Out of the Pot and Into the Pan

[Philip]

Maybe one of you engineers can explain to me how the ash gets out of the burn pot (which is about 2-1/2" deep on my new Empress stove) and into the ash pan? Having never seen a pellet stove before, I thought there'd be small holes in the burn pot to allow the ashes to fall through, but there are none. So while I'm waiting on the vent pipe to arrive next week so I can fire up the stove and see how it works, I thought I ask. (It didn't occur to me that I'd have to order the vent pipe. I guess I should have known that if the wood stove dealers in town don't stock pellet stoves, they probably wouldn't stock vent pipe either.)

BTW, they are predicting lows in the mid 20's here next week. I know, for some of you that's almost summer temperatures, but for us in the "sunny south" that's moderately cold, and I guess I'll have to light the LP heater.

 

[jtp10181]

If its a gavity feed system you will have a level to pull to dump the ashes. If its a bottom feed system the new fuel will push the ashes off the end into the ash pan.

 

[Xena]

Did you have a look at the manual?
http://www.envirofire.biz/help/manuals.html

 

[Philip]

Yes. Nothing in the manual explains how the ashes get out of the pot and into the ash pan. There are two holes in the burn pot. One is for the air intake tube and one is for the ignitor. Other than that there are no holes in the burn pot which is a rectangular box about 2-1/2" deep. The burn pot sits on top of the ash shelf which does have slots in it to allow the ashes to go into the ash pan if they can somehow climb out of the burn pot! There is a burn pot liner with holes in it that sits down into the burn pot and the air intake tube sits below the burn pot liner so I guess maybe the air intake tube blows the ashes up out of the burn pot. I think I just answered my own question.

 

[Dougsey]

Below is from the manual. Please post back how you like the stove when you get her running. I was looking very seriously at this stove as I liked the idea of being able to put the combustion blower outside the house (for sound reasons). But having to completely shut down the stove every couple days per below seems like a pain.


BURN POT AND LINER (2-3 days)
Routine Cleaning and Maintenance
The following list of components should be inspected and maintained routinely to ensure that the appliance is operating at its optimum and giving you excellent heat value:
BurnPotLinerIgnitorAirIntakeTubeBurnPot
Cleaning of the burn pot and liner must only be done when stove is cold. To remove the burn pot and burn pot liner, open the door using the door handle provided (located on the right-hand side of the stove). Swing the door open. Lift the liner from the burn pot. Lift the burn pot from the firebox by gently lifting up the front of the burn pot, then sliding the assembly from the air intake tube and the ignitor cartridge.
This is the ‘pot’ where the pellets are burned. Every two to three days (when the unit is cold), remove the burn-pot liner from the stove and inspected it to ensure proper air flow through the liner. Failure to keep the liner clean may cause a build up of fuel past the burn pot liner and up the drop tube. This will cause the auger to jam and may result in pellets burning in the drop tube and hopper. Using a metal scrapper, remove material that has accumulated or is clogging the liner’s holes. Then dispose of the scrapped ashes from the liner and from inside the burn-pot. Place the burn-pot back into the stove, making sure that the pipes are properly inserted into the burn pot. Place the liner back into the burn-pot, making sure that the ignitor hole in the liner is aligned with the ignitor tube. Pushing the liner up against the ignitor tube.
If, after long periods of burning, the fire continually builds up and overflows the burn pot or there is a build up of clinkers, this is an indication that the pellet fuel quality is poor or the stove may need cleaning. Check the stove for ash build up (clean if required) and adjust the slider / damper to produce the proper clean combustion.