Just dump the ash pan once a month - LOL

[lecomte38]

I am surprised at the amount of maintenance my Harman insert requires; daily pot attention, weekly shut down and scrape auger tube/burn pot. 2 weeks clean ashes and brush down heart exchanger. I wonder how many stoves will be for sale after those who are mechanically challenged give up on them.

 

[foldsct]

I figure I have to clean it weekly..........is that a lot??

 

[j00fek]

its all about the pellets

 

[kast]

I shut my stove down like every 3-4 days and clean it

• Clean Ash Pan
• Scrap Burn pot and Liner
• Vacuum up chambers that have ash
• Clean glass
• Use vacuum attachment, and brush heat exchange tubes. (also pull the clean rod)

I usually start as soon as the fire goes out, ill pull the pot/liner and place it on my kitchen stove to cool more, and then I will start vacuuming ash/ash bin. After I vacuum I go and scrape the burn pot and liner, then when I come back the stove is cool enough to clean the exchange tubes. Once that’s complete, the glass has cooled enough to be clean.

All takes about 15 minutes and the stove is back up and running.

 

[Xena]

Definitely is all about the pellets - some brands will require
more frequent cleanings of the stove.
Spend approx. 3 minutes performing daily maintenance
with the stove still running,
then another 20 minutes with the stove shut down,
once a month for the full monty.
4 yrs now and hope to be doing this with this same stove
ten years from now.

 

[Mom2Czars]

I have to clean the glass on mine daily...that's the biggest "issue." We pull the cleaning rod on the exchange tubes, empty the ash pan, knock the junk off the burn pot and vacuum it out once a week. :shrug:

 

[kast]

I clean my glass daily also, but quick wipe with a cloth while running keeps it presentable until the full shutdown

 

[gw2kpro]

I am surprised at the amount of maintenance my Harman insert requires; daily pot attention, weekly shut down and scrape auger tube/burn pot. 2 weeks clean ashes and brush down heart exchanger. I wonder how many stoves will be for sale after those who are mechanically challenged give up on them.

I can go at least 6 weeks on my Breckwell P2700 without emptying the ash pan.

My Enviro mini, on the other hand, I have to dump about every 4 days.

 

[rap69ri]

I just shut down my P61 after running for 7 days, and it would still be running if I wasn't going to be putting in graphite to hopefully quiet the auger. The ash pan has maybe an inch of ash in it, not bad after 7 days of running.

 

[CygnusX1]

I clean my Enviro Meridian every 2 weeks. Most times it doesn't need it, but a clean stove runs better.

It really only takes 15-20 minutes. I don't find that to be "high maintenance".

As for cleaning it weekly, it's really all about the pellets. Pellets that are ashy will make you have to clean your stove more often.

 

[slls]

I clean mine every day, actually look forward to it. I have to have some thing to do.

 

[pellet0708]

cygnusx1: What kind of pellets do you burn?

 

[Lobstah]

I also think that a lot of this is just learning the equipment, which some folks will never do.
I haven't emptied my ash container yet, but it seems like I have to clean out the area around the burnpot every other day or two.
I shut the stove off, open the door, pull out the "ash slider" and use a paint brush to brush all the ashed down into the ash holder.
I just got my first "clump" in the pot last night...so I'll likely shut the stove off now as the burn pot is burning unevenly due to the clump.

I've probably burned about 10 bags at this point, a mix of Lignetics and Eagle, but reputed to be high quality pellets.

Jim

 

[sparkydog00]

I am surprised at the amount of maintenance my Harman insert requires; daily pot attention, weekly shut down and scrape auger tube/burn pot. 2 weeks clean ashes and brush down heart exchanger. I wonder how many stoves will be for sale after those who are mechanically challenged give up on them.

Mine was very low maintance till I got these pellets from Athens Me. Since them it has been 4 to 5 times a day pot scraping...full clean every 2 weeks. Even had to empty my ash vac already. One month...with quality pellets I get the whole season!
So it really is all about the pellets!

 

[foldsct]

I have no idea what the difference in brands are.........not yet anyway.

Right now I know it's colder and windier than hell outside (at least here in CT) and my house is comfy. Upstairs is in the low 60's downstairs around 70, where the stove is.

And the furnace.........well, it's set at 50 and not coming on.

Priceless. For that I'll clean................

 

[Lobstah]

Scraping the pot 2-3 times/day??

Yikes. Is it burning right? I got my first buildup when I decided to cut back on the air perhaps a bit too much.
My burn pot was always clean, never even got a clogged hole in the first 10 bags of pellets.

Jim

 

[akakii]

I clean mine every weekend, or at least that's what I did last year. Like SparkyDog said, these lousy Athens pellets are forcing a lot more maintenance. I'm scraping the burn pot several times a day and I've emptied the ashes twice after burning about 5 bags (as opposed to once every 20+ bags with other pellets).

The dealer I bought my Accentra insert from was quite upfront about maintenance, so at least I knew what to expect. He said I could be lazy about it if I wanted, but I'd get far better performance if I took good care of it. At this point it's just one of my weekend chores and it doesn't bother me. I agree that there may be a lot of newbies that get frustrated over the fact that they can't just flip a switch like they do with their thermostats.

 

[tundraSQ]

for you guys that clean your glass daily....do you do this hot? I would never think to clean my glass when its hot, and i would certainly never think to cool my stove down every day.

 

[Harvick29]

I was wondering about the glass too. Mine gets a buildup of ash on it after a day or so. Im guessing this is normal?
I dont think I have had to scrape anything since Ive been firing my stove. I let everything cool down and suck it out with a shopvac. I also don't remember having a hole clog either. I use statesman pellets.

 

[Garry P]

for you guys that clean your glass daily....do you do this hot? I would never think to clean my glass when its hot, and i would certainly never think to cool my stove down every day.

I wipe my glass with a DRY papertowel while the stove is running on a daily basis. On my stove it is just ash built up on the glass so it doesn't need any liquid or cleaner to clear it.

 

[foldsct]

That's what Eric said to do as well.........you have 20 seconds with the Brickwell Big E before it shuts off.

Easy--enough time for me to do that!

 

[slls]

for you guys that clean your glass daily....do you do this hot? I would never think to clean my glass when its hot, and i would certainly never think to cool my stove down every day.

Mine cools down about 10-15 times a day, thermostat.

 

[jbphan8]

Still beats buying oil though, doesn't it?

 

[Xena]

I wipe my glass with a DRY papertowel while the stove is running on a daily basis.
On my stove it is just ash built up on the glass so it doesn't need any liquid or cleaner to clear it.

Same here.

 

[CygnusX1]

cygnusx1: What kind of pellets do you burn?

pellet0708, I burn Barefoots and Comfort Hardwood pellets.