Just a reminder for everyone that even a small bit of ash obstruction can effect your pellet burn.
Had a cold snap here the last few days. Highs below 0*F (-6* - -4*) and the lows in the negative teens at night. Because if this my USSC 6500 has spent a lot more time running on PR2 and PR3 than usually (heat settings are PR1 - PR3).
Prior to it getting cold I cleaned the stove well. Vacuumed our all the cavities and used a leaf blower on the vent. Some of the holes in the burn pot had gotten clogged. I used the shop vac to make sure they were all open, but quite a few still had a build up around the edge of the holes so they were smaller than usually. I was in a bit of a rush so I figured it would be okay (better than before the cleaning and it had still been burning okay).
With the added run times on the higher feed rated I noticed that after a cold over night I was getting a build up of ash and not completely burnt up pellets at the back of the burn pot (that is where the agitator pushes it). It didn't overflow, but it was right up to the top and was completely covering the air holes (Pic below for reference of how the burn pot is shaped) . I shut the stove down and pulled the burn pot out. Soaked it in water briefly and then gave t a very thorough cleaning with a wire wheel on my drill. This got rid of all of the build up around the holes for optimal air flow.
![[Hearth.com] USSC 6500 Cleanliness Reminder](https://www.hearth.com/talk/attachments/stoveburnpot-webp.322885/ "[Hearth.com] USSC 6500 Cleanliness Reminder")
Since then the stove has been set on PR-3 yesterday evening and all last night. Pellets are now burning completely and not getting ash/pellet build up in the burn pot. If you look at the pic you can see the holes are still visible at the back of the burn pot. Just everyone's friendly reminder that even a small air obstruction can have a big effect on how the stoves work. It is the first thing to look at if you are having burn issues, prior to messing with feed rates/ Draft settings/ venting configs etc etc.
![[Hearth.com] USSC 6500 Cleanliness Reminder](https://www.hearth.com/talk/attachments/img_9103-webp.322886/ "[Hearth.com] USSC 6500 Cleanliness Reminder")
Had a cold snap here the last few days. Highs below 0*F (-6* - -4*) and the lows in the negative teens at night. Because if this my USSC 6500 has spent a lot more time running on PR2 and PR3 than usually (heat settings are PR1 - PR3).
Prior to it getting cold I cleaned the stove well. Vacuumed our all the cavities and used a leaf blower on the vent. Some of the holes in the burn pot had gotten clogged. I used the shop vac to make sure they were all open, but quite a few still had a build up around the edge of the holes so they were smaller than usually. I was in a bit of a rush so I figured it would be okay (better than before the cleaning and it had still been burning okay).
With the added run times on the higher feed rated I noticed that after a cold over night I was getting a build up of ash and not completely burnt up pellets at the back of the burn pot (that is where the agitator pushes it). It didn't overflow, but it was right up to the top and was completely covering the air holes (Pic below for reference of how the burn pot is shaped) . I shut the stove down and pulled the burn pot out. Soaked it in water briefly and then gave t a very thorough cleaning with a wire wheel on my drill. This got rid of all of the build up around the holes for optimal air flow.
Since then the stove has been set on PR-3 yesterday evening and all last night. Pellets are now burning completely and not getting ash/pellet build up in the burn pot. If you look at the pic you can see the holes are still visible at the back of the burn pot. Just everyone's friendly reminder that even a small air obstruction can have a big effect on how the stoves work. It is the first thing to look at if you are having burn issues, prior to messing with feed rates/ Draft settings/ venting configs etc etc.
