Issue with Quadrafire MVAE

[PelletGirl]

We've been using our stove for a little over two years now. Until now its been working well. At first I thought it was the new pellets we're using but now I'm thinking its the stove. The exit for the exhaust is very black and sooty. Previously, smoke would exit the exhaust until the fire caught and then you would no longer see smoke. Now the smoke continues the entire time the unit is on. The blower says medium high but barely blows (we had it on -2 and it was always strong and high enough but not now). The flame also seems lazy and sometimes blue. The firebox gets a black, filmy residue on it that actually peels off when I clean it - its on the glass too. Not much ash in the firebox. My house is also not as warm. Any suggestions on how to fix this? We clean about twice per week and it never seems that dirty (except for the black film). Thanks for any help you can provide.

 

[MtDew]

When was the last time the stove had a good deep cleaning? I would start there first. Clean the entire stove and vent piping. The Leaf Blower Trick has come in handy for some folks and makes the stove act and burn like new.

 

[PelletGirl]

We were able to thoroughly clean the stove, including removing the baffle but haven't had time to clean the vent yet. We will do that in the next couple days. It seems to be burning better. Will have to see if the black film still develops.

 

[kappel15]

Make sure you clean the two openings at bottom left and right of fins. They are open to each other and need cleaned for good exhaust flow too. Bet it runs pretty good when all things are cleaned up. kap

 

[PelletGirl]

Thanks Kap. It is better. Still need to clean the venting. And waiting to see if the black film returns.