Piazetta Sabrina- Thanks for the information!

[Hahnda]

We installed a Piazetta Sabrina last fall. I performed the install myself, as I had previously installed a pellet stove and a few wood stoves, and everything seemed to go well at first. About a month ago, it seemed like the stove was starting to burn more pellets. When it was first installed, it would burn less than a full bag in 24 hours on the lowest setting. It started to get only about 16 hours out of a bag on low. It also had a lazy flame, but it had had that since the install. The glass also was covered in soot within 12 hrs of a clean out. I was pretty regular with the cleaning, so I was having a bit of trouble figuring out why. The burn pot was also full within 24 hours

I performed a complete clean on it (everything including the chimney), and it got a little better, but still not what I would consider good. I have a large Enviro Maxx stove out in my shop, and it has run flawlessly for years, and I get by with a cleaning at best once a week. I googled the stove name and found this site!

I would like to thank all the people that contribute to the threads on here.. It didn't take me long to figure out most of the issues. It seemed that someone at the dealership had messed up the factory settings, as the settings were all over the place. I set the fan speed a little higher and it basically cured the issues. I ordered a cheap Manometer and just finished fine tuning the stove. What an improvement The glass stays clean, the stove burns hotter and cleaner, and it doesn't soot up as bad as it was.

I guess the only question I have is has anyone had the same issue with the stove suddenly burning more pellets? The feed rate was never altered from the date of install, and the feed rate for level 1 was one of the only settings that matched factory at 3.3. From everything I've read about the stove, this should have been impossible. I have since adjusted the feed rate down to 2.8, and it seems to be performing better, but it doesn't seem possible that it was burning that many pellets on level 1. Any answers??? Lol

 

[Hahnda]

I guess I should also mention that I have burned the same pellets in the stove since new. I use Pinnacle premium, which are a Fir only pellet. I tried a few bags of Clean Burn premium Fir, which are the most available pellet on the Island, but the stove really didn't like them. More soot and way more ash in the pan. Strangely enough, my other stove in the shop loves the clean burns, and seems to have more issues with the Pinnacles. Go figure.

 

[chken]

Congrats on solving your own stove issues.

I would point out that the manometer setting as spec'd in the install manual is the starting point, and one should tune by eye, after to achieve an optimal burn.

As for soot on the glass, if it's grayish, that's perfect, nothing can be done to improve the air wash except if you run on on higher settings the air wash is stronger. Typically if someone says soot, I think blackish, not grayish. A good burn should have little soot.

If you're burning douglas fir, you shouldn't have much ash. I can burn 10 bags and get ½ inch of ash in the pan.

As for burning more pellets, the likely culprit is that the pellet size changed, i.e. smaller, but you've been burning the same brand, which means it's unlikely. On the other hand, even a bag from a different production run can be slightly different, so a shorter pellet could have been your issue. When I burn FSUs the pellets just run thru the stove, as the pellets are shorter than ¼ inch. I have to change my air-fuel ratio completely the opposite of the settings I have for when I burn doug fir Blazers, which are a longer pellet on average.

Also, fines. Fines tend to collect at the bottom of the hopper, and restrict the pellets from entering the augur. That would tend to slow the feed, rather than increase it, so maybe you cleaned out the fines in the bottom of the hopper, and then you noticed an increase in your burn rate?

Lastly, I've never found a pellet my stove didn't like, but there were plenty of pellets that needed to be adjusted for. When you switch pellet brands, be prepared to retune the stove's air-fuel mix.

 

[Hahnda]

Thanks for the tips. I suppose it could have been pellets from a different production run, as I think I had just picked up a couple of tons when the issue started. The Pinnacles are a very long pellet, many of them over an inch long. I believe that's why my other stove doesn't like them. They are so long that they jam the auger periodically

The soot was definitely black. Now I only get a fine dusting of Gray/Light Brown ash

Again, thanks to all for the good info on here. This is where I figured out how to look at the settings, then decided to do it myself when I saw how bad the dealership had messed them up. This stove had been set up in the showroom, and I'm assuming that everyone had a run at playing with the settings. That was my only explanation for them being so out.

The pellet consumption issue has seemed to have fixed itself. I really couldn't figure that out. It must have been a different production run. That's the only thing that really changed.

 

[Roadstar]

I guess I should also mention that I have burned the same pellets in the stove since new. I use Pinnacle premium, which are a Fir only pellet. I tried a few bags of Clean Burn premium Fir, which are the most available pellet on the Island, but the stove really didn't like them. More soot and way more ash in the pan. Strangely enough, my other stove in the shop loves the clean burns, and seems to have more issues with the Pinnacles. Go figure.

Years ago I use to burn a brand called Pinnacle Fir. My understanding was they were made in Canada. They burned real well as I recall. Then they changed their name to just Pinnacle. It wasn't the same pellet after that. Lots of ash. I haven't seen nor heard of them here in the Puget Sound area for quite a few years. I thought they went out of business. Clean Burn is made in Tacoma, WA but I won't touch them, oversized. I'm currently burning Bear Mountain (Oregon) and Olympics (Shelton, WA).

Thanks for the info

 

[Hahnda]

Yes, the Pinnacles are made in Prince George, B.C. I've only been using them for a few years. They are a very "orange" pellet, basically the same colour as Fir lumber. The Clean Burns are everywhere here on the island. I will have to look around and see if I can find a different pellet made by someone else. I will look for the ones you mentioned. Thanks for the info.