Stove Chows

[jertola]

I started burning some of my small stash of stove chow pellets this weekend. I have noticed that they are extemely smokey when they first start to catch fire. I looked out my back window and my backyard was full of smoke. It goes away after the fire really gets going. Is this normal with these pellets? I don't recall this happening with my barefoots last week.

 

[glenc0322]

I have 3 tons of chow and do not have any smoke problem when starting very little white smoke when it lights then almost nothing when it is burning. Are your pellets damp? where and how are you storing them?

 

[jertola]

I store them in the garage. God knows what conditions home depot had them in. There were some small holes in a couple of the bags when I got them so maybe some moisture got in. I'll wait and burn a few more bags to see how it goes. Thanks.

 

[RKBAGUY]

I store them in the garage. God knows what conditions home depot had them in. There were some small holes in a couple of the bags when I got them so maybe some moisture got in. I'll wait and burn a few more bags to see how it goes. Thanks.

I'm not sure about the design of your stove, but if the pellets were damp when you put them in, and that's what caused the smoking, the warmth of the stove should dry them out and the rest of the bags should be fine.

 

[Sawdust62]

I have a harmon P43 ….every brand I've tried (at least 8 of them including Stove Chow smokes at start up. as so as the fire appears, the smoke clears.

 

[jertola]

Oh ok. Cool. So its not just me.

 

[glenc0322]

Oh ok. Cool. So its not just me.

Maybe its because your stove is mounted on the wall?

 

[jertola]

Nice! I'm good like that. Honestly I can't figure it out but all the photos I upload here come out sideways. Maybe I'll try rotating them before I upload and it'll hopefully come out right next time.

 

[BrotherBart]

Turn the phone the other way before you take the pic.

 

[jertola]

It was to big and the site must have done that. Cropped it. We're all good now.

 

[RKBAGUY]

I have a harmon P43 ….every brand I've tried (at least 8 of them including Stove Chow smokes at start up. as so as the fire appears, the smoke clears.

Absolutely. Seems that all the 3 brands I've used so far do this, too. They smoulder a while, and when they hit a certain 'critical mass' they ignite and drive the smoke out of the burn chamber, and everything is fine from there.

 

[briansol]

hardwoods are more smokey for me.... the softwoods don't do it. they have a lower ignition flash point.

 

[bellini13]

I also have a P43 harmon, and using Lowes/HD brand of pellets I would get a delayed ignition (2-3 minutes), and smoke slowly builds up as the pellets get hot. Once they ignite the smoke clears and everything is fine.

I have made a slew of changes recently as well, which include burning Somerset pellets, cleaning out the dust bunnies on the back of the stove, especially around the blowers, and installing an OAK. After making these changes, my pellets ignite within 30-60 seconds of turning the unit on. No smoke at all.

 

[glenc0322]

I started burning some of my small stash of stove chow pellets this weekend. I have noticed that they are extemely smokey when they first start to catch fire. I looked out my back window and my backyard was full of smoke.

I am not sure if you he had an excessive amount of smoke (back yard was full of smoke) or if it is just the usual smoke that you get from starting the fire. I have used chow for only 2 years now and never had an excessive amount of smoke>

 

[Woody1911a1]

i can't see the smoke on start up (no windows on that side of house ) but what i can see is flames twice as high and heat way better than the FU's that i'd been burning the previous couple of weeks . both made by the same company . fu's in canada and sc's made in penn. .

besides i have a pellet grill that PUMPS out incredible amounts of smoke for 10 mins before it ignites . my neighbors are used to it and consider themselves lucky that all it is just as long as the gun fire is kept to a minimum