Should I service my stove myself, or get a pro?

[ShaneR34]

Last year was my first experience with a pellet stove, and thanks to this board I learned a lot very quickly. As the stove was preexisting with our new home, and I didn't know much then, we had a pro come to service and inspect.

However, throughout the course of the season, I was very diligent with cleaning and maintaining the stove and ended the season with it working great. So, I think I know enough to give my stove a thorough cleaning and look over and fore go the professional inspection this year. Safety is important, however, so what do you think?

With the crazy price of pellets here this year, I'd prefer not to open up the wallet for anything else pellet related this year.

Thanks

 

[Bkins]

Have you also kept up with cleaning the exhaust pipe system. If you have and you have done whatever the stove manual calls for you are good to go. The combustion blower and exhaust blower need to be checked and cleaned if needed. If you have covered all these things then skip the professional cleaning.

David

 

[imacman]

..... The combustion blower and exhaust blower need to be checked and cleaned if needed.....

David, I think you meant the combustion blower and the room-air or convection blower....but otherwise I agree....if you have been diligent about cleaning, pull the above mentioned blowers out for a good cleaning and lubrication on the convection blower, and check all the blower and door gaskets for no rip/tears/leaks, you should be fine doing it yourself.

DO make sure the exhaust pipe is cleaned out......many people on this forum have been using the "leaf blower" method, and it seems to work well.

www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/29847/

 

[Bkins]

Macman,

Yep, that is what I meant. Didn't state it clearly.

David

 

[ShaneR34]

Thanks, Guys. Keep my money it is!

About half way through the season last year, I gave it a fairly complete tear down and clean. I also cleaned the pipe 3-4 times with a brush. I remember reading about the leaf blower trick, I'll have another look at that thread (thanks, Macman). I was also thinking about just hooking my shopvac up to the pipe outside (with a good seal, of course) to see if that was useful.

 

[hossthehermit]

My gut reaction is, "If ya gotta ask, better hire somebody." Upon reflection, if ya got a good manual, and you're comfortable doing it, go for it. Hey, if ya screw it up, ya can call some body then, or somebody here may be able to walk ya thru it.

 

[abrucerd]

I agree with hossthehermit.

With it being your first year, I recommend hiring someone and watching closely. That's what I did... I asked lots of questions as he was going through his routine, and I got a better feel for what needs to be done and how to do it. Definitely worth the money... then you can determine if it's something you want to do yourself going forward.

Good luck!

 

[rona]

That instruction book will be your best friend but it seems like there is always something they forget to mention or a easier way of doing things a professional will know.
Some stoves are simple and straight forward. Others have their little nooks and crevices that you should know about. Example is St Croix with the little hole that you should get into with a flex choke cable powered by a drill in order to get everything out.
Another is the exhaust fan on a Harman PC45- With that remove the cover in back of the ash bucket and that exposes the fan blades spin them in the fall before you plug it in because caked up exhaust drop into the fan and can stop it from turning when you first try to start it in the fall and you will burn out the motor.
The smart thing is to clean it in the spring and protect the inside surfaces from rust by paint, oil, etc. then unplug it and plug the exhaust and outside air. If you wait until fall it will have all summer to rust and deteriorate.
If you can be there and watch a professional clean it once you can learn from him and only pay for his services once. Do it your self after that. Just be sure you write down what he did so you don't forget.

 

[ShaneR34]

Thanks, guys,

I have an Enviro EF3 which is, by what I've read, one the simpler stoves to maintain.

I did watch the tech last year do his thing, so I don't think I'll have a problem. And, the manual is pretty straight forward.

The only problem I'm expecting is the brick liner: The screws were ceased up good when I tried to get it off last season (lubrucation didn't do a thing). I'll see how I get along this time...I gave up pretty easily the last try.

Anyway, my 4 tons of pellets were delivered yesterday and I stacked and stored them as well (my back is sore today!). So, I'm off to do the cleaning today and fire it up for a test run. It's becoming quite chilly here in the evenings (frost warning tonight) so I may start using it sooner than expected.

If I have any problems with the cleaning today, you can be sure I'll be posting

 

[Stentor]

The main question is safety. If you are sure enough that you've kept the stove clean enough that you won't have a safety problem, then I think the answer to your question is a personal choice. Your worst case is stove damage and your best case is saving money. My personal choice would be to have a pro and go over every step with him but that's just me. On this forum, you can get a lot of help and most people here want to do the job themselves.

 

[rona]

If you know someone else with the same model of stove I would ask if they clean it themselves and if so is there any secrets not in the book.
I always liked the idea of one dealer who when he sold a stove he showed the customer step by step dismantling it and reassembling the new stove prior to burning it then had the customer do it in front of him just to be sure he knew. Then if there was a faster easier way other then the book he added it to the instruction manual for the customer. He told me many times that he used to get calls to come and clean my stove and would do it but felt it was taking advantage of a customer to do so because he felt the owner should be taught how to take care of it themselves as that dealer might not be around forever.
They say you can't put a value on knowledge but saving 150.00 for a hours work would be a start.

 

[dac122]

Thanks, Guys. Keep my money it is!

About half way through the season last year, I gave it a fairly complete tear down and clean. I also cleaned the pipe 3-4 times with a brush. I remember reading about the leaf blower trick, I'll have another look at that thread (thanks, Macman). I was also thinking about just hooking my shopvac up to the pipe outside (with a good seal, of course) to see if that was useful.

If you're already familiar with cleaning your stove to that extent I would say you can hand servicing it yourself. Just check with the manufacturer to see if there is anything else they recommend.

 

[slow-al]

Thanks, guys,


The only problem I'm expecting is the brick liner: The screws were ceased up good when I tried to get it off last season (lubrucation didn't do a thing). I'll see how I get along this time...I gave up pretty easily the last try.

Reading this I wonder if anyone has tried antiseize on the bolts, not the silver stuff with all the oil but the sticks that area available, Loctite makes it, much dryier and it would stay where needed.

I'm famillare with the product but didn't know the range was this high, rated for temps between -29 C and +982 C.

http://tds.loctite.com/tds5/docs/C5-ACBAS-EN.PDF

 

[ShaneR34]

Well, I managed to give it a very good cleaning yesterday. A couple of things, though:

1) Once I took out the brick liner, there were three additional panels behind that: 2 side and one center. The center piece has installation behind it. When removed, installation remained attached to the back wall of stove. I didn't think much of it then, but wonder now if that's normal? It seems it may have "torn" away from the center panel. I can't imagine it being a problem, though, as everything went back in place fine.

2) The exhaust blower. I vacuumed and cleaned what was accessible after opening the left side panel. As there appeared to be what I'm guessing high temp silicone sealing the assembly itself (and I didn't have any) I didn't attempt to disassemble and clean. I ran the stove last night and all seems great. So, my thinking is to leave well enough alone, keep an eye on things, and if something doesn't seem right with the blower disassemble at that time or get someone in. Would you agree?

Other than that, everything else was taken apart and cleaned. It actually didn't look bad at all. I've seen FAR worse in pictures posted here and around the net. The stove only has 2 seasons of operation, so it could only be so dirty.

 

[MSmith66]

being a sevicer and installer, most manuals do not cover exhaust and conbustion blower cleanings along with some others areas that need attention.

 

[OU812]

It really depends on where you live. I have heard of some stove shops doing a cleaning and inspection for around $125 and at that price it may be worth it. The dealer where I live quoted me $300.00 and at that price you are far better off doing it on your own.

 

[OU812]

being a sevicer and installer, most manuals do not cover exhaust and conbustion blower cleanings along with some others areas that need attention.

That's where the shop vac comes in handy! I cleaned my stove today and it wasn't a big deal. I got maybe 1/2 - 1 cup of ash out of my pipe and vacuumed out the inside. The other thing I do is run the stove for a few minutes every couple of weeks.