Soot inside the house. New Install, Hardly a lazy flame to be seen?

[riff42]

So, back again with a new one. Finally had my Lennox Montage running for 4 days now. While I still think I need to lower the combustion air somehow (damper stuck, no word from Lennox), the flame is only large and every so lazy during startup as it feeds more pellets before it burns. I've noticed my white cat has dark feet, and then wiped surfaces of the house, and black soot everywhere.
Now, I have NOT vacuumed it yet....only been 4 days and my ash vacuum is in transit. I'm careful to not disturb the ash much when cleaning out the box. No clinkers at all (BTW: Stove Chow...has been perfect so far....well, as much as I know)...

I do smell wood smoke during startup, from the blower fan air. Should I somehow check my door for leaks? If so, how? Or is this normal in the life of a pellet stove, and common on startup to dump some soot into the air.

Thanks!

 

[reallyte]

Start by taping all of the exhaust joints and using a flashlight during startup in the dark to look for leaks.

 

[mralias]

do smell wood smoke during startup, from the blower fan air. Should I somehow check my door for leaks? If so, how? Or is this normal in the life of a pellet stove, and common on startup to dump some soot into the air.

Check your venting for leaks. What does the vent system consist of and what does it look like. Try a real dark room and a flash light on start up to see if you can find the leak source. To check the door, do the dollar bill test all the way around it and adjust as necessary. Close the bill in the door at various locations and pull. It should be somewhat hard to pull out. If it pulls out easy that can be a potential location of a leak. I assume this is a new stove so the gasket should be fine and it just requires adjustment.

"Or is this normal in the life of a pellet stove, and common on startup to dump some soot into the air." Ash yes from cleaning only not from start up, black soot no.

 

[vinny11950]

Like Mr Alias says, you will get some soot if you are not careful when cleaning, but you should not get soot on normal operation. Even if it was leaking exhaust, it is hard to imagine soot escaping from the joints.

While I would not rule out the vent system, also check the stove. Being new, are all the parts in correctly? are all the screws tight and right?

maybe get a damp white towel and gently hover it around the spot where you think the soot is escaping from. see if it turn black.

thing is, all the air pressure up to the exhaust motor is negative, so all the air and soot are always being sucked into the stove, not out.

good luck.

 

[riff42]

Venting is pellet duct of course. Out of the stove it's a Cleanout T, 5' vertical, 90deg, 2' horizontal outside, 90deg, and 2' vertical with vert. cap. I'll check the door. I did nottice some oddly placed ash in one area. Maybe it's collecting there. I'll also try the white cloth bit as well....but as mentioned, I do smell it in the convection blower air, so that won't help me pinpoint anything unless I find a leak somewhere else.
Also might be worth noting: I have it on a thermostat, so it shuts down and turns on several times a day, so it's not running hot and bright (and kindda low) constantly all day.

As for the dark room and flashlight bit.....how does that work? Should I see dust in the air like that?

 

[Mt Bob]

Smoke bomb in the firebox when out?Maybe you have a bad weld.

 

[briansol]

you should never smell anything. if you smell, you have a leak.
make sure your house has c0 meters in place.

check the door, search 'dollar bill test'

 

[riff42]

Smoke bomb in the firebox when out?Maybe you have a bad weld.

Sounds like a bad idea, seeing that if the blower are off and there is smoke/fire on the inside, then it WILL no matter what, start smoking up the house.
So I'd never know where it is normally coming from.

 

[mralias]

Venting is pellet duct of course. Out of the stove it's a Cleanout T, 5' vertical, 90deg, 2' horizontal outside, 90deg, and 2' vertical with vert. cap.

4" I hope your EVL is 20.5

 

[riff42]

you should never smell anything. if you smell, you have a leak.
make sure your house has c0 meters in place.

check the door, search 'dollar bill test'

I do have one somewhere. Duh, don't know why I didn't think of making sure the batteries are on. Maybe because it wouild randomly go off and freak my wife out. Even in the summer, when the oil furnace wasn't on, and there IS no way to create CO in the house!

 

[riff42]

4" I hope your EVL is 20.5

It is.

 

[Mt Bob]

Sounds like a bad idea, seeing that if the blower are off and there is smoke/fire on the inside, then it WILL no matter what, start smoking up the house.
So I'd never know where it is normally coming from.

Was thinking hvac smoke candle,what they are made for.

 

[mralias]

I would think that you need to resolve the damper stuck issue first as this could be a cause of proper air flow. That would explain lazy flame issue and may be causing smoke to improperly vent. Do you have an OAK?

 

[Dr.Faustus]

incense in the burn put when its off. watch it closely with a flashlight. some will get in the house when the blowers are off but you'll be able to see where its getting in and tell if there is a major trouble spot.
better than a smoke bomb because it works way slower and winds up smelling nicer

 

[Ctcarl]

I would demand that the damper gets fixed ASAP . The used stove I bought a year and half ago had the same thing. Trading that in for my harman was the best money I ever spent.Damper stuck and a tall lazy flame.Had 2 chimney fires. When you see black smoke on the glass and it's getting hard to clean or if you see smoke coming out of your chimney. I learned the hard way those are sighns of a chimney fires brewing.good luck

 

[riff42]

I would demand that the damper gets fixed ASAP . The used stove I bought a year and half ago had the same thing. Trading that in for my harman was the best money I ever spent.Damper stuck and a tall lazy flame.Had 2 chimney fires. When you see black smoke on the glass and it's getting hard to clean or if you see smoke coming out of your chimney. I learned the hard way those are sighns of a chimney fires brewing.good luck

There is only a lazy flame when it first starts due to the amount of pellets in the pot before it lights up. Else, there is almost TOO much combusion air. The flame rarely gets above the burn pot. It does vary quite a bit during one cycle, which again shows there is too much air coming in. I will contact the dealer and see. I will also snag some

MrAlias, Yes, it has an OAK, straight out the wall, not near the Exhaust. Very odd though. Seems to come in, hit a stop on the stove pipe, have 2 holes on each side of the pipe, which are blocked on the stove side. Then there is a larger opening that seems to suck in air. Almost like the outside air comes into the house atmospehere, and then sucked into the tove in a different, non-directly-connected airpath.

 

[mralias]

MrAlias, Yes, it has an OAK, straight out the wall, not near the Exhaust. Very odd though. Seems to come in, hit a stop on the stove pipe, have 2 holes on each side of the pipe, which are blocked on the stove side. Then there is a larger opening that seems to suck in air. Almost like the outside air comes into the house atmospehere, and then sucked into the tove in a different, non-directly-connected airpath.

Huh??? Now that's a new one on me. Although I just looked at your manual and it does appear to have strange looking holes in the OAK pipe coming out of the stove. Not so sure how that is suppose to work. Perhaps someone will "edumacate" me.

 

[riff42]

I blew some dust around with a flashlight and saw the dust suck into the bottom hole. Kind of odd....like an indirect airflow that sucks room and outside air in?

 

[SwineFlue]

Very odd though. Seems to come in, hit a stop on the stove pipe, have 2 holes on each side of the pipe, which are blocked on the stove side. Then there is a larger opening that seems to suck in air. Almost like the outside air comes into the house atmospehere, and then sucked into the tove in a different, non-directly-connected airpath.

This is fairly common.
These "unsealed" OAKs are designed to get air to the burnpot: either indoor or outdoor air, whichever is "easier". If the OAK is too restrictive or becomes blocked by snow/critters/etc, the stove will burn indoor air.
Some people seal them... but you must ensure they remain clear whenever the stove is running.

 

[Mt Bob]

I want one of those flashlights that will blow dust around

 

[mralias]

I want one of those flashlights that will blow dust around

I hear it only comes with a Lennox stove.

 

[riff42]

I hear it only comes with a Lennox stove.

Yup. Didn't you see that in the brochure? Maybe more people should get lennoxes to know this. Seems that everyone has a Harman!

 

[briansol]

I must be out of the loop....

 

[smwilliamson]

So, back again with a new one. Finally had my Lennox Montage running for 4 days now. While I still think I need to lower the combustion air somehow (damper stuck, no word from Lennox), the flame is only large and every so lazy during startup as it feeds more pellets before it burns. I've noticed my white cat has dark feet, and then wiped surfaces of the house, and black soot everywhere.
Now, I have NOT vacuumed it yet....only been 4 days and my ash vacuum is in transit. I'm careful to not disturb the ash much when cleaning out the box. No clinkers at all (BTW: Stove Chow...has been perfect so far....well, as much as I know)...

I do smell wood smoke during startup, from the blower fan air. Should I somehow check my door for leaks? If so, how? Or is this normal in the life of a pellet stove, and common on startup to dump some soot into the air.

Thanks!

That stove has a safety thing a majig on the damper so it cannot be pushed in too far and starve the stove for air BUT when it is shipped. The screw or something prevents the damper from moving or maybe it's possible that the damper can be inserted too far and it catches on something. I reinstalled one once and was baffled at the stupidity of the previously installed and the absolute dumbass engineering of Lennox to make something that was so easy to screw up. Problem is I cannot remember what t was but it's exactly what you are describing and I'm about 100% sure if you got in there and poked around you would see what I'm talking about.

 

[smwilliamson]

Ah yes....I remember it now!

Here's a good link...(broken link removed)

So the issue was....the damper can be pushed in TOO FAR. When you even with the side of the stove as in this vid, you only have about 1" or so before the damper is totally closed. Yet the damper closes further than 1" and thus choking the air completely. If I remember right, the unit comes with the damper fully closed and locked by the set screw. (NICE ONE LENNOX)

The recommended setting is flush with the stove edge...you can actaully remove the damper and flip it so that the edge will prevent the damper from being inserted too far cause the damper edge will catch the stove edge, ayuhup.

Don't listen to this guy talking either....you don't want the pellets "pop-corning" out of the burn pot.

How about setting the stove with a gauge??? Anyone else find this video kinda hackish?