Pelletmaster pm3000

[zogboy]

Hi all

My first post, I did a search

I have a pelletmaster pm3000 titan I got used .
I think it has 1 or 2 seasons on it.
I am burning rice coal and am kind of pissed at myself for not getting coal years ago.

How much should I be paying for bagged rice coal . It seems the local supplier has jumped on the pellet
shortage wagon. $5.25 a bag for singals and $4.19 if you buy 62 bags.
I have a 1 ton p/u and can travel to pickup coal at a fair price.
Where in Pa. do I need to go to pick up coal.

Thanks John

 

[lime4x4]

what part of pa are u in?? I'm in the northeast area..bagged coal in my neck of the woods is 6.00 a bag for 50 lbs or 120 to 125 a ton picked up for rice coal..And i live only a couple of minutes from th anthracite coal mines..
it's always cheaper to get loose coal then bagged coal esp if u burn alot..I average anywhere from 1 to 1.5 tons burnt a month..Depends on the weather..

 

[zogboy]

I am in NY near Syracuse
$125 a ton sounds great is that loose or bagged? either way thats 1/2 price
maybe I will rent one of those 29.95 a day u-hauls for a day and make a road trip.
What is the closest coal mine to I-81

 

[mtalea]

Hello, I just bought the same stove,used of course...same model and all.....hey do u have the manual?...I have some ?'s for ya if ya dont mind

 

[zogboy]

Hello, I just bought the same stove,used of course...same model and all.....hey do u have the manual?...I have some ?'s for ya if ya dont mind

http://www.hearthtools.com/pellet/service_tips_and_trouble_shootin.htm

I do not have the book but try this link for tips and parts for the stove.
I cleaned the burn pot by taking the 3 bolts out and clearing all the air holes. , that let the jets do their job and it burns more complete now.
I will be happy to give any help I can provide to ya.
John

 

[joshuaviktor]

Ok, I've got to ask. Where the heck are you guys getting these stoves? Ebay? Or is there another board?

 

[zogboy]

Ok, I've got to ask. Where the heck are you guys getting these stoves? Ebay? Or is there another board?

Hi Josh
We have a swap sheets and penny saver papers and if your near Eastren NY try this link for ads
(broken link removed to http://www.wantaddigest.com/view/catlist26.asp?Cat=heat)

John

 

[lime4x4]

ok i'm confused here...All my searches show this stove is to be used with wood pellets not coal.So how are u guys burning coal in these units?

 

[zogboy]

ok i'm confused here...All my searches show this stove is to be used with wood pellets not coal.So how are u guys burning coal in these units?

bottom auger feed with a clinker ring on the burn pot is why our stoves burn coal.

Mine is labled right on the hopper door to burn wood pellets , corn , rice coal , and biomass fuel.
I have used wood pellets and rice coal so far.
The rice coal is what I use due to lack of pellets in my area.
I will only use wood pellets if their prices fall to 30% less than that of rice coal.
There is no way the pellets provide a hotter heat than coal. Coal is the only real heat value out there ....unless of course you get free fire wood or other free fuel.

 

[mtalea]

Yes I found that site and have ordered the manual. The only real problem I am having is smoke in the hopper bay......It takes it seems forever for the smoke to evacuate.

Even while it is runnin in full force and I refill there is some back smoke in the hopper...any thoughts?

Mine is used and I do need to disassemble the entire stove and clean it Head to Toe. This should make sure the fan motors are not obstructed at all and receiving plenty of intake air.

 

[Extendaboo]

Yes I found that site and have ordered the manual. The only real problem I am having is smoke in the hopper bay......It takes it seems forever for the smoke to evacuate.

Even while it is runnin in full force and I refill there is some back smoke in the hopper...any thoughts?

Mine is used and I do need to disassemble the entire stove and clean it Head to Toe. This should make sure the fan motors are not obstructed at all and receiving plenty of intake air.

One word of advice for all you with these stoves and burning coal.....

Coal gases can killl - and they do kille, regularly. In the last litle coal boom in the 80's it was a regular thing in eastern pa.

So while a little smell from wood pellets can be annoying, the LACK of smell from coal can be deadly...

Be 100% certain you have a CO detector in addition to smoke detectors. In fact, I'd have two!

Pelletmaster, as I remember, was made in Idaho where they don't burn much coal. It is unlikely to have the same safety features as a newer stoker...

Look closely at the manul and also ask ROn (the guy at the site) if users have been burning hard coal with success and no danger for years....

good luck.

 

[mtalea]

I am burning only wood pellets, but thanks for the info

 

[zogboy]

Yes I found that site and have ordered the manual. The only real problem I am having is smoke in the hopper bay......It takes it seems forever for the smoke to evacuate.

Even while it is runnin in full force and I refill there is some back smoke in the hopper...any thoughts?

Mine is used and I do need to disassemble the entire stove and clean it Head to Toe. This should make sure the fan motors are not obstructed at all and receiving plenty of intake air.

You need to make sure that the hopper door seals air tight to prevent a backdraft, if you are getting smoke there you should replace the door gaskets and hopper gaskets.
I agree everyone needs co detectors.
It is important to clean this stove as directed to ensure safety and a clean burn.
I found a lot of ash in the top chamber where the flue pipe connects.

good luck

 

[mtalea]

I see a hopper door gasket but no auger gasket

 

[zogboy]

I see a hopper door gasket but no auger gasket

the glass door has a rope gasket and the ash pan door has a rope gasket. Buy these at your local hardware along with the glue to hold them in place.

The hopper door uses a flat rubber seal.

The auger is part of the burn pot and has no gaskets

 

[JedB]

I bought one of the Pellet Master stoves (PM2000) for my 1922 garage for $150. It also says it will burn coal but, there's no coal in this area.
I did notice, when I initially cleaned the stove, that the combustion fan motor said it needed to be oiled every 6 months. The stove had around 3 seasons of use before it was stored in a shed for 5 or 6 years. The owner had indicated that the stove had never been serviced since it was new so I can probably count on buying a new fan motor at some point.
I also read somewhere that this stove needs at least 5 feet of verticle run on the exhaust. I just terminated it outside the wall because I don't really care if it puffs a little in the garage when I shut it down. I sometimes smoke salmon and venison in there in the winter anyway. But in a house I would definitely make sure to have a drafting exhaust system as the off switch cuts the combustion fan off and the fire is choked out with lots of smoke in the firebox. Thats one thing I love about my Quad stove, the feed is cut off instead of the fan and any remaining pellets are burned up withing a couple minutes. so there is no smoke. Also cools off way faster for cleaning.
The PM is awesome in the garage. I can be out there working in a t-shirt when its near zero outside. It's too bad that PM went out of bidness because the rotating clinker ring design works good for keeping the stove clean.

 

[mtalea]

Hello all
I have the pelletmaster pm3000 titan also, and I just found out that it requires a min. of a 8' vertical rise to eliminate smoke in the house and hopper etc; so I want to move my stove to my living room which will require i go thru the ceiling and out the roof..I have a plaster ceiling. has anyone here done this application? Is it easy or hard and what will I need and what should I expect.?

 

[zogboy]

The pm3000 is a top vent that takes a 2' rise and a 2' vertical run. Mine says that right on the hopper door lable.
I vent mine directly thur the wall using the 2' rise and 2' vertical run, I do not get smoke in the house .
The only smoke this stove makes is in the first few minutes while it is getting hot.

Are you trying to run the stove with the doors open?

 

[mtalea]

No I dont run it with door or hopper open..here is a quote from a place that has pelletmaster parts

"Pellet master stoves MUST have a minimum of 8 feet of Vertical Flue for proper draft. No more than 2 feet horizontal run. If you do not have the Min flue your stove WILL smoke from the hopper and door and you will smell smoke in the house."

Q:You dont get any smoke in the hopper bay or smoke and smell in the house with your setup?

I would love to not have to go thru my ceiling and roof and only go out the wall.
I just went and read my hopper door and it does say a 2' rise min. Please allow me to pick ur brain,

Q: WHAT ABOUT WALL PROTECTION, Is it needed?

Q: And it also says on the hopper door a 3 clearance to adjacent walls..is that correct or do they
mean 3 feet?

So then why does my hopper fill with smoke then?

here is a link to that FAQ page the quote came from

http://www.hearthtools.com/pellet/service_tips_and_trouble_shootin.htm



Thanks...awaiting a reply

 

[mtalea]

Im still waitin for replies for ideas and education on this model pellet stove.

I wish all a Happy New Year!


Matt

 

[zogboy]

No I dont run it with door or hopper open..here is a quote from a place that has pelletmaster parts

"Pellet master stoves MUST have a minimum of 8 feet of Vertical Flue for proper draft. No more than 2 feet horizontal run. If you do not have the Min flue your stove WILL smoke from the hopper and door and you will smell smoke in the house."

Q:You dont get any smoke in the hopper bay or smoke and smell in the house with your setup?

I would love to not have to go thru my ceiling and roof and only go out the wall.
I just went and read my hopper door and it does say a 2' rise min. Please allow me to pick ur brain,

Q: WHAT ABOUT WALL PROTECTION, Is it needed?



A. I ran mine thur a window and used a piece on wonder board with a 4" hole.


Q: And it also says on the hopper door a 3 clearance to adjacent walls..is that correct or do they
mean 3 feet?

A. Mine is 3 feet for access but it says 3"




So then why does my hopper fill with smoke then?


A. I bet the top of your stove is full of ash and you need to clean it out with a vacum cleaner that has attachments that will reach in the nooks and cranies.
clean your burn pot slots as well. Once you do this your stove should work just fine if your gaskets are in good shape.


here is a link to that FAQ page the quote came from

http://www.hearthtools.com/pellet/service_tips_and_trouble_shootin.htm


A. they used a different model with a rear vent for their info.


Thanks...awaiting a reply

Sorry for the delay,
I missed this post over the New Year week end

 

[hearthtools]

First of All hello all of you Pellet master people
my name is Rod. I am the owner of the site you keep talking about. hearthtools.com.

We sold pelletmaster for many years as a dealer and California distributor to other dealers and still servicing over 150 units every year.
I have a lot of hand on experience with many kinds of PM installations.
We try to stock most part for this stove for I still think it is one of the best for its time.

I want to say sorry to some of you that are waiting for manuals
Our Master copies got messed up and I am trying to find some fresh ones to make copies to send out to you all.
You get a Trouble shooting guide with the manual when we send the manuals out.

Let me try to answer some of your questions about pelletmaster

Coal:
You need to make sure you stove has the coal burn pot kit. this stove has a burn pot that is deeper and has more air holes.
The bad news is that this kit is no longer available.

Smoke in Hopper:
Most of the time it is because the flue is Full of ash and you need to be sure you clean that horizontal pipe from the front of the stove above the bricks all the way back to the T cleanout.
but other causes are.
Screen on cap? if there is one REMOVE IT

Not enough draft. Every PM I have every seen that had less than 5 feet of vertical pipe smoked out of the hopper and you want to make sure your horizontal pipe has some kind of rise.

Hopper lid seal bad
Ash Drawer seal bad
Door gasket bad.
Low combustion air from a intake screen plugged up with dust bunnies or dog hair.
Weak combustion fan ( not turning full RPMs)

Unburned pellets:
same as above but if you go more that 6 tons with out splitting the burn pot and cleaning the hollow space out the stove will not get enough air into the burn pot
some how Fine ash gets trapped in there.
ONLY CLEAN THE AIR SLITS OUT ON THE INSIDE EDGE OF THE BURN POT. The outer edge is sealed with Stove cement to direct the air inward and not outward to the clinker ring.

Tip TRICK.
If you are burning HIGH ash fuel you can Drill out a FEW (4 or so) small holes 1/16" into some of air slits and the bottom of them to allow more air flow in the burn pot.
the down side of this is you will need to split the burn pot more often to clean out the ash that gets into the hollow part.

Hope this helps.
I will try to stop back by this site some but this year has been a busy year in the store and website sales have tripled thin add a 14 month old baby to the mix so I don't have much time to screw around on the net.

 

[zogboy]

Rod thanks for the info. I agree with you mostly.
I have the pm3000 titan and it has a 2' vert rise and a 2' horz run and it does not smoke.
John

 

[hearthtools]

Rod thanks for the info. I agree with you mostly.
I have the pm3000 titan and it has a 2' vert rise and a 2' horz run and it does not smoke.
John

you are one of the lucky ones.

what about the smoke in the stove when you shut it off.
does it take forever to get out of the stove?

that is another reason for the rise in pipe to help draft the smoke out of the stove when you shut it off.

For others that dont know how pellet master or some other bottom feeders work.

on the Pelletmaster and Martin Ventury pellet stove, when you shut it off the auger and Combustion fun is shut off.
This is a problem because the pellets in the burn pot smolder for hours. If you do not have good draft the smoke may come back into the house through the combustion blower if you do not have outside air. Or it could back into the hopper, ash drawer or door if you do not have good seals.

Unlike other TOP fed pellet stoves that shut off the feed and keep the combustion blower on to burn out all the pellets out of the burn pot then shut off.

 

[zogboy]

Rod thanks for the info. I agree with you mostly.
I have the pm3000 titan and it has a 2' vert rise and a 2' horz run and it does not smoke.
John

you are one of the lucky ones.

what about the smoke in the stove when you shut it off.
does it take forever to get out of the stove?

that is another reason for the rise in pipe to help draft the smoke out of the stove when you shut it off.

For others that dont know how pellet master or some other bottom feeders work.

on the Pelletmaster and Martin Ventury pellet stove, when you shut it off the auger and Combustion fun is shut off.
This is a problem because the pellets in the burn pot smolder for hours. If you do not have good draft the smoke may come back into the house through the combustion blower if you do not have outside air. Or it could back into the hopper, ash drawer or door if you do not have good seals.

Unlike other TOP fed pellet stoves that shut off the feed and keep the combustion blower on to burn out all the pellets out of the burn pot then shut off.

I have good seals on my stove, however I burn coal and only shut the stove off every 2 weeks to clean out the air ways. I only turn it off briefly to empty the ash pan twice a day.
As you know coal will not burn very long without a draft.
I have c/o monitors near the stove and they do not detect any fumes and I do not smell smoke.
I have cleaned the burn pot top but after the first time it seems to keep fairly clean, I think you could tell by the flames if the pot needs to have the ash removed.
As for the extra holes you spoke of in the burn pot, mine has slits and 2 holes drilled between each set of slits. The first time I cleaned those out there was a drastic difference.
I believe the advise to keep your stove sealed and clean is the best advise anyone can give when it comes to self feeding direct vent stoves.
I also have my exhaust pointing away from the prevailing winds. That way I don't get a lot of blow back.
John