Lazy Flames and Clinker problems

[comuaiki]

Hello and thank you for taking the time to read my issues.

I purchased a used Avalon Arbor stove from a local reputable pellet stove dealer in august 2019 and had it professionally installed a month later by the same dealer. I started using the stove around early October and it worked well without any issue until about mid November 2019. That is when I noticed it was having a much more difficult time starting and the flames in the fire pot were getting lazy even with the restrictor open all the way and auger speed set to minimum.

I have thoroughly cleaned the stove, twice, with the first time producing a lot of ash in the vertical channels and exhaust venting channel. The second time really did not yield any significant amount of ash but I did it anyway, When the unit was working well I would press the start button and pellets would feed for a minute or so and then the igniter and one the the fans would start blowing air through the fire pot and eventually the fire would light and eventually the second blower would start (I think the exhaust blower) producing a strong flame at which point I would let it burn for about five minutes after which I would adjust the air intake restrictor and the auger feed to for the right room temperature.

Now when I attempt to light the stove the auger will feed for about 30-60 seconds and then stop feeding with the control board showing an auger fault. I then manually turn off the the stove at the switch and turn it back on immediately and it starts feeding pellets, repeating this sequence for two to three times till I can hear one of the fans running and a minute or so later I can see embers starting to build up eventually igniting the pellets. At this point the flames coming out are strong and active but at some point the stove will reach some predetermined temperature and the other blower (i think the exhaust) will start and the flames get very lazy even with the restrictor fully out. I purchased an exhaust fan online based of another vendors recommendation and was going to replace it this weekend. When I went to install it I noticed it was the wrong fan and am sending it back so the issue remains.

I am really not sure this will fix my issues if I get the correct exhaust fan but thought I would reach out to the members to see if you have any suggestions to fix the lazy flames which eventually leads to excessive build up in the fire pot and clinkers.

Any sugestions or advice would be greatly welcomed. If you need more information let me know.

Thanks...

 

[johneh]

Welcome to the forum Comuaiki
Do you have a manual for your stove?
If Not here is one

https://www.avalonfirestyles.com/TravisDocs/100-01191_000.pdf

I suggest the first thing you do is read it cover to cover so you understand how
your stove works then reask your question

 

[comuaiki]

Hi johneh

Thank you for your response. Actually I have downloaded the manual and read it half a dozen times at least thinking thee is something I may have missed. I have done everything outlined in the manual as still have the issue with my stove. If you can think of anything I may have missed let me know.

Thanks...

 

[fmsm]

What are you burning for pellets? How much have you burned since install/last complete cleaning of the exhaust? When did you last clean your exhaust? Please describe your exhaust path.

 

[johneh]

A lazy flame is produced by one thing lack of air through the burn pot.
Dirty stove is first on the list (Ash plugging stove from burn pot to
top of chimney). Oak plugged (snow or some other critter). A
clean stove is a happy stove.

 

[Smokinbubba]

If u dont have a leaf blower. I would definitely start there. Then check all gaskets including door and glass. Do a dollar bill test on the door seal and lighter test on the glass gasket. Then move on to a possible combustion air problem.

 

[comuaiki]

Wow, I really appreciate all of the input. I have included some photos of the pellets I am currently burning all with the same issue. I have burned two other brands of pellets besides the ones shown in the photos for a total of five and have not noticed any difference in th way they burn. Of the five different types of pellets I have experimented with the Lignetics Green Supreme by far has the least saw dust and is the cleanest. The Heat Resource being hard wood still has plenty of sawdust and a very fine dust which is messy and goes everywhere when you pour it out of the bag.

I would agree the lazy fames is due to a lack of air from the underside of the fire pot. Although this stove has both a convection fan and a exhaust blower I am not sure which one is responsible for driving air through the fire pot. If I knew it may help me chase down all of the paths so I can check them one more time to make sure they are not obstructed. I will stick my camera on the bottom side of the chimney facing upwards to see if I can see sunlight coming through and see how strong it is to make sure it is not plugged.

I will also examine all of the gaskets using the dollar bill test and see how well it holds. Not sure about the leaf blower or how I would use it but maybe you could elaborate a bit.

Thanks...

 

[johneh]

The Exhaust fan sucks the air through the burn pot and sends it out the chimney
In from under the pot out through the fire

 

[Tonyray]

Do u have an Oak installed? Outside air brought in to help with combustion.

 

[comuaiki]

I don’t understand one thing about the lazy flames. Initially when the fire starts it is strong and active then after some set period, I presume when some preset temperature is reached the convection fan turns on and that is when the flames get lazy.

 

[Smokinbubba]

this sucks all the ash from your stove. Even ash you cant see in the combustion chamber.

 

[comuaiki]

My pellet stove was installed without and OAK system, so it draws air from inside the house. I am not sure that matters since my house is not overly airtight and having one installed may possibly get it to run better.


Since the stove is vertically vented with a Tee and clean out cover I have removed the cover and emptied out the ash build up which was about half an inch. I put a bottle brush in through the bottom of the Tee and fed it towards the stove as far as it would go and pulled out the little ash there was.

I don’t have a leaf blower but have a fairly strong Shop-Vac with a HEPA bag I use weekly to clean out the stove. I was wondering since this stove is not horizontally vented I was wondering could I use the Shop-Vac to to force air into the OAK entrance and/or on the exhaust outlet of the stove by either using positive or negative pressure respectively to to see if any more ash can be forced out of the internal channels to clean it a bit more. I would have to detach the exhaust Tee at the stove and use some good Tape and some form of cone to adapt the Shop-Vac to either the OAK to exhaust outlet.

Thanks....

 

[Ssyko]

The leaf blower works best because it sucks everthing through the stove and chimney and any air leaks in the system. Blowing into the stove creates a pressure and it sends ash n soot through all the air leaks into your home before it can get it out the chimney. Hope that makes sense

 

[johnny1720]

This guys stove is brand new, it isn’t dirty enough to cause these issues. I would imagine that the burn pot is not set in properly or their is another small issue where air is not passing through the burn pot properly.

 

[JR52]

This guys stove is brand new, it isn’t dirty enough to cause these issues. I would imagine that the burn pot is not set in properly or their is another small issue where air is not passing through the burn pot properly.

It's used.

 

[johneh]

I purchased a used Avalon Arbor stove from a local reputable pellet stove dealer in august 2019

As his post says !!
A dirty or lazy flame is caused by a lack of combustion air
Or Damp pellets