Post burn season etiquette

[HP52NOVA]

As we are approaching the end of the burn seasons (soon I hope) I wanted to ask about best practices to maintain the stove during the off season. It looks like I will end up burning almost 6 tons this season, and I want to make sure I can repeat that next year

What do you do at the end of the season: just shut the stove down and wait for the big one before the next burn season, or do you perform a big clean and then shut it down?

How do you handle rust? I see some people close the vent, but with what? how do to close your OAK? is that really needed?
I see some people I using DampRid. is that helpful? if yes, what DampRid type exactly do you use?

Any other tips and tricks on how to keep the stove in good shape during the off season will be appreciated!

 

[Tonyray]

well, you will get a bunch of tips Ranging from adequate, well done and Balls out OCD..... so I will start 1st..

I do a full clean of the stove including the outside exhaust .[this after burning or removing any pellets from the hopper]
I spray the burnpot and walls of the stove with Cooking spray..... Plain. Not butter flavored.... serious..
Box of damRrid in the ash pan...Home depot sells few sizes...
block off the OAK vent. also the top vent of the exhaust pipe.
btw: after doing all this last year, when I took the dampRid box out in October it had about 1/4 inch or more of water in the bottom of the box.
so don;t let anyone tell you moisture doesn't get in the stove unless you live in a dry low humidity part of the country.

 

[DneprDave]

I just clean the burn pot and do the leaf blower trick at the end of the season and it's good to go until next fall.

Things don't rust around here so I don't spray any anti corrosion barriers on anything.

Dave

 

[johneh]

At the end of the burn season usually the first week of June
The stove is completely disassembled Vacuumed ,scraped,
until the is no dust or dirt of any kind . Both blowers are removed
and cleaned and oiled as necessary. The venting is cleaned . All
the inside peace's remove to clean are washed and dried and
sealed with silicone spray ( the type used on auto door seals)
The stove is reassembled and a leaf blow cleaning is done just
make sure I got everything . The vent and oak are sealed Plugged
to stop any little beasties entering 2 tube of damp rid are put inside .
The outside is painted and polished as needed . All ready for next fall
Don't forget to put a note in the stove that the vents are blocked

 

[alternativeheat]

Ya there are only a couple of months left or so to burn here. This year when I shut the stove down I'm leaving the doors cracked open. I figure since no moisture forms outside the stove then equal temp and humidity inside the stove should do the same in there. Last year I had it closed up tight, the stove can't vent and I had rust inside in the fall. You could see in the trails of rust where water beaded up and ran down the sides of the stove. I'll do a normal cleaning , spray the walls with what ever, maybe WD40 or maybe cooking oil and leave the doors cracked open. And more so monitor the inside of the stove. Last year I never looked inside during the summer. I figured that since my coal stove never rusted inside in 35 plus years sitting in the same spot with absolutely nothing done to it, the pellet stove would do the same. Wrong !

 

[Tonyray]

Ya there are only a couple of months left or so to burn here. This year when I shut the stove down I'm leaving the doors cracked open. I figure since no moisture forms outside the stove then equal temp and humidity inside the stove should do the same in there. Last year I had it closed up tight, the stove can't vent and I had rust inside in the fall. You could see in the trails of rust where water beaded up and ran down the sides of the stove. I'll do a normal cleaning , spray the walls with what ever, maybe WD40 or maybe cooking oil and leave the doors cracked open. And more so monitor the inside of the stove. Last year I never looked inside during the summer. I figured that since my coal stove never rusted inside in 35 plus years sitting in the same spot with absolutely nothing done to it, the pellet stove would do the same. Wrong !

You can see by my pix that being next to windows [outside humidity?[ which are open most nice days from April thru October unless AC time,
it is prob why my DampRid box Got almost 1/2" water in it..

 

[mikesj]

I plug the exhaust with a ball made of grocery store bags. I sometimes even clean it.

I plan on pulling it out this summer and painting it.

 

[Beaudeen]

I unplug it and enjoy the silence..

 

[twodogs02]

Clean stove and venting completely, remove fans and clean then reinstall. Vacuum fine box and hopper. Leaf blower, spray heat exchanger with cooking spraying, check gaskets, replace as needed then and close it up.

 

[Tonyray]

well, you will get a bunch of tips Ranging from adequate, well done and Balls out OCD..... so I will start 1st..

Thanks guys for not letting me down...

 

[SidecarFlip]

In as much as I've been roasting pellets and corn for over 30 years now (I wonder how many are even 30 years old on here...)

This is my regimen when the end is in sight...
1. Run it balls out for a couple hours to roast out any creosote or carbon buildup
2. Shut it sown and let it cool completely.
3. Clean it inside throughly.
4. Pull the venting and clean an/or do the leaf blower trick... Take the venting apart and pressure wash inside or use the appropriate sized pellet vent brush and carefully clean the inside of the venting.
5, Go back and clean the stove again
6. Pull tha access panels and vacuum inside.
7. Pull the RA blower, blow out with an airhose and oil the bearings and reinstall.
8. Pull the CA blower from the housing, clean the inside of the housing and transition, carefully wire brush the CA fan of buildup and then oil the bearings and reinstall with a new gasket or red rtv.
9. Pull the auger motor or agitator motors and blow out with an airhose. Oil the motor bearings and check the grease in the gearcase and top off if necessary....
10. Remove all the fuel from the hopper and vacuum out. Toss whats left.
11. Obtain an aersol can of Stabil fogging oil and/or a spray can of PAM and liberally fog the stove interior. Turn on the stove while fogging so the CA bloers sucks the foggong oil throughout the stove.
12. Replace the side and back panels and unlpug the stove and thermostat wires.
13. Close the door and call it good until next fall.

I learned a long time ago from farming that prepping your tools for the following season is a whole lot easier than having a non functioning tool when you need it again.... In other words, it don't break in the barn.....

Been following that regimen for over 3 decades now.

 

[SidecarFlip]

The ones that just shut it off and forgetaboutit until next fall will be the ones in here whining about how the damn thing don't work.

 

[BrotherBart]

Only if it is a pellet stove.

Otherwise, ya just put the plant on top of the cord wood burner.

 

[BrotherBart]

(I wonder how many are even 30 years old on here...)

I have socks over thirty years old.

 

[SidecarFlip]

I have socks over thirty years old.

Mine don't last that long...............

 

[Bioburner]

Couple pair of boots and a pellet stove over 30

 

[BrotherBart]

Mine don't last that long...............

Christmas presents.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Only if it is a pellet stove.

Otherwise, ya just put the plant on top of the cord wood burner.

Thats a fair statement if it don't have a circulating fan and if you don't mine corrosion inside.....

I know my BIL cleans his Jotul about as throughly as I clean the pellets stove.

 

[BrotherBart]

Yeah, I used to do that. A long time ago. For 15 years now I just close the door and come back in September and clean the pipe. I haven't touched the PDVC in the basement this year, including cleaning or firing it. It is probably dead on arrival now. But there are three wood stoves against the wall down there to slide in place if so.

Actually thinking about going to pellets but just can't quite make myself do it. The knees, ankles and etc. will probably make it so some season soon.

 

[MuchoBueno]

Hey guys and dolls. So the question is, if you use PAM or any other spray grease/protectant and then you turn the blower on, would that possibly cake the blower fan and other parts like the vents with grease making it more susceptible to clogging?

 

[mikesj]

I try to keep my stove pretty clean, so usually just a regular cleaning and plugging the exhaust is all I do. I have had some light surface rust on the inside, but it goes away with the first burn.

A couple of years ago I used my stove on the 4th of July.

I also keep it unplugged during summer.

 

[adam6979]

Hey guys and dolls. So the question is, if you use PAM or any other spray grease/protectant and then you turn the blower on, would that possibly cake the blower fan and other parts like the vents with grease making it more susceptible to clogging?

Stops my eggs from sticking to the pan - must work the same with ash???

 

[Tonyray]

Hey guys and dolls. So the question is, if you use PAM or any other spray grease/protectant and then you turn the blower on, would that possibly cake the blower fan and other parts like the vents with grease making it more susceptible to clogging?

After I spray the insides,
I don't touch it again till burning season....by that time it's all gone..
why would anyone turn the blower on?

 

[alternativeheat]

After I spray the insides,
I don't touch it again till burning season....by that time it's all gone..
why would anyone turn the blower on?

I think he means when you turn the stove on to burn, the blower gets ash on it ( combustion blower fan blade had the oil too, oil/grease and ash, messy). I'm thinking the heat will just kind of melt it all away eventually. on another note I haven't seen any rust on the combustion fan.

 

[TimfromMA]

1. Remove all unburned pellets.

2. Unplug the stove.

3. Disassemble the stove and clean every nook and cranny including the vent.

4. Reassemble the stove.

5. Cap the vent.

6. Place a container of DampRid in the combustion chamber.