Posted on regular board , but had no replies. So - other then more cleaning , what does to much ash hurt?
What does to much ash hurt?
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Xena
Minister of Fire
Pellets that produce more ash won't hurt anything other
than - as you said - will require more frequent cleaning of the stove.
than - as you said - will require more frequent cleaning of the stove.
restorer
New Member
So, now we have an ignored pellet head asking a basic question. You weren't taken serious if you asked this question, probably. The reality is, your stove clogged with ash, blocked circulation and strangled exhaust is no better than taking your pellets to the curb and burning or putting in the recycle bin.
Pellet stoves are efficient. They require maintenance to insure they burn efficiently. If you don't clean it, it will burn just as poorly. Twenty minutes a week will pay off more than a few meals at Appleby's each month. High ash fuels are not necessarily less efficient, but give more by products.
To the non-pellet burner, if your exhaust is clogged with soot (ash) does my high performance 350 still develop 550 HP?
Pellet stoves are efficient. They require maintenance to insure they burn efficiently. If you don't clean it, it will burn just as poorly. Twenty minutes a week will pay off more than a few meals at Appleby's each month. High ash fuels are not necessarily less efficient, but give more by products.
To the non-pellet burner, if your exhaust is clogged with soot (ash) does my high performance 350 still develop 550 HP?
If you find a station that the gas is 10 cents a gallon cheaper but the car runs poorly and fuel filters get clogged along with less mileage is it worth it?
Dirty fuel will not provide the same amount of BTU's either.
Dirty fuel will not provide the same amount of BTU's either.
SmokeyTheBear
Minister of Fire
The ash loads up on the heat exchanger reducing its ability to transfer heat to the convection air system.
It doesn't take too long to see 17% of the heat that you were getting disappear burning a decent pellet, it gets to that point earlier with a dirty pellet (ash wise).
If you want heat you keep the stove clean, it really doesn't take all that long to clean them.
If you alternate some aspects of a full cleaning you can spend less than an hour a week (from hitting the off switch to fire in the pot and the convection air blower running). You just have to have things lined up and not get distracted.
It doesn't take too long to see 17% of the heat that you were getting disappear burning a decent pellet, it gets to that point earlier with a dirty pellet (ash wise).
If you want heat you keep the stove clean, it really doesn't take all that long to clean them.
If you alternate some aspects of a full cleaning you can spend less than an hour a week (from hitting the off switch to fire in the pot and the convection air blower running). You just have to have things lined up and not get distracted.
Snowy Rivers
Minister of Fire
OK
I burn Nut shells, the stuff has a lot more fly ash because of the greater amount of fines and that depends of who I get the shells from and how much their trash fan breaks the stuff up.
I clean the little stove every 3 days. The little Prodigy being small anyway, the ash pan will be close to full and the heat exchanger will have some crap on it too.
Now I can pull the cleaning rod a couple times and keep the heat tubes cleaned off but the ash pan is full and the area under burn pot will have ash in it too.
The issue being, as long as you clean the stove in proportion to the amount of residue left over then your fine.
If you allow the stove to choke up with ash to the point that it's ability to transfer heat to the room then its no good.
I will say this, if it were not for the very cheap price that I get the shells for, I might not be so eager to put up with the frequent cleaning regimen.
My Quad running on good to top quality Pellets can run on a regular basis and need cleaning twice a season and be fine.
Just keep your little pellet porkers ash cleaned and you will be fine.
No free rides, pay me now or pay me later. as daddy used to say.
Snowy
I burn Nut shells, the stuff has a lot more fly ash because of the greater amount of fines and that depends of who I get the shells from and how much their trash fan breaks the stuff up.
I clean the little stove every 3 days. The little Prodigy being small anyway, the ash pan will be close to full and the heat exchanger will have some crap on it too.
Now I can pull the cleaning rod a couple times and keep the heat tubes cleaned off but the ash pan is full and the area under burn pot will have ash in it too.
The issue being, as long as you clean the stove in proportion to the amount of residue left over then your fine.
If you allow the stove to choke up with ash to the point that it's ability to transfer heat to the room then its no good.
I will say this, if it were not for the very cheap price that I get the shells for, I might not be so eager to put up with the frequent cleaning regimen.
My Quad running on good to top quality Pellets can run on a regular basis and need cleaning twice a season and be fine.
Just keep your little pellet porkers ash cleaned and you will be fine.
No free rides, pay me now or pay me later. as daddy used to say.
Snowy
tinkabranc
Minister of Fire
This is an oldy post, but same thing still applies.
The cleaner the stove, the more efficient it runs.... ;-)
The cleaner the stove, the more efficient it runs.... ;-)
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