Pellets sticking to Englander hopper solved!

[SKOAL MAN]

I was getting tired of putting 60 lbs of pellets in my stove and coming home from work late only to find the stove out! I would lift the lid only to find 30 lbs stuck to the sides. I tried every thing I could think of, sanding smooth, cooking spray, Teflon, car wax, and finally found the answer, and here is the proof! One side is sanded down to bare metal and the other is lined with foil tape, the good stuff not the cheap crap.

 

[Jigger]

Thanks for the tip. I have an Englander 25PDVC that also sticks. I have not run out due to the pellets sticking yet. But close to it. When I let the stove burn out this weekend I'll give it a try. I have Lowes and HD within a mile of home.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Get foil tape for Tuff-R insulation sheets. Menards has it and so does Blowes

 

[SKOAL MAN]

Both sides with foil tape, nothing sticks now!

 

[bill3rail]

Fantastic idea! I may try this.
What brand of tape did you use?

Bill

 

[SKOAL MAN]

Fantastic idea! I may try this.
What brand of tape did you use?

Bill

Not sure I get it from a friend of mine that uses it to insulate steam lines. It's a lot thicker than the stuff at HD.

 

[jintoreedwine]

I've been interested in trying this out, but I worry that the tape might loose adhesion and leave a sticky mess. Most aluminum tape I find is good to 200 degrees F. I know my hopper lid can get pretty hot to touch when I'm burning full-blast. It makes me wonder how hot the walls of the hopper are getting and if over time the tape wouldn't fail. Perhaps someone with more knowledge would have a better idea if this would actually be an issue or not... .

 

[Bioburner]

What you didn't try my favorite, graphite paint? Got stove with a filthy bin and will do it today.

 

[bags]

A picture is worth a thousand words! If the tape ever fails or comes off you can clean the adhesion off with Goof Off or the likes. Sounds like the graphite paint is a one and done deal. Foil tape isn't going anywhere any time soon though either.

 

[kofkorn]

The aluminum tape on my stove has been there for 6 years. The writing has all worn off, but there isn't a single area where the adhesive has lifted. Each time my stove empties out, I may have one or two pellet hung in the corners, other than the small pile over the adjusting flap.

The nice thing about that little pile; when I realize that the stove is out of pellets, there are just enough in that pile to grab a handful and toss them on top of the remaining coals. Then I brush the rest of the pile into the auger. It usually relights the fire and gives me about 5 minutes to run downstairs and grab a new bag.

Kind of like the reserve switch on my motorcycle tank!

 

[Tonyray]

Came down this morning and had a bout dozen pellets sitting on the drop lid.
no pellets stuck on the walls...
I sometimes wipe the walls with damp rag when hopper is low maybe 3x a year.

 

[tiger]

I sometimes wipe the walls with damp rag when hopper is low maybe 3x a year.

Not having this problem (yet) but a great idea. I'll use a dry microfiber cloth just to be certain of not introducing moisture to that environment.

 

[acammer]

I did that to my PAH, but I still have the problem - it's the cursed Heatr's pellets. Not an isolated problem with those as I understand it. I'm going to try a few other brands and see if I get any different results - I'm hoping to see the same results once I get onto a decent pellet.

 

[tiger]

Wouldn't it be neat if stove manufacturers put a Silverstone coating on the hopper, such as seen on frying pans.

 

[velvetfoot]

What's the slope of those hopper walls? More than 45*?

 

[acammer]

What's the slope of those hopper walls? More than 45*?

Maybe closer to 30*

 

[bags]

Wouldn't it be neat if stove manufacturers put a Silverstone coating on the hopper, such as seen on frying pans.

Neat costs money as we all know. It would be neat if I had a rich uncle I didn't know about that left me a fortune............... Until then foil tape or graphite paint it is.

 

[kofkorn]

Here's what it looks like after 6 years, average 4 tons a year. I opened it carefully to ensure that any pellets that had hung up didn't slide down, but there was actually nothing stuck to the sides on this bag.:


You can see here that I've already brushed the pile into the auger.

 

[SXIPro]

Here's what it looks like after 6 years, average 4 tons a year. I opened it carefully to ensure that any pellets that had hung up didn't slide down, but there was actually nothing stuck to the sides on this bag.:View attachment 147380


You can see here that I've already brushed the pile into the auger. View attachment 147381

Wondering what you do for a living? Because you would excel at doing vinyl wraps on cars, jet skis, boats......That is some precision application of that tape!! If I did it, it would be all crooked, bumpy and full of air bubbles and wrinkles.

 

[acammer]

Wondering what you do for a living? Because you would excel at doing vinyl wraps on cars, jet skis, boats......That is some precision application of that tape!! If I did it, it would be all crooked, bumpy and full of air bubbles and wrinkles.

Yea, mine definitely doesn't look quite that nice. I avoided any major wrinkles, but I didn't get quite so precise with the ends of the tape on the high side, and getting them all lined up so perfectly. Nice Job!

 

[tiger]

Neat costs money as we all know.

Cost of installed Accentra: $7000
Cost of frying pan with Silverstone: $7

Somehow, I think they could afford it.

 

[bags]

Cost of installed Accentra: $7000
Cost of frying pan with Silverstone: $7

Somehow, I think they could afford it.

Ha Hahaha! Yeah, I know. I was commenting on the .65 cent fancy manual that came with mine and how much effort went into that. IMO cheap and an afterthought for the cost of the stove and how much you need to and should refer to them. Some type of cover or binding is what a couple of bucks. I hole punched mine and stuck it into a vinyl cover from Office Depot for $1.29 just s it would last longer and not get all ratty.

You also need to figure in the huge pellet stove options mark up so in pellet stove pricing that $7 pan would likely equate to hundreds of dollars. I will use the Harman trim kit for example. Probably $40 worth of time and materials and they want a gazillion bucks. The cost of venting pipe and elbows kills me too. Obscene markups considering what it is and made of. You'd think it was gold plated.

 

[kofkorn]

Wondering what you do for a living? Because you would excel at doing vinyl wraps on cars, jet skis, boats......That is some precision application of that tape!! If I did it, it would be all crooked, bumpy and full of air bubbles and wrinkles.

Actually, It's funny you mention this, because I've repainted a couple of boat motors (motor repair is another hobby) and I've recently redone some vinyls on them that came out pretty well

My day job is sitting in front of a computer all day, so any hands on work is welcomed when I get a chance.

Yea, mine definitely doesn't look quite that nice. I avoided any major wrinkles, but I didn't get quite so precise with the ends of the tape on the high side, and getting them all lined up so perfectly. Nice Job!

I'll admit that I'm probably borderline OCD when it comes to some things. Even looking at it now, some of the overlaps aren't straight and it bothers me .

And lining up the top actually was really easy. I just put the tape in place and the used a razor along the seam to cut the tape evenly.

 

[bags]

If you ever find yourself unemployed you could move to KY and open a pin stripping shop. Folks around here and many other places think of foil tape as CHROME! For that matter you could stay put because I've seen hill billy bassackward people in every state I've been in and that is bout all of them. It gives me great pleasure to see a more jacked up hill billy when I go to other places than I've seen here in KY. Never ceases to amaze me. They are abundant everywhere.

Now really impress us and get your stove sum of dem der race'in stripes. Put some bling on that bad boy! LOL!

 

[hossthehermit]

If you ever find yourself unemployed you could move to KY and open a pin stripping shop.!

I've been to Kentucky, you could make money in any kinda stripping shop down there ..........