This issue has me perplexed. I have a 5 year old Harman P61 that has operated perfectly since I bought it. However, at the beginning of this season I noticed that the interior of the stove would blacken up with soot after burning for a couple days. This had never happened previously. The soot is primarily on the walls and brick of the stove. The glass for the most part stays clean.
The stove is regularly cleaned and this past weekend I replaced the exhaust fan and cleaned out the distribution fan (this definitely improved heat output, but no change on the soot). The burn pot is regularly cleaned and scraped and the fines box has been emptied. I performed the dollar bill test on the door and it seemed tight (the glass just gets finger-width lines of discoloration on the left and right sides of the window. Nothing significant).
If I quickly open the door while the stove is running and scrape out the front of the burn pot I will notice that the walls of the stove will begin to be coated in gray ash within a couple hours and the soot will stop. But it usually starts up again in 24 - 36 hours.
My stove is usually operated at a high setting utilizing high quality pellets. I burn about 5-6 tons/year (though this issue started right at the beginning of heating season).
Any suggestions?
The stove is regularly cleaned and this past weekend I replaced the exhaust fan and cleaned out the distribution fan (this definitely improved heat output, but no change on the soot). The burn pot is regularly cleaned and scraped and the fines box has been emptied. I performed the dollar bill test on the door and it seemed tight (the glass just gets finger-width lines of discoloration on the left and right sides of the window. Nothing significant).
If I quickly open the door while the stove is running and scrape out the front of the burn pot I will notice that the walls of the stove will begin to be coated in gray ash within a couple hours and the soot will stop. But it usually starts up again in 24 - 36 hours.
My stove is usually operated at a high setting utilizing high quality pellets. I burn about 5-6 tons/year (though this issue started right at the beginning of heating season).
Any suggestions?
