# Black on the glass after few hours!



## kingteto (Dec 22, 2014)

Hi All,
I have Quadrafire Mt. vernon  insert. I clean the glass every other day , but there are too much black on the glass after I run it for few hours.. Please see picture.

I run it on flame 4 using hardwood pellet green supreme  http://greensupremewoodpellets.info/
Please advise! The stove was not like that before using the same setting. Thanks for your help!


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## RAVinMetrowest (Dec 22, 2014)

I found that my glass has air holes around the perimeter that can get clogged with FOD.

I've used my compressor to blow them out.

I also use the 2 Rutland products, ending with the conditioner.  It improves cleaning as well.


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## SmokeyTheBear (Dec 22, 2014)

Did you adjust the stove to match the new fuel supply you are feeding it?


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## kingteto (Dec 22, 2014)

SmokeyTheBear said:


> Did you adjust the stove to match the new fuel supply you are feeding it?


yes .. nothing changed, i;m using the same since the beginning of the winter .. I'm reading about  airwash, but I;m not sure where is that


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## kingteto (Dec 22, 2014)

RAVinMetrowest said:


> I found that my glass has air holes around the perimeter that can get clogged with FOD.
> 
> I've used my compressor to blow them out.
> 
> I also use the 2 Rutland products, ending with the conditioner.  It improves cleaning as well.


I will look at the glass from inside when it cool down to see if there is any holes there. Thanks


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## kappel15 (Dec 22, 2014)

A sure cause of dirty glass right away is a dirty stove.  Have you cleaned the exhaust path? Thru stove and exhaust pipe?  Cleaned the holes at bottom of heat exchanger? Pot holes clean? Running a little rich? The AE doesn't have air holes. kap


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## kingteto (Dec 22, 2014)

kappel15 said:


> A sure cause of dirty glass right away is a dirty stove.  Have you cleaned the exhaust path? Thru stove and exhaust pipe?  Cleaned the holes at bottom of heat exchanger? Pot holes clean? Running a little rich? The AE doesn't have air holes. kap


This is my first year with this new stove. So I assume the exhaust path still clean, But I added screen with big holes at the end of my vent to block bugs  maybe this causing issue.


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## kappel15 (Dec 22, 2014)

Some that have put screens on the end caps, had issues with it getting frosted over or dirty. You need to take your baffle off and see how dirty the fins are on the heat exchanger. When you clean them, you also need to suck out the holes at the bottom on both sides. kap


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## LordmetalZ28 (Dec 23, 2014)

Its the green supremes.  There loaded with bark this year. Im going thru the same thing. Ive burned half a ton of these green supremes this year. Cant wait till there gone. My stove is clean to. I go over certain sections of the stove daily, weekly, monthly.


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## LordmetalZ28 (Dec 23, 2014)

These green supremes are very inconsistent this year varying from bag to bag.


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## Jigger (Dec 23, 2014)

I have an Englander stove that is vent directly through the wall. To a 7 foot double walled 3 inch chimney. The pipe going through the wall is 24 inches long. If I do not clean out the chimney at least once every 2 weeks. The horizontal pipe collects enough fine dust. That it starts to chock off the exhaust. Which causes the fire to starve for air. I can tell this is happening because my glass will start to turn black very similar to yours. I took a short video of the amount of ash that collects in the pipe. Mind you this is after one week of operation.


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## cold front (Dec 23, 2014)

I'm not a stove pro but, based on my experiences with this type of problem on my first stove; I can say that if the build up is greasy black it's crap pellets or slow burn low flame and if it's a dry glossy black build up you getting too much combustion air and too quick a burn.


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## lagger (Dec 24, 2014)

LordmetalZ28 said:


> Its the green supremes.  There loaded with bark this year. Im going thru the same thing. Ive burned half a ton of these green supremes this year. Cant wait till there gone. My stove is clean to. I go over certain sections of the stove daily, weekly, monthly.


could be .. I bought 5 or ten bags to try and will not buy more .. glass clouded over with brown stuff after 1/2 bag.. ashy as heck and low heat too


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## MommyOf4 (Dec 24, 2014)

I had the same issue with my stove.  I completely cleaned out my stove only to find out it was the stinkin' pellet brand!


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## SidecarFlip (Dec 25, 2014)

Jigger said:


> I have an Englander stove that is vent directly through the wall. To a 7 foot double walled 3 inch chimney. The pipe going through the wall is 24 inches long. If I do not clean out the chimney at least once every 2 weeks. The horizontal pipe collects enough fine dust. That it starts to chock off the exhaust. Which causes the fire to starve for air. I can tell this is happening because my glass will start to turn black very similar to yours. I took a short video of the amount of ash that collects in the pipe. Mind you this is after one week of operation.





Hope you didn't give any pedestrians lung cancer.....lol


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## SidecarFlip (Dec 25, 2014)

kingteto said:


> Hi All,
> I have Quadrafire Mt. vernon  insert. I clean the glass every other day , but there are too much black on the glass after I run it for few hours.. Please see picture.
> 
> I run it on flame 4 using hardwood pellet green supreme  http://greensupremewoodpellets.info/
> ...


 
It's either loaded with ash (you need to clean it out frequently) or your a/f ratio is wrong.  I don't go with bad pellets.  Any pellet will burn correctly with little deposit on the glass if the a/f ratio is correct and the stove exhaust path is clean.


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## Harvey Schneider (Dec 26, 2014)

There are two areas that need attention on the MVAE.
There are two rectangular ports at the back, behind the baffle, one to each side of the feed chute. Ash will fill these, especially if you are burning a very dirty pellet. I use a five foot piece of flexible plastic tubing from the hardware store, coupled to my ash vac to clear these passages. I hold one hand where the tubes meet and use the other to manuver the plastic tube into the ports. Obviously this is done with the stove stone cold. I do this about once a month.
The other is the holes in the fire pot that bring air into the burning pile of pellets. There are some near the front of the pot that are difficult to see and can easily be overlooked. The tip of the odd shaped tool provided with the stove can be used to ream the buildup out of these holes. That includes the slit that is facing the igniter.
If either of these areas is clogged, the stove will soot up the glass quickly.
That being said, the quality of the pellets makes an enormous difference. I used to go a week between cleanings with Greene Team, or Lignetics pellets. This year I switched to LG Granules and I find that after two weeks I can still see the fire clearly. The glass does have some haze around the sides, but the center is still mostly clear. The LG's are a softwood pellet and produce less ash and soot.


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## SidecarFlip (Dec 26, 2014)

A length of 3/4" od garden hose with the end cut on an angle works well too.  3/4" snugly fits the refucer coupling on a shop vac btw.


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## F4jock (Dec 26, 2014)

LordmetalZ28 said:


> Its the green supremes.  There loaded with bark this year. Im going thru the same thing. Ive burned half a ton of these green supremes this year. Cant wait till there gone. My stove is clean to. I go over certain sections of the stove daily, weekly, monthly.


Amen! With respect to ash production one of the worst pellets I've ever used!


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## F4jock (Dec 26, 2014)

SidecarFlip said:


> It's either loaded with ash (you need to clean it out frequently) or your a/f ratio is wrong.  I don't go with bad pellets.  Any pellet will burn correctly with little deposit on the glass if the a/f ratio is correct and the stove exhaust path is clean.


And what loads it with ash? Those GS pellets. One of the ashiest pellets I've tried. Won't use them again unless no others are available. Have now run five weeks without a major cleaning on Lignetics. Just one ash dump and three glass and firebox sweeps. Probably going to clean it today just because.


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## hyfire (Dec 26, 2014)

Any horizontal section will fill with ash, its just the nature of things, here is mine after 40 bags........


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## rona (Dec 26, 2014)

kingteto said:


> This is my first year with this new stove. So I assume the exhaust path still clean, But I added screen with big holes at the end of my vent to block bugs  maybe this causing issue.


That screen can plug up with frost or soot in the winter. We take them off. When we the last time you pulled the heavy heat exchanger and cleaned it? If you have been burning since fall  it is time to clean it.


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## Harvey Schneider (Dec 26, 2014)

rona said:


> That screen can plug up with frost or soot in the winter. We take them off. When we the last time you pulled the heavy heat exchanger and cleaned it? If you have been burning since fall  it is time to clean it.


That should be part of a thorough stove cleaning about every half ton. Mid winter, for me, that comes out to about every two to three weeks. While the soot behind the baffle hurts heat exchanger efficiency, the lower vent passages seem to be the weak point when it comes to blocking air flow.


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## tjnamtiw (Dec 26, 2014)

kingteto said:


> yes .. nothing changed, i;m using the same since the beginning of the winter .. I'm reading about  airwash, but I;m not sure where is that


ARE YOU SURE???  That flame looks awfully high!  From the manual > 
''On HIGH setting, the flame will extend approximately 8
inches (203mm) out of the firepot. If it is not 8 inches
(203mm) tall, increase the flame height.
• On MEDIUM or LOW setting the flame will be shorter.
• Reduce the fl ame height if the fire has tall flames with
black tails and seems somewhat lazy. This may also
indicate that the firepot and/or heat exchanger needs to
be cleaned.''

'Black tails' could be causing your black glass, perhaps??  You CAN'T count on using the same settings since the beginning of winter.  Pellets change even from the same manufacturer let alone if you change brands.  These things are not set and forget.


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## F4jock (Dec 26, 2014)

> These things are not set and forget.


Unless of course you have a Harman.


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## smg64ct (Dec 26, 2014)

Your flame height looks high.


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## F4jock (Dec 26, 2014)

smg64ct said:


> Your flame height looks high.


My flame height can vary from about an inch to ten or so depending on how the stove adjusts itself. Still don't get the soot-on-glass buildup as the OP described.


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## joed2323 (Dec 26, 2014)

hyfire said:


> Any horizontal section will fill with ash, its just the nature of things, here is mine after 40 bags........



How long of a run do u have. I have about 12" horizontal run and have burned about 40 bags and I'm going to clean my piping out soon


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## hyfire (Dec 26, 2014)

joed2323 said:


> How long of a run do u have. I have about 12" horizontal run and have burned about 40 bags and I'm going to clean my piping out soon



Its about 12" plus the 90 fitting and the Cross Tee roughly about 2 feet total...


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## rona (Dec 26, 2014)

F4jock said:


> Unless of course you have a Harman.


LOL


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## SidecarFlip (Dec 26, 2014)

F4jock said:


> Unless of course you have a Harman.


 

I knew that was coming.......  Happy New Year.


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## F4jock (Dec 26, 2014)

SidecarFlip said:


> I knew that was coming.......  Happy New Year.


LOL Back at you!


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## LMPS (Dec 26, 2014)

I find I get this when I burn the stove on Medium Low or Low for an extended period.  .  I just think the stove does not burn hot enough at these settings to get a complete burn thus produces a thicker, black ash.  I notice this also when I take the baffle off to clean.   This also leads to this kind of ash in the exhaust.  
The problem is when its warmer out if I burn at a higher heat output like Medium High, the stove is reaching temperature even if I am calling for it to be a couple of degrees higher than I actually want it.  So, for me the trade off is a some black build up, which leads to extra cleaning vs that stove starting and stopping all the time which leads to replacing ignitors more frequently.   You can try turning down the flame height, which will reduce the amount of fuel going in this might help some.


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## F4jock (Dec 26, 2014)

LMPS said:


> I find I get this when I burn the stove on Medium Low or Low for an extended period.  .  I just think the stove does not burn hot enough at these settings to get a complete burn thus produces a thicker, black ash.  I notice this also when I take the baffle off to clean.   This also leads to this kind of ash in the exhaust.
> The problem is when its warmer out if I burn at a higher heat output like Medium High, the stove is reaching temperature even if I am calling for it to be a couple of degrees higher than I actually want it.  So, for me the trade off is a some black build up, which leads to extra cleaning vs that stove starting and stopping all the time which leads to replacing ignitors more frequently.   You can try turning down the flame height, which will reduce the amount of fuel going in this might help some.


I don't know your stove but it sounds like not enough air at low burns. Mine regulates automatically but can't you lower flame and keep air high?  Quality of the flame will tell you if you are doing well. You want blue to light yellow and short. Oh and as for igniters. I've replaced one in seven seasons running in room temp mode.


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## Harvey Schneider (Dec 26, 2014)

LMPS said:


> So, for me the trade off is a some black build up, which leads to extra cleaning vs that stove starting and stopping all the time which leads to replacing ignitors more frequently. You can try turning down the flame height, which will reduce the amount of fuel going in this might help some.


I have been running my MVAE on manual, with a one degree deadband, heat output medium to high (depending on weather) and flame height 3 to 5 (depending on weather). I am still on the same igniter.
I really believe that the concern over burning out igniters goes back to when the MVAE's had a higher Wattage igniter. With the lower Wattage igniter, I wouldn't sacrifice performance of the stove to safeguard the $29 igniter.


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## hyfire (Dec 26, 2014)

Cleaned my flue today..about the 15-20 bag mark...


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## tjnamtiw (Dec 26, 2014)

F4jock said:


> Unless of course you have a Harman.


Oh,  how did I forget that????/    today's posts >  'Harman Igniter', 'Harman Accentra troubleshooting help', 'Stove (Harman) just stopped out of nowhere', 'Harman 6 blink part-time problem', 'Harman P43 Problem'.........  Yep, set and forget.....   
''


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## F4jock (Dec 27, 2014)

tjnamtiw said:


> Oh,  how did I forget that????/    today's posts >  'Harman Igniter', 'Harman Accentra troubleshooting help', 'Stove (Harman) just stopped out of nowhere', 'Harman 6 blink part-time problem', 'Harman P43 Problem'.........  Yep, set and forget.....
> ''


Ain't it interesting that many of these problems turn out to be operator error? And that when there's a design problem Harman sends people to repair it no charge? 

There IS a learning curve with anything complex. Heck, my Galaxy S5 has a manual that thick, ditto my 2014 Escape, and yet another for the My Touch and yet another for the navigation system, but if one reads and comprehends them they work fine too. . . . and they do amazing things that I never knew they were capable of. . . .

My Harman just went five weeks between cleanings, in room temp, burning 24/7 and it could have gone more. Including the weekly glass cleanings and occasional firepot scrapes that total time breaks down to about 15 minutes maintenance a week. It eats every pellet I throw at it while adjusting itself to maintain 69 to 70 F in the room without me messing with dampers, draft adjustments and feed rates. No smoke in the room, no hopper fires, no drama, just one igniter replaced in seven heating seasons. When I clean it at season's end there are few fines in the fines box and little ash in the exhaust. If I put it back together per instructions I have no problems. As I said, reminds me of my refrigerator: It's there and it works.


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## Harvey Schneider (Dec 27, 2014)

F4jock said:


> My Harman just went five weeks between cleanings, in room temp, burning 24/7 and it could have gone more. Including the weekly glass cleanings and occasional firepot scrapes that total time breaks down to about 15 minutes maintenance a week. It eats every pellet I throw at it while adjusting itself to maintain 69 to 70 F in the room without me messing with dampers, draft adjustments and feed rates. No smoke in the room, no hopper fires, no drama, just one igniter replaced in seven heating seasons. When I clean it at season's end there are few fines in the fines box and little ash in the exhaust. If I put it back together per instructions I have no problems. As I said, reminds me of my refrigerator: It's there and it works.


I could say pretty much the same thing of my Mt. Vernon AE.
It seems that there are two classes of pellet stoves. Those with simple minded control systems, poorly thought out mechanisms and marginally designed combustion systems on the one hand. Then there are the stoves that do their jobs so consistently, and so well, that we forget the sophistication of the Engineering that went into them.
Buying quality is like buying oats. If you want nice, clean, fresh oats, you have to pay a premium price for them. Of course, if you are willing to put up with oats that have already been through the horse, they come cheaper.
I hope I haven't offended anybody with my opinions here. I'm not a snob, I recognize that the low end stoves have their place in the world, in fact I own one. I just appreciate the quality in design and construction of a quality product.


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## F4jock (Dec 27, 2014)

Harvey Schneider said:


> I could say pretty much the same thing of my Mt. Vernon AE.
> It seems that there are two classes of pellet stoves. Those with simple minded control systems, poorly thought out mechanisms and marginally designed combustion systems on the one hand. Then there are the stoves that do their jobs so consistently, and so well, that we forget the sophistication of the Engineering that went into them.
> Buying quality is like buying oats. If you want nice, clean, fresh oats, you have to pay a premium price for them. Of course, if you are willing to put up with oats that have already been through the horse, they come cheaper.
> I hope I haven't offended anybody with my opinions here. I'm not a snob, I recognize that the low end stoves have their place in the world, in fact I own one. I just appreciate the quality in design and construction of a quality product.


X2


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## tjnamtiw (Dec 27, 2014)

I think that F4 hit the nail on the head when he said 'operator error'.  Clearly this year's posts are a testament to that!  You can have a $5K Harman or a $1K Englander and if you have no idea of what you are doing, it makes no difference.  It AIN'T gonna run!  NOW if you DO know what you're doing, read the manuals, and have some mechanical/electrical ability, then you can get years of service out of EITHER stove.  Sure one will do everything but wipe your butt, but you paid for it.  No problem there if that makes you happy.  
I read a post over on the wood burning forum where MANY people were debating whether or not cutting/splitting/hauling/stacking/hauling/burning was work or enjoyment.  The same goes for pellet stoves.  If you don't like to spend 5 minutes communing with your stove once a week, then spend that extra $4K.  It makes no difference to me.    The bottom line is IF YOU DON'T KNOW HOW A PELLET STOVE WORKS AND HOW TO MAINTAIN IT, THEN DON'T BUY ONE - PERIOD!


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## LMPS (Dec 27, 2014)

Harvey Schneider said:


> I have been running my MVAE on manual, with a one degree deadband, heat output medium to high (depending on weather) and flame height 3 to 5 (depending on weather). I am still on the same igniter.
> I really believe that the concern over burning out igniters goes back to when the MVAE's had a higher Wattage igniter. With the lower Wattage igniter, I wouldn't sacrifice performance of the stove to safeguard the $29 igniter.



You are correct, I do have the low wattage igniter now and have not burned through one yet.  I would agree burning like you will produce  a hot enough burn so you get a more complete burn and the stove does not get the black build.    What are you using for room differential?   The other question I have is do you burn more pellets burning this way vs burning longer on a lower setting?


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## Harvey Schneider (Dec 27, 2014)

LMPS said:


> You are correct, I do have the low wattage igniter now and have not burned through one yet.  I would agree burning like you will produce  a hot enough burn so you get a more complete burn and the stove does not get the black build.    What are you using for room differential?   The other question I have is do you burn more pellets burning this way vs burning longer on a lower setting?


The differential or deadband is set to one degree. I was tempted to set it to 1/2 degree, but I am quite comfortable with the one degree setting, nothing to gain by it.
I don't really have a feeling for whether I am burning more this way. My pellet consumption has increased over the three heating seasons as I got more comfortable with relying on the pellet stove as my primary source of heat, so year to year comparison is difficult. I am sure that the efficiency drops when I have the stove max'd out, but there are days when the full capacity of the stove is required. My goal is to keep the house comfortable using a lower cost, renewable energy source.


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## hyfire (Dec 27, 2014)

Actually the hotter the stove runs, I think efficiency is gained, because metals seem to transfer heat faster the more temperature rises, but I could be proven wrong.


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## LordmetalZ28 (Dec 27, 2014)

hyfire said:


> Any horizontal section will fill with ash, its just the nature of things, here is mine after 40 bags........


Yeah. Somethings wrong there. Mine looked nothing like this after a ton. Nothing at all. I had a fine coating thats all


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## Harvey Schneider (Dec 27, 2014)

hyfire said:


> Actually the hotter the stove runs, I think efficiency is gained, because metals seem to transfer heat faster the more temperature rises, but I could be proven wrong.


Yeah, the bigger the delta T the better the heat exchanger works but I think that combustion may be sub optimal. I don't really know, but I see a lot of flame reaching for the vent. Makes me think that I'm putting a lot of heat out the vent.


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## hyfire (Dec 27, 2014)

LordmetalZ28 said:


> Yeah. Somethings wrong there. Mine looked nothing like this after a ton. Nothing at all. I had a fine coating thats all



Wow, maybe something is wrong with my combustion?


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## Zebby (Dec 27, 2014)

My flame seems to spread forward toward the glass with the intake damper not open far enough. The window seems to get a dark pattern in a shape of the lower portion of that flame. When I give it more air, the flame seems to stand more straight up and the window stays cleaner. I try to run it with intake air set to provide a higher, more vertical flame, but not to the extreme of a blowtorch effect. The window still picks up light gray ash, probably not the greatest pellets. Getting excellent heat, though. I'm still experimenting with pellet brands.

Hotter fire requires more fuel, creates hotter exhaust, efficiency depends more on stove and vent design, but probably varies a little with burn temp. 
Heat transfer does increase with greater delta T between the exchanger and room air.


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## tjnamtiw (Dec 28, 2014)

hyfire said:


> Actually the hotter the stove runs, I think efficiency is gained, because metals seem to transfer heat faster the more temperature rises, but I could be proven wrong.


The hotter it runs doesn't necessarily mean you're transferring more heat more efficiently IMHO.  You have to have sufficient air flow to REMOVE that extra heat by creating turbulent flow and eliminating laminar flow.  Your blower is only going to go so fast and move so much air.  If you put even more heat into the heat exchanger, you're overfiring the stove and stressing it above its design limits.
Once again, I suggest that the OP's picture shows he's overfiring the stove according to the manual. which causes the black window.


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## latichever (Dec 28, 2014)

I have a Breckwell insert with a big glass window. Gets dirty regardless of the pellets, the cleanliness of the stove, or the state of the exhaust and/or intake. 

But it does heat great.


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## tjnamtiw (Dec 28, 2014)

latichever said:


> I have a Breckwell insert with a big glass window. Gets dirty regardless of the pellets, the cleanliness of the stove, or the state of the exhaust and/or intake.
> 
> But it does heat great.


I'm happy for you but that doesn't really address the problem the OP is having.


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## tjnamtiw (Dec 28, 2014)

F4jock said:


> when there's a design problem Harman sends people to repair it no charge?



Since HHT now owns Harman, I seriously doubt you'll ever see that happen.


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## Lake Girl (Dec 28, 2014)

hyfire said:


> Wow, maybe something is wrong with my combustion?



What are you using for pellets?  How much ash are you getting in your ashpan?  I don't have that much ash after a ton with horizontal venting.


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## hyfire (Dec 29, 2014)

Lake Girl said:


> What are you using for pellets?  How much ash are you getting in your ashpan?  I don't have that much ash after a ton with horizontal venting.



The ash pan gets full after about 1-1/2 weeks of use and  I am using granulco  pellets...maybe not the cleanest pellet?


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## Lake Girl (Dec 29, 2014)

hyfire said:


> The ash pan gets full after about 1-1/2 weeks of use and  I am using granulco  pellets...maybe not the cleanest pellet?



Poked around a bit ... 1% ash for granulco vs. .5% ash for the lacretes I'm using; fines .5% vs .2%.  Wondering if it is a compression factor as they are spruce, balsam fir mix like the lacretes.   Your granulco are like the Indecks I was using last spring - piles of ash

What kind of price tag?  What other pellets are available near you?  Eastern Ontario?  If your area is like mine, it seems a dead zone as far as pellet supply.


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## Golfeur (Dec 29, 2014)

I bought 35 bags Granulco early in the season with special rona $ 4.78 the bag well it burns in my P68 but there was a lot of dust and a lot of ash. I prefer Trebio vs Granulco.
I buy at walmart Trebio bag for $ 4.58


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## kinsmanstoves (Dec 29, 2014)

remove the combustion blower and clean,

Eric


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## F4jock (Dec 29, 2014)

tjnamtiw said:


> Since HHT now owns Harman, I seriously doubt you'll ever see that happen.


Actually it recently did. Forget the recent thread title but they sent people out and replaced a firepot, board. ESP, lots stuff. Parts and labor were free but since the techs were over 50 miles away the owner had to pay mileage.


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## kinsmanstoves (Dec 29, 2014)

There is a chamber behind the firewall and the only way to get into it is to go through the combustion blower.  If that is not clean it will not run correctly.  You also need to clean the access area to that chamber.

Eric


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## latichever (Dec 29, 2014)

tjnamtiw said:


> I'm happy for you but that doesn't really address the problem the OP is having.



My first sentence was totally on point, that the glass gets dirty regardless of the pellet quality or stove settings.

The second sentence was also on point, since there were several suggestions that dirty glass can be a function of inefficient combustion etc.


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## tjnamtiw (Dec 29, 2014)

latichever said:


> My first sentence was totally on point, that the glass gets dirty regardless of the pellet quality or stove settings.
> 
> The second sentence was also on point, since there were several suggestions that dirty glass can be a function of inefficient combustion etc.


No, the black you see on the glass is NOT 'regardless' of stove settings.  It is caused by stove incorrect settings burning too rich, meaning too much fuel for the amount of air being supplied.  Sure glass gets dirty on all stoves but I've NEVER seen black soot like that, which appears to be almost creosote.

Same for the second point.  Third point is that you don't even have the same stove and that tends to muddy the waters, which is an all too frequent trend this season.  

"And that's all I have to say about that"


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## SmokeyTheBear (Dec 29, 2014)

Anytime you make an adjustment to match the stove to the fuel it is burning and there is no change in the flame then as Eric says it is past time to really clean the stove as there is more than enough ash in the works that you can't adjust the stove.

After you get that stove *really cleaned*, then you can set the flame height according to the manual.

The fact that you may burning an ash generator should not get in the way at this time provided the installation itself isn't messed up.

The items in the installation that would get in the way would be too much restriction in the vent system and insufficient oxygen in the combustion air  for the burn to proceed efficiently.


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