Golden grain model 2003

[Bill Rappley]

Hello all,
I have a 2003 model golden grain corn stove that I am burning somerset pellets in. I contacted golden grain and stated it would burn either or.
For some reason I can not get a large amount of heat out of it, nore could I when I used corn at 12% moisture content, I've cleaned it out, took it completely apart piece by piece , replaced all the blowers and the heat / feed controls, it has a dial timer that controls the auger on/ off that can be set from 0 seconds to 12 second either on or off so its pretty controllable but the heat is just not there, I've opened the fresh air intake from 1/2 inch closed to full open , I started at 1/2 inch moved it every 4 hours until it was full open, just can't seam to get it dialed in correctly, the exhaust piping is brand new , it's duravent brand, 3 inch , double wall for pellet stoves, I also have a englander that puts out great heat , but the golden grain just won't do it Any help would be greatly appreciated !!

 

[jrsdws]

What does the flame look like?

Have the tubes been thoroughly cleaned by hand? The built in scraper thingy doesn't do a good job of cleaning. There could be a large build up of ash insulating the tubes.

Do you have outside air hooked up?

 

[Bill Rappley]

Yes the oak is connected, the flame is tall ,yellow , I cleaned the baffles out , was very dirty , the inside of the burn erea has a little creosote build up, the glass turns black in bout 6 hours of burn time, to get a lot of heat out of it I have to turn the timer up to 10 seconds on and 4 seconds off and it goes through 40 lbs of pellets in 12 to 14 hours, put is really not as hot as my englander gets at all, if I turn my englander up to the same settings I can't keep my hand in front of the room air blower for more than 5 seconds , when I replaced the exhaust blower and room air fan I used the # off the original motors and housings and purchased from grainger, any ideas ?

 

[jrsdws]

I don't know for sure, but maybe the clinker style pot is the biggest robber of air where you need it for burning pellets.

Maybe try some aluminum foil tape and try to cover all of the holes except those in the bottom of the pot to see what it changes? This is a temporary mod as it won't last real long in there. If that works, then you could consider something more permanent.

The creosote is a sure sign of a bad burn that doesn't have enough air for the fuel being delivered.

 

[Bill Rappley]

Ok great , ill give it a try , I cleaned it again this AM put did no good , ill try your sugjestion and let you know , merry Xmas

 

[Bill Rappley]

Ok your suggestion made it hotter , burns much better , looks like I need a new burn pot maybe? The aluminum tape is already deteriorated , but will last for a while.

 

[jrsdws]

Well if a pellet only pot is available for it, it might be money well spent. Other possibilities are seeing if a local shop can fab one for you or making your modification a little more permanent by welding holes. With the uncertain future of burning corn again, I might consider giving that a try. Or maybe you can get some plate steel and stitch weld some plates in to cover some of the holes. Then it can be reversed if necessary?

I'm sorry I don't know what that burn pot design is exactly so it's hard to say, but I'd experiment a lot with temporary mods so you can determine what is best for you before making anything permanent.

Another little mod that usually makes significant improvements is adding gasket material to seal up the air intake into the pot. For some it's where the pot sits in it's cradle. For others it might be different, but anything you can do to direct more air to and through the bottom of that pot, the better off you'll be.

Maybe post a few pictures of your pot and inside of the stove. We love pictures and there are a lot of creative folks here who are happy to help.

 

[DexterDay]

Jrsdws has you on the right track

Corn pots are made to "build up" and create a Clinker. So air is needed all the way up. With pellets, your majority of air should be from the bottom of the pot to allow for hotter and complete combustion along with ash ejection.

Tape will show what your Mod will do. But a Pellet pot, welding the current pot, or even furnace cement (2,000°) will hold up for awhile if applied properly.

 

[Bill Rappley]

I tryied to get hold of wisdom industries who is the manufacturer of the stove to see if i can get a pellet pot, but i think there closed for the holidays, like i said the tape is a temp fix and will work for now, but still need a little tweeking , the gasket at the back of the burn pot was a good idea since it does not sit close to the fresh air inlet, ive got some stove gasket ill try to close up the gap, will let you know the outcome.

 

[Bill Rappley]

I talked to golden grain, they replyied they have never made an other pot but the one i have, they still claim it will burn fine, anyone have any other ideas ? as long as i keep putting the aluminum tap at the other holes it works great, will last 1 day or so,

 

[DexterDay]

If the tape works well, try using 2,000° furnace/stove cement and get in the Slots/Grooves.

This will harden like a rock and may be more permanent than a day.

Fond what works, and maybe think about a Tig or Mig job?

 

[Bill Rappley]

think i might go the tig weld route, going to try one more avenue before i do, my buddys got a fab shop and can make me a insert to drop in the pot, he said he can make it air tight, its 4 sides and sits in the pot with lip around the outside and just drops in, sounds like it might work, if not ill weld it up, she's a good old stove.

 

[Bill Rappley]

Well I got it welded , and she burns great , nice and blue at the bottom and nice yellowish tips , it's a great improvement, but the amount of heat as compared to my englander is just not there , englander is a 25-ep , blows 200 deg air from the room blower and the golden grain is 160 ish at best , fresh intake is connected and the ash is flying out of the burn pot like crazy, I added a heat sink to the top of the inside of the burn box , it's a sheet of 14 gauge sheet metal hung from the top just under the heat exchange tubs but did no good , it's very clean , blew out the complete stove , used a leaf blower I saw some guy us on u tube , blew it into the fresh air intake from the out side of the house with the stove sealed up, wow , lots of debri , put she's clean , any thoughts guys ? Oh ya thanks for all the dead back and ideas , I'm getting there 1 step at a time

 

[Bill Rappley]

Here are a few pic of the flame , hope it helps