stove is a 2007 p68, this year I'm using enregex brand pellets in past I've used pelletsales.com hard and soft wood. My stove runs 24 hours a day as it is my only heat source I use. This year I started to notice creosote build up on my fire wall behind my burn pot and also to the right of burn pot on fire wall. It seems to not catch a flame since no flame touches fire wall, but is spreading to the right on fire wall quickly. I cleaned last week scraped creosote off and it came back more vigorously this week. More info, stove was installed professionally to spec with oak 2 years ago my lame,inept, dealer disconnected my oak after I noticed flames and sparks jetting out of my outside pipe, that was there only answer that day. Since then from reading post here, I have re-installed my oak,I was getting creosote with oak working and not working so I don,t see that as an issue.Only other thing is I run A air-o-swiss humidifier that puts out A good amount of mist, to the point that when it's running my gas kitchen range flame burn orange rather than blue, A mystery just solved A few days ago, however I have no idea why that is. Last week on a hope and a prayer I called my dealer, something I don't like to do since they don't have a service guy I can trust for any good advice ever, he's just a kid with one years experience behind him only seems to be there to clean stoves and change out simple parts, I was not surprised he had nothing to add, so I can only hope that someone out there might just know A little bit more as to why my stove is making this creosote. Is it even safe at this point?
p68 creosote problem
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I know it seems nuts but it's true, I've used different pellets last year with still the same issue.It all started when I got this humidifier,when the humidifer's off blue flame on orange, nuts I know. I don't know if humidifier reading is accurate, when I first start it, it reads about 25% and when its running for awhile it only gets to about 35%.Its not in the same room as the range either.I also do not have AC so in the summer my inside of home is humid but my range flame is blue?
noelp68 said:
What does the venting consist of? List all parts starting at the adapter.
Thanks
Eric
noelp68 said:
Sounds to me like your pellets are absorbing too much moisture.
When burning cord wood, excess creosote generally means the
MC of the wood is too high. I'd shut the humidifier off for a couple of days
& see if the creosote problem is alleviated...
it was all sold to me from my dealer at time of sale. I don't know the technical names for parts but here it goes.It's 2 pipes out the back of stove exhaust hard pipe that bends to the right and oak on a flex pipe, they meet at a wall pass through thats one part, on out side exhaust pipe goes up about 4 feet, and oak sits bottomish part of outside pipe with small tirangleish cover. directly at bottom of out-side pipe is my t so I can take off bottom cap for cleaning its only about 3 or 4 inches south of pipe coming out of wall. I know it might seem hard to understand, can you picture that set-up?
2 things:
make sure the vent and/or vent screen is not restricted. Also run it a little hotter.
another thing to try is some ACS spray in your hopper. This helps break up that buildup, and reduces clinkers.
make sure the vent and/or vent screen is not restricted. Also run it a little hotter.
another thing to try is some ACS spray in your hopper. This helps break up that buildup, and reduces clinkers.
noelp68 said:
Speaking of pictures, can you post one? You might have passed your EVL if I understand your set up.
Eric
Equivalent ventilation length
on a P68 refer to your owners manual on page 8.
a 45 elbow is 3 evl
a 90 elbow or a tee is 5 evl each
1 for 1 on horizontal and .5 per one foot of vertical pipe
With the 45 elbow and a tee and a 90 elbow that gives you a evl of 13. If you add the vertical rise, the horizontal run, and you cap you are just over 15 evl. This in combination of your humidifier and other factors can be causing the creosote problem.
Eric
on a P68 refer to your owners manual on page 8.
a 45 elbow is 3 evl
a 90 elbow or a tee is 5 evl each
1 for 1 on horizontal and .5 per one foot of vertical pipe
With the 45 elbow and a tee and a 90 elbow that gives you a evl of 13. If you add the vertical rise, the horizontal run, and you cap you are just over 15 evl. This in combination of your humidifier and other factors can be causing the creosote problem.
Eric
You might want to untangle the room sensor from around the pipe. Not that this a creosote problem but the wire will melt.
Eric
Eric
ok, thanks for your professional advice,Im not sure about your answer however if I understand it right I may be to short outside, I measured from ground to top of cap outside it measured 10 feet, to short? need tobe 13? cord untangled and despite my wife's wish Iwill not turn on humidifier until creosote shows back up, hopefully never again!
noelp68 said:
I think you have to much pipe with bends and vertical. Should have been 4" diameter and not 3".
Eric
That blue/orange flame change points directly to lack of oxygen due to air flow issues.
With the OAK installed properly the humidifier can't be the cause of this. Is the OAK tubing sealed to the air intake and is the entire path of the air intake to the burn pot sealed? Is the OAK tubing sealed to the OAK intake?
Are your gaskets good?
If the humidifier is affecting the flame then somehow it is preventing the stove from getting proper air and is not a humidity issue.
Are there any other air movers in the house such as exhaust fans or heating devices?
Please provide a complete list of venting starting at the stove and ending at the termination cap. We need types of fittings , their orientation, and lengths of all straight runs and their orientations.
With the OAK installed properly the humidifier can't be the cause of this. Is the OAK tubing sealed to the air intake and is the entire path of the air intake to the burn pot sealed? Is the OAK tubing sealed to the OAK intake?
Are your gaskets good?
If the humidifier is affecting the flame then somehow it is preventing the stove from getting proper air and is not a humidity issue.
Are there any other air movers in the house such as exhaust fans or heating devices?
Please provide a complete list of venting starting at the stove and ending at the termination cap. We need types of fittings , their orientation, and lengths of all straight runs and their orientations.
ok, thanks again I cant get this advice from my dealer they just don't know and don't burn wood or pellets personally, so really don't care. I will look seriously into my pipe deal. you have been a help.
noelp68 said:
Well here you have dealers, stove techs, and more than just few people that actually burn the darn pellets and wood to keep them and their families warm.
We do care and between the folks already in this thread and you providing the answers to our questions you may have an operating setup before the day is over.
of course, the day after Christmas, possibly alot of outfits are closed as well........
Eric might be spot on, suggesting that you need 4" exhaust pipe......be advised that if you do this, you'll need all new pipe, as well as a 4" passthru......Harman doesnt make a 4" intake thimble.....
Creosote is generally formed in a poor combustion situation, generally inadequate oxygen due to any manner of issues such as stuck intake dampers, restricted intake gratings, flyash accumulations in MANY areas, etc....
Eric might be spot on, suggesting that you need 4" exhaust pipe......be advised that if you do this, you'll need all new pipe, as well as a 4" passthru......Harman doesnt make a 4" intake thimble.....
Creosote is generally formed in a poor combustion situation, generally inadequate oxygen due to any manner of issues such as stuck intake dampers, restricted intake gratings, flyash accumulations in MANY areas, etc....
as far as the range flame being orange, it was not always this way, the first two years it was fine. What I can't seem to remember is what came first, orange flame or humidifier I truly think it was about the same time. Earlier this season I thought it was solved when I realized that my oak not being connected must be sucking to much oxygen from my home, I was surprised when it didn't change a thing still orange gas range. Then last week I happened to not fill the humidifier for a whole day and my range was blue, so I re-filled it and what do you know it went orange, so the next day I repeated not filling it with same result, I don't know why? As far as how I re-connected my oak I just put the flex pipe over the intake and wrapped some of that silver venture tape around it, it seems to be air-tight. What did you mean by something about my burn-pot? It does seem to me to be starting in that area but I've never worked in that space besides scraping clean.
I was asking if the air path was sealed all the way to the burn pot. On some stoves the manufacturer has basicly made an OAK into an appendage that can cause problems instead of solving them.
I don't own or operate the stove you have I was just trying to make certain it was a fully sealed air intake path.
You see with an OAK installed your burn air should be coming from outside the house and nothing inside the house can prevent the stove from getting enough air for proper combustion.
I don't own or operate the stove you have I was just trying to make certain it was a fully sealed air intake path.
You see with an OAK installed your burn air should be coming from outside the house and nothing inside the house can prevent the stove from getting enough air for proper combustion.
I see, when it comes to my p68, it has it's own tube that takes in fresh air I think it's sealed right I would hope Harmand would do that I dont think I can follow it to easy. I have neglected to mention on other thing. Each time I clean the stove lately, and today as well I've been scraping off my creosote when I re-start and think Im totally clean in the first bunch of hours I get a small flame on the fire wall directly behind burn pot under the 3 brick set-up.
Noelp68, when you mention flame from blue to orange with the humidifier on are you referring to the flame on your gas cooking stove?
yes sir, orange flame on kitchen natural gas range. Only when running humidifier, don't quite understand it. Any thoughts?
When was the last time you cleaned the entire exh system? I am thinking the first elbow or T outside before the vertical pipe starts. It could be plugged.
Also check to make sure a small bird didn't make a nest in your OA vent
Also check to make sure a small bird didn't make a nest in your OA vent
I cleaned all the pipes last weekend everything looked good. As far as bird or anything stuck and blocking oak,I had this problem when my oak was not hooked up, I just re-connected my oak 2 weeks ago after not in use for about 1 and half seasons.
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