Quest issue

[jerseybillfromva]

I've learned alot from the smart folks here. I'm hoping you can help again. my quest stove has been
acting up. About 5-6 hours of run time and the grate will clog up with hard deposits. I've done 2 complete clean outs including both fans. Do not have a gasket leak. It burns very well for those hours and no glass deposits. After clearing grate its good for another 5-6 hours. Burning Turmans or Hamers. So presumably not a crappy
pellet. Last night I took a wire brush to it then coated it with graphite. Restarted around 11pm. At 630 am grate clogged and running up tube. what the heck is it??

 

[stellep]

Usually it's the pellets. Most often hardwood pellets. Play with the damper setting. My Quest has a great fire with the damper almost closed. Does yours need to be wide open? If so, then maybe there is a blockage or exhaust motor issue.

Go grab one expensive bag of pellets for testing i.e. douglas fir. See if that fixes the issue. In the year I burned these, I only scraped the burn pot once or twice all season.

Almost all hardwood leaves some deposits for me. Some way more than others.

Good luck!

 

[jerseybillfromva]

thank you stellup! I will try. never used softwood before. But have tried everything else. Dont know whats different from
previous year though. Only started having issues this season

 

[Ssyko]

Up here in upstate NY alot of the pellet brands seam to have more ash and deposits than previous years .I have to adjust my feed every time i try a new brand.

 

[stellep]

You want lowest ash, highest BTU softwood for testing.

I just noticed that you have a second Whit. Do you burn the same pellets in it without an issue?

 

[bschrager]

I've had a Whitfield Quest for many years now and have the same issue.....but I wouldn't call it an issue.

I find no matter what type of pellet I burn they are all different where feed and damper settings must be adjusted to find the right setting for the pellets you're using.

If the feed is too fast and damper to low the pellets will not burn correctly and will start to fill the grate and back up the tube. I find that I have to scrape the pot anywhere between 8-12 hours no matter what pellets or settings I use.

 

[Ssyko]

Yep sounds about normal. Keep the stove clean from intake to exhaust and adjust to get a good busy yellow flame is all you need to do