Still haven't opened the stove door......

[imacman]

to clean it, and it's been about about a month since I caved into turning it on. Still starts up w/ Programmable stat every day burning Rockies, and burnpot is clean. However, I can't say the same for the door glass......about 75% of that is covered in black soot....LOL

Where is that thread with all those people who were going to have a contest to "see who's stove can go the longest without cleaning"....I just saw a thread where Eric at kinsman Stoves is working on about month also with a Heatilator PS50.

 

[smilejamaica]

i cleaned mine 3 times already .maybe you can burn a ton first before you clean it .

 

[jtakeman]

Hey pete,

Did you breakdown and clean it yet?

 

[smoke show]

pics or it didn't happen. :lol:

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

pics or it didn't happen. :lol:

LOL x2

 

[save$]

clean mine every 3 days, that is unless I shut it down for some reason, and then I'll clean it before I start it back up. Maybe only a theory of mine, but I think that ash, soot etc. insulates and limits radiation of heat. Any clean surface will transfer heat more efficiently. I want to get every BTU there is out of my investment. I even save the "fines" and put them in the pot when I start the stove. I recycle the ash from the ash pan. It is alkaline and good for my lawn. (The PH of the soil tends to be acid here). My only loss is the plastic bags. I've only come up with a few uses for them. Not nearly enogh for the numbers I have. Only thing else to do with them is put them into the recyle bin for plastics. But most often they go into the trash when I take them to the landfill.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

... My only loss is the plastic bags. I've only come up with a few uses for them. Not nearly enogh for the numbers I have. Only thing else to do with them is put them into the recyle bin for plastics. But most often they go into the trash when I take them to the landfill.

What bags I can't use go into our recycle trash cans, yep we have two sets of cans, one for recycle and one for trash trash. The ratio of recycle to trash here is close to four to one.

One use we make of the bags is as a mulch for heating up the vegetable garden soil in the spring, but even those ones wind up in the recycle trash cans. I'm still working on the silt fence material they used to control runoff when they built this house. That stuff allows the air and water in but blocks most of the weeds so it is an excellent mulch for the veggies.

 

[imacman]

Hey pete,

Did you breakdown and clean it yet?

No, not yet.....6 weeks and 35 bags later (30 Rockies, 2 Stove Chow, 2 Wood Pellet Co., and 1 Somerset), and the stove is still starting on automatic, putting out good heat, and the firebox isn't even full of ash yet.

The window, on the other hand, is pretty black, and has only a small window to see in, but it's still enough so I can see into the burnpot, and next to it so I can check the ash level.

I'll try to get a pic or 2 to post later.

OK, now the question....how far do the members think I should push it? I was thinking of cleaning after 40 bags, but could be "arm-twisted" to try more. :lol:

I should contact Mike H. and see if the Englander Tech dept has a "record" for longest burning w/o a cleaning of a 10-cpm.

 

[jtakeman]

Well you can see how Eric is doing. Can't let him beat ya! hehe

 

[MCPO]

Hey pete,

Did you breakdown and clean it yet?

No, not yet.....6 weeks and 35 bags later (30 Rockies, 2 Stove Chow, 2 Wood Pellet Co., and 1 Somerset), and the stove is still starting on automatic, putting out good heat, and the firebox isn't even full of ash yet.

The window, on the other hand, is pretty black, and has only a small window to see in, but it's still enough so I can see into the burnpot, and next to it so I can check the ash level.

I'll try to get a pic or 2 to post later.

OK, now the question....how far do the members think I should push it? I was thinking of cleaning after 40 bags, but could be "arm-twisted" to try more. :lol:

I should contact Mike H. and see if the Englander Tech dept has a "record" for longest burning w/o a cleaning of a 10-cpm.

It`s good to know that that Englander pellet stove is so capable. I think the 10 cpm would be my choice if I needed a new stove.

 

[imacman]

OK, here's the best I can do on short notice for pics. 2 of them are w/ flash, and the other is w/o flash so you get a better idea of how dark the window really looks.

C'mon Eric.....bring it! :vampire:

 

[smwilliamson]

Seriously, my stove I'm going to try to make a run with hasn't even been fired up yet....still dormant in the shop. Come on COLD!

 

[Nicholas440]

I would say if you have gone 35 bags, why not shoot for one ton? The flame still looks ok, the glass is a tad sooty but Ive seen worse with only 4 bags burned. Those pellets you're using are on steroids Macman push them to the limit, I think the Englander can handle it. Only problem is when it is time to clean you're going to be in for a little more work than usual. Go for it ... 50 bags then snap a couple pics, we put you in the Pellet Burners record book...

 

[smoke show]

what the he!! go all season.
its not my stove... :cheese:

 

[nosaudioil]

You'll find pellet stoves that "won't work" (get cleaned) sold on CL all the time.

 

[Dougsey]

Seriously, my stove I'm going to try to make a run with hasn't even been fired up yet....still dormant in the shop. Come on COLD!

Same here Scott... looks like I'll be lighting her up for the first time Wed night.

 

[iron stove]

Im jelouse. I open my door evey few bags.....

 

[imacman]

what the he!! go all season.
its not my stove... :cheese:

:lol:

Yep, the temptation is there to try for the one ton......which reminds me....I wonder if the ash pan is full? If I empty that, does that count as "opened & cleaned the stove", or am I still good to go for the "record"... :grrr:

 

[smoke show]

If its full it needs to be emptied, right?
sounds ok to me.

 

[curtthegreat]

imacman, your a stonger man than me, I couldn't go that long. We know how the stove is doing, but what about you?

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

what the he!! go all season.
its not my stove... :cheese:

:lol:

Yep, the temptation is there to try for the one ton......which reminds me....I wonder if the ash pan is full? If I empty that, does that count as "opened & cleaned the stove", or am I still good to go for the "record"... :grrr:

That is cleaning old man, best keep the stove buttoned up and an eye on the burn pot.

I stopped my first run at 26 (23 bags) days because the ash was piling up on one side and was falling back into the burn bot, this burn is in day 14.

When I cleaned the stove there was plenty of room in the ash pan. This burn appears to be a lot more even in where the ash is going. Perhaps it will go longer.

 

[chris288]

I used to clean my whitfield once a week whether it needed it or not, mostly the glass was all sooted over but thats about it.

Except for the carbon build up in the burn pot of the new XXV, seems to me it could go months without cleaning, if I didnt LOVE it so much, i'd take my chances on going for a full ton and see what happens.

 

[imacman]

.......We know how the stove is doing, but what about you?

Actually, I REALLY like not having to clean the stove once a week like I did before. If and when the stove DOES decide to not start, I'm sure I'll kick myself in the a** for waiting so long. :lol:

 

[kinsmanstoves]

I am wiping the glass about every three days so the customers can see what is going on but still has ash building up.

The Heatilator is a very very nice unit for the money.

p.s. Pellets' Birthday is today so order a steak for dinner in his honor (rare).

Eric

 

[jtakeman]

I clearly remember that opening the door for any reason at all was a done deal. If you opened the door it is surely game over! No cheating!

To start the season off with a bang lets play a game. All people involved with have to register their stove and list their brand of pellets. What we will do is list you pellet usage every day or so and run the stove till it shuts down due to no cleaning. No glass scrubbing, no pot scraping, no emptying of the ash pan. We will take everyone's word on what their stove is doing. Who wants to play? Pictures can also be included.


Eric

Pete WINS!