What causes sooting on exterior of house ? And how can you to avoid it? I have seen homes with this problem and have had friends who have also had this problem with pellet stoves being direct vented through wall. I’m currently working on a basement install where I will be going up and out (and possibly going up once I’m outside to avoid the sooting).
What causes sooting on the exterior of house????
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Tonyray
Minister of Fire
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Vent to close to house, or bad pellets... When i first started burning the pellets i used burned dirty and at the end of the year i could see the soot on the outside of the house. The next year i switched to a different brand that burned much cleaner and nothing on the side of the house
Tonyray
Minister of Fire
yes,, agree with zrock that crappy pellets can contribute to soot also.
although i assumed that most understand that crappy pellets can cause multitude of issues right from the start...
maybe not...
although i assumed that most understand that crappy pellets can cause multitude of issues right from the start...
maybe not...
bogieb
Minister of Fire
I've never had issues with soot, and I don't burn the best pellets. Both of my installs go straight out and terminate on the horizontal. The P61 has about a 6' rise inside, but the P43 is basically a direct vent.
Both terminations are at least 1.5' from the exterior wall - I think the P43 is actually 2' but I could be wrong (and I'm not going out in the dark to measure it right now). The installation compaly installed a "jet" termination on the P61a. I installed a 45* as a termination on the P43. Both face into the prevailing wind.
Both terminations are at least 1.5' from the exterior wall - I think the P43 is actually 2' but I could be wrong (and I'm not going out in the dark to measure it right now). The installation compaly installed a "jet" termination on the P61a. I installed a 45* as a termination on the P43. Both face into the prevailing wind.
That’s interesting I figured direct venting into the prevailing wind any smoke would be blown against the house
EbS-P
Minister of Fire
Make sure your feed rate is adjusted properly at your most frequently used burn setting. Make sure you regularly clean the blowers.
mtnbiker727
Feeling the Heat
My vent terminates about a foot off the ground. The only time I get anything in the flowerbed is when I'm cleaning the stove or the stove pipe.
Soot comes from incomplete combustion, so it's either poor fuel, too much fuel, or not enough air (or a combination).
Soot comes from incomplete combustion, so it's either poor fuel, too much fuel, or not enough air (or a combination).
bogieb
Minister of Fire
I've had soot and also a weird yellowish stain on my white vinyl siding from my pellet vent. I don't have it every year and haven't had it in a while, so I think it was related to certain cheap Home Depot pellets. Since I started using better soft wood, it hasn't been a problem anymore. One summer I tried to clean a couple years worth and it was a bear to remove. I tried every cleaner I had, magic erasers, power washer, etc and nothing would remove the yellowish stains. Finally out of desperation (and I recommend extreme caution if at all) I tried some muriatic acid I had and it instantly dissolved and removed the stains. Didn't hurt the vinyl siding at all and it looked like brand new.
Tonyray
Minister of Fire
haven't bought box store stuff since my newbie burning days.. can't sell great hardwoods at their pricepoint most times. Middle rd stuff at best.
used to come down in the morning [burn 24/7] and the flame would be almost smothered.
looked like a candle in middle of a birthday cake. it's when I switched to good softwoods and haven't looked back in 8 yrs..
I pay a bit more but lot less ash and much much much cleaner stove... I get 8800 - 9000 btu depending which softies i use.
box store stuff is usually 8-8300 BTU.. SOOT? what's that..........not here.
In my view, soot is the byproduct of incomplete combustion. If the air-fuel ratio is correct and the exhaust tract is clean, there should be minimal soot.
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