Hi, im new here so a little info on my part, I purchased a Pleasant Hearth PH35 a few weeks ago, got it professionally installed within a few days of receiving it. I have been struggling with the "trim" dial (I think that is my issue anyways) my glass seems to go black with in a few hours of cleaning it (having to do every 2 days because of how bad it is) I went all the way up to +3 but it didn't do much, I emailed the company and they said for my altitude I should go back to zero (the negative numbers speed up exhaust fan speed apparently). so I did, it was pretty good for about a day and a half then started to go black again (I understand it needs to be cleaned a couple times a week from things I've read) so I cleaned it, didn't touch anything else, and within a few hours it was getting a bit black again, so I cleaned it 2 days later (in that timeframe I also had a misfire) so that brings me to this morning now, I cleaned it last night and my glass is black again, im getting a bit frustrated. I've emailed the company again looking for advice. Any advice here? or questions to help out? Thanks.
newbie so be nice :)
- Thread starter doober1
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil. -
Super Cedar firestarters 30% discount Use code Hearth2024 Click here
Welcome to the forum. No worries, we were all newbies once. I don't have your stove so I can't say about the particulars but my suggestion is to try a few bags of a different brand of pellets to see if that makes a difference.
tbear853
Feeling the Heat
Welcome!
About "blacking the glass", mine has always done it about the second or third day up until last couple of years it would do it within hours it seemed, so I noticed some cracks in the burn pot and welds so I recently replaced it and the stove is doing great again. I cleaned & fired it Saturday evening, and just today it seemed the black was getting back on the glass but not heavy & thick. I'm also not seeing near the ash in the ashpan now as it just burns more complete.
My burn pot is a 2 piece, the whole thing comes out, then the front piece comes off I assume for easy of cleaning because it is really simple and super accessible. I have to clean today again, every 2 days because the glass is so dirty, not the inside of the stove really, that's not bad at all, something I forgot to mention is I don't have my OAK hooked up, its sitting on the floor, so im hooking that up either today or tomorrow, secondly I have fans running downstairs to try to get some heat upstairs, I turned them off, thirdly, my door has a small gap on the handle side ( new rope seal is on its way) I was thinking possibly the fans with the door leak and no OAK are all contributing factors? once the door is sealed, fans should be ok because it will be sealed properly??
tbear853
Feeling the Heat
Leaks in door seams mean that every cubic foot of air drawn in through the leak as the exhaust fan pulls through the fire box is one less cubic foot of air drawn through the holes in the burn pot under the pellets. The fan can only pull so much, so you end up with a lazy rich sooty flame.
The OAK simply determines wheather the combustion support air comes from outside the house, from the basement, or from the very room the stove sits in. Using a OAK to pull in outside air means mainly, not using heated (at some cost) room air for combustion ... and cold outside air is some denser than warm room air so that gives slightly more oxygen to the flame as well.
This is my flame a few minutes after startup on high, I just cleaned it, flame seems to be drawn towards the glass.
tbear853
Feeling the Heat
It’s a short movie, let me know if it doesn’t work and illl try something different. I hooked my OAK today, just to take that out of the possible issues. Cleaned this morning and turned the air up 1 notch, still about the same, going to do the same in the morning.
Thats a blow torch. I would back off on the intake a bit. What type of pellets are you burning? Not sure which setting your are burning on, but I find that the lower 2 settings (of five) will soil the glass quickly. When you clean the glass, does the sot come off easily, like with just a damp paper towel?
The soot comes off easily, just wipe and it’s gone, I have the lower corners that are getting harder to get off though Mine has settings from zero to +4 and -4 by backing off intake what do you mean? less air? I am burning premium softwood pinnacle pellets, I was using a different brand ( can’t remember the name) but switching has made no difference anyways. Getting good heat, just trying to figure out why the glass blackens so quickly, within hrs of cleaning. I already need to do it again, cleaned this morning. I realize they need cleaning, and it won’t stay totally clean forever, but a day or 2 would be nice.. unless that’s just the way it is?
This is not your stove but it is the best I have found
to show how the flame should look
to show how the flame should look
so putting things into perspective, mine is getting to much air? It’s hard to tell, and mine is getting sucked towards the door.
It does appear to be too much air but a Magnehelic vacuum gauge would tell for sure. It does not sound like you are creating creosote so that's good. Some stoves have better air wash than others. The soot appears to be dry and easy to clean (no creosote) and you just might have to deal with that. I am assuming its a new stove and the combustion fan does not have to be cleaned.
Yes it’s new, there is a few spots in the corners that are baked on I guess, don’t come off easily, for the most part it is dry and simply wipes off. I got an email back and hey said to compensate for altitude turn the trim to the left (higher up=less air) turning the trim to the left increases exhaust fan speed,
![[Hearth.com] newbie so be nice :)](/talk/data/attachments/272/272341-857cd1827d30ae5e4b0b2b3093cb62cf.jpg?hash=TFAy1pDoHa)
Ssyko
Minister of Fire
It’s 2 inch pipe, they just Said it’s too long, as you can see I have no choice but to have it that long, the ledge is 42 inches high, the OAK need to be 2 ft above the ground line up here, the flex pipe is only 60 inches, stove is about 18 inches from wall and hook up is prob another 10 inches inside the stove.
i think I’ll change it to match the exhaust angle, I just wanted to sort of hide it as much as possible.
Do you think it should be straightened out or is the elbows ok? Maybe follow the line of the exhaust?
Ssyko
Minister of Fire
I have cleaned it good, following the manual, take the pot out daily, heat baffles come out, clean both sides and behind, chimney also,took exhaust fan out cleaned inside there and fan also, vacuum all the ash out in the sides and front inside of the stove, nothing more to clean I don’t think?
Similar threads
