Stove cleaning special for $99

[geek]

Primo Pellets sent me a flier for this and it reads what's included:

-clean heat exchanger, pot and igniter
-inspect for cracks and fatigue
-remove and clean the vent pipe and ash pan
-inspect the seals, grills and electrical wiring
-lubricate the motors and fans
-shine the exterior and glass components

I haven't checked the dealer I bought my Santa Fe from.
I know most of us can do this ourselves but the price doesn't look bad specially seeing that he will remove and clean the vent pipe.
I assume this includes removing the t-cap in the back of the stove, what you guys think?

In my case I may consider this for my Santa Fe knowing my t-cap is sooooo "glued" with silicone. Now, when I conected all the pipes I put silicone in the joints before I twisted them, how in haven is the tech going to untwist them to remove the piping?


..

 

[Bkins]

They will have a hard time getting it apart, just like you would if you do it yourself. They will also install new pipe and charge you accordingly if any of the pipe gets damaged.

Bkins

 

[smwilliamson]

$99.00 is an attractive price so long as they are doing something beneficial. Pellet stoves cannot be fixed with a lick and a promise. I'd be hesitant to pay some one less money to do a cursory job than a little more to do it right. Buyer beware and ask questions. The first question I would ask...how long does a cleaning take? An answer of anything less than 2 hrs and they are not looking after your best interests, IMHO. I have stoves that often take 3-4 hrs to clean.

Do they pull the combustion motor and clean the impeller? How about the vacuum hose line? Any mention of cleaning out the exhaust chambers? Do they remove the auger and inspect the delivery chute for scraping or binding? What about the convection motor, do they clean out the impeller or housing. Do they clean off esp probes or proof of fire switches? Will they zip tie loose wires? Do they clean ALL electrical connections? When they take the flue pipes apart do they reseal them back again? Who gets rif of all of the dust bunnies inside the rear panel? After all of this, do they fire up the stove and test the draft with a gauge and reset the air damper, if you have one?

When I do my end of the year cleanings or pre-season start ups I'm less concerned with how "clean" the stove is and more concerned with how well its working. And when I say "it", I refer to all of the components which keep the clever orchestration going. If there is a potential problem, I will find it and solve it...hopefully before it quits at 11pm some night in January when its -15 degrees out.

Nothing is free and cheap is cheap. Just my 2 cents.

 

[smwilliamson]

Also....Love "No Time for Nuts", one of the funniest animations ever....the scene where he gets fired from the cannon straight into the hurling arrows and starts wacking the machine.....ROTFLMFAO!

 

[geek]

$99.00 is an attractive price so long as they are doing something beneficial. Pellet stoves cannot be fixed with a lick and a promise. I'd be hesitant to pay some one less money to do a cursory job than a little more to do it right. Buyer beware and ask questions. The first question I would ask...how long does a cleaning take? An answer of anything less than 2 hrs and they are not looking after your best interests, IMHO. I have stoves that often take 3-4 hrs to clean.

Do they pull the combustion motor and clean the impeller? How about the vacuum hose line? Any mention of cleaning out the exhaust chambers? Do they remove the auger and inspect the delivery chute for scraping or binding? What about the convection motor, do they clean out the impeller or housing. Do they clean off esp probes or proof of fire switches? Will they zip tie loose wires? Do they clean ALL electrical connections? When they take the flue pipes apart do they reseal them back again? Who gets rif of all of the dust bunnies inside the rear panel? After all of this, do they fire up the stove and test the draft with a gauge and reset the air damper, if you have one?

When I do my end of the year cleanings or pre-season start ups I'm less concerned with how "clean" the stove is and more concerned with how well its working. And when I say "it", I refer to all of the components which keep the clever orchestration going. If there is a potential problem, I will find it and solve it...hopefully before it quits at 11pm some night in January when its -15 degrees out.

Nothing is free and cheap is cheap. Just my 2 cents.

all very good points and well taken for future reference.

in my case I have an englander, which may be harder to clean, and a Quad Santa Fe (in the basement) which seems to be easier.

Now, I see no need to remove all piping, why??
I see a need to remove the t-cap in the back of the stove so a brush can be inserted all the way up the pipe and then a vacuum to get the ash out, right?

At least one time I will pay an expert to see what they really do and how the 90 degree tee is removed and all that ....

 

[jtakeman]

geek,

With both your stove's being so new. I doubt they will remove the pipe for inspection. They will ask it's age and go from there. Probably just a site(look see) inspection is all they will do on it. Full disassembly is done sometime after 5 years or so. The pipe doesn't usually rot in the middle. It starts at the joints in most case's and isn't easily detected. Best way is to take it apart to inspect the joints. Any sign's of rot and the whole vent gets replaced. Safety first!

Hope this helps
jay

 

[Pellet-King]

99 cents do it yourself~!, cost of the eletricity my ash vac will prob use.