Noob?!? How do I light my pellet master 5000 stove (circa 1996 i think, no manual)

[hairyconiption]

Howdy,
First post, I have a Pellet Master 5000 and have no idea how to light the thing. Any help would be great. There is a Allen key on the door going to the burn pot, so I am not sure if it is supposed to auto light, or if I am supposed to unscrew the allen every time I want a fire..

I can post pics in the next day or so, if I can find the cord for my camera.

Thanks

 

[crausch]

This may prove to be a helpful link for you (parts, manual, etc.). There is also a link on the page that will take you to pics of the Pellet Master stoves. They have one of a PM 5000.

http://www.hearthtools.com/pellet/2000.html

 

[hearthtools]

The pellet master you need to use a Firestarter and light by hand
The allen key is a safty thing so the door dont get open.

you can go 25 bags or more of pellets before you need to clean the burn pot because it is a true bottom feed stove.
you need to chip out the carbon in the pot about every 25 bags.

The glass you will never be able to keep clean because it is a Positive air stove and the glass will get dirty the fist day.
just clean it every time you restart the stove.


Put some pellets in the burn pot just up to the air slits and put some gell in and light
push the start and leave it be for 15 minutes when the room air come on put it to run
Set the heat rate to Med or Hi if you have a thermostat.

 

[hairyconiption]

Thanks guys, The glass did get dirty immediatly, ICK! I still can't get it to burn for more than 20 minutes. I can see the auger turner every so often (turns a ring around the crucible), but doesn't seem to be "blasting". I cleaned out the holes in the blast ring, and the slits in the crucible pot, leave it one start for 10-15 minutes and then it is usually just a pot oc red glowing coals, no more blasting.
I cleaned out the room fan (it was nasty) and the air blower for the furnace, and am getting good air blowing, but I can't seem to keep a fire going. I haven't hooked the air intake to the outside yet, could that be why?

 

[drizler]

The 2 big things to screw these stoves up us CLEANLINESS and PELLET QUALITY. If either is in question try another brand bag of pellets. The dirtiness I refer to is often back inside the stove though I can't comment on your particular stove itself. My Countryside loves to load up behind the false brick panel in the back, yours may be similar possibly. If it was mine I would lose that stupid allen head safety catch when opportunity presents itself so you can get in there and do what you need to do every day.
If your stove is feeding and the pellets are burning in the beginning with nice vertical jets then dying off you probably are feeding too slow and it is burning down faster than it is filling. If it wasn't burning the pellets you would see them piling up until the crucible overflowed and unburned pellets smothered the fire. I doubt your not having an outside air kit hooked up has any effect at all. By any chance does your stove have a thermostat wired up ? If it has one and you have it set for heat lower than room temp it can give you fits like that. Don't ask how I know that one as I manage to fool myself every year a time or 2. Otherwise you may have to change the settings after startup somehow. Try running it on high heat after it gets going and see how it acts. You should have large bright yellow vertical jetting flames once it is going.
From your post it isn't clear whether you just bought the stove ( possibly used since no manual) or it was in a house you recently purchased. You really should get ahold of a manual, most are posted online right on company websites if you look. It sure helps to know what basic operations to perform and what to expect. Don't feel bad about dirty glass, mine is dirty in an hour or so. I don't mess with gells and starter block. A propane torch works very well and a piezo light torch is even better.

 

[hearthtools]

Ok a pellet master can burn anykind of pellet fuel even Cow crap.
so the pellets dont matter.

You need to clean the combustion blower and check the intake air
if you dont get enough combustion air in or exhast gasses out the stove will not burn.

This stove does not work like the other stoves that people talk about on here.

TRUE bottom feed
Positive air. Air is forced into the burnpot for combustion.
99% of the other stoves are Negative air for air is sucked through the burn pot and then out the blower.

Take both blowers out of the stove and clean
Clean the whole venting system
make sure ash pan and main door is sealed and burn away.

if all is done and it still dont burn very good
then you have a bad combustion blower or a cracked burn pot.

Follow the steps on my site http://www.hearthtools.com/pellet/service_tips_and_trouble_shootin.htm