'm gonna use in the shop).

Changed out pots yesterday evening when I cleaned the house unit.

The changeout pot I modified with larger holes in (do that with them because corn requires more draft air to combust properly), but the pot I exchanged with has a set of small holes in the flange where it sits on the pot pedestal in the stove. Got up this AM with no soot on the view glass at all. With the other pot I get a sooted glass pretty quick, nit hard to remove, I just use a natural bristle paint brush and whisk it off, takes about 30 seconds max. However its obvious the me that the 5 small holes in the pot flange eliminates the sooting of the view glass entirely. Just as clean as it was last night after I cleaned the stove. Me thinks I'll be modifying my other 3 pots with the same holes.

SOP for me is I changeout the pots when I clean the ash out and the used pot (and stirrer because I have one), goes in a pail of water to soak which makes carbon removal very easy. They soak until it's cleaning time again and then I take the pot (and stirrer from the water pail, remove the hard carbon with a putty knife and scotchbrite the pot inside, stirrer too) and install that one and the used one and stirrer go in the water for next cleaning.

No soot on the glass today... I'm running a low feed rate on straight pellets now but will soon switch to my corn-pellet mix.

Maybe there is something to the 'air wash' thing manufacturers brag about, besides hot air.