how full should burn pot get-- Added question on 12/17/09

[chrisasst]

I haven't experienced this yet so I don't know.

Situation: I started burning energex a week or so ago. ever since my burn pot has been filling up with lots of ash. Will this cause burning problems ( cause less heat) Why is the burn pot filling up like this? I cleaned it yesterday....I assuming it is just these pellets but should it be filling my burn pot up.. ( I am not getting any clinkers with these though)
What is the easiest thing to use to scrape the burn pot out with. Usually I use a screwdriver to remove clinkers, but I don't have them right now..

 

[hearthtools]

I haven't experienced this yet so I don't know.

Situation: I started burning energex a week or so ago. ever since my burn pot has been filling up with lots of ash. Will this cause burning problems ( cause less heat) Why is the burn pot filling up like this? I cleaned it yesterday....I assuming it is just these pellets but should it be filling my burn pot up.. ( I am not getting any clinkers with these though)
What is the easiest thing to use to scrape the burn pot out with. Usually I use a screwdriver to remove clinkers, but I don't have them right now..

Ok will not hold against you that you are cry baby scrub fan.

Sometimes pellet will cause excess clinkering. and it goes by batch to batch.
you may have to adjust the air to control it and your just suck it up and clean the burn pot every day.

you might want to check has anything changed with the stove like maybe the ash pan is not shut tight or your air adjustment has been moved.

 

[imacman]

Ooooh, a jab at the crybaby Kyle Busch (although it's well deserved).

Chris, just a thought...have you done a REALLY thorough cleaning of the stove? maybe a leafblower type cleaning? I found when I had my Astoria that when I started getting a lot of ash build-up in the pot, that the stove needed a good cleaning. Not saying that's the situation here, but maybe.

Go Tony Stewart!! Go Junior!

 

[chrisasst]

yes, I did leaf blower and blew out the blowers...

 

[hearthtools]

yes, I did leaf blower and blew out the blowers...

just be sure you got all the ash traps and chambers clean.
Ash pan seal
door seal
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/13419/

 

[slls]

Recently I did a test. I burned Spruce Pointe for 24 hrs, no dumping with pot lever. Burned Energex for 24 hrs, no dumping. The Spruce Pointe had very little ash, the Energex had about 1/4 inch. It was a chore to clean the Energex ash, very hard.
I will never do that again with Energex, I dump the burn pot every time I see it shut down. The dump does such a good job, even after 2 days the pot is clean.

 

[hearthtools]

Recently I did a test. I burned Spruce Pointe for 24 hrs, no dumping with pot lever. Burned Energex for 24 hrs, no dumping. The Spruce Pointe had very little ash, the Energex had about 1/4 inch. It was a chore to clean the Energex ash, very hard.
I will never do that again with Energex, I dump the burn pot every time I see it shut down. The dump does such a good job, even after 2 days the pot is clean.

you will get that sometimes but dont hold it against Energex. pellets will change from batch to batch because they are using a natural wood material that pellet mills have no control off.

 

[LIpelletpig]

Not sure what energex brand you are using but I can tell you I do get a little more ash with the energex hardwood then I would like. I've been mixing them with the White Lightning to offset the ash buildup. I also don't get any clinkers with the energex and I also get very little carbon build-up in the pot. My only complaint is the size of the pellets....

 

[ChandlerR]

Chris. I burned a bag of Bayou's and my burn pot did the same thing. I was able to limit the buildup by increasing my combustion air. The extra air "fluidized" the bed. and the ash was blown out of the pot. I wasn't open so far to blow the pellets out of the pot. They weren't even moving, but the lighter ash was removed.
(I can't wait till this bag is gone so I can go back to my Lignetics)

That said, I'm sure I'll have to check my T and do a good cleaning. A lot of the ash had to go up the pipe.....

Chandler

 

[imacman]

..... I was able to limit the buildup by increasing my combustion air. The extra air "fluidized" the bed. and the ash was blown out of the pot. I wasn't open so far to blow the pellets out of the pot. They weren't even moving, but the lighter ash was removed.......Chandler

Chandler, what you describe is what ALL pellet stoves should do to burning pellets, IMO. The Travis Industries owners manuals even state that when the air is set correctly, the pellets should be just "dancing" in the burn pot a little. When I did notice a beginning of a build-up, I knew it was time for a good cleaning.

 

[imacman]

Here's a pic that some of you might remember. I posted this on New Years day last January. It the burnpot from my Astoria after 7 days of 24/7 burning.

Note that the holes in the pot are still clear, except for a few that got covered when I pulled the convection tube cleaner back & forth a few times. Other than that, I hadn't touched the stove. That was with it set as I mentioned above....just enough air to make the pellets "dance" a little, and it was still burning great....but my conscience finally got the better of me, and I had to clean it.

 

[ChandlerR]

Macman...You're absolutely correct. The difference is, with the Lignetics, I can turn the air down and not waste too much heat out the chimney. With the Lignetics, on low, I get a discharge temp of 145 degrees. With the Bayou's, I had to run on #2 (or it would go out) and with the air open to keep the ash buildup down, I averaged 118 degrees. Quite a difference. I can't believe the difference with the different brands.....but then again, that's what Jay's showing us, right?


Chandler

 

[jtakeman]

The difference is, with the Lignetics, I can turn the air down and not waste too much heat out the chimney. With the Lignetics, on low, I get a discharge temp of 145 degrees. With the Bayou's, I had to run on #2 (or it would go out) and with the air open to keep the ash buildup down, I averaged 118 degrees. Quite a difference. I can't believe the difference with the different brands.....but then again, that's what Jay's showing us, right?


Chandler

Chandler,

Thats what I am trying to do. You will see a difference in the brand to brand match up. Heck you will also see a difference in the same brand, Due to batch variation. Its all in the fiber and blending of it. Pellets aside it also has to do with the stove variables. Not every stove will burn them the same way. Feed variables and air variables too.

Glad to see your not an old schooler and are using a thermometer to measure your results. Its just another tool to use. It can really help show what the stove and pellets like or dislike as you make your changes. Really a useful key in the search for your Ultimate pellet. You know the one you want in the stove when the temps dip below 0°F.

Thermometers have been around forever(as far as I can remember) Yet even though we are in the 21st Century. Very few people use them. Still relay on the back of there hand. With all the new fangled contraptions there making now a days. Digital this and laser that. You can measure just about anything on the stove. I just picked up a laser doohickey thing and Now I can also measure the burnpot temps. I may even grab another Thermocouple and mount it to my Tee cap so I can measure exhaust temps too! Might be over kill, But fun to tinker with.

I'm impressed with your results with your testing between the ligs and the Bayou's. I guess you will have those Ligs in the stove when the cold sets in? Keep it up and Don't forget to share with us.

Stay warm
jay

 

[ChandlerR]

Years ago, when I burned wood, I had a pyrometer on my stove pipe. It helped me keep the temp above 212 degrees to limit the formation of creosote. I guess it's my engineering background. My motto has always been "the more information, the better". (That's why I alsways hated cars with idiot lights, but that's for another forum) I initially used a meat thermometer stuck in a heat exchanger tube, but it just gave me general information. I needed more. I put the word out to the electrical department at work, that I was looking for an old temperature controller. A few weeks later, I got a little Omron 4 to 20 ma controller. I fabricated a little box out of 20 gauge mild steel, painted it flat black, and ran the type J thermocouple under the sheet metal of the stove and into a heat exchanger tube to make everything look like it belonged there. I would love to get a probe into the stove pipe to get a reading there but I have to think about that one for a bit.
Here's a couple of pictures I took this morning.

Chandler

 

[jtakeman]

Years ago, when I burned wood, I had a pyrometer on my stove pipe. It helped me keep the temp above 212 degrees to limit the formation of creosote. I guess it's my engineering background. My motto has always been "the more information, the better". (That's why I alsways hated cars with idiot lights, but that's for another forum) I initially used a meat thermometer stuck in a heat exchanger tube, but it just gave me general information. I needed more. I put the word out to the electrical department at work, that I was looking for an old temperature controller. A few weeks later, I got a little Omron 4 to 20 ma controller. I fabricated a little box out of 20 gauge mild steel, painted it flat black, and ran the type J thermocouple under the sheet metal of the stove and into a heat exchanger tube to make everything look like it belonged there. I would love to get a probe into the stove pipe to get a reading there but I have to think about that one for a bit.
Here's a couple of pictures I took this morning.

Chandler

Sweet! I thought I was a techie. I love seeing others Ideas at work. That is on nice neat set up. Looks like it belongs on the stove too!

Edit: Easiest way in the vent is through the Tee cap(only one wall to pass, I'd say. How to get the wire run neatly may be a little challanging though. I am going to get a SS bung and weld it to the cap.

jay

 

[ChandlerR]

Thanks Jay! I wanted to build it into a side door but, believe it or not, there isn't enough room. This was my next best idea.

Chandler

 

[slls]

Recently I did a test. I burned Spruce Pointe for 24 hrs, no dumping with pot lever. Burned Energex for 24 hrs, no dumping. The Spruce Pointe had very little ash, the Energex had about 1/4 inch. It was a chore to clean the Energex ash, very hard.
I will never do that again with Energex, I dump the burn pot every time I see it shut down. The dump does such a good job, even after 2 days the pot is clean.

you will get that sometimes but dont hold it against Energex. pellets will change from batch to batch because they are using a natural wood material that pellet mills have no control off.

When I ran out of Spruce Pointe I went back to Energex. Here is a pix of Energex in the middle, SP all around, they are both suppose to be softwood. And also once in a while while sifting, I would find a tan pellet like SP.

 

[chrisasst]

Added question----

If I run my stove on a lower setting ( 1 - 3 ) the burn pot stays pretty empty. If I turn it up to setting 4, it gets about 1/2 full. If I turn it up all the way, it really gets full. Why is this? I even have my damper opened pretty much all the way. ( it is not dirty, I just cleaned it)