Summer-ize a P-stove?

[zerowkul98]

Good morning all!

The warm weather has arrived in Massachusetts, and i am being told by the place i bought our Heatilator Pellet Stove from that i should disconnect it from outside air so that it doesnt get rusty on the inside from the humidity.

Seeing if anyone here has a best-practice for doing this.

Do i cover the exhaust pipe from the outside somehow?

Do i block off/disconnect the air intake vent?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Pete Zahria]

I block the exhaust, and the intake, and put damp rid in the stove.

Dan

 

[johneh]

I block the exhaust, and the intake, and put damp rid in the stove.

Dan

X2

 

[tlc1976]

Not just for humidity, but good way to keep critters out.

 

[bogieb]

I ball up some newspaper and stuff it in the exhaust, slide a ziploc bag over it, then snug up with a wide rubber band.

The OAK, I disconnect from the stove and stuff newspaper in.

Then I put a stickey on the control panel to remind myself of what I need to take care of prior to starting it back up

 

[Tonyray]

P61A..
I put a plastic freezer bag over the top of my outside exhaust with a couple zipties..
i cover my OAK vent with duct tape and put 2 cans of damprid in the stove.
1 in the firebox, 1 in the ashpan. the pix below shows approx 4" of water collected over the spring/ summer..
this was before i started sealing off the exhaust top with the freezer bag.
i also spray the inside firebox walls with pam cooking spray.. [un-flavored of course]...

 

[mtnbiker727]

First I do a deep clean.

I take the outer pieces of the pipe off the outside of the house and slap a Fernco cap on (as shown). My pipe is 3 inch, so I bought a 3" Fernco cap at Lowe's (it cost less than $5.00). Once you loosen the clamp up it slips on and is a snug, watertight fit.

I spray cooking spray on the burn pot (recommended by someone here).

I put the small container of damp rid down in the bottom of my ash pan (again recommended by someone here), and shut all the doors tight.

Then I unplug everything and walk away until October. Well... sort of. Once in a while I check the damp rid to see if it's getting filled up (it never is).

 

[Tonyray]

First I do a deep clean.

I take the outer pieces of the pipe off the outside of the house and slap a Fernco cap on (as shown). My pipe is 3 inch, so I bought a 3" Fernco cap at Lowe's (it cost less than $5.00). Once you loosen the clamp up it slips on and is a snug, watertight fit.

I spray cooking spray on the burn pot (recommended by someone here).

I put the small container of damp rid down in the bottom of my ash pan (again recommended by someone here), and shut all the doors tight.

Then I unplug everything and walk away until October. Well... sort of. Once in a while I check the damp rid to see if it's getting filled up (it never is).

View attachment 279856

that's how ya do it....btw: don't forget to spray the burnpot also..
don't have any water in the damprid containers but by sept/october they might have some water in them as my pixs showed.
better in the container than the walls of the stove.

 

[Havilcek stole the ball]

I like all of these, and every year I pledge again to do something close, but I have yet to do anything. Maybe this year. For me, the off season has a funny way of being two months long at the most and I can never quite tell when it starts. Yesterday the stove was running all day. This year for sure, once winter ends!

 

[Tonyray]

I like all of these, and every year I pledge again to do something close, but I have yet to do anything. Maybe this year. For me, the off season has a funny way of being two months long at the most and I can never quite tell when it starts. Yesterday the stove was running all day. This year for sure, once winter ends!

better late than never.
sounds like a couple months of stove off is not too bad as opposed to many of us who are shut down the best part of 6 months.
i closed up in May and like clockwork the middle of October it get's fired up again.

 

[bogieb]

I was running my main floor stove this weekend. Had to unpack the exhaust and OAK to do so. Near or at record low highs (50's) for two days and heavy, dark overcast with rain meant the house got cold. Should be able to plug the stove back up as we get back into the 90's tomorrow.

 

[mtnbiker727]

I like all of these, and every year I pledge again to do something close, but I have yet to do anything. Maybe this year. For me, the off season has a funny way of being two months long at the most and I can never quite tell when it starts. Yesterday the stove was running all day. This year for sure, once winter ends!

You ran your stove all day on Saturday? It was in the mid 70's here all day with a low of 60.

I very much prefer the cooler weather, but I don't mind not burning pellets half the year!

 

[bogieb]

You ran your stove all day on Saturday? It was in the mid 70's here all day with a low of 60.

I very much prefer the cooler weather, but I don't mind not burning pellets half the year!

My stove is on a thermostat - it ran when it needed to keep the place at 68*. It's not like I ran it on manual and had a flame going all day. Dark (no sun whatsoever and very dark cloud cover), damp, rainey and 50's makes eventual need for heat. I know it ran early mornings and at least once each day before noon.

Yeterday we were back to A/C weather at 89* outside. Actually, the mini splits mostly worked to keep the humidity down since it was heavily overcast most of the day. Sun didn't come out until early evening. But it was pretty windy, and with a 2x4 built house, wind is a mojor factor for air exchange during both summer and winter.

 

[SidecarFlip]

All I do is a deep clean, lube up all the drives and take apart all the venting, spray it down inside with ZEP purple degreaser and pressure wash it out and reassemble it. Never covered the OAK/FAK in the last 15 years. far as inside, I clean it well and spray the firebox interior with Stabil fogging spray, close the door and forgetaboutit until fall. I do unplug it and disconnect the remote t'stat too.

Mine is rusty inside, always has been but that is from burning corn more than anything else. Just surface rust. Gives it character...

 

[tlc1976]

About ready to turn mine back on. Last 2 days have been daytime temps in the 50s and zero sun. Feels colder with the rain and wind.

Yeah it definitely beats baking in 100+ temps, but it still gets old having to bundle up every month out of the year. Summer is too short as it is.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Maybe I can can up some 90 degree temps and send them to ya...