P61a lazy flame, new seals

[xjarcher]

My p61a has tall lazy flame condition. Black tips, pellets not completely burned. I have replaced the fire door seal, glass seal and the ash pan seal. ESP and board were replaced last January. Fines door removed,cleaned and reinstalled. OAK is functioning correctly. Exhaust is clear. The condition started last week Thursday. Two thorough cleanings, new seals and no change. Any suggestions?

 

[corkman]

Firepot holes clear? And have you removed the cover to gain access to the igniter chamber. Make sure you vacuum that out good

 

[zrock]

Check your door gasket closely. I found a hinge on mine bent about 1/8 inch. So that corner of the gasket was also the same from sealing

Sent from my SM-G903W using Tapatalk

 

[alternativeheat]

Igniter chamber airway clogged with ash can cause this, loosen the two wing nuts under the burn pot and remove the hatch and get the ash out of there.. Also check that the automatic damper at the air inlet is not stuck closed, it should swing free. And while you say your vent is clear, but is the outlet or rain cap etc all clear as well ? Same thing with your OAK inlet mesh.

 

[xjarcher]

I vac the igniter chamber every time I clean it. I'll do it again later this morning. Is cleaning the burn pot with a paintbrush and vac'ing it after scraping it adequate? I feel cold air (It's 8* this morning) coming in when I unhook the OAK and the inlet is moving freely. Is there another gasket I need to look at?

 

[Ssyko]

All the holes in the burn pot open and clean?

 

[xjarcher]

Short of poking a nail in each one, I paint brush it out and vac it every time I clean it. I'll shut it down this morning and use a finish nail to see if it makes a difference.

 

[alternativeheat]

I vac the igniter chamber every time I clean it. I'll do it again later this morning. Is cleaning the burn pot with a paintbrush and vac'ing it after scraping it adequate? I feel cold air (It's 8* this morning) coming in when I unhook the OAK and the inlet is moving freely. Is there another gasket I need to look at?

Now and then it's a good idea to ream out the carbon that might have built up in burn pot holes, I use a drill bit and just make sure the holes are clear. Don't ram it way in though because the igniter is right below there. Edit: I see you are addressing this already.

There is a burn pot gasket, probably not as simple to fix as some others. The gasket sits between the burn pot body and the main body of the stove FWIW. I guess they can go now and then but it's kind of rare judging by forum messages I've seen on the matter.

Are you sure the gaskets you put in are actually sealing now, especially since you have a bent hinge ? You might do a flame test around the outside of the doors and see if the flame gets sucked inside anywhere.

 

[Pete Zahria]

Short of poking a nail in each one, I paint brush it out and vac it every time I clean it. I'll shut it down this morning and use a finish nail to see if it makes a difference.

use an 1/8" drill bit...
A brush will never do the job..

Dan

 

[xjarcher]

I don't have a bent hinge, that was Zrock. I used a finish nail and cleaned each hole out. didn't feel any "blockage". There was a small amount of ash in the front right two holes but that was it. I cleaned it again. Vac'd the whole thing and cleaned the ESP. It's been running nearly an hour feed rate 3 room temp high and the temp. high. It's in the (under construction) basement and the ambient temp is 24*F.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/N2RLLZGNKhH6SvgL2 What say ye?

 

[alternativeheat]

Looks to me like your stove is spilling it's guts trying to get you heat. Well if you think about it, it's 24 in there and the stove is in room temp mode, it's gonna put up a high flame like that till it catches up, if it ever can. My P61 flame goes up like that sometimes. If it does that too much I switch to stove temp mode and have it put out constant heat.

 

[xjarcher]

Temp inside is 65*sorry. Outside is 24* . I've never really used stove temp. Have to try it if it's running correctly when I get home. Does Stove temp use more pellets?

 

[alternativeheat]

Temp inside is 65*sorry. Outside is 24* . I've never really used stove temp. Have to try it if it's running correctly when I get home. Does Stove temp use more pellets?

Pellet consumption in room temp is automatically variable according to weather and insulation and desired indoor temp. Stove temp is directly related to where you set the dial, each setting burning x amount of pellets regardless of the other variable. But again your desired temp inside the house plays into it. All you can do is try it, you will get a feel for it soon enough and can determine what mode works best for you.

 

[xjarcher]

Well, I'm back to the same issue again. Lazy flame and unburned pellets. I disconnected the OAK and there was no change so I doubt that's the problem.I will put a new screen in tonight as well. I'll disconnect the exhaust pipe and clean that with my air compressor after work. I like a challenge but this is getting annoying. BTW the new gaskets are sealing nicely.Normally when you open the hopper lid you get a very strong flame, it improves a little but not much. Would the diagnostic tool tell anything or just say there's an air leak to trace?

 

[alternativeheat]

Sometimes you get to the end of blowing the vent out and you just gotta physically brush it. Ram a cleaning brush up through that sucker.

 

[xjarcher]

I have to take it apart to do so as I can't get the clean out off. It's stuck.

 

[alternativeheat]

I have to take it apart to do so as I can't get the clean out off. It's stuck.

Mine got stuck once, I heated it up with a hair dryer and it came right off ( wore gloves, it was pretty hot).. but inside was a small puddle of creosote in the bottom where the cap is, the only time it ever happened too. So the creosote was like glue, the heat melted it and also expanded the cap slightly..

 

[xjarcher]

Hey Alternativeheat. Great idea. I have a heat gun. might have to try that.

 

[corkman]

I wonder if your combustion blower is on its way out

 

[gfreek]

I second "corkman" Maybe Combustion blower . Also be sure fines box cover is on correctly and tight..

 

[alternativeheat]

We need to know if the vent is really clean first but ya, I've been considering the combustion blower as well.

Another thought is Bogie B said that one time she had ash way down inside the airway under the burn pot on her p61, beyond the usual finger waving distance.. So I've been wondering about that as well. Often though, people think their vent is clean and it really isn't and that turns out to be the problem.

 

[xjarcher]

vent has been cleaned from nose to tail. I usually clean it at the end of the season. Same pellets as always but it was really dirty already. It's burning pretty much normal now. Thanks for the assistance one and all!
I had to Macgyver a way to get the brush through the vent, anyone have a really good method for doing that? I used bricklayer's string and fished it through.
Post script. I spent 2 hours near it last night staining some trim. The combustion blower is running quite well at this point.

 

[alternativeheat]

My vent is 4",it runs 32 ft vertical. I use a Rutland pellet brush with 6 rods, it takes just over 5 putting a rod on at a time . I spin it on a cordless drill and feed it up, add a rod, spin feed etc., till at the top. Pull it all down and out. From the stove to the clean out T I do by hand. I have an old broken rod ( got too aggressive spinning one time LOL) and I tied a rag on the end of that. I just sweep out from inside the stove into the clean out T being careful going by the esp. Done deal in about 20 minutes time minus digging out the equipment. I do that at the start of the season and right about now, mid season ( between now and Feb).. but my setup is a straight shot up the chimney and a straight shot out to the T from inside the stove, no 45's or 90's otherwise, other than the slow bend by the smoke shelf of the liner.

 

[railfanron]

Same as alternativeheat. The rods will also bend around the 90s with the battery drill.
Ron