# How to burn wood pellets in 2006 Auburn corn burner



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 10, 2020)

Hi,
I had been looking for a used multifuel stove since July!  I finally found a 2006 Auburn for $300. However, after getting it home and looking closer (cleaning and such) I was surprised to find a label under the hopper lid that  says "For use with corn only".  I thought Auburns were all multifuel stoves!  So, how can I convert it to burn wood pellets?  Thank you for any help.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 10, 2020)

if you use the little magnifying glass (search) for st croix auburn there are quite a few threads on the stove may help you out. I believe there is a few corn burners here that will pipe in also.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Dec 10, 2020)

Most every corn burner will run pellets with no modifications unless it's a positive combustion draft unit then it becomes a burn back issue.

For 300 bucks does it actually function?


----------



## Alfred (Dec 11, 2020)

I have a 2006 Auburn and I run pellets in it for what you would call "shoulder season" and run a corn and pellet mix for the colder months.
When I run pellets I use a "pellet pot" which they sold at the time I purchased the stove but I think they have done away with it and just had people use the corn pot. I tried the corn pot but just couldn't seem to get it quite right and I went back to the pellet pot.

On your air intake adjustment on the back of the stove I set it up for corn using the stop and leave it there and when adjusting for pellets (if needed) you can turn the arm in the opposite direction so you don't loose  your corn adjustment. Your air adjustment should start open about the the size of a #2 pencil. 
If you can download a manual for it (or already have one) that will be good place to start learning about the stove. I use the "leaf blower trick" on mine and it works great to keep the "hidden" passages open on this stove. Somewhere out there is some pictures of this stove that has been cut apart showing the cleaning procedure. 

 The picture is with the pellet pot I'm running right now.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 11, 2020)

Thank you Flip and Alfred!  Yes, it runs, I had the guy send me a video of the auger turning and the fan blowing (sound) before I drove all that way.  I tried running it last night with just pellets and it went out on me and I ended up with a house full of smoke.  I added some corn to it tonight and bought starter gel.  It seemed to run ok for about 30 minutes, got good and hot, then the auger decided to dump a bunch of pellets and corn all at once and for some reason it killed the fire.  I'm still learning it seems.
Also I can hear the fan running, but it doesn't seem to blow much heat out.  I've cleaned and vaccumed everywhere I could see, but maybe I'm missing somewhere?  My green power light blinks all the time too. I googled that and wasn't able to find an answer.
Thank you guys.  I've read good things about these Auburns and I know I just need to figure out what the heck I'm doing.


----------



## Alfred (Dec 12, 2020)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> Thank you Flip and Alfred!  Yes, it runs, I had the guy send me a video of the auger turning and the fan blowing (sound) before I drove all that way.  I tried running it last night with just pellets and it went out on me and I ended up with a house full of smoke.  I added some corn to it tonight and bought starter gel.  It seemed to run ok for about 30 minutes, got good and hot, then the auger decided to dump a bunch of pellets and corn all at once and for some reason it killed the fire.  I'm still learning it seems.
> Also I can hear the fan running, but it doesn't seem to blow much heat out.  I've cleaned and vaccumed everywhere I could see, but maybe I'm missing somewhere?  My green power light blinks all the time too. I googled that and wasn't able to find an answer.
> Thank you guys.  I've read good things about these Auburns and I know I just need to figure out what the heck I'm doing.


----------



## rickwai (Dec 12, 2020)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> Thank you Flip and Alfred!  Yes, it runs, I had the guy send me a video of the auger turning and the fan blowing (sound) before I drove all that way.  I tried running it last night with just pellets and it went out on me and I ended up with a house full of smoke.  I added some corn to it tonight and bought starter gel.  It seemed to run ok for about 30 minutes, got good and hot, then the auger decided to dump a bunch of pellets and corn all at once and for some reason it killed the fire.  I'm still learning it seems.
> Also I can hear the fan running, but it doesn't seem to blow much heat out.  I've cleaned and vaccumed everywhere I could see, but maybe I'm missing somewhere?  My green power light blinks all the time too. I googled that and wasn't able to find an answer.
> Thank you guys.  I've read good things about these Auburns and I know I just need to figure out what the heck I'm doing.


You need a long thin brush like a refrigerator brush up thru your ash traps and get that all cleaned out. You will be amazed how much stuff drops down.  shake out the burn pot bottom by shaking it in and out to clear the ash from the gap in the bottom of the pot. Then pull rod out and get down on floor and make sure the 4 rectangular holes the pot floor mates up to are not packed full from shoving pot floor closed w/ over full ash pan. 
Now leave ash drop covers off and front door open and get a leave blower and attached the vacuum end to your exhaust pipe  and suck the stove out. It will run like a champ after these steps usually.
As far as burning pellets, you can burn them in the pot you have I dont think you can get the pot that Alfred is using anymore. The only thing I have found is the pot floor wants to carbon up and not want to slide open. The St Croix stoves are great little stoves and you can find them cheap. Just have to watch for them being  overly rusty if they were on corn for a long time and not cared for properly.


----------



## rickwai (Dec 12, 2020)

I see you are in Nebraska. I would run corn. It is easier in that stove. It is cheaper than pellets her.  Pellets here are about $5/ #40 bag. Corn bagged at elevator is $5/#50. Exactly 1 cup of wood pellets and some starter gel on top, light, close the door and power it up. Very easy to light.


----------



## Alfred (Dec 12, 2020)

Try to google "stcroix auburn stove cutaway" and you should get some picture of the guts of the stove. Check these pages of the manual out, they should help.
You may have to pull the exhaust motor and room fan out and give them and the chambers in the stove a good cleaning and perhaps some oil on the exhaust fan. I pull mine every year and do this and I'm on my second combustion motor and original room fan. I make my own gaskets though and you would most likely have to be able to replace them if you pulled the motors out. The pictures that you should find show a cleaning procedure using a old throttle cable on a drill, that's done at the end of season. I find the "leaf blower trick" works great with this stove as it gets these hidden passages clean as I believe on the newer stoves they added new plates to access these places.
I've done some other mods to mine to get a little more heat out of it but I have been very happy with mine. Once running good you should use heat levels 2-4 mostly as it doesn't seem to burn very clean on #1 (which in its self could be adjusted) and level #5 reminds me of the movie "the china syndrome" Lol.


rickwai said:


> I see you are in Nebraska. I would run corn. It is easier in that stove. It is cheaper than pellets her.  Pellets here are about $5/ #40 bag. Corn bagged at elevator is $5/#50. Exactly 1 cup of wood pellets and some starter gel on top, light, close the door and power it up. Very easy to light.


----------



## Lordtimothy200 (Dec 12, 2020)

Hmmm wonder if YOU are the one that beat me to that $300 St Croix Auburn that popped up on Facebook Marketplace a while back.  Been using a St Croix Auburn for years as a corn burner and it burns it well.    

Do you have it drawing air for the combustion from the outside?  I had a huge amounts of problem overflowing burn pots and it not staying lit when there was a north wind.  Went to drawing air from inside and that took out all of those issues.  Just something to look at.

And the fan to blow out heat into the room only turns on at start up, then turns back on once you reach operating temp.  If you are having burn issues it might not get hot enough to turn on the convection fan.


----------



## rickwai (Dec 12, 2020)

Lordtimothy200 said:


> Hmmm wonder if YOU are the one that beat me to that $300 St Croix Auburn that popped up on Facebook Marketplace a while back.  Been using a St Croix Auburn for years as a corn burner and it burns it well.
> 
> Do you have it drawing air for the combustion from the outside?  I had a huge amounts of problem overflowing burn pots and it not staying lit when there was a north wind.  Went to drawing air from inside and that took out all of those issues.  Just something to look at.
> 
> And the fan to blow out heat into the room only turns on at start up, then turns back on once you reach operating temp.  If you are having burn issues it might not get hot enough to turn on the convection fan.


I put a tee on as my term cap and it helped a bunch with the wind backing it up.


----------



## Lordtimothy200 (Dec 12, 2020)

May have to try that,  used a elbow in ever configuration possible and didn't  help any.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Dec 13, 2020)

Not sure of the burn pot configuration but with my 6039, I mix corn and pellets at a 2-1 ratio.  2 parts corn to 1 part pellets.  The pellets keep the hard carbon buildup minimal and no corn clinkers at all and a ton of pellets is good for 2 ton of shelled corn and I burn everything including the little red wings in the shelled corn.  They roast too.

I mix mine up in 4 30 gallon plastic garbage cans at a time and that lasts me about 2 weeks.


----------



## rickwai (Dec 13, 2020)

Lordtimothy200 said:


> May have to try that,  used a elbow in ever configuration possible and didn't  help any.


With the St Croix stoves, if the vac switch opens more than I think 3 times within a couple minutes or so it goes into shutdown. So if wind is whipping and keeps momentarily backs it up to much it goes out. Most other stoves just quit feeding momentarily then push on.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 14, 2020)

Lordtimothy200 said:


> Hmmm wonder if YOU are the one that beat me to that $300 St Croix Auburn that popped up on Facebook Marketplace a while back.  Been using a St Croix Auburn for years as a corn burner and it burns it well.
> 
> Do you have it drawing air for the combustion from the outside?  I had a huge amounts of problem overflowing burn pots and it not staying lit when there was a north wind.  Went to drawing air from inside and that took out all of those issues.  Just something to look at.
> 
> And the fan to blow out heat into the room only turns on at start up, then turns back on once you reach operating temp.  If you are having burn issues it might not get hot enough to turn on the convection fan.


Timothy, if the guy was in Eastern Iowa, and had it originally listed at $400, for which it didn't sell for weeks, and then dropped it to $300, then yes, that was me.
To be fair I had been looking for a pellet stove since late July and missed out every time.  I finally got lucky but had to drive to the other freaking side of Iowa to get it!
My air intake is inside. My drafty old house receives plenty of fresh air. I'm going to try cleaning some more crevices.  Also I noticed my gasket looks fine, but the seal isn't that tight when I close the door.  I did the dollar bill test and it doesn't hold the bill at all. Slides in and out easily.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 14, 2020)

Don't laugh at my walls. This old house is a drafty 130 year old  plaster and lathe walled work in progress. I had it moved about 12 years ago and this corner is where the old brick chimney was.  I remarried a few years ago and my husband was in the process of replastering that corner, among many other things we had planned.  But cancer had different ideas and I lost him last year, so that ugly unfinished  corner wall looks like crap.   The stove pipe was already there for an old Siegler fuel oil stove I used to use, so I added some pipe and just hooked this one up to it. It vents up on top of the roof.   I don't seem to have a tight seal on the door,  if the dollar bill test is a good indication, so maybe that's one of the problems?   I tried tightening the door latch but it didn't really help.  Also it looks like a component was replaced at some time? It was just laying in there and the one wire laying to the right of it isn't attached to anything.   I've added some pictures.
Thank you everyone for all your help and suggestions.  I do appreciate it.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 14, 2020)

Alfred said:


> Try to google "stcroix auburn stove cutaway" and you should get some picture of the guts of the stove. Check these pages of the manual out, they should help.
> You may have to pull the exhaust motor and room fan out and give them and the chambers in the stove a good cleaning and perhaps some oil on the exhaust fan. I pull mine every year and do this and I'm on my second combustion motor and original room fan. I make my own gaskets though and you would most likely have to be able to replace them if you pulled the motors out. The pictures that you should find show a cleaning procedure using a old throttle cable on a drill, that's done at the end of season. I find the "leaf blower trick" works great with this stove as it gets these hidden passages clean as I believe on the newer stoves they added new plates to access these places.
> I've done some other mods to mine to get a little more heat out of it but I have been very happy with mine. Once running good you should use heat levels 2-4 mostly as it doesn't seem to burn very clean on #1 (which in its self could be adjusted) and level #5 reminds me of the movie "the china syndrome" Lol.


Thank you for attaching those instructions!


----------



## Lordtimothy200 (Dec 14, 2020)

That wasn't the one I was looking at, it was down in Kansas somewhere that had one close to that price.

Those pictures do help.  It looks like you are missing a few wires and the safety switch needs to be replaced to operating shape.  Looks like they used a  jumper across the vacuum switch.  Here is a pic of my stove to give you a idea.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 14, 2020)

Timothy
thanks for the pics.   So It looks like I have 2 vacuum switches in there, neither of which is hooked up?  
Great.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 14, 2020)

Well, I think I figured out why this guy took $300 for this stove.  
I'm so sick of freezing my ass off in this house. F@ck Nebraska, I'm moving to Mexico.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Dec 14, 2020)

Consider yourself fortunate you found one that cheap.  Been not so seriously looking for another USSC 6039 like I have now, for the shop and there was one on Flea Bay about 2 hours from me.  Guy was asking 1300 for it and it looked beat.  I offered him 500 bucks which he turned down.  Was the old style obsolete board and had a terrible paint job.  Told him to keep my email address and when it didn't sell, my 500 cash offer stood.  Wanted to ask him what he was smoking but I didn't.

Can buy a new one for 1300.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Dec 14, 2020)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> Well, I think I figured out why this guy took $300 for this stove.
> I'm so sick of freezing my ass off in this house. F@ck Nebraska, I'm moving to Mexico.


I hunt over by Valentine, Nebraska.  Have some huge Mule Deer there.  Shot a B&C 10 point last year, it's heading my way (mount) to go on the wall wi8th the other ones from all over the United States, my consuming hobby, big game hunting.


----------



## Lordtimothy200 (Dec 14, 2020)

By the way,  sorry to hear about your husband.  Losing a mate is tough.

The door not sealing correctly could be the reason they have tried to bypass the vacuum switch.  Ever so often I run into it dumping way to much corn in the burn pot,  almost always the reason is a strong north wind.  I just put an old elbow on the exhaust pipe and the problem goes away.  

Is the chimney clean and in good shape?


----------



## SidecarFlip (Dec 15, 2020)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> Well, I think I figured out why this guy took $300 for this stove.
> I'm so sick of freezing my ass off in this house. F@ck Nebraska, I'm moving to Mexico.


Mexican cuisine gives me the Hershey Squirts.................


----------



## rickwai (Dec 15, 2020)

Lordtimothy200 said:


> That wasn't the one I was looking at, it was down in Kansas somewhere that had one close to that price.
> 
> Those pictures do help.  It looks like you are missing a few wires and the safety switch needs to be replaced to operating shape.  Looks like they used a  jumper across the vacuum switch.  Here is a pic of my stove to give you a idea.
> 
> View attachment 269317


The wiring is correct and hooked up. The extra wire in there is a 3rd wire coming off the motor that is not used. The new motors come as a 2 wire.


----------



## rickwai (Dec 15, 2020)

rickwai said:


> The wiring is correct and hooked up. The extra wire in there is a 3rd wire coming off the motor that is not used. The new motors come as a 2 wire.


My bad! I got confused and was looking at Lordtimothys pic   That is a good pic of what thewiring should look like. If the ash traps were not brushed out and the stove hooked to a leaf blower it will never run right. I just got a Auburn going yesterday that looked pristineinside and out untilI started running a brush up the ash traps. I got probably a coffee can of ash and rust out of each side. Then hooked up leaf blower and sucked it out.  Went from less that .1 iwc to .3 iwc


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 15, 2020)

Ugh. I've cleaned this thing so many times, but I guess I'll be buying something that can reach back where everyone keeps saying they clog so bad, since I'll be at Menards buying a door gasket anyway.
It was transported laying on it's side so seems like stuff would have come loose during the ride.
My daughter burns  a used Harman they bought used for $200 and they barely clean it. It's never had an issue in 5 years theyve used it to heat their house. Its what sold me on pellet stoves.
I told her my vaccum switch was bypassed.
She said " whats a vaccuum switch?".


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 15, 2020)

SidecarFlip said:


> Consider yourself fortunate you found one that cheap.  Been not so seriously looking for another USSC 6039 like I have now, for the shop and there was one on Flea Bay about 2 hours from me.  Guy was asking 1300 for it and it looked beat.  I offered him 500 bucks which he turned down.  Was the old style obsolete board and had a terrible paint job.  Told him to keep my email address and when it didn't sell, my 500 cash offer stood.  Wanted to ask him what he was smoking but I didn't.
> 
> Can buy a new one for 1300.


Yeah, I saw a few listings for $1000 and up.  They sell refurbished ones for $1400 and that includes shipping! A big plus for someone who doesn't have a pickup.
I realize $300 is a great price.   But I started looking in July..JULY!   It took being beat to the punch a half dozen times, being called names for daring to suggest a lower price (seriously folks could just say "sorry, I cant do that") planning a road trip with my scattered- brained gf who has a pick-up 3 times, only to call it off at the last minute because stove sold before I could get there,  FINALLY driving across the whole state of Iowa, loading, getting lost, spending a night in motel hell, unloading it on the dolly where it sat for 3 weeks until I could ($70 worth of pipe stove at Menards later) hook it up, which involved standing it up using my car jack( I have pictures)  and took 2 days because I didnt have another person to help, only to have my house fill with smoke 3 nights in a row as I attempted repeatedly to light it. Discover an unhooked pressure switch. Hook it up thinking that MUST be the problem, light it again,  still end up with smoke as the exhaust fan shuts down over and over.
It's now December and I still dont have heat!  So, I kind of lost it last night. I would have kicked the thing except I knew it would only break my toes.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 15, 2020)

Lordtimothy200 said:


> By the way,  sorry to hear about your husband.  Losing a mate is tough.
> 
> The door not sealing correctly could be the reason they have tried to bypass the vacuum switch.  Ever so often I run into it dumping way to much corn in the burn pot,  almost always the reason is a strong north wind.  I just put an old elbow on the exhaust pipe and the problem goes away.
> 
> Is the chimney clean and in good shape?


Thank you for that. Yeah, it's been a crappy year and a half.
The stove pipe (6 inch) was new when I put it in in 2008. I used it to vent the old Siegler oil stove. It has soot, but only enough to make things messy.  
Lol, I bought this pellet stove because I was sick of fixing , fighting  and googling "whats wrong with my oil stove"  on that ancient Siegler.  
Anyone interested in a "vintage" Siegler fuel oil heater?


----------



## rickwai (Dec 16, 2020)

Get a refrigerator  coil brush. https://www.supplyhouse.com/Schaefe...8svRBbLbkASH-0dYMJYG8ucfPp_74sQRoCYCIQAvD_BwE.
And a cheap leaf blower to suck out the exhaust with the front door open and hook vac switch back up. You can light it and check it out in the garage. Get a piece of aluminum dryer vent for a temporary  flue to get the exhaust outside and test it outside. If all your motors run and sound good, Youi just need to clean the 2 places no one knows about.  with the brush and a leaf blower to suck exhaust out, You canhave it running like a champ in 30 min.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 17, 2020)

SidecarFlip said:


> Mexican cuisine gives me the Hershey Squirts.................


Yeah, but the excellent tequila..


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 17, 2020)

rickwai said:


> Get a refrigerator  coil brush. https://www.supplyhouse.com/Schaefe...8svRBbLbkASH-0dYMJYG8ucfPp_74sQRoCYCIQAvD_BwE.
> And a cheap leaf blower to suck out the exhaust with the front door open and hook vac switch back up. You can light it and check it out in the garage. Get a piece of aluminum dryer vent for a temporary  flue to get the exhaust outside and test it outside. If all your motors run and sound good, Youi just need to clean the 2 places no one knows about.  with the brush and a leaf blower to suck exhaust out, You canhave it running like a champ in 30 min.


I don't have a garage and after what I went through to set here, I'm not moving it too far.
But I did disconnect it from stove pipe and used my blow dryer (I dont own a leaf blower) and my vaccuum cleaner. It blew a tiny bit of ash forward. Ive cleaned up inside the cleanout doors and I can see my wire swinging around up at the top near the heat exchangers, nothing more comes down.
This stove rode home face down on a dolly, you'd think any loose ash would have dislodged. So nothing is blocking the exhaust, the air intake is open. I repaced the door gasket, twice (first one was too big!) and the dollar test is better, I at least have resistance now.
Turn the stove on, exhaust fan runs for a minute, then shuts off and #2 light blinks again. I checked the vaccuum hose.  Looks good. The exhaust fan looks new, like it was just replaces as well.
I sucked on the old vaccuum switch and it clicked. Thought maybe it was still good so I tried hooking it up again.  Same thing happened.
I also just noticed the new vaccuum switch has 2 nipples!
So which is the one to hook up?
Also maybe I'm putting the wires wrong?
Who ever worked on this last put tape on the wires..I'm assuming to mark positive leads?
Which prong does the positive wire go to?
This stove is making me crazy. It will be July again by the time (if) I can make it run!  HELP.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 17, 2020)

Oh and I checked the ashpan gasket too. It's tighter than the door!
So why am I still having vaccuum issues?


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 17, 2020)

The 2 wires that go to the vac switch, connect them together with a wire  don’t let them touch the stove they are 120vac. Then try the starting the stove.  The vac switch may click but still may be bad.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 17, 2020)

Yes Ssyko, thank you. That's how the stove was when I bought it.  I couldn't get it to run right and when I opened that side I found the vacuum wires paperclipped together (jumped) and two vacuum switches inside, neither one was hooked up.  I hooked up the newer one and have been having the #2 light blinking ever since.
Does the positive lead attach at the top?
Thank you.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 17, 2020)

Holy crap!!   I think I got it!  Ssyko thank you, the old one must have been bad.   The exhaust fan is staying on this time.
Now to put everything together and try lighting it.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 17, 2020)

Nice!! Now a new vac switch and you should have heat. The wires don’t matter which terminals just make sure the hose is on the light colored nipple and 1 wire hooked to “NO” (normally open)


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 17, 2020)

*sigh*
Well I had heat for a minute.
So now I'm back to the original problem (before I noticed that the vacuum switch was jumped).  The on/off  light never stops blinking, the room fan never cuts on and the auger dumps pellets into the pot until it smothers the fire.
Well, at least this time the door doesn't leak and fill the house with smoke. 

So is that a Proof of Fire switch issue?


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 17, 2020)

It sounds like there is an issue with the control board, the low limt switch will control the convection/room blower. But the blinking light should stop after 12-15 min. Can you post a pic of the board?


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 17, 2020)

Sure, just the face?


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 17, 2020)

The guy I bought it from said the control board was replaced recently by the dealer. Ugh, wish I could remember. . 2016 I think.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 17, 2020)

Ok im gonna do some research on that board. I may have one you can use till we can either fix yours or aquire a new one


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 17, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> Ok im gonna do some research on that board. I may have one you can use till we can either fix yours or aquire a new one


OMG...thank you!
Btw, I still had the info on Messenger. It was 2016.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 17, 2020)

Is the control board slide switch set to manual?


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 17, 2020)

Manual.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 17, 2020)

well i went to my office and opened the picture up on the big screen and the slide switch was on thermostat, that's why i asked. the board i have is not compatable anyway, it has no trim adjustments.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 17, 2020)

Darn. Thank you.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 17, 2020)

well lets try jumping the proof of fire switch and see if the stove still smothers or if it can be adjusted after it makes it through start up. and the room fan comes on.  just stay with it so you can keep track "no safeties with them jumpered"


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 17, 2020)

ok this stove board operates just like a breckwell..when you turn it on hit the feed trim till it lights up numbers 1 and 4 that will be the lowest feed setting and may keep it from smothering.

what color wires are on the auger motor?


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 17, 2020)

Like this?


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 17, 2020)

Looks like grey and grey.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 17, 2020)

So it was burning ok-ish. Green on/off light still blinking.
While I was opening the sides to take pics of auger wires...out again.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 17, 2020)

Who doesn't love the smell of smoke?  
Just call me bacon bits.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 18, 2020)

Ahh so it smothered out again. I have a couple breckwell boards but the auger is wired where your versa grate would be.. try it again with the feed on the lowest setting and turn the combustion blower trim to its highest setting.. make sure the damper on the intake is wide open.


----------



## rickwai (Dec 18, 2020)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> I don't have a garage and after what I went through to set here, I'm not moving it too far.
> But I did disconnect it from stove pipe and used my blow dryer (I dont own a leaf blower) and my vaccuum cleaner. It blew a tiny bit of ash forward. Ive cleaned up inside the cleanout doors and I can see my wire swinging around up at the top near the heat exchangers, nothing more comes down.
> This stove rode home face down on a dolly, you'd think any loose ash would have dislodged. So nothing is blocking the exhaust, the air intake is open. I repaced the door gasket, twice (first one was too big!) and the dollar test is better, I at least have resistance now.
> Turn the stove on, exhaust fan runs for a minute, then shuts off and #2 light blinks again. I checked the vaccuum hose.  Looks good. The exhaust fan looks new, like it was just replaces as well.
> ...


If you did not run a coil brush up the ash traps and suck the stove out with a leaf blower you are chasing your tail. I have been burning one and servicing St Croix stoves for about 10 years. I know what makes them tick. Not trying to be a jerk, just giving you a short cut to the solution.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 18, 2020)

> If you did not run a coil brush up the ash traps and suck the stove out with a leaf blower you are chasing your tail. I have been burning one and servicing St Croix stoves for about 10 years. I know what makes them tick. Not trying to be a jerk, just giving you a short cut to the solution.



this is from the st croix guru. He knows more than i do on these stoves. He won’t send you in the wrong direction.


----------



## Lordtimothy200 (Dec 18, 2020)

Just spit balling here.  This happens to me ever so often and normally it is when there is a strong north wind.   Just trying to think of any reason you would be having these issues.  Have you checked to make sure no bird or squirrel has crawled in and plugged up the chimney?  Any obstruction in the stove or chimney could cause the problem you are dealing with.


----------



## rickwai (Dec 18, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> this is from the st croix guru. He knows more than i do on these stoves. He won’t send you in the wrong direction.





Ssyko said:


> this is from the st croix guru. He knows more than i do on these stoves. He won’t send you in the wrong direction.


Typically they pull a .1 iwc when plugged then after cleaning i set damper at .3 iwc which typically is with damper against the set screw from factory and they run nicely.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 18, 2020)

rickwai said:


> Typically they pull a .1 iwc when plugged then after cleaning i set damper at .3 iwc which typically is with damper against the set screw from factory and they run nicely.



I don’t see many st croix up here in my area.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 18, 2020)

Thank you all so much.
As far as the stove pipe, I will step outside this time, but I can hear the air blowing up it upstairs.
Rickwai, I disconnected it from exhaust and both vacuumed and blew out (hair dryer highest setting. No leaf blower) the exhaust and air intake. Also I have sent a flexible pipestove rod up into those cleanout traps all the way up to under the heat exchanger tubes.  I could see my rod flailing around up there. Nothing much blue out when blow dryered it. It rode home face down on a dolly in the back of a pick-up. Seems like hidden stuff would have dislodged.   I'm beginning to suspect the guy I bought it from was having these same issues as there was a new vacuum switch inside ( next to the old one, which turns out was bad) and there was very little ash in the ash traps. Just a bunch of burnt and unburnt corn as if it had been doing this same thing before. Also the exhaust fan looks new. He also said a new control board was installed in 2016.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 18, 2020)

Ok, tried lighting it again. It went out even faster this time.  I pushed the draft trim button. All lights up and flashes 3 times on 3rd push, but the fan doesnt sound any different. The feed trim only changes from #5 to #4, then back to #5.
I went out to look at the chimney, no smoke I could see, just heat waves, but by the time I went back in the fire had gone out while the stove just kept dumping pellets.
Last night I kept the fan running because if I didnt I ended up with smoke, so the stove augured pellets into non- burning pot. 
This is what I had in the ash drawer.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 18, 2020)

Ok, went to Menards bought brush and brushed out those areas again (wth..$5 brush) and bought an electric leaf blower and tried the leaf blower thing.
Got a bit of stuff with the brush...tablespoon of burnt chunks. Nothing much with the leaf blower, blew through exhaust port ( dont make me disconnect and reconnect that again!) and air intake and up stove pipe.
Reconnected everything yet again.
Relit stove.    Exhaust fan shuts off after 15 seconds..#2 flashing again. Wtf???


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 18, 2020)

So I jumped the vacuum switch because I still had pellets burning in the pot and got tired of hitting the on button to make the exhaust fan run.  It was actually burning all right (though the room fan never has kicked on and still didnt even with a toasty stove).
Once I jumped the vacuum switch though, the auger kicked in,  started dribbling pellets and corn. Poof! Out went my fire, yet again.
Fellas...WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?!


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 18, 2020)

Does the auger look like its been replaced? Im wondering if it isn't the proper rpm. Does the exhaust blower stay running for 12-15 min?


----------



## Lordtimothy200 (Dec 18, 2020)

Have you tried to jump the proof of fire switch?  If you do the vacuum and proof of fire switch it takes out the safety features that can cause problems.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 19, 2020)

Ssyko, it's hard to tell, but I'm guessing no, it's the original auger. There are a couple pictures of it at the top of this page, but I can look closer tomorrow.  The exhaust fan was staying on just fine until I disconnected it from the stove pipe to leaf blower it.  For some reason after I hooked it back up,  lack of vacuum, shuts off after about 15 seconds.
Timothy, no I didnt jump the proof of fire, only the vacuum switch so the exhaust fan would stay on until the fire stopped smoking.
I don't understand why untaping the exhaust vent and blowing it out and reconnecting it would suddenly cause this vacuum switch issue I thought I had fixed?!
Ugh.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 19, 2020)

Ok im gonna give you a run down on how the stove is supposed to work, that will give you a better idea of what the stove should be doing. 
 Pushing the on button, the control board turns on the combustion blower, which creates a vacuum to complete the circuit for the auger to feed fuel. As the fire builds and the stove heats up the low limit switch switch trips and completes a circuit and the convection blower turns on. All the timing for the heat ranges are programmed into the control board and that is the Condensed version. So i think we should go back to the basics and look at this. Do you feel comfortable to pull the exhaust blower out of the stove? You can check its functionality and for a blockage in the housing area. We need to figure out the vacuum issue first.


----------



## rickwai (Dec 19, 2020)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> Ok, went to Menards bought brush and brushed out those areas again (wth..$5 brush) and bought an electric leaf blower and tried the leaf blower thing.
> Got a bit of stuff with the brush...tablespoon of burnt chunks. Nothing much with the leaf blower, blew through exhaust port ( dont make me disconnect and reconnect that again!) and air intake and up stove pipe.
> Reconnected everything yet again.
> Relit stove.    Exhaust fan shuts off after 15 seconds..#2 flashing again. Wtf???


You have to hook the suction side of the blower to the exhaust to get the proper effect. Just trying to blower in the front door and ash traps is useless. You can not get to the places that plug up by taking the fan out. Im not sure where it plugs but the leaf blower trick is the only way to clean the hidden areas. I have not had the exhaust fan out of mine for probably 6 yrs. Just suck it out a few times a year. I cringe when I see a St Croix roof vented. Side wall vent is much easier to suck out
Until it is sucked out properly you will continue to beat your head against the wall.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 19, 2020)

Oh, so I'm blowing OUT up into the stove pipe? Jeez, I was blowing from the exhaust port towards the front door. Ugh.
I guess that means I'm disconnecting it AGAIN.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 19, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> Ok im gonna give you a run down on how the stove is supposed to work, that will give you a better idea of what the stove should be doing.
> Pushing the on button, the control board turns on the combustion blower, which creates a vacuum to complete the circuit for the auger to feed fuel. As the fire builds and the stove heats up the low limit switch switch trips and completes a circuit and the convection blower turns on. All the timing for the heat ranges are programmed into the control board and that is the Condensed version. So i think we should go back to the basics and look at this. Do you feel comfortable to pull the exhaust blower out of the stove? You can check its functionality and for a blockage in the housing area. We need to figure out the vacuum issue first.


Ssyko, yeah I can take the exhaust fan off. But I thought it required a gasket, which I dont have. Whats the gasket made of?


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 19, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> Ok im gonna give you a run down on how the stove is supposed to work, that will give you a better idea of what the stove should be doing.
> Pushing the on button, the control board turns on the combustion blower, which creates a vacuum to complete the circuit for the auger to feed fuel. As the fire builds and the stove heats up the low limit switch switch trips and completes a circuit and the convection blower turns on. All the timing for the heat ranges are programmed into the control board and that is the Condensed version. So i think we should go back to the basics and look at this. Do you feel comfortable to pull the exhaust blower out of the stove? You can check its functionality and for a blockage in the housing area. We need to figure out the vacuum issue first.


Btw, the auger looks original?


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 19, 2020)

this is what  rickwai was talking about with the leaf blower


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 20, 2020)

I get it now. The OUTSIDE exhaust. 
Which I'm unable to do because my stove is hooked up to a 2 story vertical stove pipe.


----------



## rickwai (Dec 20, 2020)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> I get it now. The OUTSIDE exhaust.
> Which I'm unable to do because my stove is hooked up to a 2 story vertical stove pipe.


Yes but you hook up directly to the stove and suck it out


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 20, 2020)

How is she gonna do that inside the house?


----------



## rickwai (Dec 20, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> How is she gonna do that inside the house?


I dont know. Wheel it outside? They are a pain if you cant get to the end of the exhaust,  Im just saying that is what needs done


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 20, 2020)

I can't possibly be the only person who has a Auburn hooked up to vertical chimney pipe.   And what the heck do folks who have inserts do?


----------



## SciGuy (Dec 20, 2020)

rickwai said:


> I dont know. Wheel it outside? They are a pain if you cant get to the end of the exhaust,  Im just saying that is what needs done




Rick how about using a 25' piece of dryer vent to conduct the exhaust from the leaf blower out a window . RXwoman would still have to decouple the stove and perhaps twist it a bit to get the leaf blower hooked directly to the stove exhaust.  It probably be a lot easier than hand carting the stove back outdoors.  

Hugh


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 20, 2020)

SciGuy, thank you. That's just what I was planning to attempt. 
Menards for me again tomorrow.
I really hope something significant blows out after all this.


----------



## SciGuy (Dec 20, 2020)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> SciGuy, thank you. That's just what I was planning to attempt.
> Menards for me again tomorrow.
> I really hope something significant blows out after all this.


 

This may well be one of the very few times in your life where you really want to see a metric chit ton of debris come flowing out of something you own   Good luck!

Hugh


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 20, 2020)

SciGuy said:


> This may well be one of the very few times in your life where you really want to see a metric chit ton of debris come flowing out of something you own   Good luck!
> 
> Hugh


I hear that!!  Good call on the dryer duct! I was thinking the same thing or a length of pvc pipe if a window was near by.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Dec 20, 2020)

Not a bad idea if your cleanout is inside.


----------



## rickwai (Dec 21, 2020)

Sounds like a great idea. just be sure to secure the hose very good. If it blows off the could be a mess!


----------



## SidecarFlip (Dec 21, 2020)

rickwai said:


> Sounds like a great idea. just be sure to secure the hose very good. If it blows off the could be a mess!


Rick, hopefully, it's suck, not blow so the chance of it coming off are pretty slim.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 21, 2020)

Leaf blower would have to be on the stove and dryer duct out the door or window. Or the dryer duct would collapse from the vacuum.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Dec 21, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> Leaf blower would have to be on the stove and dryer duct out the door or window. Or the dryer duct would collapse from the vacuum.


Never considered that aspect.  It would depend on the inches of vacuum pulled (by the leaf blower) however.  The other way around has the potential to be on heck of a mess, I'm sure glad I have my cleanout Tee on the outside of the house, I would never put it inside just for the cleaning issue.  Soot and fly ash is NASTY any way you call it.  Bad enough I get the deck grungy, but it does wash off.  It don't wash off furniture and painted walls easily.......


----------



## SciGuy (Dec 21, 2020)

rickwai said:


> Sounds like a great idea. just be sure to secure the hose very good. If it blows off the could be a mess!




A  rigorous outdoor  "test run" of the leaf blower to dryer attachment would certainly be warranted before coming indoors and attaching to the stove.  A failure at that connection while evacuating a dirty stove would be a huge "oh chit"  momment.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Dec 21, 2020)

....As well as a most certain eviction from the house by a very irate spouse.  Soot is a real bugger to get off walls.  be calling in 'Serve-Pro' for remediation, you know, their saying....  'Like it never happened'...lol


----------



## SidecarFlip (Dec 21, 2020)

I would, as a matter of protection, remove the vacuum hose from the vacuum switch(s) inside the stove.  The diaphragms won't take a lot of pressure or excessive vacuum and can rupture.  I do that with mine when I do the leaf blower thing on the outside clean out Tee, just in case.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 21, 2020)

Well, tried it 3 times. Even set the end of the hose in the snow outside so I could see what came out.
Nothing.
Ugh. So it's not clogged.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 21, 2020)

So, while the stove was not hooked up to the stove pipe I wired the vacuum switch back together and hit the power button.
Same thing, exhaust fan runs for 15 seconds, then shuts down and #2 light starts blinking.


----------



## rickwai (Dec 21, 2020)

Sounds like you could have a bad vac switch. But without the vac guage you can’t determine that. So once you can verify that all is clean and breathing correctly you rule that out plugged stove. I only replace maybe 1 vac switch a year. Typically the issue is plugged stove or venting. I am just trying to give advice on what I typically find with your stove with the symptoms you explained


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 21, 2020)

rickwai said:


> Sounds like you could have a bad vac switch. But without the vac guage you can’t determine that. So once you can verify that all is clean and breathing correctly you rule that out plugged stove. I only replace maybe 1 vac switch a year. Typically the issue is plugged stove or venting. I am just trying to give advice on what I typically find with your stove with the symptoms you explained


Another bad vacuum switch?  I just hooked a new one up and the stove still wasn't running right. This one is bad too?
And I thought my oil stove was a nightmare.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 21, 2020)

You got a new vac switch?


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 21, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> You got a new vac switch?


It came with two. The old one was still hooked to the tubing, the other one was attached to stove but not hooked up.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 21, 2020)

See?


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 21, 2020)

Ok yes it is a possibility it is bad also, without a multimeter it is hard to say. Your sure your stove pipe is clear all the way out? Put the leaf blower end on the connection and blow it out for a few min.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 21, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> Ok yes it is a possibility it is bad also, without a multimeter it is hard to say. Your sure your stove pipe is clear all the way out? Put the leaf blower end on the connection and blow it out for a few min.


That's what I did the first 3 times, but I did it again.  Nothing but barely visible dusting.  If I blow this damn stove anymore I'm going to find it in my room smoking a cigarette.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 21, 2020)

lmaoooo...ok i understand your frustration, lets try and take all the safeties out of the equation and jump the vac switch and the low limit switch, with no pellets to see if the stove will show life longer than 10 min.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 21, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> lmaoooo...ok i understand your frustration, lets try and take all the safeties out of the equation and jump the vac switch and the low limit switch, with no pellets to see if the stove will show life longer than 10 min.


Which one is the low limit switch? The one on the side of the exhaust fan?


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 21, 2020)

yes should be


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 21, 2020)

Okay, those are both jumped.  Now the exhaust fan comes on before I even push the ON button. Just plug it in.   I can't turn the exhaust fan off. It stays running even with the green on/off button dark.  Pushing heat level buttons changes nothing. They all light up, but exhaust fan sounds the same.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 21, 2020)

ok   the low limit jumped is telling the board it is warm and needs fans.  is the convection fan coming on at all? put the wires back on the snap disc


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 21, 2020)

Oh, the room fan.  I don't think so.  If it is it's awfully quiet, and I cant see it.  Shouldn't there be significant amount of air blowing through the heat exchangers if that fan is on?


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 21, 2020)

yes. it should be blowing out the front


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 21, 2020)

Then nope. But the auger just kicked in.  Lol. startled me.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 21, 2020)

ok unplug the stov,e only jumper to leave on is the vac. everthing else should be as it was. plug back in and tell me if the control acts normal or if anything is on all the time.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 21, 2020)

Ok, low fire switch back the way it was and vac still jumped.  Plugged back in and nothing came on.    I had to push the on/off button to start it up.  On button and exhaust fan starts up again and on/off button blinking (start up program, right?).


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 21, 2020)

yep that's start up. ok somewhere in there we have to find a PINK wire that comes from the control board harness, that goes to the room blower. that i assume is in the pedestal. i went through all your pic's again and i don't see it in the back of the stove.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 21, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> yep that's start up. ok somewhere in there we have to find a PINK wire that comes from the control board harness, that goes to the room blower. that i assume is in the pedestal. i went through all your pic's again and i don't see it in the back of the stove.


There's what looks like it used to be pink, but has been spliced to grey. It's pink coming from the control board harness and the other grey that looks like goes to the back of the red and black thermostat switches on that side and both grey wires go down through a hole I'm assuming to the convection fan.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 21, 2020)

Nope, I mistaken on that second grey wire. It doesn't go to the back of the thermostat.  I don't know what that is.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 21, 2020)

that is a common terminal block. all the motors have 2 wires 1 of ea goes to the teminal block for a common/neutral connection to the ac input/outlet plug. the control board turns on  connections as needed to run.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 21, 2020)

if you take a n old lamp cord and connect 1 wire to the common terminal block and the other to the wire that I marked in the pic we might find the room blower and if it works.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 21, 2020)

one other thing we need to take the exhaust blower out to see how the blade's look. previous owner changed it and it might be the wrong fan blades.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 21, 2020)

Grey wires. One side of convection fan, and the other side.
I'll have to hunt for an old lamp wire.  How much length do I need?  A couple inches?
Ugh..electrical wiring.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 21, 2020)

Oh, and thank you for taking so much time to help me. I appreciate it.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 22, 2020)

No problem. I kinda dozed off last night   You can use an old extension cord, anything you can hook to them wires  and plug into the wall outlet.


----------



## rickwai (Dec 22, 2020)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> That's what I did the first 3 times, but I did it again.  Nothing but barely visible dusting.  If I blow this damn stove anymore I'm going to find it in my room smoking a cigarette.



That was a good one! We all feel your frustration.   Everybody is here to help. I have seen 1 stove in the past that burnt corn its whole life that I was having a rough time getting draft up to par using my typical bag of tricks. I finally pulled the  Comb. blower motor and several of the paddles had rusted off the fan blade.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Dec 22, 2020)

Way back when I had the long gone 25PDV, I pulled the combustion fan and ALL the blades had rusted off.  All I had was the fanwheel with nubs left.    Least I knew why the draft was getting poor even though I kept it clean.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Dec 22, 2020)

rickwai said:


> That was a good one! We all feel your frustration.   Everybody is here to help. I have seen 1 stove in the past that burnt corn its whole life that I was having a rough time getting draft up to par using my typical bag of tricks. I finally pulled the  Comb. blower motor and several of the paddles had rusted off the fan blade.


That happens with corn.  The nitric acid vapor in the combusting corn is very corrosive and eats up the blades...  Why, end of the heating season I switch to 100% pellets for a couple weeks, to get the residual, condensed nitric acid out of the stove and venting.  Corn is great and for me almost free but it has a big drawback (besides a lot of ash) and that is the nitric acid produced when it burns.

I empty the ash pan twice weekly on my 6039 and it's usually full in 3 days.  Driveway assumes a nice black stripe down in as winter progresses.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 22, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> No problem. I kinda dozed off last night   You can use an old extension cord, anything you can hook to them wires  and plug into the wall outlet.


OH, now I follow what I'm trying to do. Now, does it matter which one of the wires is hooked to that spot?


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 22, 2020)

nope


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 22, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> nope


All right, then the other wire goes to the other grey wire? The one that used to be pink, but the now grey end?  Sorry, I can do a few handy things, but electrical stuff is over me.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 22, 2020)

nope one wire goes to that common terminal block mounted on the back of the stove the other to the one i pointed to in the pic


----------



## rickwai (Dec 22, 2020)

SidecarFlip said:


> That happens with corn.  The nitric acid vapor in the combusting corn is very corrosive and eats up the blades...  Why, end of the heating season I switch to 100% pellets for a couple weeks, to get the residual, condensed nitric acid out of the stove and venting.  Corn is great and for me almost free but it has a big drawback (besides a lot of ash) and that is the nitric acid produced when it burns.
> 
> I empty the ash pan twice weekly on my 6039 and it's usually full in 3 days.  Driveway assumes a nice black stripe down in as winter progresses.


This is my end section of PelletVent Pro from 09. I sent this picture this fall in a email to Simpson and they sent me a new piece and a term cap! I didn't even ask for the cap


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 22, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> nope one wire goes to that common terminal block mounted on the back of the stove the other to the one i pointed to in the pic
> 
> View attachment 270128
> View attachment 270127


Ok, forgive my ignorance.  One bare wire directly to a prong sticking out of the common terminal block, the other wire to the grey wire that goes from the fan TO the common terminal block (that's the one circled in the pic) but the end to the fan?
I'm supposed to pull that connection apart, I'm assuming...other wise it's just plastic.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 22, 2020)

Am I getting warmer?


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 22, 2020)

yes that looks right. now when you plug that into the outlet be prepared to pull it back out. if the motor is set up it could smoke it or blow your circuit breaker


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 22, 2020)

what we are trying to do is make the connection to the 2 wires from the motor without going through the snap disc on the exhaust blower housing. and it will tell us if your convection fan is good or not


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 22, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> yes that looks right. now when you plug that into the outlet be prepared to pull it back out. if the motor is set up it could smoke it or blow your circuit breaker


Absolutely nothing happened. I tried it 3 times (double checking the connections each time)  nada. Not a spark, not hum, nothing.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 22, 2020)

ok plug everything back in unhook your test cord, is the blower motor wires accessable /unplugable?


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 22, 2020)

can you spin the blower by hand?


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 22, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> ok plug everything back in unhook your test cord, is the blower motor wires accessable /unplugable?


Only where it's spliced inside. On the fan itself no.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 22, 2020)

Yes, I can turn the blades.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 22, 2020)

ok thats good i have to study your pics again and compare to the wiring diagram in the manual. i just want to know the blower is gonna work or not.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 22, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> ok thats good i have to study your pics again and compare to the wiring diagram in the manual. i just want to know the blower is gonna work or not.


Should the blades turn..or really spin when I push on them?


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 22, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> ok thats good i have to study your pics again and compare to the wiring diagram in the manual. i just want to know the blower is gonna work or not.


Thank you.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 22, 2020)

the wire hooked to the pink wire. does it go to the motor?


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 22, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> the wire hooked to the pink wire. does it go to the motor?


Yes.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 22, 2020)

ok  cool  separate the pink&grey/Blk wire hook one test wire to the blk/ grey. then hook one to your common block.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 22, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> ok  cool  separate the pink&grey/Blk wire hook one test wire to the blk/ grey. then hook one to your common block.
> View attachment 270137


Same as before but pink-grey wire this time, side that goes to fan..right?


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 22, 2020)

yep thats the one


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 22, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> yep thats the one


The fan came on all right! Blows like a maniac!


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 22, 2020)

sweeet!!.. ok now we know all the major components are functional.. you can take your test cord out and plug the wires back in. and you have now passed basic electricity 101    the next thing is to pull the combustion blower and take a look at the fan paddles and chamber


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 22, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> sweeet!!.. ok now we know all the major components are functional.. you can take your test cord out and plug the wires back in. and you have now passed basic electricity 101    the next thing is to pull the combustion blower and take a look at the fan paddles and chamber


Lol. Aye aye .
And thank you!


----------



## SidecarFlip (Dec 23, 2020)

rickwai said:


> This is my end section of PelletVent Pro from 09. I sent this picture this fall in a email to Simpson and they sent me a new piece and a term cap! I didn't even ask for the cap




Guess I should have sent a picture to them as well (of my corroded clean out transition Tee) but I just ordered a new one from Venting Pipe.com.  Wasn't all the expensive, like 50 bucks.  Never occurred to me that it might be warranted.  Oh well, next time it rusts out I will, if I'm not rusted out myself.....


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 23, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> sweeet!!.. ok now we know all the major components are functional.. you can take your test cord out and plug the wires back in. and you have now passed basic electricity 101    the next thing is to pull the combustion blower and take a look at the fan paddles and chamber


Ok, before I take that whole thing off, as I don't have an extra gasket, or any heat proof silicone, and it's proving to be difficult to reach all the bolts, what am I checking? Because I can see the paddle from the exhaust exit.   It's fairly creosoted up in there, compared to the rest of everywhere, but nothing seems to be missing.  Btw, woke up to blizzard conditions today after several days of 50's.  Ugh, Nebraska.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 23, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> sweeet!!.. ok now we know all the major components are functional.. you can take your test cord out and plug the wires back in. and you have now passed basic electricity 101    the next thing is to pull the combustion blower and take a look at the fan paddles and chamber


Running, and not running (hard to tell but theyre spinning in one of those).


----------



## SidecarFlip (Dec 23, 2020)

Any deposits on the combustion fan blades will cause it to flow reduced air (draft).  It must be clean to function correctly.

I keep wondering how any biomass stove builds  creosote.  Neither of mine ever did, only fly ash and a bit of hard carbon in the burn pot.

In my view, creosote buildup is only caused by 2 things, insufficient combustion air causing a rich burn and too low of exhaust temps causing the by products of combustion to condense in the exhaust tract and form creosote.  Both of which can be addressed with proper air-fuel mixture and running the stove hard enough to keep the internal metal surfaces hot enough so it never forms.

After my initial cleaning of my combustion fan I never replaced the expensive fiber gasket.  I just use a bead of high temp red RTV instead.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 23, 2020)

SidecarFlip said:


> Any deposits on the combustion fan blades will cause it to flow reduced air (draft).  It must be clean to function correctly.
> 
> I keep wondering how any biomass stove builds  creosote.  Neither of mine ever did, only fly ash and a bit of hard carbon in the burn pot.
> 
> ...


Red RTV?


----------



## Lordtimothy200 (Dec 23, 2020)

Well, I am even worse, didn't even use any sealant when I replaced my combustion fan last time.  Just left the fiber filter and tightened it back down and checked for leaks.......nothing.  So didn't worry about it after that.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 23, 2020)

Holy creosote Batman!  Blech!


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 23, 2020)

Lemme guess...too much moisture in the corn?


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 23, 2020)

The pictures don't do this built up crud justice.  I've already scraped up a cup of this stuff just from the opening, goodness knows how much is back up in there! This might be why nothing blows loose when I use the leaf blower.  It's all stuck.


----------



## SciGuy (Dec 23, 2020)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> Red RTV?




RTV= Room temperature vulcanizing silicone. It comes in a tube and is found at almost every hardware store, auto parts store, HomeDepot, etc.     The red variety is good for high temperatures.


----------



## rickwai (Dec 23, 2020)

SciGuy said:


> RTV= Room temperature vulcanizing silicone. It comes in a tube and is found at almost every hardware store, auto parts store, HomeDepot, etc.     The red variety is good for high temperatures.
> 
> View attachment 270198


Dont silicone the fan back in. Next time u need to remove it you will destroy it. Just use whats left of your gasket for now.


----------



## rickwai (Dec 23, 2020)

SidecarFlip said:


> Guess I should have sent a picture to them as well (of my corroded clean out transition Tee) but I just ordered a new one from Venting Pipe.com.  Wasn't all the expensive, like 50 bucks.  Never occurred to me that it might be warranted.  Oh well, next time it rusts out I will, if I'm not rusted out myself.....


They marketed the PelletVent Pro for corn back when everybody was switching in 08-09.  I had thrown that piece in the trash then trash day thought I need a picture of that and see what happens.  I just sent a nice email with everything I liked about it like easy sealing oring joints with no silicone then asked if this was normal? They wrote back with a explanation of why and set a cap and 2’ piece. Also sent an outside air kit by mistake also‍.   Did not ask for age or receipt or anything. I do love this pipe. Twist lock and go. No chasing Leaks.  As you know. Corn vent has to b 100% sealed. Not a pleasant smell.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 23, 2020)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> Holy creosote Batman!  Blech!
> 
> View attachment 270193
> View attachment 270194



yeah that’s quite a mess!  And quite a a mass. That would hinder your amount of air movement and slow down the blower itself trying to turn the extra mass


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 23, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> yeah that’s quite a mess!  And quite a a mass. That would hinder your amount of air movement and slow down the blower itself trying to turn the extra mass
> [/QUOTE
> I was about to ask you if you recommended a new one or trying to clean this one (which looks newer)  but I just saw that a new one is about $100!  This "deal" of a stove is nickel and diming me to death as it is. Guess I'm going to try to clean this one.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 23, 2020)

Definitely clean it. I'm tighter than bark on a tree and elbow grease is cheaper    At most i might consider a new fan blade


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 23, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> Definitely clean it. I'm tighter than bark on a tree and elbow grease is cheaper    At most i might consider a new fan blade


That's what I was hoping you'd say.  I'm attempting to take the old blade off right now. What a grungy mess.  Same blades or "windier" ones like the dude on youtube video recommends?


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 23, 2020)

I would go for something like this 








						Quadra-Fire/ Eco Choice Combustion Exhaust Blower Motor Impeller 4.44" Wide-9 Petal
					

This is an Exhaust blower's impeller. 4.44"-9 PetalThis is the Main Impeller ONLY, NOT the Blower. Fits the following Quadra-Fire Stoves: Sante Fe B Sante Fe Castile Contour 1200. View Our Low Prices. Shop our wide selection. Love our same-day shipping!




					pellet-stove-parts-4less.com


----------



## SidecarFlip (Dec 23, 2020)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> Red RTV?


Permatex High Temperature Red RTV (room temperature vulcanizing) available at any auto parts store or Wally World or ACE hardware.  Comes in a tube.  I put a bead around the flange of the fan housing and let it set up for a half hour and the assemble the fan into the plenum housing and secure it with the hex nuts.  You might have screws on yours.  I do put fender washers under each screw / nut to spread the clamping load out and insure there are no leaks.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Dec 23, 2020)

rickwai said:


> Dont silicone the fan back in. Next time u need to remove it you will destroy it. Just use whats left of your gasket for now.


I disagree with that.  The trick is, if you will call it that is to apply a bead of red RTV AND THEN LET IT SIT FOR A HALF HOIUR TO AN HOUR AND ALLOW IT TO VULCANIZE AND THEN REASSEMBLE IT.  That way the RTV don't stick to the flange and makes taking it apart down the road a snap. ...  and you will take it apart again, numerous times.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 23, 2020)

If you put a light coating of veg. Oil on one of the flanges. And a bead on the other and tighten it down it will not stick to the oiled side


----------



## SidecarFlip (Dec 23, 2020)

If you are burning corn or a corn/pellet mix like I do, the corn must be below 15% RM, no exceptions or it will cause carbon / creosote buildup.  As the kernels carmelize in the heat of combustion, they give off moisture so it has to be dry shelled corn.  The corn I burn is way under 15%, in fact the corn I run is at 10%RM or less and the drier it is, the hotter in burns.

if you get your corn from the local elevator, it will be 15% RM or less.  Reason is, corn over 15% RM in storage will mold so the elevator dries it down to 15 for storage (and charges the grower for the fuel to dry it down).  That is called docking.  When a grower delivers corn to the elevator, the elevator probes the load for RM before it's even off loaded.  I get my corn from a guy down the road with his own processing plant and the corn I get is exceptionally dry and it's perfectly clean too.  No junk in it, just 100% popcorn fart dry corn.

You never want to buy corn direct from a farmer out of the field because chances are it's way above 15%, plus it's dirty.  I've been running hybrid field corn for years and I've never had it come off at 15 or less.  It's usually around 20, but I've seen it come off at 30 before.  Elevator corn will be magnetically cleaned too.  Combine parts can get mixed in the corn as well as nuts and bolts and you don't want your feed auger finding that stuff.  Finally, elevator corn will have earwings in it and they need to be separated out.  the corn I get has nothing in it, just corn.

If you want to buy from a farmer, I suggest you invest in a moisture meter that will tell you the RM.  I have an expensive Delmhorst meter that cost around 500 bucks but there are cheaper ones on the market, just not quite as accurate as mine is.  The one I have is accurate to within 1/10th percent of moisture but I need that, you don't.  TSC has inexpensive ones I think.

My burning corn lesson for the week....


----------



## SidecarFlip (Dec 23, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> If you put a light coating of veg. Oil on one of the flanges. And a bead on the other and tighten it down it will not stick to the oiled side


I'll have to try that myself, thanks Ssyko...


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 23, 2020)

SidecarFlip said:


> If you are burning corn or a corn/pellet mix like I do, the corn must be below 15% RM, no exceptions or it will cause carbon / creosote buildup.  As the kernels carmelize in the heat of combustion, they give off moisture so it has to be dry shelled corn.  The corn I burn is way under 15%, in fact the corn I run is at 10%RM or less and the drier it is, the hotter in burns.
> 
> if you get your corn from the local elevator, it will be 15% RM or less.  Reason is, corn over 15% RM in storage will mold so the elevator dries it down to 15 for storage (and charges the grower for the fuel to dry it down).  That is called docking.  When a grower delivers corn to the elevator, the elevator probes the load for RM before it's even off loaded.  I get my corn from a guy down the road with his own processing plant and the corn I get is exceptionally dry and it's perfectly clean too.  No junk in it, just 100% popcorn fart dry corn.
> 
> ...


LOL!!  Well that solves it.  The guy I bought this from says it was his mom's and she didn't want to lug buckets of corn anymore (gettin' too old)  and that she bought the corn pretty cheap from a farmer.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 23, 2020)

Yep that explains alot


----------



## SidecarFlip (Dec 23, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> I would go for something like this
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Wonder if that would fit my 6039's exhaust plenum?  Ssyko, you happen to have the depth dimension of the vanes?


----------



## SidecarFlip (Dec 23, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> Yep that explains alot


Either you are inordinately lucky or you run it hard.  wet corn is death to a stove (as evidenced by the blower plenum).  I have never ran any above 15%RM, which is the standard dry down for elevator corn and works out to about 56 pounds per bushel.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 23, 2020)

You know what ticks me off?  I told this guy I needed heat for my house, that I needed something that worked, that I was driving all the way from Nebraska in a borrowed pick up, that I didn't have ANY heat and that my husband had passed away last year before we put a furnace in.
So he sold a widow a heater he KNEW had issues and never said jack chit. So much for Midwest honesty.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 23, 2020)

They have fit quads, breckwell, cab50, enviro’s, englander’s and pelpro’s that i have worked on


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 23, 2020)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> You know what ticks me off?  I told this guy I needed heat for my house, that I needed something that worked, that I was driving all the way from Nebraska in a borrowed pick up, that I didn't have ANY heat and that my husband had passed away last year before we put a furnace in.
> So he sold a widow a heater he KNEW had issues and never said jack chit. So much for Midwest honesty.



sadly true, but not just midwestern honesty. That chit happens all the time everywhere.  But we will get you up and running with heat. I would use just pellets for now and get the stove burned clean.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 23, 2020)

I wish I had found you guys before I bought this stove and asked you what to look for and what you recommended.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 23, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> sadly true, but not just midwestern honesty. That chit happens all the time everywhere.  But we will get you up and running with heat. I would use just pellets for now and get the stove burned clean.


Yes, thank you.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Dec 23, 2020)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> You know what ticks me off?  I told this guy I needed heat for my house, that I needed something that worked, that I was driving all the way from Nebraska in a borrowed pick up, that I didn't have ANY heat and that my husband had passed away last year before we put a furnace in.
> So he sold a widow a heater he KNEW had issues and never said jack chit. So much for Midwest honesty.


Well, I find Nebraskans to be quite honest and accommodating folks.  I hunt in Nebraska regularly near Valentine, always with the same outfitter too and I always come home with a nice mount.  It's a long drive from Michigan but always worth the trip.

You are getting there.  You are turning a sows ear into a silk purse......lol


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 23, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> sadly true, but not just midwestern honesty. That chit happens all the time everywhere.  But we will get you up and running with heat. I would use just pellets for now and get the stove burned clean.


Btw, how do I get the fan blade off?  It seems to really be stuck on there!  I doused it with WD-40, but it wont budge. Should it slide right off?


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 23, 2020)

SidecarFlip said:


> Well, I find Nebraskans to be quite honest and accommodating folks.  I hunt in Nebraska regularly near Valentine, always with the same outfitter too and I always come home with a nice mount.  It's a long drive from Michigan but always worth the trip.
> 
> You are getting there.  You are turning a sows ear into a silk purse......lol


Thank you Sidecar.  You must have quite the freezer full of venison.   Mmmmm...venison.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 23, 2020)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> Btw, how do I get the fan blade off?  It seems to really be stuck on there!  I doused it with WD-40, but it wont budge. Should it slide right off?


There is a set screw, loosen that up or take it out and keep it wet with wd40 let it set overnight it may come off easyer tomorrow.  If not it's probably gonna involve a hacksaw blade and some patience


----------



## SidecarFlip (Dec 23, 2020)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> I wish I had found you guys before I bought this stove and asked you what to look for and what you recommended.




The problem with ANY stove is, you haven't a clue what it looks like on the inside if it's used and I'm sure Ssyko will agree that a large percentage of stove owners don't take proper care of maintenance items and /or clean them out properly.  Pretty much SOP for any used unit.

I agree with Ssyko, run it straight hardwood pellets and run it hard.  It needs 'cooked' out.  Once it's cooked and cleaned (again) then get into corn but I'd suggest a corn / pellet mix like I run for a couple reasons.  One, pellets ignite much easier than corn does so if you run at lower settings, the chance of it going out is remote (and they will go out on straight corn on low feed settings and Two, the pellet mix negates all the residual build up in the exhaust passage and eliminates almost all the hard carbon buildup that corn produces.

I run a 2-1 mix of pellets and corn.  A scoop of pellets (I use a plastic feed scoop) to 2 scoops of corn and I mix up 4 30 gallon plastic garbage cans full at a time.  I have them on a pallet that I put next to the deck and take them into the house with a 5 gallon bucket.  That lasts me about a week and a half of hard burning.

I always start the stove on straight pellets, never corn as well.  Corn don't like to ignite but pellets do and mine is a manual light anyway.  Handfull of pellets, a shot of gelled firestarter, light it up, close the door, start the stove and in 5 minutes it's cooking away.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Dec 23, 2020)

A dre


Ssyko said:


> There is a set screw, loosen that up or take it out and keep it wet with wd40 let it set overnight it may come off easyer tomorrow.  If not it's probably gonna involve a hacksaw blade and some patience


A Dremel tool and cut off wheel works too.  I use PBlaster myself.  never seen one that gives up easily.  The constant heat and cool cycles lock the screw in the hub tightly.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Dec 23, 2020)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> Thank you Sidecar.  You must have quite the freezer full of venison.   Mmmmm...venison.


I actually donated the last one to the local church in Valentine, just had the mount done (locally in Valentine by Tall Tails Taxidermy).  I shot him the last day of rifle season with about an hour left and by the time I got him checked in and caped out, I was running out of time and didn't want to stay another 2 days for the processor to run it so I donated it.  People everywhere have to eat, I'm sure it was appreciated.  Hanging weight was 170 which is a nice sized Mule Deer and he's a 10 point with brow tines too.

With the Covid stuff, I didn't hunt at all this year, hopefully next fall, I'll be out there again.


----------



## rickwai (Dec 24, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> There is a set screw, loosen that up or take it out and keep it wet with wd40 let it set overnight it may come off easyer tomorrow.  If not it's probably gonna involve a hacksaw blade and some patience


I wonder if you suspend the fan in a bowl of water so just the blade is in the water it may soften it up and desolve. Or get some creosote spray and soak it and clean it. You will probably destroy the motor shaft removing the blade. A cutoff wheel on a Dremel makes it easy if you are careful.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 24, 2020)

Im just making suggestions to keep costs down and special tools she will never use again is all. Best thing to get the blade cleaned off is fire or a solvent like laquer thinner but there again specialty materials that cost $$$. If you go easy and stay just shy of the shaft hacksaw blade works good but its not as fast as a dremel.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Dec 24, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> Im just making suggestions to keep costs down and special tools she will never use again is all. Best thing to get the blade cleaned off is fire or a solvent like laquer thinner but there again specialty materials that cost $$$. If you go easy and stay just shy of the shaft hacksaw blade works good but its not as fast as a dremel.


Fan hub set screws (especially on combustion fans are always a bugger to get loose) and don't matter if you put never seize on the new one either, they all lock up and removal is tedious but a new motor is expensive so being careful about removing it is the reward for not having to buy the entire assembly.

Ordered the one Ssyko linked in his post and will see if it will fit in my plenum when it arrives, which could be in a month or 2 months depending on delivery time.  Our mail delivery here is non-existent.  Local (Detroit) mail distribution has mail stacked to the ceiling and I hear there were 30 semi trailers sitting outside, waiting to unload, what a joke.  Post Office is a disaster here.  The Covid has some interesting side impacts.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 24, 2020)

I have ordered the one Ssyko suggested. I left it soaking in WD 40 but havent tried to remove it yet again. I think there's part of a can of carbureter cleaner here somewhere.   Isnt that basically laquer thinner? I managed to remove the funky shaped little screw that holds the blade to the shaft. I thought I would have to go to Menards again. Luckily found the perfect sized little bit that fits in a drill set my husband left behind. Glad I didn't donate it!  But so far it still wont budge. 
What was the dremel for?  I actually have one of those here somewhere.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 24, 2020)

Once you get the blade off you can use gas or carb cleaner  to clean the housing. If you have a dremel you need a few of the cut off wheels and you will have to cut the hub in a spiral like a barber pole. Do you know if the hubby had a propane torch?


----------



## SidecarFlip (Dec 24, 2020)

To get the creosote build up off, it might work for you to soak the parts (not the motor) in warm water for an hour or two.  That will loosen it and let you use a putty knife to remove it.  Brake cleaner won't do squat except take the lubricant out of the motor bearings, I'd not use that.  Non chlorinated brake cleaner is a great solvent for removing oil and that is about it (other than drying your hands out and giving you the old leather look and being a female, not good.  Men like soft hands.....lol, least I do.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Dec 24, 2020)

Take the dremel with a small cut off wheel and cut a slot in the fan hub, back to front and remove it.  When you do that, the set screw is superfluous.  What you will do is relieve the pressure on the motor shaft the hub and screw is making and a shot of WD or PBlaster will allow you to slide it off.  May take a little persuasion to get it started, as a light tap on the end of the motor shaft while holding the old fan.  Once the grip is broken, it will slide right off and when you install the new fan, note the location of the old one in relationship to the sheet metal back flange.  You want the new one attached to the motor shaft in the same spot.  Put it on, tighten down the setscrew and put it back together (after cleaning the crap out of the plenum of course.  If I lived closer or if Ssyko did, we'd give you a hand, but we don't.  You are a 2 day drive for me, probably 3 for Ssyko.

Not on subject but one thing I've noticed at least around Valentine and that is, everyone heats with propane there.  I assume no NG piped in.


----------



## johneh (Dec 24, 2020)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> part of a can of carbureter cleaner here somewhere. Isnt that basically laquer thinner?


In one Word *NO*
Lacquer thinner will flash off fast and is very volatile


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 24, 2020)

Hey! It came off!  I did one more squirt of lube, and it popped off. Getting that creosote build up is a different story.    It's all smooth like a coat of shellac or something and wire grill brush does nothing.  I found the carb cleaner.  It won't damage that housing, right?
I'm making a disgusting mess in the house as it's waaaaay too cold outside for this.  And yes I found a torch, but the plastic on/off valve is cracked and it doesn't do anything when I turn it.  I think it's been sitting for a while.
And thank you for the offer to come and assist me.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 24, 2020)

At this point if you have a good portion of that tar cleaned off I would just soak it in a bucket of warm water and some mean green or greased lighting and dawn dish soap till you new fan comes in. Maybe take a file to the shaft to polish up any burs or build up.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Dec 24, 2020)

Warm water and a dash of dishwash detergent works wonders on creosote, by the time your new fan shows up, most of it (creosote) will come right off (with a little putty knife help).  Basically, install the new fan, put it back together and run the snot out of it on pellets for a few weeks and then think about DRY corn (and pellets together).  I've had years to perfect my 2-1 mix.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 24, 2020)

Hot water.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 24, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> At this point if you have a good portion of that tar cleaned off I would just soak it in a bucket of warm water and some mean green or greased lighting and dawn dish soap till you new fan comes in. Maybe take a file to the shaft to polish up any burs or build up.


Yup. New fan should be here next week. Do I need to use the gasket, or would that red stuff be better?  In both places? I bought some.
Thank you everyone. Have a merry Christmas!❄


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 24, 2020)

The red high temp silicone will be fine. And a MERRY CHRISTMAS to you too.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 27, 2020)

SidecarFlip said:


> Take the dremel with a small cut off wheel and cut a slot in the fan hub, back to front and remove it.  When you do that, the set screw is superfluous.  What you will do is relieve the pressure on the motor shaft the hub and screw is making and a shot of WD or PBlaster will allow you to slide it off.  May take a little persuasion to get it started, as a light tap on the end of the motor shaft while holding the old fan.  Once the grip is broken, it will slide right off and when you install the new fan, note the location of the old one in relationship to the sheet metal back flange.  You want the new one attached to the motor shaft in the same spot.  Put it on, tighten down the setscrew and put it back together (after cleaning the crap out of the plenum of course.  If I lived closer or if Ssyko did, we'd give you a hand, but we don't.  You are a 2 day drive for me, probably 3 for Ssyko.
> 
> Not on subject but one thing I've noticed at least around Valentine and that is, everyone heats with propane there.  I assume no NG piped in.


Thank you offering.  Yeah, I have propane in the kitchen. Only folks in town have any access to nat gas .


----------



## SidecarFlip (Dec 27, 2020)

I actually have 4 500 gallon propane bottles here.  2 for the house and 2 for the grain dryers, all 4 running in tandem groups of 2.  I cannot use the 'dryer' gas in the house because it's no tax and illegal to heat with (here in Michigan at least).  The house bottles are also linked together but I usually keep one shut off all the time so I can easily monitor my fuel usage.  HWH and everything else is electric.  Just the central furnace is propane and the house standby gen set.  The rest of the farm and the farm shop is on the diesel standby genny.  My in floor PEX heat in the shop is propane from the house bottles too.

I own all the bottles so I can fill with whomever is the least expensive but I tend to deal with my hunting buddy who also owns a propane distribution business.  He's always in the 'ball park' on price.

My rentals are all on propane as well and the renters pay their own gas bills as well as electric bills and all of them have +90 furnaces.


----------



## rickwai (Dec 28, 2020)

SidecarFlip said:


> I actually have 4 500 gallon propane bottles here.  2 for the house and 2 for the grain dryers, all 4 running in tandem groups of 2.  I cannot use the 'dryer' gas in the house because it's no tax and illegal to heat with (here in Michigan at least).  The house bottles are also linked together but I usually keep one shut off all the time so I can easily monitor my fuel usage.  HWH and everything else is electric.  Just the central furnace is propane and the house standby gen set.  The rest of the farm and the farm shop is on the diesel standby genny.  My in floor PEX heat in the shop is propane from the house bottles too.
> 
> I own all the bottles so I can fill with whomever is the least expensive but I tend to deal with my hunting buddy who also owns a propane distribution business.  He's always in the 'ball park' on price.
> 
> My rentals are all on propane as well and the renters pay their own gas bills as well as electric bills and all of them have +90 furnaces.


I own my 500 underground tank. I use about 275 Gal. per year and fill in July/August at the lowest price.  Propane runs HW, Range, Clothes dryer, Furnace( gets very little use) and gas grill I have plumbed in.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Dec 28, 2020)

Mine are all above ground though I could have buried them.  I didn't for a reason and the reason is my good friend and hunting buddy who owns the LP distributor I get my gas from.  He told me the issue with burial is, if the tank or valving leaks, there is no way you can tell if it's leaking until the grass around the bottle dies, then you have to excavate it and fix the leak.  I own them so they are all painted Hunter Green and blend in nicely with the surrounding trees and foliage nicely instead of the standard silver that bottles are usually painted.  Burial was not an issue, I own a Case Extenda-Hoe.

Have a bad feeling that this summer, heating gas (as well as motor fuel and diesel) won't be cheap like this last year was.  I believe low fuel prices are gone with the new administration.  Why I topped off my diesel tank.  Temporary hedge against the fuel price increase I feel that is looming.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 28, 2020)

SidecarFlip said:


> Mine are all above ground though I could have buried them.  I didn't for a reason and the reason is my good friend and hunting buddy who owns the LP distributor I get my gas from.  He told me the issue with burial is, if the tank or valving leaks, there is no way you can tell if it's leaking until the grass around the bottle dies, then you have to excavate it and fix the leak.  I own them so they are all painted Hunter Green and blend in nicely with the surrounding trees and foliage nicely instead of the standard silver that bottles are usually painted.  Burial was not an issue, I own a Case Extenda-Hoe.
> 
> Have a bad feeling that this summer, heating gas (as well as motor fuel and diesel) won't be cheap like this last year was.  I believe low fuel prices are gone with the new administration.  Why I topped off my diesel tank.  Temporary hedge against the fuel price increase I feel that is looming.


Yeah, but weren't the low gas prices mostly due to the pissing contest between Russia and Saudi Arabia last summer when Saudi dumped all that oil into the market purposely to drive the price down?  There for a while they said that oil was minus $35 a barrel?  ( Turns out it was oil futures, not oil itself).


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 28, 2020)

Well, it aint too purty. Guess I'm not good at squooshing vulcanizing gasket goop into a perfect circle...but I think it'll work.
Just in time too. We're expecting another ugly winter storm to start tonight.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 28, 2020)

A thin film would have been enough lol. Put some vegetable oil on the motor side so it doesn’t stick. Also put some on the stove where the housing mounts


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 28, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> A thin film would have been enough lol. Put some vegetable oil on the motor side so it doesn’t stick. Also put some on the stove where the housing mounts


Does it have to be vegetable oil?  Would 3 in 1 oil work just as well?


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 28, 2020)

Yep


----------



## johneh (Dec 28, 2020)

Some type of cooking oil is better
but if all you have is 3 in 1 use it
Heat will make the 3 in 1 smoke and smell for a while 
whereas cooking oil handles the heat better


----------



## SidecarFlip (Dec 28, 2020)

Was going to comment but Ssyko beat me to it.  The correct way to apply it it, take the cone shaped cap off and snip the very end and use that to apply the RTV in a thin bead, then let it sit overnight and assemble with the vegetable oil as Ssyko recommends.  Your 'goop' job will work but next time do it as I say, it's a lot less messy.

You take the cone shaped cap off and put the flat cap on the tube and let the cone nozzle vulcanize and pull the coagulated RTV out of the cap and viola, it's good again.

Now we get a bit technical...  If you can, get some fender washers that fit snugly on the welded in studs in the blower housing and when you put the blower in the housing, drop  a washer over each screw post and tighten the nuts down.  That spreads the clamping force more equally around the entire assembly and insures it won't leak.  Tighten the hex nuts down firmly but not stupid tight, those are little weld studs and you don't want to break them off.

Fender washers are wide washers not like the skinny ones you usually see.  Your local hardware will have them I'm sure.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Dec 28, 2020)

PAM works too.  I'm sure you have that.


----------



## ABusWrench (Dec 28, 2020)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> Does it have to be vegetable oil?  Would 3 in 1 oil work just as well?


Silicone spray will work also.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 28, 2020)

Washers aren’t a must right now. Heat is. Add them later if needed. I’ve used the factory fasteners on a lot of stoves with no issues


----------



## SidecarFlip (Dec 28, 2020)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> Yeah, but weren't the low gas prices mostly due to the pissing contest between Russia and Saudi Arabia last summer when Saudi dumped all that oil into the market purposely to drive the price down?  There for a while they said that oil was minus $35 a barrel?  ( Turns out it was oil futures, not oil itself).


Not really.  Under Trump's energy policy we became a NET EXPORTER of oil.  Under the new Regime we will again become a NET IMPORTER of oil and that will cause a spike in prices.  The Green new deal might be good in some ways but real bad in others and especially bad for your bottom line as a consumer of refined petroleum products.

Why I filled my bulk tank to the top (minus the expansion space).  My hedge on pricing in the near future.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 28, 2020)

SidecarFlip said:


> Was going to comment but Ssyko beat me to it.  The correct way to apply it it, take the cone shaped cap off and snip the very end and use that to apply the RTV in a thin bead, then let it sit overnight and assemble with the vegetable oil as Ssyko recommends.  Your 'goop' job will work but next time do it as I say, it's a lot less messy.
> 
> You take the cone shaped cap off and put the flat cap on the tube and let the cone nozzle vulcanize and pull the coagulated RTV out of the cap and viola, it's good again.
> 
> ...


OVERNIGHT??  Crap, Someone said 30 minutes to an hour!


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 28, 2020)

SidecarFlip said:


> Not really.  Under Trump's energy policy we became a NET EXPORTER of oil.  Under the new Regime we will again become a NET IMPORTER of oil and that will cause a spike in prices.  The Green new deal might be good in some ways but real bad in others and especially bad for your bottom line as a consumer of refined petroleum products.
> 
> Why I filled my bulk tank to the top (minus the expansion space).  My hedge on pricing in the near future.


Oh.  I guess I thought prices were based on supply and demand.  Since the Saudis caused a big supply and the demand went down (because no one went anywhere with the quarantining) that the glut caused the price to go down.  
Is the green new deal going to be implemented??


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 28, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> Washers aren’t a must right now. Heat is. Add them later if needed. I’ve used the factory fasteners on a lot of stoves with no issues


Aaand right back to square one.  New fan, new vacuum switch, hit ON button and fan starts up, 15-20 seconds everything shuts down and #2 light starts blinking.  The only thing different is I think the convection fan is cutting on now.
I'm thinking this thing never ran right from day one . Lucky me.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 29, 2020)

Try taking the vac hose off the switch and blow through it. If its clear lets go back to jumping the vac switch And try it.  Can you get a good close up pic of the label on the motor?


----------



## rickwai (Dec 29, 2020)

I have seen one that I had to clean the junk out of the elbow out by the stove.  All the hard creosote inside under the fan cavity did not look good either. Explains why leafblower pulled nothing out.


----------



## rickwai (Dec 29, 2020)

Just hoping the previous owner did not run for extended amount of time with vac switch jumped (because stove was plugged) and hopelessly plugged up the places you cant see with creosote.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 29, 2020)

rickwai said:


> Just hoping the previous owner did not run for extended amount of time with vac switch jumped (because stove was plugged) and hopelessly plugged up the places you cant see with creosote.



thats what concerns me too.


----------



## johneh (Dec 29, 2020)

Maybe get it outside and give it a good hot test burn


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 29, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> thats what concerns me too.


Me three


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 29, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> Try taking the vac hose off the switch and blow through it. If its clear lets go back to jumping the vac switch And try it.  Can you get a good close up pic of the label on the motor?


The vacuume hose isn't clogged. When I jump the the switch it stays on.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 29, 2020)

rickwai said:


> Just hoping the previous owner did not run for extended amount of time with vac switch jumped (because stove was plugged) and hopelessly plugged up the places you cant see with creosote.


Is there any cure for that or did I drive to the other side of Iowa for a really big boat anchor?


----------



## SciGuy (Dec 29, 2020)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> The vacuume hose isn't clogged. When I jump the the switch it stays on.



Just to be very clear,  when you pulled the vacuum hose did you  blow air through the hose back into the stove using  your mouth so that you could sense the air flowing?


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 29, 2020)

SciGuy said:


> Just to be very clear,  when you pulled the vacuum hose did you  blow air through the hose back into the stove using  your mouth so that you could sense the air flowing?


Yes.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 29, 2020)

Ok will it stay running with the switch jumped?


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 29, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> Ok will it stay running with the switch jumped?


Yes. Weird thing, before the green on/off light flashed when I turned it on.  Now it doesn't.  
But yes, it runs with the vacuume switch jumped.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 29, 2020)

Let it run for half an hour then bump it to heat lvl 2 and see how its burning. I’m thinking the elbow that the hose hooks to in the firebox is plugged


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 29, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> Let it run for half an hour then bump it to heat lvl 2 and see how its burning. I’m thinking the elbow that the hose hooks to in the firebox is plugged


Ok.  But with pellets only, right?  Also would I have been able to blow through the hose if it was clogged in the elbow?
And in the firebox, how much air/draft should I be able to feel up behind the burn bowl.  I took it out and I could see a metal tube leading away from that area behind one of those exhaust slots. Should there have been noticible air flow when I feel there while the exhaust fan is on?


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 29, 2020)

For your viewing pleasure. To make sure the control board is programmed correctly


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 29, 2020)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> Ok.  But with pellets only, right?  Also would I have been able to blow through the hose if it was clogged in the elbow?
> And in the firebox, how much air/draft should I be able to feel up behind the burn bowl.  I took it out and I could see a metal tube leading away from that area behind one of those exhaust slots. Should there have been noticible air flow when I feel there while the exhaust fan is on?



no you couldn’t have blown through it  duhh.
You wont feel a lot of air. It might hold a post it note.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 29, 2020)

I was mistaken. The green on/off button does come on.  I couldn't see it very well with bright light and my old lady eyes.  But it's on and blinking like before.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 29, 2020)

Ok Ssyko,
I got impatient and frustrated and I didn't follow your instructions this time.   I had it going but doing the same thing as last time...fire getting smaller and smaller while pellets dropping in.  So I grabbed my blow dryer and blew into the fresh air intake.  Whoosh!  I had a nice hot fire for a minute.  About 5 minutes later I tried to raise the setting to #2.  It wouldn't let me. I seemed to be locked out.  Then I noticed funky smoke in the fire box so I tried recording it.  While I'm doing this the whole stove shut down and started blinking #3!
I turned it off and turned it back on, so it's running on #2 now.  I'm getting a BIG fire ( no more blow dryer).   I'm wondering if my proof of fire switch went kapute when I took it off?


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 29, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> no you couldn’t have blown through it  duhh.
> You wont feel a lot of air. It might hold a post it note.


Oops, spoke too soon. My "big fire" just went out.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 29, 2020)




----------



## Ssyko (Dec 29, 2020)

Ok the proof of fire snap disc are somewhat fragile at the terminals where they connect to the body. If they get loose it could cause intermittent connections. But that only controls the convection blower. Is that coming on? So we still have a big draft issue. I’m going to dig a little more into the exhaust motor and control board when i get home from work. Cant read this fine print on the phone I’m old also


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 29, 2020)

LOL!  Ok, my fire went out...again. But the stove is nice and hot.    5 minutes later the convection fan just cuts on and the board is blinking #3.
Is this thing haunted??


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 29, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> Ok the proof of fire snap disc are somewhat fragile at the terminals where they connect to the body. If they get loose it could cause intermittent connections. But that only controls the convection blower. Is that coming on? So we still have a big draft issue. I’m going to dig a little more into the exhaust motor and control board when i get home from work. Cant read this fine print on the phone I’m old also


Oh!  You're at work!  So sorry.  Yes, thank you.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 29, 2020)

Well if the stove is warm, and you a comfortable with jumping the low limit switch after the stove has turned on and in start up for 30 sec. this is live voltage 120vac. We can’t do the jump before because the board will see it as a err and shut down. If your not comfy with that it’s cool.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 29, 2020)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> Oh!  You're at work!  So sorry.  Yes, thank you.



bored watching the clock


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 29, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> Well if the stove is warm, and you a comfortable with jumping the low limit switch after the stove has turned on and in start up for 30 sec. this is live voltage 120vac. We can’t do the jump before because the board will see it as a err and shut down. If your not comfy with that it’s cool.


So I'm going to have to stick a paper clip in there (that's how Ive been jumping these things) while the stove is plugged in? And that will stop the #3 blinky blinky and keep the convection fan on?
Both fans ran for quite a while before finally shutting everything off.
But that doesn't fix the dying fire problem, does it?


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 29, 2020)

Yes it should eliminate #3 blink. Running is what we need it to do. Im hoping we can get it cooking and burn some of that tar out of the stove. But jumping the disc will also make it keep feeding pellets. This will be a last ditch effort short of being ther


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 29, 2020)

Ok, well before I read your last post I restarted it and this time I put it level 4.
What does that do exactly?  Just add pellets faster? Because the sound of the exhaust fan never changes.  
It's really burning now, but the darn convection fan doesnt come on this time.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 29, 2020)

Oh, the high fire limit kicked in ( I'm assuming that's what does it). I'm locked out again. Which is fine, the fire was getting kind of hot.
If cooking the creosote out is possible, this should do it!


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 29, 2020)

Ok, so then this happened. As the fire was about to go out I turned the on/off button on and off and I wasnt locked out anymore, so I augured more pellets to keep it going.  I got the fire cooking again and the convection fan kicked in.  A few minutes later the convection fan made a sound like it was going into overdrive, started blowing like crazy (noisy thing) and the on/off button FINALLY stopped blinking!


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 29, 2020)

Ok that means you got it through the startup and now it's in run mode. what kinda noise did the convection fan make/ rattle squeal?

 out of the manual
The Ignition Cycle works as follows: a. The Combustion Fan comes on at high speed and the control board checks to make sure the Vacuum switch locks in. (See section on Diagnostic features on page 34 and 35) b. If the Control Board senses the Vacuum switch the Exhaust Fan drops to a lower start up speed and the Room Fan shuts off. c. After 5 minutes the board starts feeding Fuel on the #1 setting until the board senses Proof of Fire or until the ignition cycle times out after 15 minutes. d. If the board fails to sense P.O.F. after 15 minutes it will shut down and flashes the #3 alarm. e. If the board senses P.O.F. the stove has started successfully and the Igniter shuts off. The unit is now in “Normal Operation Mode”. If the Stove went into “Shutdown” and the #3 LED is flashing repeat the Start-Up process. (See section on Diagnostic Features on page 34 and 35.) C


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 29, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> Ok that means you got it through the startup and now it's in run mode. what kinda noise did the convection fan make/ rattle squeal?
> 
> out of the manual
> The Ignition Cycle works as follows: a. The Combustion Fan comes on at high speed and the control board checks to make sure the Vacuum switch locks in. (See section on Diagnostic features on page 34 and 35) b. If the Control Board senses the Vacuum switch the Exhaust Fan drops to a lower start up speed and the Room Fan shuts off. c. After 5 minutes the board starts feeding Fuel on the #1 setting until the board senses Proof of Fire or until the ignition cycle times out after 15 minutes. d. If the board fails to sense P.O.F. after 15 minutes it will shut down and flashes the #3 alarm. e. If the board senses P.O.F. the stove has started successfully and the Igniter shuts off. The unit is now in “Normal Operation Mode”. If the Stove went into “Shutdown” and the #3 LED is flashing repeat the Start-Up process. (See section on Diagnostic Features on page 34 and 35.) C





Ssyko said:


> Ok that means you got it through the startup and now it's in run mode. what kinda noise did the convection fan make/ rattle squeal?
> 
> out of the manual
> The Ignition Cycle works as follows: a. The Combustion Fan comes on at high speed and the control board checks to make sure the Vacuum switch locks in. (See section on Diagnostic features on page 34 and 35) b. If the Control Board senses the Vacuum switch the Exhaust Fan drops to a lower start up speed and the Room Fan shuts off. c. After 5 minutes the board starts feeding Fuel on the #1 setting until the board senses Proof of Fire or until the ignition cycle times out after 15 minutes. d. If the board fails to sense P.O.F. after 15 minutes it will shut down and flashes the #3 alarm. e. If the board senses P.O.F. the stove has started successfully and the Igniter shuts off. The unit is now in “Normal Operation Mode”. If the Stove went into “Shutdown” and the #3 LED is flashing repeat the Start-Up process. (See section on Diagnostic Features on page 34 and 35.) C



Well I was going to upload video of it running but it wouldnt let me. Too large.
It's just really loud. Reminds of of the noises of a jet engine, high pitched and whiny. And it seems to change speeds
when it feels like it and there's a faint beeping I cant pin point.  I thought my up stairs smoke detector was going off, but no, it comes from the stove.
In any event, it's still going so far.
Seems to like pellets way more than it liked corn.  I have awful creosote building up on the glass already, but oh well, I have some heat finally too.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 29, 2020)

Question: is it normal to have a tiny gap around your heat exchanger tube scraper rod?  I never noticed it until now when I have a fire in the fire box.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 29, 2020)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> Question: is it normal to have a tiny gap around your heat exchanger tube scraper rod?  I never noticed it until now when I have a fire in the fire box.


yes that's normal on a lot of stoves.. now i gotta ask, I was just reading the manual for your stove. Is your coal rake rod pushed in?  under the door on the front of the stove there is 2 rods) The Coal Rake & the Slide-Out bottom must be in the correct position for the unit to operate correctly. The Coal Rake must be pulled out or the burn pot will overload.  top rod out bottom in


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 29, 2020)

Should those convection blowers be oiled or lubed somewhere?


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 29, 2020)

3 in 1 oil on the shaft closest to the motor on both sides.. did you try the stove with the top rod pulled out?


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 29, 2020)

Thank you, maybe I can get rid of that squeal.  No, not yet. That's my next attempt.


----------



## Lordtimothy200 (Dec 29, 2020)

Get used to the glass covered.  It happens quick and not much you can do about it.  Happy to see you are making progress on the stove.


----------



## rickwai (Dec 30, 2020)

Lordtimothy200 said:


> Get used to the glass covered.  It happens quick and not much you can do about it.  Happy to see you are making progress on the stove.


Glass should not be black within hours of start up. It is running with the vac switch jumped because we think there is still something plugged up somewhere


----------



## SidecarFlip (Dec 30, 2020)

Black view glass is ALWAYS indicative of a rich burn condition (too much fuel versus too little combustion air.  When the fuel to air ratio is correct, the view glass will still collect some fly ash and haze, but won't blacken and the haze and ash can be easily remove the a natural bristle paintbrush in a couple seconds while the stove is running.  Just open the door and brush the view glass (of course being careful not to burn yourself.

I rarely clean my view glass when cleaning out the stove now.  frequent cleaning of it when in operation keeps the view glass nice and tidy.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 30, 2020)

Well we will worry about a clean burn when we can get it to burn constantly first.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 30, 2020)

rickwai said:


> Glass should not be black within hours of start up. It is running with the vac switch jumped because we think there is still something plugged up somewhere


Yes, the vac switch is still jumped.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 30, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> Well we will worry about a clean burn when we can get it to burn constantly first.


I oiled the conv fan. Sounds better. Still loud and whiny but not getting all those really high pitched beeps and squeals. This morning I tried starting it up and letting it do it's thing without baby sitting it. In twenty minutes the fan turned off and #3 light blinking.   I used augur button to feed more pellets, hoping there were still embers in there and used the blow dryer trick on the fresh air intake. It roared back to life. And funny thing, when I did that the  conv fan cut on for about 5 seconds, then turned back off.
Also, is it normal to have smoke come out into the pellet bin?  I opened it to check pellet level and some smoke from the fire box came out.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 30, 2020)

And it just went out again while I was writing the previous reply.  Seems like if I dont babysit it, it goes out.
I just tried adding pellets like earlier. I'm locked out again too. But there's no fire and it didnt really get all that hot like last night when it locked me out.
Wtf?


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 30, 2020)

Lordtimothy200 said:


> Get used to the glass covered.  It happens quick and not much you can do about it.  Happy to see you are making progress on the stove.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 30, 2020)

Did it burn better with the top rod out? Try closing the intake damper till it touches the set screw


----------



## SidecarFlip (Dec 30, 2020)

On a negative draft unit like you have THERE SHOULD NEVER BE ANY SMOKE coming through the fuel bin, ever.  That is a sign the that the negative draft isn't functioning correctly and will cause a hopper fire with very bad results (like burn your house down).  Why all maunfacurers went from positive draft (pressurized burn area) to negative draft (vacuum in the burn area years ago) and why it's folly to buy a used positive draft stove.  Amaizeablaze comes right to mind as does the early models of the England stoves.  They all belong at the metal recycling yard in my opinion.

Are you absolutely sure the combustion fan you replaced the fan wheel on is rotating in the correct direction?  You can change the rotation of the motor by flipping the field laminations 180 degrees which reverses the armature rotation.  The wires to the coil mean nothing, only the induced magnetic field determines the rotation and the new fan you put on has a definite direction of rotation to purge the byproducts of combustion.  if it's rotating backwards it will be extremely inefficient in it's task.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 30, 2020)

I thinking it was the damper being open all the way. With it closed up it should draw through the drop tube and eliminate the smoking hopper. Without being in front of the stove we have to wait for her to execute the instructions one at a time. So far it lights and runs for more than 5 min and thats more than it has been doing. So we are making progress


----------



## SidecarFlip (Dec 30, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> I thinking it was the damper being open all the way. With it closed up it should draw through the drop tube and eliminate the smoking hopper. Without being in front of the stove we have to wait for her to execute the instructions one at a time. So far it lights and runs for more than 5 min and thats more than it has been doing. So we are making progress


...Unless you want to make a road trip, which would bring you right past my place and we could go together.  I'd take the Suburban, I have a finished mount sitting in Valentine, Nebraska I need to pick up anyway......


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 30, 2020)

Pretty long road trip for me. Id rather just mail a care package. Im confident she can do this


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 30, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> Did it burn better with the top rod out? Try closing the intake damper till it touches the set screw


Nope, not really any difference.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 30, 2020)

SidecarFlip said:


> On a negative draft unit like you have THERE SHOULD NEVER BE ANY SMOKE coming through the fuel bin, ever.  That is a sign the that the negative draft isn't functioning correctly and will cause a hopper fire with very bad results (like burn your house down).  Why all maunfacurers went from positive draft (pressurized burn area) to negative draft (vacuum in the burn area years ago) and why it's folly to buy a used positive draft stove.  Amaizeablaze comes right to mind as does the early models of the England stoves.  They all belong at the metal recycling yard in my opinion.
> 
> Are you absolutely sure the combustion fan you replaced the fan wheel on is rotating in the correct direction?  You can change the rotation of the motor by flipping the field laminations 180 degrees which reverses the armature rotation.  The wires to the coil mean nothing, only the induced magnetic field determines the rotation and the new fan you put on has a definite direction of rotation to purge the byproducts of combustion.  if it's rotating backwards it will be extremely inefficient in it's task.


Uhhh...wish I'd known to check this when it was out of the stove.  But I had air blowing out the exhaust tube when it was disconected from my stove pipe, so wouldnt it have to be?


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 30, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> I thinking it was the damper being open all the way. With it closed up it should draw through the drop tube and eliminate the smoking hopper. Without being in front of the stove we have to wait for her to execute the instructions one at a time. So far it lights and runs for more than 5 min and thats more than it has been doing. So we are making progress


I closed air intake to set screw, though it's set quite a way in there, and I'm not getting smoke in the pellet bin right now. 
It's burning right now, I'm waiting for the convection fan to kick in. Seems to take forever.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 30, 2020)

Oh, i was hoping it had a better flame.that top rod closes off a lot of air. Ok so how do the holes look in the bottom of the burn pot pic if ya can


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 30, 2020)

SidecarFlip said:


> ...Unless you want to make a road trip, which would bring you right past my place and we could go together.  I'd take the Suburban, I have a finished mount sitting in Valentine, Nebraska I need to pick up anyway......


Lol. Not even close.  Valentine Nebraska is pretty much kitty-corner across Nebraska from me.  I'm clear on the other side, just north of Lincoln.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 30, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> Oh, i was hoping it had a better flame.that top rod closes off a lot of air. Ok so how do the holes look in the bottom of the burn pot pic if ya can


The ones inside against the back wall of the firebox?  Or the burn pot it self?


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 30, 2020)

Ugh. The stove shut down again while I still had a fire going.
I had to push ON to turn the fan back on.
Now the fire is dying ...just as the convection fan kicks in.
I can hear pellets dropping in, but theyre not doing anything.  I bet if I blew into it with the blow dryer it would flare back on.
Not enough air.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 30, 2020)

I dont have smoke coming out the bin, but I can see the firebox filling with smoke.  Unless that's just my glass?


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 30, 2020)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> I dont have smoke coming out the bin, but I can see the firebox filling with smoke.  Unless that's just my glass?


NOPE!  That isn't the glass, it's smoke...lots and lots of smoke.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 30, 2020)

The holes in the burn pot itself, we are encroaching on the end game now. Only thing i can think of now is to change parts. From what i have read these stoves have a very weak venting flow. Im going out to plow the driveway and i’ll see what parts i have in the shop. Maybe i can put a care package Together for ya. I do know I don’t have a double blower convection blower but i have a lot of motors and blowers. Maybe put a combustion blower together with a lil more umph


----------



## SidecarFlip (Dec 30, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> Pretty long road trip for me. Id rather just mail a care package. Im confident she can do this


2 days for me, 3 for you....In good weather no less.

Snow here went to rain.  Haven't mounted my 10 foot power angle plow to a farm tractor yet, nor the rear mount blower.  I won't move snow unless it's 5" deep.  I'm a mile from the paved road so snow removal equipment is mandatory, buy infrequently used.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 30, 2020)

One thing is hook the 2 wires to the exhaust blower to you test cord and plug into the wall. It will run at full speed. And clear smoke and maybe draw more


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 30, 2020)

Your browser is not able to display this video.




Finally. I was able to upload video of what the fan sounds like. Please don't laugh at my ucky old plaster and lath walls.  You can hear the high pitched beepy sound starting again, and if you listen carefully you can hear it dropping pellets, even though the fire is out.  Just a lot of smoke.  Believe it or not that's actually an improvement after I oiled it.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Dec 30, 2020)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> View attachment 270732
> 
> Finally. I was able to upload video of what the fan sounds like. Please don't laugh at my ucky old plaster and lath walls.


Classic case of dry bearings in the room air distribution fan motor.  They need oiled and if too far gone i8t will need renewed (fan and motor).

Another ran the bags out of neglected stove that some schister sold.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 30, 2020)

SidecarFlip said:


> Classic case of dry bearings in the room air distribution fan motor.  They need oiled and if too far gone i8t will need renewed (fan and motor).
> 
> Another ran the bags out of neglected stove that some schister sold.


Jeez. It looks like it was replaced once already. The wires are not original.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 30, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> The holes in the burn pot itself, we are encroaching on the end game now. Only thing i can think of now is to change parts. From what i have read these stoves have a very weak venting flow. Im going out to plow the driveway and i’ll see what parts i have in the shop. Maybe i can put a care package Together for ya. I do know I don’t have a double blower convection blower but i have a lot of motors and blowers. Maybe put a combustion blower together with a lil more umph


So sounds like youre saying it's a lemon?  A Stratus with a cracked head.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 30, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> One thing is hook the 2 wires to the exhaust blower to you test cord and plug into the wall. It will run at full speed. And clear smoke and maybe draw more


Thank you. I tried that, it didn't blow any differently.  But that's something I didn't know how to do before, and I do now!


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 30, 2020)

SidecarFlip said:


> Classic case of dry bearings in the room air distribution fan motor.  They need oiled and if too far gone i8t will need renewed (fan and motor).
> 
> Another ran the bags out of neglected stove that some schister sold.


Ok Flip, where on the fan do I oil the bearings?  I oiled it some last night, but I don't think it got o the bearings.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 30, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> The holes in the burn pot itself, we are encroaching on the end game now. Only thing i can think of now is to change parts. From what i have read these stoves have a very weak venting flow. Im going out to plow the driveway and i’ll see what parts i have in the shop. Maybe i can put a care package Together for ya. I do know I don’t have a double blower convection blower but i have a lot of motors and blowers. Maybe put a combustion blower together with a lil more umph


I can take out again once the stove cools and stops smoking, but I can tell you I've had it out several times and the holes looked just fine then.
So it's hopelessly clogged back in there somewhere?


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 30, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> The holes in the burn pot itself, we are encroaching on the end game now. Only thing i can think of now is to change parts. From what i have read these stoves have a very weak venting flow. Im going out to plow the driveway and i’ll see what parts i have in the shop. Maybe i can put a care package Together for ya. I do know I don’t have a double blower convection blower but i have a lot of motors and blowers. Maybe put a combustion blower together with a lil more umph


Looks ok to me.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 30, 2020)

yes the weldment looks good. ok does the slide look like this



			https://s3.amazonaws.com/stellar-blue-wpengine-venus-wp-media-folder/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20earth-sense-energy-systems/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/20160209_114909.jpg


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 30, 2020)

if you can get some oil on each side.. have the blower on end and do a few drops on the top side and let it run down into the bearing


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 30, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> yes the weldment looks good. ok does the slide look like this
> 
> 
> 
> https://s3.amazonaws.com/stellar-blue-wpengine-venus-wp-media-folder/WP%20Media%20Folder%20-%20earth-sense-energy-systems/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/20160209_114909.jpg


 The bottom of the of the burn pot? Yeah, it has holes like that.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 30, 2020)

they look good ?  i have a blower i found in the shop it will  bring your vacuum up and move more air than the stoves original. but then we are changing design and making a frankenstove. it 65 bucks on amazon but then you still need a convection blower. vac switch and pof snap disc. i don't know how far you want to go with this.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 30, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> they look good ?  i have a blower i found in the shop it will  bring your vacuum up and move more air than the stoves original. but then we are changing design and making a frankenstove. it 65 bucks on amazon but then you still need a convection blower. vac switch and pof snap disc. i don't know how far you want to go with this.


I have 3 vacuume switches now! Surely one is still good. Proof of fire? It's bad too?
And I just oiled the heck out of the convection bearings....maybe it's ok?
What do you think of those creosote melting logs they sell.  Do they work?

What else am I going to do with this thing? Set it aside next to the old oil heater in my dining room and hope someone needs a boat anchor?


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 30, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> they look good ?  i have a blower i found in the shop it will  bring your vacuum up and move more air than the stoves original. but then we are changing design and making a frankenstove. it 65 bucks on amazon but then you still need a convection blower. vac switch and pof snap disc. i don't know how far you want to go with this.


So, is it just clogged back there somewhere?  This cant be the only stove that has ever happened to!


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 30, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> they look good ?  i have a blower i found in the shop it will  bring your vacuum up and move more air than the stoves original. but then we are changing design and making a frankenstove. it 65 bucks on amazon but then you still need a convection blower. vac switch and pof snap disc. i don't know how far you want to go with this.


Yup, I need a convection blower. Damn it.
How is it I managed to find the one stove that has EVERY f@cking thing wrong with it?


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 30, 2020)

no its probably not. but i dont want to put you in a dangerous position with modifying the stove.

Amazon product


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 30, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> no its probably not. but i dont want to put you in a dangerous position with modifying the stove.
> 
> Amazon product



What would you suggest?  If I were your mom or your sister what would be your advise?


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 30, 2020)

ok i didn't know you got a new vac switch so we can take that off the list. we just need to get more air through the stove. so if you pull out the ash pan there is a plate on the back wall, can you pull that plate and look in there and see if there is any debris? and we need a reliable convection blower so the stove does not overheat


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 30, 2020)

Ive taken the burn pot out a couple times. Mine doesnt seem to have a removable plate. Just slots.
Besides, right now its cooking. Conv fan still sounds like someone is killing it slowly, but its been burning for 40 min and not going out.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 30, 2020)

Rick? Sidecar? if we get this burning. can we burn the residue out of this stove?  I have never dealt with corn residue. but this stove is gonna run one way or another


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 30, 2020)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> Ive taken the burn pot out a couple times. Mine doesnt seem to have a removable plate. Just slots.
> Besides, right now its cooking. Conv fan still sounds like someone is killing it slowly, but its been burning for 40 min and not going out.



it not behind the burn pot its the back wall where the ash pan goes, you have to pull the ash pan out of the stove.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 30, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> Rick? Sidecar? if we get this burning. can we burn the residue out of this stove?  I have never dealt with corn residue. but this stove is gonna run one way or another


Something is coming out!  Im just not sure if its old or new.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 30, 2020)

i would get an old rag there so it don't stain your floor


----------



## Lordtimothy200 (Dec 30, 2020)

Just as a note, the very top most rod is only for cleaning the heat exchanger tubes.  Does nothing more than scraps the ash off of them.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 30, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> i would get an old rag there so it don't stain your floor





Ssyko said:


> it not behind the burn pot its the back wall where the ash pan goes, you have to pull the ash pan out of the stove.
> 
> View attachment 270778


Ohhh, ok. I never noticed that.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 30, 2020)

Lordtimothy200 said:


> Just as a note, the very top most rod is only for cleaning the heat exchanger tubes.  Does nothing more than scraps the ash off of them.


Yes. That much I have figured out.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 30, 2020)

ok before i send that order i want to ck one more thing.. did you hook the exhaust blower up to the test cord and run the stove?  does the motor sound faster on the test cord or the same as when its plugged into the harness?


----------



## gfreek (Dec 30, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> One thing is hook the 2 wires to the exhaust blower to you test cord and plug into the wall. It will run at full speed. And clear smoke and maybe draw more





Rxwoman1961 said:


> Thank you. I tried that, it didn't blow any differently.  But that's something I didn't know how to do before, and I do now!


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 30, 2020)

good call gfreek its been a long thread.lol


----------



## gfreek (Dec 30, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> good call gfreek its been a long thread.lol


Yes it has,  I've been following this thread.  It's great that you and others are intent on getting this stove up and running.


----------



## Washed-Up (Dec 30, 2020)

Same, it’s great to see!


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 30, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> ok before i send that order i want to ck one more thing.. did you hook the exhaust blower up to the test cord and run the stove?  does the motor sound faster on the test cord or the same as when its plugged into the harness?


I did. It sounded the same.  Maybe a tad slower, if anything.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 30, 2020)

i did smarten up a wee bit and collected all the pics and put them in a file on my pc so i don't have to keep going back to look


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 30, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> it not behind the burn pot its the back wall where the ash pan goes, you have to pull the ash pan out of the stove.
> 
> View attachment 270778


Mine doesnt seem to have one of those.  I thought I had looked the inside prettt good and didnt remember anything back there.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 30, 2020)

good


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 30, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> good


That's a good thing?   Ok.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 30, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> i did smarten up a wee bit and collected all the pics and put them in a file on my pc so i don't have to keep going back to look


Lol. My stove has a dossier.


----------



## johneh (Dec 30, 2020)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> My stove has a dossier.


A dossier  NO just a very long file 
You are lucky you have Ssyko helping he is one of the best in stove repairs
and I have never seen him give up


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 30, 2020)

im not alone on this forum. we have experts on every make and model


----------



## Washed-Up (Dec 30, 2020)

Take the compliment Ssyko.....he’s very right!


----------



## rickwai (Dec 31, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> Rick? Sidecar? if we get this burning. can we burn the residue out of this stove?  I have never dealt with corn residue. but this stove is gonna run one way or another


Ssyko.
First off I would not buy a Conv. fan at this point. That is the least of your worries.  There is a major restriction in the stove where there is no access. Between the  heat exchanger and the comb. fan. 
This is how I think it played out: previous owner ran the stove without proper cleaning until the point that it was so restricted that the vac switch would not close. Then thought must be a bad switch, stove looks clean to me. Replaced the switch and same issue, it would not close. At this point he should have called for service or hopped on this forum for advice.   As we know the vac switch is there for a reason. If he would have brushed out the ash traps and sucked the stove out with a leaf blower it would have can back to like new airflow,  at that point the blockages would have been just loose fly ash.Instead he jumped the switch, got the unit to fire in a starved for air situation and ran it like that.  Burning rich for a extended period of time and turned blocked passages into a hardened mess.  Then it got to the point to where it is at now and will not burn do to severe blockages that he pulled it out and unloaded it.  If Rx wants to try to salvage it and try to burn it out, I definitely would not suggest doing it in the house. Burning creosote is a stinky mess and if it shuts down and spills smoke in the house or worse it could be bad. I would take it outside and force burn it using the hair dryer to boost airflow to heat it up.


----------



## rickwai (Dec 31, 2020)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> Mine doesnt seem to have one of those.  I thought I had looked the inside prettt good and didnt remember anything back there.


The much newer units they put access covers to get to the hidden passages


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 31, 2020)

rickwai said:


> Ssyko.
> First off I would not buy a Conv. fan at this point. That is the least of your worries.  There is a major restriction in the stove where there is no access. Between the  heat exchanger and the comb. fan.
> This is how I think it played out: previous owner ran the stove without proper cleaning until the point that it was so restricted that the vac switch would not close. Then thought must be a bad switch, stove looks clean to me. Replaced the switch and same issue, it would not close. At this point he should have called for service or hopped on this forum for advice.   As we know the vac switch is there for a reason. If he would have brushed out the ash traps and sucked the stove out with a leaf blower it would have can back to like new airflow,  at that point the blockages would have been just loose fly ash.Instead he jumped the switch, got the unit to fire in a starved for air situation and ran it like that.  Burning rich for a extended period of time and turned blocked passages into a hardened mess.  Then it got to the point to where it is at now and will not burn do to severe blockages that he pulled it out and unloaded it.  If Rx wants to try to salvage it and try to burn it out, I definitely would not suggest doing it in the house. Burning creosote is a stinky mess and if it shuts down and spills smoke in the house or worse it could be bad. I would take it outside and force burn it using the hair dryer to boost airflow to heat it up.



i agree 100%,  I have a combustion blower i know is much more powerful than the original and she would not need a hair dryer.  My concern is weather the stove it is recoverable at all. My thoughts were to get 1 of those creosote logs, break it into chunks that would fit in the pot. All safeties jumped with the blower i have or hair dryer run it to an almost over-fire hand feeding chunks till it opens up or burns out the blockage. Do you think this would work?


----------



## rickwai (Dec 31, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> i agree 100%,  I have a combustion blower i know is much more powerful than the original and she would not need a hair dryer.  My concern is weather the stove it is recoverable at all. My thoughts were to get 1 of those creosote logs, break it into chunks that would fit in the pot. All safeties jumped with the blower i have or hair dryer run it to an almost over-fire hand feeding chunks till it opens up or burns out the blockage. Do you think this would work?


It would be worth a try. It just worries me doing it inside the house. I would take it outside and let it rip.   As we know, the vac switch is designed to shut the stove down prior to it getting to the filling the stove with creosote point.  It would be like running a engine 50k mileds until it was tarred up beyond belief then trying to resurect it.  Trying to burn it out is the only option, other than that, it would be to scrap it? That is why I suggested not worrying about a squeaky Dist. blower for now


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 31, 2020)

parting it out she could make most of her money back.. but if she's willing to move it outdoors i think its worth a shot at it. yeah we wont worry about motors till we get this thing clean. tape the hairdryer on the intake and turbo burn .lol


----------



## gfreek (Dec 31, 2020)

The pic of creosote dripping out of the pipe is not a good sign.  Are the exhaust paths so hidden that there is no way to clean the hardened creosote on this unit ?    Agree at this point the idea, if possible,  to move it outside and turbo fire it to  burn it out.. & is there a chance the creosote can ignite like a chimney fire ?


----------



## SciGuy (Dec 31, 2020)

gfreek said:


> The pic of creosote dripping out of the pipe is not a good sign.  Are the exhaust paths so hidden that there is no way to clean the hardened creosote on this unit ?    Agree at this point the idea, if possible,  to move it outside and turbo fire it to  burn it out.. & is there a chance the creosote can ignite like a chimney fire ?



Early on my pellet burning adventures I ran a Harman P-43 in for a couple of weeks in the fall shoulder season in manual mode with the feed turned down to just below "test".  This resulted in a very cool running stove that deposited a significant creosote coating throughout the stove and exhaust pipe. My strategy at the time was to occasionally burn a good hot fire to burn off the accumulated glaze.  One evening while doing this my partner said " do you smell something hot" .  At the same time I began to notice a rapidly increasing roar that sounded like a train fast approaching.  Looking behind the stove I could see that the exhaust pipe was becoming incandescent, first cherry and then dull orange.   Long story short, the exhaust pipe did not fail but the ESP over-temped and required a reset once things settle down and I ascertained that the stove was still serviceable.  The  creosote coating within the stove was rather nicely consumed.  I immediately vowed to never allow this situation to happen again.  From that time on I've never "choked" the stove down to  smoldering fire. It runs in room temperature mode at all times alternating between a hot fire and off when temperatures are too warm for a continuous fire.   Stove/chimney fires are way too exciting especially indoors. 

YMMV,

Hugh


----------



## rickwai (Dec 31, 2020)

gfreek said:


> The pic of creosote dripping out of the pipe is not a good sign.  Are the exhaust paths so hidden that there is no way to clean the hardened creosote on this unit ?    Agree at this point the idea, if possible,  to move it outside and turbo fire it to  burn it out.. & is there a chance the creosote can ignite like a chimney fire ?


That is what I am afraid of doing this indoors.


----------



## rickwai (Dec 31, 2020)

SciGuy said:


> Early on my pellet burning adventures I ran a Harman P-43 in for a couple of weeks in the fall shoulder season in manual mode with the feed turned down to just below "test".  This resulted in a very cool running stove that deposited a significant creosote coating throughout the stove and exhaust pipe. My strategy at the time was to occasionally burn a good hot fire to burn off the accumulated glaze.  One evening while doing this my partner said " do you smell something hot" .  At the same time I began to notice a rapidly increasing roar that sounded like a train fast approaching.  Looking behind the stove I could see that the exhaust pipe was becoming incandescent, first cherry and then dull orange.   Long story short, the exhaust pipe did not fail but the ESP over-temped and required a reset once things settle down and I ascertained that the stove was still serviceable.  The  creosote coating within the stove was rather nicely consumed.  I immediately vowed to never allow this situation to happen again.  From that time on I've never "choked" the stove down to  smoldering fire. It runs in room temperature mode at all times alternating between a hot fire and off when temperatures are too warm for a continuous fire.   Stove/chimney fires are way too exciting especially indoors.
> 
> YMMV,
> 
> Hugh


I had a similar situation with my P38 running it real low to maintain constant temp in the basement. That is when I converted it to a auto ignition P43 and run it like you do.


----------



## rickwai (Dec 31, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> parting it out she could make most of her money back.. but if she's willing to move it outdoors i think its worth a shot at it. yeah we wont worry about motors till we get this thing clean. tape the hairdryer on the intake and turbo burn .lol


I think that is the only salvation to move outdoors and try to burn it out.  It is a shame that the guy screwed her over like that. If she was closer I have a nice Greenfield I would let go. I bought it cheap , cleaned it up and have not done anything with it. i also have a P61 harman i am converting to a P61A auto ignition that will be for sale once the parts come in.


----------



## Washed-Up (Dec 31, 2020)

I think she’d have to remove the pipes and tee, clean them out before trying to burn it off....indoors anyways


----------



## rickwai (Dec 31, 2020)

Washed-Up said:


> I think she’d have to remove the pipes and tee, clean them out before trying to burn it off....indoors anyways


The other thing is that from the stove to the 6" looks to be just ductwork type pipe from Lowes.  That would not hold up well if things got out of hand


----------



## Washed-Up (Dec 31, 2020)

That’s a good point and I never notice until you mentioned it. Can the OP confirm that the exhaust is the proper double wall piping?


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 31, 2020)

RX do you have a son in_law or friend/neighbor that can help you move the stove outside for a big burn?
 you will need power for the stove and your test cord  for the exhaust blower and 1 creosote log and pellets


----------



## Washed-Up (Dec 31, 2020)

Would these be the same or better Ssyko?


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 31, 2020)

I have always kept my wood burning appliances burning clean and i've never had creosote. let alone this corn biproduct that looks like melted glass. @rickwai might know.  i have seen some in stoves i've worked on but it was nowhere near this level. i read the specs on it looks like its about the same as the logs


----------



## SidecarFlip (Dec 31, 2020)

I've never had a creosote issue with mine on pellets or corn or a mixture but when I saw the picture of her combustion blower housing, I was quite taken back by the deposits in it.  I tend to agree, there is some blockage in the stove somewhere and it needs a 'helluva' roast to get it out.  I'd move the stove outside on the porch and light it up, wide open and let it cook with no venting attached, just the exhaust outlet stub pointed AWAY from anything flammable.

Sure looked to me like a pretty steady diet of wet corn and low burns.

I've run my 6039 on HR1 during shoulder season but not for days on end and I notice on HR1 (lowPPH feed rate) it will blacken the backer board and the window as well.  I just don't make a habit out of extended running that way.

The bones of the stove are still good, it just appears to have some internal blockage, probably coagulated corn residue.  Corn with a high wax content will coagulate in various passages when burned cold.

Time for a front (or back) porch run I'd say.  I saw the picture of the venting and glossed over it but it did not look like double wall pellet/corn vent.  I always assume people use approved multi fuel venting.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Dec 31, 2020)

If you want to do a road trip, again, I'll drive from here to there and back to here again.  I need to go to Nebraska to pick up my mule deer cape mount anyway.  I have a lugs your butt Suburban LTZ.  Even has heated and air conditioned seats.  In leather of course....lol


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 31, 2020)

SidecarFlip said:


> If you want to do a road trip, again, I'll drive from here to there and back to here again.  I need to go to Nebraska to pick up my mule deer cape mount anyway.  I have a lugs your butt Suburban LTZ.  Even has heated and air conditioned seats.  In leather of course....lol


be cheaper if i just sent her a stove lol.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Dec 31, 2020)

A stove would fit in the back of the 'Burb' just fine.  A Suburban is basically a pickup truck without an open bed.  Even with the 3rd row seating up, you still have 6 feet of cargo room.  It's a bus...  It's air ride too.  LIke my wife says, if it's good enough for Trump, it's good enough for us...


----------



## JbTech (Dec 31, 2020)

I'm a new member here. I must say the willingness to help figure this out is amazing!

If I were closer, I'd help deliver whatever! As long as it wasn't knowledge. Don't have much of that to share yet!


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 31, 2020)

johneh said:


> A dossier  NO just a very long file
> You are lucky you have Ssyko helping he is one of the best in stove repairs
> and I have never seen him give up


Yes, it was a joke, born out of frustration with this stove, after everything else Ive been through and spending all LAST winter freezing my butt off and trying to decide how best to heat this place, I end up with a stove worse than the oil stove I finally got sick of trying to fix.
No one's fault except mine, you have to laugh at a string of bad luck sometimes.
I appreciate everything Ssyko and everyone else is doing.


----------



## Lordtimothy200 (Dec 31, 2020)

Anything you buy used is a gamble.  I bought my St Croix Auburn for 200 bucks and have had zero issues.  Then again bought a used mower a few years ago  that crapped out on me right away.  Win some, lose some.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 31, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> i agree 100%,  I have a combustion blower i know is much more powerful than the original and she would not need a hair dryer.  My concern is weather the stove it is recoverable at all. My thoughts were to get 1 of those creosote logs, break it into chunks that would fit in the pot. All safeties jumped with the blower i have or hair dryer run it to an almost over-fire hand feeding chunks till it opens up or burns out the blockage. Do you think this would work?


Funny you should say that.  I was out and about today and stopped Menards...again, and grabbed a creo-shot tube.
Then I came home and fired up the stove.  But I was unsure whether to use it.
I can get this thing to burn ok, for about 30 to 45 minutes. But then it does something weird. I hear a click, then it stops feeding pellets and soot will start to accumulate on the glass and fire will start dying. So, I off switch, then back on so I can add pellets while the fire is still going.  Nice n hot, but the room fan hasnt kicked in.  Now I have to constantly monitor the fire and try to keep it going.
I saw your suggestion and I thought "oh boy, I'll try it!" I think I should have waited until I restarted the fire after the inevitable death.  The stick seemed to kill it and nothing, but nothing, not even the blow dryer would bring it back to life.


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 31, 2020)

if you run the stove i would recommend the test cord on the combustion blower so you don't have smoke in the house. it wont shut of till you pull the plug. you have no one to help move the stove?


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 31, 2020)

Lordtimothy200 said:


> Anything you buy used is a gamble.  I bought my St Croix Auburn for 200 bucks and have had zero issues.  Then again bought a used mower a few years ago  that crapped out on me right away.  Win some, lose some.


Yup. Lol, frustrating when you go to so much trouble and distance to get one and find out it was a lemon.  I didnt think there could be anything wrong as long as it turned on and everything seemed to run.
Duh.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 31, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> if you run the stove i would recommend the test cord on the combustion blower so you don't have smoke in the house. it wont shut of till you pull the plug. you have no one to help move the stove?


Good idea.
Nope. My 90 lbs gf, but it's hit or miss if she'll even show up.  No way her and I could move it outside. Steps in the way.
We were lucky that her pickup lined right up to my front door and 3 of us pushed it on the dolly.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 31, 2020)

Washed-Up said:


> That’s a good point and I never notice until you mentioned it. Can the OP confirm that the exhaust is the proper double wall piping?


It's pellet stove pipe, 3 inch off the stove, then  3-4 "ductwork converter from Menards...thats the only way I could make it go from 3" to 6 ".


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 31, 2020)

SidecarFlip said:


> I've never had a creosote issue with mine on pellets or corn or a mixture but when I saw the picture of her combustion blower housing, I was quite taken back by the deposits in it.  I tend to agree, there is some blockage in the stove somewhere and it needs a 'helluva' roast to get it out.  I'd move the stove outside on the porch and light it up, wide open and let it cook with no venting attached, just the exhaust outlet stub pointed AWAY from anything flammable.
> 
> Sure looked to me like a pretty steady diet of wet corn and low burns.
> 
> ...


The porch!  I might be able to get it to my porch if my gf helps me.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 31, 2020)

Ssyko said:


> RX do you have a son in_law or friend/neighbor that can help you move the stove outside for a big burn?
> you will need power for the stove and your test cord  for the exhaust blower and 1 creosote log and pellets


Ok, I'll get my gf out here..maybe she can talk her guy into helping..but he works so often except weekends, and of course I work every weekend.  But I didnt think of the porch.  No need to take it all the way to the ground.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 31, 2020)

Ok, a whole "log" of creosote de..cruster?  De- creosoter?  Or the stuff that comes in a tub?  What chemicals am I looking for?


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 31, 2020)

Washed-Up said:


> Would these be the same or better Ssyko?




 I would try the stuff Washed-Up posted it's small and you could mix them with your pellets


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Dec 31, 2020)

Y





rickwai said:


> The much newer units they put access covers to get to the hidden passages


YEAH! Why the heck build something with an area that's completely innaccessable?! Can't be reached, even with a coat hanger!  What if a varmit climbs up in there and builds a nest while the stove is off, or in storage?


----------



## SidecarFlip (Dec 31, 2020)

Rather than muscle it out, get a furniture dolly (harbor freight has them for cheap) and roll it out.  Females aren't supposed to strong arm anything except the partner's wallets.....  

Do have one question and that is, is the vent pipe you are using pellet vent (IOW Selkirk or Simpson Duravent?)  reason I ask is, the pipe in your one picture, the vertical pipe sure don't look like pellet venting at all.  Needs to be Approved pellet venting to work properly.


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 1, 2021)

Well i was rereading this entire thread for the 3rd or 4th time, and it dawned on me that the passages were cleaned from the inside with a brush. And no access to the area behind the ash pan. The only place we never really tried cleaning is the area under the combustion blower!  I think we need to revisit this area with that long brush and a shop vac.


----------



## rickwai (Jan 1, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> Well i was rereading this entire thread for the 3rd or 4th time, and it dawned on me that the passages were cleaned from the inside with a brush. And no access to the area behind the ash pan. The only place we never really tried cleaning is the area under the combustion blower!  I think we need to revisit this area with that long brush and a shop vac.


That area is not where they plug. It is where you cant see or get to. I have looked at cutaway diagrams ect and still cant figure out the exhaust path.  It had fly ash in the areas and instead of sucking it out they burnt it rich and turned the creosote fly ash mixture into cement. She had the fan and the whole housing out when cleaning the blade. there is nothing coming out until it is burnt out possibly. Remember she hooked the leaf blower up and NOTHING came out.At that point I got worried. A leaf blower will take a St Croix that is barely moving the needle on a mag and 30 seconds later you are back to a .3 which is perfect at startup for St Croix. I get the calls that it just wont burn. I brush the ash traps, check pot floor holes and shake ash out of it, make sure the intake holes that pot floor mates to are clear, with door open suck out with leaf blower and recheck vac . I set it to .3 if they have messed with damper and never hear back from the customer until next service. I try to teach them how to keep the stove running good by cleaning and the leafblower trick.


----------



## Lordtimothy200 (Jan 1, 2021)

What if the air blockage is in the chimney and not in the stove?


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 1, 2021)

rickwai said:


> That area is not where they plug. It is where you cant see or get to. I have looked at cutaway diagrams ect and still cant figure out the exhaust path.  It had fly ash in the areas and instead of sucking it out they burnt it rich and turned the creosote fly ash mixture into cement. She had the fan and the whole housing out when cleaning the blade. there is nothing coming out until it is burnt out possibly. Remember she hooked the leaf blower up and NOTHING came out.At that point I got worried. A leaf blower will take a St Croix that is barely moving the needle on a mag and 30 seconds later you are back to a .3 which is perfect at startup for St Croix. I get the calls that it just wont burn. I brush the ash traps, check pot floor holes and shake ash out of it, make sure the intake holes that pot floor mates to are clear, with door open suck out with leaf blower and recheck vac . I set it to .3 if they have messed with damper and never hear back from the customer until next service. I try to teach them how to keep the stove running good by cleaning and the leafblower trick.
> [/QUOTES]
> 
> 
> Yeah I forgot about the leaf blower


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 1, 2021)

It's obviously 'constipated' somewhere.  Question is where.  I'm thinking a nice 'porch roast' will cook it out.  Can see why the original owner sold it.  It quit working.  

Every owners manual that comes with any corn capable unit expressly states that 'Burning high moisture corn will void the warranty and damage the stove'., but then who reads an owners manual anyway.  Like my signature line says...  Owners manuals are for lighting that first fire.....

Kind of surprised it's not corroded inside too.  High moisture corn will cause internal corrosion as well because the nitric acid vapor condenses on the cooler metal inside and corrodes it.  After 15+ years, even my stove has pitting inside from it even though end of season I'll switch to straight pellets and a hot burn for a week or so to drive off the accumulated nitric from it.

Consequently, I believe the best avenue is a 'porch roast'..  That will 'cook' out the constipation.  Kind of obvious it's there considering what the combustion blower housing looked like.


----------



## rickwai (Jan 1, 2021)

Lordtimothy200 said:


> What if the air blockage is in the chimney and not in the stove?


We had her unhook the stove from the chimney first and the vac switch still would not close


----------



## rickwai (Jan 1, 2021)

SidecarFlip said:


> It's obviously 'constipated' somewhere.  Question is where.  I'm thinking a nice 'porch roast' will cook it out.  Can see why the original owner sold it.  It quit working.
> 
> Every owners manual that comes with any corn capable unit expressly states that 'Burning high moisture corn will void the warranty and damage the stove'., but then who reads an owners manual anyway.  Like my signature line says...  Owners manuals are for lighting that first fire.....
> 
> ...


I dont think they were burning corn. The interior of the stove  and fan blade look to good. Plus if it was corn she definitely would not have been able to loosen the set screw on the fan blade and slide it off the shaft with minimal effort.   Like I said earlier, She got the stove and the vac switch was already jumped. The previous owner ran it until it would not run no more due to being clogged up. At this point he decided to jump the switch and keep it burning extremely rich (which promotes creosote formation) until he clogged it so bad that it physically would not breath. When he hit that fork in the road he should have maybe cleaned the stove? Instead he jumped the switch and pushed on.  Then unloaded it on to a unsuspecting person. 
I have seen this done on a Harman once (jump the switch and keep going) Same mess, but with the harman you can get to all passages by removing simple covers. We cleaned it up and got it breathing on its own  and refired . the exhaust had a bad smell for awhile but it cleaned itself up.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 1, 2021)

rickwai said:


> We had her unhook the stove from the chimney first and the vac switch still would not close


Yup. It still wouldnt.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 1, 2021)

Happy New Year. Here's to 2021 being the opposite of 2020.
Reading everyone's suggestions and concerns made me worry..but it was freaking cold last night and I had that creosote buster stick I was dying to try.
I had the stove going pretty hot and then put that stick in..and it went out. Once it stopped smoking and cooled enough to relight I started it again, picked the chunks of creosote buster stuff out of the ashes and used a bunch of lighter gel and relit it.
Using the blow dryer and auger button (it sometimes gets hot and locks me out, I have to off/on to make buttons work) and had it burning good.
I went upstairs to feel the stove pipe (I can hear air blowing through it). Ice cold.
So back down to feel stove pipe on first floor. Room temperature.  It's just barely warm right behind the stove.  No chance of tepid stove pipe starting a creosote fire.  I would think if anything caught fire it would be the stove itself.  Must be why high fire thingy keeps locking me out?


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 1, 2021)

SidecarFlip said:


> It's obviously 'constipated' somewhere.  Question is where.  I'm thinking a nice 'porch roast' will cook it out.  Can see why the original owner sold it.  It quit working.
> 
> Every owners manual that comes with any corn capable unit expressly states that 'Burning high moisture corn will void the warranty and damage the stove'., but then who reads an owners manual anyway.  Like my signature line says...  Owners manuals are for lighting that first fire.....
> 
> ...


Sidecar, is there literally NO WAY to get something, anything to those hidden areas?


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 1, 2021)

rickwai said:


> I dont think they were burning corn. The interior of the stove  and fan blade look to good. Plus if it was corn she definitely would not have been able to loosen the set screw on the fan blade and slide it off the shaft with minimal effort.   Like I said earlier, She got the stove and the vac switch was already jumped. The previous owner ran it until it would not run no more due to being clogged up. At this point he decided to jump the switch and keep it burning extremely rich (which promotes creosote formation) until he clogged it so bad that it physically would not breath. When he hit that fork in the road he should have maybe cleaned the stove? Instead he jumped the switch and pushed on.  Then unloaded it on to a unsuspecting person.
> I have seen this done on a Harman once (jump the switch and keep going) Same mess, but with the harman you can get to all passages by removing simple covers. We cleaned it up and got it breathing on its own  and refired . the exhaust had a bad smell for awhile but it cleaned itself up.


No, the guy told me his mom used corn and there was still some unburnt and burned corn in the ashpan. He said his mom bought corn from a farmer, but he retired and she didnt want to lug buckets of corn anymore anyway.
Now that I think back, his story as to why they stopped using it changed a little every time.


----------



## Washed-Up (Jan 1, 2021)

I don’t think I’ve seen anyone post a video, hopefully this is your stove and not the updated one


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 1, 2021)

rickwai said:


> That area is not where they plug. It is where you cant see or get to. I have looked at cutaway diagrams ect and still cant figure out the exhaust path.  It had fly ash in the areas and instead of sucking it out they burnt it rich and turned the creosote fly ash mixture into cement. She had the fan and the whole housing out when cleaning the blade. there is nothing coming out until it is burnt out possibly. Remember she hooked the leaf blower up and NOTHING came out.At that point I got worried. A leaf blower will take a St Croix that is barely moving the needle on a mag and 30 seconds later you are back to a .3 which is perfect at startup for St Croix. I get the calls that it just wont burn. I brush the ash traps, check pot floor holes and shake ash out of it, make sure the intake holes that pot floor mates to are clear, with door open suck out with leaf blower and recheck vac . I set it to .3 if they have messed with damper and never hear back from the customer until next service. I try to teach them how to keep the stove running good by cleaning and the leafblower trick.


The area under the exhaust fan I scraped as well, as far as I could reach at least. Used a brush (useless) a wire grill brush, a couple different screw drivers (better) and a clothes steamer (got it soft enough to really scrape off) and a wire clothes hanger to try to get back to where the screw drivers couldnt reach.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 1, 2021)

Washed-Up said:


> I don’t think I’ve seen anyone post a video, hopefully this is your stove and not the updated one



Why??  What's the updated one look like?
Mine was purchased new from a dealer in Eastern Iowa (Colony heating and air) in 2006.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 1, 2021)

SidecarFlip said:


> Rather than muscle it out, get a furniture dolly (harbor freight has them for cheap) and roll it out.  Females aren't supposed to strong arm anything except the partner's wallets.....
> 
> Do have one question and that is, is the vent pipe you are using pellet vent (IOW Selkirk or Simpson Duravent?)  reason I ask is, the pipe in your one picture, the vertical pipe sure don't look like pellet venting at all.  Needs to be Approved pellet venting to work properly.


I have a dolly. But it was such a pain getting off the dolly by myself that I hesitated to put it on there again.
My stove pipe is that 6" that you see. It was already there as it was hooked to the old oil stove. I didnt want to cut a 3 inch hole somewhere else in the house when I already had a stove pipe going up through the roof.   But getting pipe to go from 3 inch to 6 inch proved tricky. So I had to improvise.


----------



## gfreek (Jan 1, 2021)

If you have a 2 wheel hand cart/dolly and help you may be able to put the cart platform under one end of the stove and have a friend push other end..but then you'd have to protect the floor somehow


----------



## Washed-Up (Jan 1, 2021)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> Why??  What's the updated one look like?
> Mine was purchased new from a dealer in Eastern Iowa (Colony heating and air) in 2006.


I believe the updated stove has removable plates so you can clean the multiple passages?


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 1, 2021)

No 6" vent pipe is biomass stove recommended or an approved method of venting it and I'm curious as to how you went from 3" venting to 6" venting, you said you 'improvised'.  Improvised how?  I have to assume there was a chunk wood stove there prior to the biomass stove, correct and if so, why was it removed?

My venting rarely gets hot except right at the stove connection and even then, not overly hot, just warm.  That is by design as the inner stainless liner gets hot, but the air gap (and insulation) between the inner pipe and the outer pipe keeps the heat from radiating off the inner pipe and heating the outer pipe, how it's designed.  Pellet-biomass stoves by design don't require a hot flue pipe to work correctly, why your stove produces draft via the combustion air blower.

Like I said, I'm curious as to how you got from 3" tp 6" venting.  Also, what does the termination cap look like on the roof?  If there was a chunk wood stove there previously, the termination cap on the roof could very well be plugged with soot or creosote and not allowing the combustion fan to push the exhaust out.  Sucking the vent with a leaf blower/vacuum, wont unclog a clogged with soot-creosote termination cap.  It need to be physically cleaned of deposits.

Something going on here that is abnormal.  I'm thinking it's the venting itself and maybe not entirely the stove.  It seems to me like the exhaust is being choked off and maybe it's at the termination cap on the roof.  I know I have to clean mine every year, it gets loaded up with crud.

Guess you could use the leaf blower as the blower part up the vent pipe and blow the termination cap but that could be a messy deal, especially if it's clogged up seeing as your venting is inside the house (and probably the Cleanout Tee (if you have one installed (hope you do) on the exhaust vent of the stove.  Why I don't like inside venting, cleaning it (which is a necessary periodic maintenance thing is always a messy chore.


----------



## rickwai (Jan 1, 2021)

SidecarFlip said:


> No 6" vent pipe is biomass stove recommended or an approved method of venting it and I'm curious as to how you went from 3" venting to 6" venting, you said you 'improvised'.  Improvised how?  I have to assume there was a chunk wood stove there prior to the biomass stove, correct and if so, why was it removed?
> 
> My venting rarely gets hot except right at the stove connection and even then, not overly hot, just warm.  That is by design as the inner stainless liner gets hot, but the air gap (and insulation) between the inner pipe and the outer pipe keeps the heat from radiating off the inner pipe and heating the outer pipe, how it's designed.  Pellet-biomass stoves by design don't require a hot flue pipe to work correctly, why your stove produces draft via the combustion air blower.
> 
> ...


It had a oil fired stove previously
She used Ductwork type material from Menards to adapt to the 6"
First thing we had her try is to try to start the stove without being hooked to the 6" vent and neither Vac switch still would not close


----------



## Washed-Up (Jan 1, 2021)

SidecarFlip said:


> No 6" vent pipe is biomass stove recommended or an approved method of venting it and I'm curious as to how you went from 3" venting to 6" venting, you said you 'improvised'.  Improvised how?  I have to assume there was a chunk wood stove there prior to the biomass stove, correct and if so, why was it removed?
> 
> My venting rarely gets hot except right at the stove connection and even then, not overly hot, just warm.  That is by design as the inner stainless liner gets hot, but the air gap (and insulation) between the inner pipe and the outer pipe keeps the heat from radiating off the inner pipe and heating the outer pipe, how it's designed.  Pellet-biomass stoves by design don't require a hot flue pipe to work correctly, why your stove produces draft via the combustion air blower.
> 
> ...


Photos on post #16


----------



## mikefromiowa (Jan 1, 2021)

Happy New Year!  I've been following the thread about getting your Auburn running again and think you are close, am cheering for you!

I think the video that Washed-Up posted shows what you may need to do --- use a flexible cable (like a sewer snake) to go through the hidden exhaust channels from the ash cleanout covers in the front, and from under the exhaust fan mount in the back.  Your idea of using a clothes steamer to soften the creosote is also a good one, maybe route the steam as far into the hidden channels as you can with a flexible hose while cleaning out the crude with the flexible cable?


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 1, 2021)

Washed-Up said:


> Photos on post #16


That still don't address the termination cap on the roof and she did try it not hooked up, I'll agree but that was before she cleaned out the combustion blower housing and replaced the induction fan.  If it was an oil stove, I bet the termination cap is loaded with soot, very typical with an oil stove, they make a ton of soot in the vent.  I believe it's time for a roof trip and a cap inspection.  Not a whole lot of avenues left.

I was kind of surprised myself that she got to setscrew on the induction fan to release as easily as it did.  They usually heat lock tight and have to be cut off.  Very unusual, corn or pellet burning, almost like the original owner was in there and was fiddling with it.

All stoves need 3 things to work, fresh air, fuel and exhaust.  I'm still leaning towards a clogged exhaust and up top not in the house.


----------



## Washed-Up (Jan 1, 2021)

Oh I realize that Sidecar, just didn’t know if you saw the photos of the adapter she had set up


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 1, 2021)

Well looks like the previous owner changed the exhaust motor, it’s definitely not 10yrs old so that may explain how the fan came off so easy.  From what i can see in the video. As you face the stove looking at the clean-out plates on either side of the pot. They are separated distance wise by the pot. Now that hidden opening into the combustion blower chamber is in the same area as the pot only begind one layer of wall. If the buildup on the blower blades (being suspended from the motor) Was so great. I’m wondering about the hidden opening!! Is it coated restricting flow? Is the floor opening built up restricting flow?


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 1, 2021)

Maybe a drill motor and flex shaft is in order but I'd still like to see the termination cap on the roof.  I have that issue with mine (termination cap getting clogged up) as well.  That is especially true if it is a screened from flying birds cap.  Mine isn't but will still load up with fly ash.  With an outside the wall vent and turn out that rarely happens because one, the venting path isn't that long and 2, the turn out will self clean to a certain extent (and discolor the siding on a house as well).  Seen that a lot.  House a couple miles from here has that issue.  White siding and brown doughnut around the venting termination.  Looks like hell actually.

After almost 400 posts we have to be very close.......  Running out of viable options.  If a little' roto rooting' with a drill motor and flex shaft don't do it, I'd really suspect the termination cap then.

Actually, anything flexible and able to chuck in a drill motor would do.  Short length of fish tape, or even a twisted wire bottle brush would work.  Something to 'bang around' in there and knock off whatever is inside, but, I would pull the exhaust blower motor and fan and stick a vacuum crevice tool inside the passage before hand to suck out anything that might get knocked loose.

Always been against inside venting and cleanout Tees for the filth issue.  Always been my impetus to get the vent outside in as short a distance as practical and have the cleanout Tee outside....  That thread comes to mind a while back where the owner put the wrong end of the leaf blower on his inside cleanout tee and filled the house with fly ash.  it ain't good on painted walls, especially light colored ones.

I remember seeing that picture way back when....  Hard to keep track with so many pages.  Went back and looked.  What I found interesting about that picture was the amount of rust on the internal parts and cabinet, like the unit lived in a damp environment all it's life.  Mine is 15+ years old and don't look anything like that inside.  Kind of struck me as odd.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 1, 2021)

SidecarFlip said:


> That still don't address the termination cap on the roof and she did try it not hooked up, I'll agree but that was before she cleaned out the combustion blower housing and replaced the induction fan.  If it was an oil stove, I bet the termination cap is loaded with soot, very typical with an oil stove, they make a ton of soot in the vent.  I believe it's time for a roof trip and a cap inspection.  Not a whole lot of avenues left.
> 
> I was kind of surprised myself that she got to setscrew on the induction fan to release as easily as it did.  They usually heat lock tight and have to be cut off.  Very unusual, corn or pellet burning, almost like the original owner was in there and was fiddling with it.
> 
> All stoves need 3 things to work, fresh air, fuel and exhaust.  I'm still leaning towards a clogged exhaust and up top not in the house.


The termination cap on the roof was worked on in 2017. My husband and I replaced part of the roof that summer and we were up there nearly every day. 
Believe it or not, I feel like Ive aged 10 years since summer 2017. I dont think I could get up there now, so it would have to wait until someone younger and skinnier can climb up there.
I did attempt to fire up the oil stove last winter and I was able to see the black smoke coming out. But that was a year ago.
In any event, I did try the vacuume switch again AFTER all this cleaning and new exhaust fan blade. Still didnt work, and this one was new out of the box I ordered.


----------



## gfreek (Jan 1, 2021)

A pair of binoculars and maybe you can see if termination cap is plugged ??     Hate walking on my metal roof....


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 1, 2021)

She used the leaf blower on the chimney vent. I don’t think the pipe is the issue. The inside of that stove is a f**king labyrinth and its gonna take a HOT burn for a few hours to clean it out


----------



## Washed-Up (Jan 1, 2021)

I think that should be the next step Ssyko


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 1, 2021)

I'll be reading along from here on out.  I'm out of suggestions.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 1, 2021)

gfreek said:


> A pair of binoculars and maybe you can see if termination cap is plugged ??     Hate walking on my metal roof....


Oh! Good idea. Now to find my binoculars..


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 1, 2021)

SidecarFlip said:


> I'll be reading along from here on out.  I'm out of suggestions.


Thank you for everything.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 1, 2021)

SidecarFlip said:


> Maybe a drill motor and flex shaft is in order but I'd still like to see the termination cap on the roof.  I have that issue with mine (termination cap getting clogged up) as well.  That is especially true if it is a screened from flying birds cap.  Mine isn't but will still load up with fly ash.  With an outside the wall vent and turn out that rarely happens because one, the venting path isn't that long and 2, the turn out will self clean to a certain extent (and discolor the siding on a house as well).  Seen that a lot.  House a couple miles from here has that issue.  White siding and brown doughnut around the venting termination.  Looks like hell actually.
> 
> After almost 400 posts we have to be very close.......  Running out of viable options.  If a little' roto rooting' with a drill motor and flex shaft don't do it, I'd really suspect the termination cap then.
> 
> ...


It does. I noticex that too. Rusty even under the gasket and exhaust fan.


----------



## gfreek (Jan 1, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> She used the leaf blower on the chimney vent. I don’t think the pipe is the issue. The inside of that stove is a f**king labyrinth and its gonna take a HOT burn for a few hours to clean it out


 Agree with SSyko, if not plugged at top.. what a maze. of a stove to clean...


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 1, 2021)

Here's my ugly stove pipe.  You can see the old footprint of the brick chimney that used to be there.
The house is very old and was added on to and modified several times waaay before I got my hands on it in 2006. Moved it to new foundation in 2008.


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 1, 2021)

Damp cellar dweller


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 1, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> Damp cellar dweller


Well..he did say he lived with his mother..


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 1, 2021)

Lmaooooooo


----------



## gfreek (Jan 1, 2021)

Sorry couldn't resist..


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 1, 2021)

This the first thing that popped in my head


----------



## Washed-Up (Jan 1, 2021)

Bahahhahaha


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 1, 2021)

Thats one pic NOT in RX’s dossier lol


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 1, 2021)

gfreek said:


> Sorry couldn't resist..



LOL!  I used to have that "mommy mommy.." as my ringtone for my daughter when she still lived with me.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 1, 2021)

O





Ssyko said:


> This the first thing that popped in my head
> 
> View attachment 270934


Omg! That's the guy ! 
Jk


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 1, 2021)

I can see the exhaust tube, if that's behind the burnpot.
It was hard to capture with my phone, but I could see back in there some. None of that hard stuff right there. But I did find a corn.
If my stove pipe isnt getting hot, how could a fire start in there?  
Oh, I also found binoculars.  I cant see inside the cap, of course, but I was able to see more creosote drippings leaking out at the seams.  Id like to fire it up again and look for smoke with the binoculars.
Also, I would REALLY hate to do it. It would be a horrible mess. But if it were blocked in the cap I could always disconnect it upstairs and shove a coat hanger up inside to the cap.  It's just such a messy pain to play with that sooty stove pipe that doesnt always want to go back together easily.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 1, 2021)

So, after that tube, where does the passage way go?  That video it's hard to understand where they are in the stove.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 1, 2021)

I actually did get a few better angles of it. I dont know if it tells you anything you didnt already know.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 1, 2021)

I was wrong. That isnt creosote drippings I'm seeing on the roof. That was black roofing sealer stuff my husband went crazy with when we were trying to seal up leaks when the roof still leaked.


----------



## Washed-Up (Jan 1, 2021)

Well.....that’s a good thing!


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 1, 2021)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> I actually did get a few better angles of it. I dont know if it tells you anything you didnt already know.



that would be your intake tube.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 1, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> that would be your intake tube.


Where the air comes in from outside? So it wouldn't be all gummed up.


----------



## rickwai (Jan 1, 2021)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> I actually did get a few better angles of it. I dont know if it tells you anything you didnt already know.


That is the intake air adding air into the burn pot. No blockage there. The exhaust side is the side that is f'd up


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 1, 2021)

Update: I fired it up again.  This time my stove pip DID get warm.  Not hot, just warm. And I could see smoke coming out the cap outside.
Maybe that creosote shot did something last night?
I'll buy more when I'm in Lincoln again.


----------



## Washed-Up (Jan 1, 2021)

If you can get ahold of the pellets, I think that they’ll work better than the log.


----------



## rickwai (Jan 1, 2021)

gfreek said:


> Agree with SSyko, if not plugged at top.. what a maze. of a stove to clean...


I understand what you are saying. But if you hit it with a leaf blower a couple of times a year it will run like a swiss watch. I am a tech and have run one for 11yrs and still dont know the exhaust path and it drives me crazy. But I have figured out that if you brush out ash traps and leaf blow it regularly they run like a champ...


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 1, 2021)

rickwai said:


> I understand what you are saying. But if you hit it with a leaf blower a couple of times a year it will run like a swiss watch. I am a tech and have run one for 11yrs and still dont know the exhaust path and it drives me crazy. But I have figured out that if you brush out ash traps and leaf blow it regularly they run like a champ...


Well i think we all understand that now , only thing thats left. Is to try and salvage the stove that she had no control over the previous owners bad habits.

ok so lets go over what she has done
1: cleaned out visual parts.
2: bought a leaf blower and dryer duct, not much of anything came out.
3: Removed and cleaned the combustion blower and upgraded paddle fan blade.
4: leaf blower on vent pipe. Nothing reported like soot all over the roof .
5: replaced vac switch
6: refrigerator tube brush. Cleaned hiden area’s and vacuumed out

we have reached a plateau. What i see as a last ditch effort is to tryand burn out anything left with an over burn” outside”

what else can be done? I’m all ears and im sure Rx is too


----------



## rickwai (Jan 2, 2021)

At 406 replies it has to be close to a record on here? It is rare for a thread to go into the triple digits


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 3, 2021)

rickwai said:


> At 406 replies it has to be close to a record on here? It is rare for a thread to go into the triple digits


Really?? I guess this stove is a real head scratcher.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 3, 2021)

I trying one more time. This time I left the little metal doors to ash clean outs off hoping more air would get through?


----------



## rickwai (Jan 4, 2021)

How did that go?


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 4, 2021)

I just sent her a new combustion blower, went out in this mornings mail. We are in frankenstove mode. Lol


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 4, 2021)

You are a wonderful person....


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 4, 2021)

I want to see this stove burn, and then we can decide if its a keeper and gets new convection blower


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 4, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> I want to see this stove burn, and then we can decide if its a keeper and gets new convection blower


I was hoping for a road trip in the Suburban......  Still need to go to Valentine, Nebraska and pick up my Mule Deer mount anyway.


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 4, 2021)

If i did a road trip it would be on this


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 4, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> If i did a road trip it would be on this
> View attachment 271270


You'd freeze you ass off, plain and simple.  I have 5 bikes and none is a potato bike....


----------



## johneh (Jan 4, 2021)

SidecarFlip said:


> I have 5 bikes and none is a potato bike...


I've had 3 bikes  a 650 BSA lighting a Norton 500 and a 
Zundapp Flat4 shaft drive with sidecar My Father shipped
 it to Canada from Holland at the end of the 2nd world war
What I want to know is what is a potato bike never heard the term
My wife won't let me drive a bike claims I'm too old


----------



## rich2500 (Jan 4, 2021)




----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 4, 2021)

I own a pristine Norton 750 High piped P11A scrambler, a Triumph 2300cc Rocket 3 dresser a  Centennial Trumph Bonneville with a custom built sidecar and a Kawasaki KLR 650 ADV bike I use for errands..  I'm 70 and still motoring, I ignore my wife.....lol

A potato bike is a Harley.  When they idle they sound like... potato, potato, potato, potato, hence potato bike......


----------



## Alfred (Jan 6, 2021)

SidecarFlip said:


> I own a pristine Norton 750 High piped P11A scrambler, a Triumph 2300cc Rocket 3 dresser a  Centennial Trumph Bonneville with a custom built sidecar and a Kawasaki KLR 650 ADV bike I use for errands..  I'm 70 and still motoring, I ignore my wife.....lol
> 
> A potato bike is a Harley.  When they idle they sound like... potato, potato, potato, potato, hence potato bike......


In post 363 where it shows the cut-away photo it shows a cable. I use a old throttle cable on the end of a drill and pull the two small caps off by the pot and start there and feed the cable in till I can see it in the area where the exhaust motor is mounted. Slide small piece of pipe over the cable before inserting so you don't have a spinning cable against your hand.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 6, 2021)

Just have to be careful how far you go.  Get into the combustion fan and it will destroy the blades.


----------



## Alfred (Jan 6, 2021)

SidecarFlip said:


> Just have to be careful how far you go.  Get into the combustion fan and it will destroy the blades.


I have done this at the end of season cleaning with the motor removed. I agree that stove must be plugged somewhere and perhaps this may be the area. I also do the leaf-blower trick on mine quite often during the winter, works great. I wish her the best with her stove as mine is also a 2006 stove and I remove the combustion and convection motors every year to clean ,oil combustion motor (2nd motor) and on occasions put a little grease ( high temp , no melt) in the convection motor(original) bearings. To get grease in I used a dental pick and removed one seal and put a little grease in and put the seal back on.
I hope  you get it running as I really like mine. Once started it runs 24/7 for the winter and only found it shut down a few times. (2 or 3 auger jams from metal , a seized combustion motor , and well maybe , when I forgot to fill it)
Corn that I get is dried down to about 12% and I mix in somewhere around 10% pellets.


----------



## rickwai (Jan 7, 2021)

She tried the leaf blower and absolutely nothing came out except clear air. That tells me what was loose ash that caused the stove to shut down originally has been turned into a hardened mess when the previous guy decided to jump the vac  switch and force it to keep going.  He ran it plugged with the switch jumped until it creosoted up to the point it would not sustain a fire. Then sold it! 30 seconds with a leaf blower when it shut originally and the stove would have still been golden. I have serviced many of these stoves and if it shuts down on a low vac error, I brush ash traps out, Brush vent pipe then open the front door and suck it out w/ leaf blower. Vac goes from a .05 or so to .3 inwc where it belongs. It only needs .1 inwc to close the switch so if it shuts down it is pretty plugged


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 7, 2021)

The frankenmotor I sent her will force a draft the stove has never seen before so hopefully we can get it burned out


----------



## rickwai (Jan 7, 2021)

Its worth a try


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 7, 2021)

rickwai said:


> How did that go?



The same. It goes out if I don't baby sit it.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 7, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> If i did a road trip it would be on this
> View attachment 271270


Ssy-icicle.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 7, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> The frankenmotor I sent her will force a draft the stove has never seen before so hopefully we can get it burned out
> View attachment 271449
> View attachment 271450


I'm interested to see if any burnt out candy corn creosote  glazing has recoated any of the places I just cleaned on it's way out.


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 7, 2021)

We will see tracking says it will be delivered tomorrow.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 7, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> We will see tracking says it will be delivered tomorrow.


Nope! It just got here safe and sound.  My mail is generally delivered very late in the day. I hate it, but...


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 7, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> We will see tracking says it will be delivered tomorrow.


Ok Ssyko, so I'm disconnecting the stove from pipe again, and removing the whole motor and part that connects to the stove pipe, what did you call that?  And taking the fan blade I just replaced off, and this time the motor too. and putting both back on the metal tube part that hooks to the stove pipe.   Is that about right?


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 7, 2021)

Oh, and using this different fan blade.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 7, 2021)

I bet Ssyko sent it UPS.  If he sent it USPS it might have shown up next halloween...


----------



## SciGuy (Jan 7, 2021)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> Oh, and using this different fan blade.



I'm on the freaking edge of my seat hoping that Ssyko's turbo motor does the trick on your stove. We're all pulling for a successful turn in this epic saga. 

Hugh


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 7, 2021)

SidecarFlip said:


> I bet Ssyko sent it UPS.  If he sent it USPS it might have shown up next halloween...


Halloween?    Well, it IS a Frankenstove.


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 8, 2021)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> Ok Ssyko, so I'm disconnecting the stove from pipe again, and removing the whole motor and part that connects to the stove pipe, what did you call that?  And taking the fan blade I just replaced off, and this time the motor too. and putting both back on the metal tube part that hooks to the stove pipe.   Is that about right?



yep that’s exactly what to do. The new squirrel cage fan uses a T15 torx bit to tighten it on the shaft. Also the shaft and hub of the fan should be flush when you tighten it.


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 8, 2021)

SidecarFlip said:


> I bet Ssyko sent it UPS.  If he sent it USPS it might have shown up next halloween...


Nope sent it usps Priority so it didn’t end up like 3 control boards that took 3 weeks to get. USPS has taken  Some steps Backwards this last few years.


----------



## rickwai (Jan 8, 2021)

We are all on the edge of our seats.....


----------



## gfreek (Jan 8, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> yep that’s exactly what to do. The new squirrel cage fan uses a T15 torx bit to tighten it on the shaft. Also the shaft and hub of the fan should be flush when you tighten it.


Hope she has a T15 torx bit... 
Also anxiously waiting ....


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 8, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> Nope sent it usps Priority so it didn’t end up like 3 control boards that took 3 weeks to get. USPS has taken  Some steps Backwards this last few years.


Doing better than us.  My wife has been waiting for a pair of socks she ordered last December that have become world travelers.  Everywhere but here.  Tracking shows them travelling thousands of miles but never arriving in our mailbox.  High mileage socks.....


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 8, 2021)

i know i had one guy send me a board on Dec11,2020. he lives about 200 miles from me in the same state.  the board was in Florida for 9 day's soaking up the sun i guess. i recieved the board Dec31(smelled like coconut oil lol)


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 8, 2021)

Cannot wait to see the condition of the packaging when it finally arrives, if it ever does.  Rain, shine, snow or sleet, the mail must go through.  Guess that don't mean through to you, just through to some point elsewhere...


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 8, 2021)

gfreek said:


> Hope she has a T15 torx bit...
> Also anxiously waiting ....


I do! Just found it. My husband left a whole Ryobi bit set thingy.  Yay Arne.
God I miss that man.   
Finding something with a skinny enough handle to fit  the bit into might be a little trickier, but I'm not that far yet.


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 8, 2021)

allen wrenches?


----------



## SciGuy (Jan 8, 2021)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> I do! Just found it. My husband left a whole Ryobi bit set thingy.  Yay Arne.
> God I miss that man.
> Finding something with a skinny enough handle to fit  the bit into might be a little trickier, but I'm not that far yet.


When in a bind,   I’ve even resorted to using a small crescent wrench to turn one of those bits 1/4 turn at a time.

YMMV

Hugh


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 8, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> allen wrenches?
> 
> View attachment 271560


Oh! I do. I have little bitty ones.


----------



## gfreek (Jan 8, 2021)

"Bless Arne." .There should be adapters of sorts for that torx. Usually it fits in a 1/4 inch hex, six sided socket,  with a rachet or screwdriver type driver.  Hopefully  the torx  bit will fit in the 1/4 inch socket..


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 8, 2021)

I guess the stuff IS cooking out.


----------



## Washed-Up (Jan 8, 2021)

Did you happen to get those creosote pellets? Wondering how well they work....it’s definitely coming off!


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 8, 2021)

I need this now sticky icky plate off of this motor, right?
Anyone know how to get this stuff out of carpet?


----------



## Washed-Up (Jan 8, 2021)

A degreaser will pull most of it out, hopefully it’s not a light color


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 8, 2021)

Washed-Up said:


> A degreaser will pull most of it out, hopefully it’s not a light color


Of course it is! Powder blue!
I could just throttle that guy at this point. 
Fricka fracking burnt wet corn shiat all over my F*#cking rug. Grrrrrrr.

I was really hoping to put the new fan motor on tonight.  There's no way.    I'm going to have to scrape g©d d@mned black goo off everything first and try not to get it smeared anywhere else.


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 8, 2021)

guess i shoulda shipped ya the parts washer to


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 8, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> guess i shoulda shipped ya the parts washer to


It's my own fault. I should have been more careful.
 I just needed to vent.  
My poor carpet.  *sniff..sniff*


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 8, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> guess i shoulda shipped ya the parts washer to


I got in a fat hurry wanting to get that new fan on. Thank you again.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 8, 2021)

Washed-Up said:


> Did you happen to get those creosote pellets? Wondering how well they work....it’s definitely coming off!


I couldn't find the pellets.  This is all just from heat!  It makes me wonder wth is all back in there?


----------



## Washed-Up (Jan 8, 2021)

Amazon product


----------



## rickwai (Jan 9, 2021)

SidecarFlip said:


> Doing better than us.  My wife has been waiting for a pair of socks she ordered last December that have become world travelers.  Everywhere but here.  Tracking shows them travelling thousands of miles but never arriving in our mailbox.  High mileage socks.....


They will completely shot by the time they arrive


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 9, 2021)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> I need this now sticky icky plate off of this motor, right?
> Anyone know how to get this stuff out of carpet?


Remove the fan and use a putty knife, easy-peasy


----------



## gfreek (Jan 9, 2021)

SidecarFlip said:


> Remove the fan and use a putty knife, easy-peasy


 Yea you got this ......


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 9, 2021)

Washed-Up said:


> Amazon product



Thank you.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 9, 2021)

SidecarFlip said:


> Remove the fan and use a putty knife, easy-peasy


Yes, thank you.
Let me apologize to everyone. Youve all been so wonderfully supportive. ♥
I'm sorry I was whiny and girly last night over carpeting.
I had a lousy week and was run down (got my 1st round covid vaccine. Side effects include crying over stupid stuff) and I had a Fri night mini melt down.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 9, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> guess i shoulda shipped ya the parts washer to


Ssyko, new problem. The mount bolt thingys dont quite fit. How can I fix this. ..or can I?
See on the pics, the  3 holes are really big on the old one ( top pic) and it had 1 of those red rubber gasket looking things on each bolt to keep it tight.


----------



## gfreek (Jan 9, 2021)

Those rubber gaskets are for motor vibration isolation from the mounting I believe.   I have them on my Harman.  Hope Ssyko chimes in soon, I don't want to give you wrong advice.., but once the rubber things are in the old slots then the hole is smaller for the bolts.,  correct ??  Do the mounting bolts fit in the replacement motor holes ??


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 9, 2021)

Put the motor on the plate its a tight fit but it will go. Drill the holes bigger on the motor if need be. We aren’t worried about noise at this point. We gonna have air

(bet it’s still quieter than the convection blower lol)


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 10, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> Put the motor on the plate its a tight fit but it will go. Drill the holes bigger on the motor if need be. We aren’t worried about noise at this point. We gonna have air
> 
> (bet it’s still quieter than the convection blower lol)


Ok, I'll try again.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 10, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> Put the motor on the plate its a tight fit but it will go. Drill the holes bigger on the motor if need be. We aren’t worried about noise at this point. We gonna have air
> 
> (bet it’s still quieter than the convection blower lol)


Nope. 2 holes will almost go, but it always leaves #3 off. 
I'm going to have to gouge one hole a little bigger to make it fit. Surely one of the bits in the Ryobi set is for metal.
And I have to work this eve so tomorrow before I can get to it.


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 10, 2021)

Let it rip drill all 3 hole bigger might give ya more room


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 11, 2021)

Dont try to put the red rubber isolators on just get the studs up through the motor mounts.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 11, 2021)

Got it!  They just had to be gouged out a bit bigger.
Now to put everything back together.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 11, 2021)

Ok, while I'm waiting for the red gasket goo to set up a bit, here's what I have.
I even had a fiberglass gasket for fan as I sent for a replecement way back before knowing about the tuba stuff.


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 11, 2021)

Looks good!!


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 11, 2021)

In reality the gasket is a better deal.  I would have used it instead.  Only reason we use red glue is we are too cheap to buy replacement gaskets....lol


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 11, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> Looks good!!


Thank you.
Ok, what am I doing with the loose wires that used to go to the old fan?


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 11, 2021)

Ok. Now when I plug the the stove in nothing happens.
No green light, nothing. Dead.

Unfreakingbelievable.


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 11, 2021)

Tape them up for now so they can’t touch metal


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 11, 2021)

Is the fuse on the back of the board blown?


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 11, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> Is the fuse on the back of the board blown?


Yup. I just pulled it out.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 11, 2021)

What kind of fuse do I need? Any glass fuse, or specifically one for this control board?


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 11, 2021)

Damn. I should have sent some of them too. I get them in bulk. They may have some at your local hardware. 120v 5amp fast blow


----------



## gfreek (Jan 11, 2021)

As many times it's been apart and fired up , Now it blows    Darn it


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 11, 2021)

Te


gfreek said:


> As many times it's been apart and fired up , Now it blows    Darn it


Tell me about it!
Now that I know its just the fuse, I'll live. But at first I thought the whole control board!!
I think maybe the neighbors heard me yelling and cursing and they live 1/4 mile down the road.
After..all...this....aaaaaaah


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 11, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> Damn. I should have sent some of them too. I get them in bulk. They may have some at your local hardware. 120v 5amp fast blow


So any little glass 5 amp fuse will work? Like from MyNards?
Oh. Ooops. Right there. 120v 5 amp. 
Ok.


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 11, 2021)

Yeah they should have some. The fuse has it marked on the ends but i have to use a magnifying glass to read


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 11, 2021)

Im more concerned with “why did it blow” lets hope it didn’t hurt the board. I do know a repair guy though lol


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 11, 2021)

It prolly blew 'cause I dont know wtf I'm doing.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 11, 2021)

I found the itsy bitsy marks. BIG L tiny F  5A / 125V.
I have an old trout flie tying contraption with a magnifying glass on the end.
Comes in handy with old lady eyes.


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 12, 2021)

Big L tiny f.= Little-fuse  (manufacturer)


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 12, 2021)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> It prolly blew 'cause I dont know wtf I'm doing.



ohh you know more than you think. Most would have given up way back on pg2! By the time we get this wrapped up you will know everything about your stove, and be able to troubleshoot problems all by yourself.   Ok Danielsan show us sandafloor lmaoo


----------



## Washed-Up (Jan 12, 2021)

She won’t be the only one haha


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 12, 2021)

Ok. Good news. I found a replacement fuse at MyNards ( gotta stop going there. I go in for ONE item..) and it's back on.
I havent hooked it up to the stove pipe yet 'cause I wanted to see if I had a vacuum with this new fan.  Nope. It still shuts off then blinks.  I'm going to have to leave the vacuum switch jumped.


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 12, 2021)

Man that thing is clogged up  
Yeah get it connected to the vent pipe. leave vac switch jumped and fire it up


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 12, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> Man that thing is clogged up
> Yeah get it connected to the vent pipe. leave vac switch jumped and fire it up


It wouldnt come on at first!
So I hooked the vacuume switch back up and it came on, went off, turned on, went off.
So I rejumped the vac switch and it stayed on this time.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 12, 2021)

It must be doing something. I havent used the blow dryer and the fire is getting bigger instead of dying this time!
Should I close the air intake a bit..or leave it?


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 12, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> Man that thing is clogged up
> Yeah get it connected to the vent pipe. leave vac switch jumped and fire it up


Does this fire look better (They all look the same to me) ?


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 12, 2021)

best i've seen yet out of that thing  
 is the damper wide open?


----------



## gfreek (Jan 12, 2021)

Looked at some of the previous pics and looks better , IMO...


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 12, 2021)

Where is your outlet surge suppressor???  No point in roasting the board now....


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 12, 2021)

SidecarFlip said:


> Where is your outlet surge suppressor???  No point in roasting the board now....


if it cooks ill fix it.  i just wonder how much noise that convection blower is gonna make


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 12, 2021)

SidecarFlip said:


> Where is your outlet surge suppressor???  No point in roasting the board now....


What's a surge suppressor? One of these?


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 12, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> best i've seen yet out of that thing
> is the damper wide open?


Yay!
It keeps trying to go out, but not quite. I havent messed with it. No blow dryer this time.  Yes, it's wide open.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 12, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> if it cooks ill fix it.  i just wonder how much noise that convection blower is gonna make


It sounds like someone is trying to kill it and it cant quite decide what speed it wants to run at. So basically the same.


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 12, 2021)

ok lets close the damper a little bit at a time till the fire stays busy and doesn't go up and down to much..  do you have a window fan you can blow at the stove  on low?


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 12, 2021)

sheesh fellas lets just see if we can keep it running on its own for a bit.. we know its gotta have a convection blower already and a surge box. and yeah i'll send some fuses 

need new pic of fire!


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 12, 2021)

Depends on how dry the bearings are................  From the overall condition, I'd say dry as a popcorn fart.


----------



## JbTech (Jan 12, 2021)

On pins and needles over here! Great job, all!


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 12, 2021)

this is what we recommend 
Amazon product


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 12, 2021)

SidecarFlip said:


> Depends on how dry the bearings are................  From the overall condition, I'd say dry as a popcorn fart.



she did oil them but i think they were to far gone 
previous owner abused the stove thats for sure


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 12, 2021)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> What's a surge suppressor? One of these?
> 
> View attachment 271817


Ah, no.  That is an outlet strip, not a surge suppressor, but I figure 'Santa Ssyko' will address everything in good time.

It's cold here today.  I had to bump up my feed rate a notch as the central furnace has been coming on a bit.  I don't like firing mine too hard on corn.  It burns really hot.  Hot enough to kick the high limit snap disc if I get too zealous.

Just keep cooking it.  The longer you cook it hot, the more of the 'coagulation' gets removed.


----------



## mikefromiowa (Jan 12, 2021)

The Frankenstove, IT'S ALIVE 



Well done, everyone !!


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 12, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> she did oil them but i think they were to far gone
> previous owner abused the stove thats for sure



it's my contention that EVERY owner abuses their stoves to a certain degree, I know I do but I also maintain it.  When it really gets abusive is when an owner beats on one but ignores basic maintenance.
If it has skate bearings those are replaceable and I bet you already know the catalog number.

I'm 'abusing' mine right now actually.  It's running pretty hard, harder than I normally run it but it's cold and windy and the price of propane is climbing and I have plenty of free fuel in the barn.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 12, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> ok lets close the damper a little bit at a time till the fire stays busy and doesn't go up and down to much..  do you have a window fan you can blow at the stove  on low?


Yes.


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 12, 2021)

what heat setting are you on? any goo coming out of the pipe?


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 12, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> what heat setting are you on? any goo coming out of the pipe?


I had it on 2 then the stove turned off .
I had to turn it on and off again to get it back on and this time I cranked it to 4.
Yes, the stove pipe is sweating creosote.
Everytime I try to dampen it, it starts to die on me. So I opened back up a bit.
That fan is pulling. I can see little fire jets through the burn pot holes when the fire gets low enough. There's clearly fresh air being sucked in.
And just now the stove shut itself off again.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 12, 2021)

The control board really seems to hate not having an exhaust fan hooked up to it.
Its wants to act wonky.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 12, 2021)

Lol. Then the fire died. No new pellets. So I dumped the burn pot. The stove turned itself back on!


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 12, 2021)

hook your old blower motor up to the wires next to the stove and just let it run along with everything else and see what it does. new pics of flame. im wondering if its burning out faster than it can feed them put it up on 4 for a bit


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 12, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> hook your old blower motor up to the wires next to the stove and just let it run along with everything else and see what it does. new pics of flame. im wondering if its burning out faster than it can feed them put it up on 4 for a bit


Good idea.


----------



## Washed-Up (Jan 12, 2021)

Biting my nails to the cuticles...pretty stoked to see it at this point, just got home from work and checked this first


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 12, 2021)

I couldn't get to the damn wires without taking damn back off again as they are too short. 
What a mess. But, ya the control panel behaves like it did before with the old fan motor hooked up.
But I can't leave like that.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 12, 2021)

Washed-Up said:


> Biting my nails to the cuticles...pretty stoked to see it at this point, just got home from work and checked this first


Are you out of Netflix??


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 12, 2021)

set it on an old milk crate or something.  hell leave it there just watch the wires


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 12, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> set it on an old milk crate or something.  hell leave it there just watch the wires


Ssyko I considered leaving it there, but if it falls I'm afraid that spinning rod and blade will take the cord to the new one with it.
This ancient cracker box has old timey floor joists and everything shakes rattles and rolls when my fat ass walks through the room.
Ugg. Maybe I can find a bucket.


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 12, 2021)

that works


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 12, 2021)

Ok. Plastic flower pot and a broken brick.
Like my wiring job? Lol.  Ok, firing her up again.


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 12, 2021)

Just keep them from melting on the pipe.


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 12, 2021)

Maybe close the damper by a 1/3


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 12, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> Maybe close the damper by a 1/3


Ok


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 12, 2021)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> Ok





Ssyko said:


> Maybe close the damper by a 1/3


Here to here?
They really had that screw down in there.
What do I want my flame to look like?
Btw,  the panel is behaving SO much better.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 12, 2021)

I cant get a clear picture this time because the glass is too smudged.


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 12, 2021)

You dont want pellets flying out of the pot but just kinda dance till they are almost burnt up


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 12, 2021)

That’s looking pretty good so far. 15-20 min into the run mode is where you want to fine tune the damper.  Take the screw out half way its in to far to start with


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 12, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> That’s looking pretty good so far. 15-20 min into the run mode is where you want to fine tune the damper.  Take the screw out half way its in to far to start with


Got it.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 12, 2021)

Too much damper?  Its still burning pretty good.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 12, 2021)

I'm still getting sparks, but now my glass is starting to smoke up a bit in the corners.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 12, 2021)

I can't believe its still burning and I havent had to use my blow dryer!!


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 12, 2021)

Open it just a tad and let it burn and make noise lol. My meds are kicking in, cant keep the old eyes open. So don’t leave it unattended and unplug everything when you shut it down for the night. Post some pics during the run so we can keep track.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 12, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> Open it just a tad and let it burn and make noise lol. My meds are kicking in, cant keep the old eyes open. So don’t leave it unattended and unplug everything when you shut it down for the night. Post some pics during the run so we can keep track.


Will do. Have a good night!
Thank you.


----------



## Washed-Up (Jan 12, 2021)

Awesome to see some success!


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 13, 2021)

I was hoping this worked , i did have some thoughts that we were chasing our tails like rick said, but now with some supervised hot burns maybe this stove won’t be in the scrap pile awaiting a new life as a bumper on a truck.


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 13, 2021)

Rx before you fire it up again give the glass a wipe down so we can get a good visual of the fire.


----------



## rickwai (Jan 13, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> I was hoping this worked , i did have some thoughts that we were chasing our tails like rick said, but now with some supervised hot burns maybe this stove won’t be in the scrap pile awaiting a new life as a bumper on a truck.


Ive been following! RX is a trooper  Progress is being made.    I would say to start it with the damper closed a little then open it as the feed level steps up. There is a approx. 5 min delay between steps. So if it is on 1 and you want it on 4, it will take approx. 20 min. to step up to 4. That is built in for corn burning. Corn does not like sudden change.  Basically as much air as it will take and still keep up with feed.  Ssyko, you probably already know that, but trying to throw so info out there in case it may help.


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 13, 2021)

rickwai said:


> Ive been following! RX is a trooper  Progress is being made.    I would say to start it with the damper closed a little then open it as the feed level steps up. There is a approx. 5 min delay between steps. So if it is on 1 and you want it on 4, it will take approx. 20 min. to step up to 4. That is built in for corn burning. Corn does not like sudden change.  Basically as much air as it will take and still keep up with feed.  Ssyko, you probably already know that, but trying to throw so info out there in case it may help.



did not know that the ramp up timing was different, mental note taken. for the next corn stove i work on lol


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 13, 2021)

I have a heater! I have a heater!


Ssyko said:


> Rx before you fire it up again give the glass a wipe down so we can get a good visual of the fire.


You read my mind. Cleaned everything this morning.
Started it up and had one little hickup. I opened the damper a bit and it nearly blew the fire out!
Then the stove didnt seem to see the fire so it shut off again.  I just turned it back on.
Now it fires right up. No blow dryer needed. The room fan came on within 10 minutes (used to take 30).


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 13, 2021)

Whew! I turned off all the space heaters and took off my sweater.
To be fair it's warm outside today. Supposed to be 50.  But it is nice not to be shivering for a change.


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 13, 2021)

What heat setting do you have it on now?


----------



## Washed-Up (Jan 13, 2021)

Nothing a few pounds of creosote removal can’t fix hey?!
Congrats Happy to see it’s working properly


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 13, 2021)

Your gonna be opening windows and doors when this gets rippin lol


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 13, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> What heat setting do you have it on now?


3


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 13, 2021)

Washed-Up said:


> Nothing a few pounds of creosote removal can’t fix hey?!
> Congrats Happy to see it’s working properly


Thank you thank you!


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 13, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> Your gonna be opening windows and doors when this gets rippin lol


LOL!!  It went out and I thought "oh no! Now what?". 
It was out of pellets!  Ive never had it runnning long enough to use up all the pellets (I only put in a small amount at a time). 
Now, to shop for a convection fan.  I wonder if I got my "relief" check?


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 13, 2021)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> LOL!!  It went out and I thought "oh no! Now what?".
> It was out of pellets!  Ive never had it runnning long enough to use up all the pellets (I only put in a small amount at a time).
> Now, to shop for a convection fan.  I wonder if I got my "relief" check?


You got your first Covid shot which is more than a lot of us have had.   Got my pittance right away.  Deposited to our Federal Employees Credit union account.  Probably should not have posted that, people might think I'm some kind of Federal mole...


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 13, 2021)

SidecarFlip said:


> You got your first Covid shot which is more than a lot of us have had.   Got my pittance right away.  Deposited to our Federal Employees Credit union account.  Probably should not have posted that, people might think I'm some kind of Federal mole...


Yup. Nursing home and hospital staff offered  vaccines at the front of the line. After watching some of my patients get sick and several die from pulmonary embolism ( this virus seems to cause unusual clotting in some people) I decided I would rather gamble with the vaccine than the virus.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 13, 2021)

Ok. What needs to be adjusted when the pellets are starting to drop in faster than they burn? And how hot should this stove get?  I accidentally touched the metal door frame while trying to get these pics. Its too hot to touch.
Is it too dampened?


----------



## Washed-Up (Jan 13, 2021)

RIPPIN


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 13, 2021)

Yeah open the damper a bit and watch the fire. Putting out some heat? Black goo from the pipe?


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 13, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> Yeah open the damper a bit and watch the fire. Putting out some heat? Black goo from the pipe?


I'm on it. 
No, not much new goo. Unless it's drying before it can drip much. The stove pipe has finally gotten hot. Not too hot to put my hands on, but hotter than before. Upstairs it's finally gotten just warm.  Maybe it's burning up too much to condense on to the pipe? If this doesnt cook that crap out of there, it aint comin' out!


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 13, 2021)

But my glass doesnt blacken up like it used to!


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 13, 2021)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> But my glass doesnt blacken up like it used to!


That’s a good sign. Raise it to 4  and open the damper just a lil bit more


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 13, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> That’s a good sign. Raise it to 4  and open the damper just a lil bit more


It's on 4.


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 13, 2021)

Amazon product


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 13, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> Amazon product



Thank you! Is that about the best one can do price wise? $80-ish?


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 13, 2021)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> Ok. What needs to be adjusted when the pellets are starting to drop in faster than they burn? And how hot should this stove get?  I accidentally touched the metal door frame while trying to get these pics. Its too hot to touch.
> Is it too dampened?


The door as well as the entire front of mine gets hot enough to light a cigarette on.  No big deal.  Mine is all light colored around the door where the paint has roasted off over the years, don't hurt a thing, just remember not to touch it.  No big deal.  My view glass never gets dirty, just a bit of fly ash and I take care of that with a paintbruish.  Natural bristle one.  A poly bristle brush will melt to the glass.  I clean my view glass when it's running, only takes a second.  Harbor Freight has cheap bristle paint brushes, 10 for 5 bucks.

If it's not hot, it ain't running right.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 13, 2021)

SidecarFlip said:


> The door as well as the entire front of mine gets hot enough to light a cigarette on.  No big deal.  Mine is all light colored around the door where the paint has roasted off over the years, don't hurt a thing, just remember not to touch it.  No big deal.  My view glass never gets dirty, just a bit of fly ash and I take care of that with a paintbruish.  Natural bristle one.  A poly bristle brush will melt to the glass.  I clean my view glass when it's running, only takes a second.  Harbor Freight has cheap bristle paint brushes, 10 for 5 bucks.
> 
> If it's not hot, it ain't running right.


Good to know! Thank you.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 13, 2021)

Is this normal? Or should I adjust something? 
It's like they blacken, but dont burn to ash.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 13, 2021)

Oops. Tried to get some of out of the burn pot. They all kind of fell.
Well, theyre not in a big pile any more.


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 13, 2021)

open the damper a little more its feeding faster than they are burning


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 13, 2021)

this is s good one from enviro


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 13, 2021)

id like to see yours more blow torch than lazy


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 13, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> open the damper a little more its feeding faster than they are burning


That's what I thought.


----------



## mikefromiowa (Jan 13, 2021)

Great to see you making progress, too much heat is a good problem !!

Getting a replacement convection blower like Ssyko recommended is the easiest way to fix that problem.

For those who might be interested in replacing the bearings in the old convection blower, the thread below has a lot of good information, including the bearing part #s (post #7, post #43)




__





						Too many moving parts on these machines.
					

Arrrrrr! now I have to replace the convection fan. There is two sealed bearing on the spindle and one of them is making noise (enough to bother me).  No wonder people sell these after a season or 2.  Good thing I don't mind getting my hands dirty because I have put a lot of time into cleaning...




					www.hearth.com


----------



## gfreek (Jan 13, 2021)

Progress.  That flame  looks  like you are making headway here ,  good to see...


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 13, 2021)

mikefromiowa said:


> Great to see you making progress, too much heat is a good problem !!
> 
> Getting a replacement convection blower like Ssyko recommended is the easiest way to fix that problem.
> 
> ...


Interesting pictures. So now I know it can be done if I ever need to. It sounds like Ssyko is  recommending the whole blower and he hasn't steered me wrong.  I would have thrown this thing through a window by now if not for him and this forum.
Everyone has been wonderful.   10 heads are better than 1!


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 13, 2021)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> Thank you! Is that about the best one can do price wise? $80-ish?


yeah i searched all my know spots and some i don't usually go to  $80ish is actually alot better than the going $149 and up. maybe we can walk ya through a bearing change off season..


hows the fire looking i need to see fiiiiire


----------



## Washed-Up (Jan 13, 2021)

Fire pics every hour please


----------



## gfreek (Jan 13, 2021)

How loud is that blower ?   Are there bearings in there or bushings ?  








						St. Croix Greenfield, Lancaster, Prescott EX/EXL Blower Fan Motor, 80P20003-R  | eBay
					

Prescott EXL - 2004 to Current. Prescott EX / EXP - 2004 to Current. Greenfield - 2004 to Current. Convection Blower, Distribution Fan Motor Assembly. Lancaster - 2004 to Current. IncludedComplete Blower Assembly.



					www.ebay.com


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 13, 2021)




----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 13, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> yeah i searched all my know spots and some i don't usually go to  $80ish is actually alot better than the going $149 and up. maybe we can walk ya through a bearing change off season..
> 
> 
> hows the fire looking i need to see fiiiiire


I let it go out as I needed to run a few errands and I dont dare leave it unattended.
By golly this thing gets HOT.   
I ordered the fan from Amazon and bearings as well. Theyre only like $4.50 each.  Maybe I can dink around with the old fan when I'm snowed in.
We've had an unusually mild winter...knock on wood...  But that can change in the blink of an eye.

Nebraska, if you don't like the weather, wait an hour...it'll change.

Seems like I have to keep the damper open or pellets pile up and only blacken.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 14, 2021)

Ssyko said:


>



Had to charge my phone! Lol.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 14, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> yeah i searched all my know spots and some i don't usually go to  $80ish is actually alot better than the going $149 and up. maybe we can walk ya through a bearing change off season..
> 
> 
> hows the fire looking i need to see fiiiiire


Fire


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 14, 2021)

gfreek said:


> How loud is that blower ?   Are there bearings in there or bushings ?
> 
> 
> 
> ...





Rxwoman1961 said:


> Fire


For some reason I cant upload video.  Im gonna' try again in the AM.


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 14, 2021)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> I let it go out as I needed to run a few errands and I dont dare leave it unattended.
> By golly this thing gets HOT.
> I ordered the fan from Amazon and bearings as well. Theyre only like $4.50 each.
> 
> Seems like I have to keep the damper open or pellets pile up and only blacken.



open the damper more till the fire looks like its almost a blowtorch. Its going to be adjusted everytime the heat range is changed. More fule more air, less fuel less air.


----------



## rickwai (Jan 14, 2021)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> Good to know! Thank you.


Rx, Remember it does have a live fire 6" from the door


----------



## rickwai (Jan 14, 2021)

rickwai said:


> Ive been following! RX is a trooper  Progress is being made.    I would say to start it with the damper closed a little then open it as the feed level steps up. There is a approx. 5 min delay between steps. So if it is on 1 and you want it on 4, it will take approx. 20 min. to step up to 4. That is built in for corn burning. Corn does not like sudden change.  Basically as much air as it will take and still keep up with feed.  Ssyko, you probably already know that, but trying to throw so info out there in case it may help.


5 minutes may be a stretch. I think it may be 3 minutes.


----------



## rickwai (Jan 14, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> open the damper more till the fire looks like its almost a blowtorch. Its going to be adjusted everytime the heat range is changed. More fule more air, less fuel less air.


Once the stove is burned out and breathing properly  I can help you  to set the draft damper that will burn good on 1-3 and decent on 4. The St Croix dont like 5 much.  it is basically get a clean burn on 1 and the sep up in fan speed compensates as you raise setting.  But now of course it takes manual manipulation to keep it going


----------



## rickwai (Jan 14, 2021)

gfreek said:


> How loud is that blower ?   Are there bearings in there or bushings ?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Bearing pressed on the shafts


----------



## rickwai (Jan 14, 2021)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> I let it go out as I needed to run a few errands and I dont dare leave it unattended.
> By golly this thing gets HOT.
> I ordered the fan from Amazon and bearings as well. Theyre only like $4.50 each.  Maybe I can dink around with the old fan when I'm snowed in.
> We've had an unusually mild winter...knock on wood...  But that can change in the blink of an eye.
> ...


I have replaced the bearings  this blower a few times. If you send  it to me I will gladly install bearings and send it back. I use a brass nipple to tap the bearing back in place with out getting into the plastic covers.  Getting the squirell cages out is kind of a pain but doable . They are just "pressed on to the shaft ends


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 14, 2021)

gfreek said:


> How loud is that blower ?   Are there bearings in there or bushings ?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Do keep in mind that the bearings in the distribution fan are sealed but, not hermetically sealed, they just have a dust seal, which, allows fine dust to eventually enter and dry them out and they fail (which is why yours are noisy) and the need oiled yearly, a few drops of 3-1 oil.  The alternative is bearing replacement or a new fan assembly.  Better than oil light bearings but still not perfect.

Once they get noisy (from lack of lubricant) they have to be replaced.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 14, 2021)

Good morning (late) ya'll are such early risers. I work the evening shift and I tend to stay on evening schrdule. No 6ams for me!   
Ok, so I had this pattern of soot on my glass this morning. I cleaned it up and restarted it.
The first two about 5 minutes after starting. The next 2 about 3 or 4 minutes later and the convection fan cuts on already..
I just left the damper open for now as I was getting so many unburnt pellets last night.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 14, 2021)

10 minutes later, so far so good. I closed the damper a smidge (like by a third maybe) and its on level 2.
Last night I tried repeatedly to upload video. It just wouldnt.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 14, 2021)

You'll always get some fly ash deposits on the view glass no matter what you do.  Again ,like I tell everyone (and no one seems to listen), just take a cheap NATURAL BRISTLE paint brush (I use a 1" wide trim brush) and brush the ash off the glass.  I do that a couple times a day usually.

Whatever you do, makes sure it's not a POLY BRISTLE' brush as it will melt to the view glass and make a helluva mess.  I do mine when it running and mine runs 24-7 unless I'm cleaning it which, in my case is every 4 days because I burn corn and corn makes a ton of ash.

You can get a 10 bag of them at Harbor Freight for 5 bucks.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 14, 2021)

SidecarFlip said:


> You'll always get some fly ash deposits on the view glass no matter what you do.  Again ,like I tell everyone (and no one seems to listen), just take a cheap NATURAL BRISTLE paint brush (I use a 1" wide trim brush) and brush the ash off the glass.  I do that a couple times a day usually.
> 
> Whatever you do, makes sure it's not a POLY BRISTLE' brush as it will melt to the view glass and make a helluva mess.  I do mine when it running and mine runs 24-7 unless I'm cleaning it which, in my case is every 4 days because I burn corn and corn makes a ton of ash.
> 
> You can get a 10 bag of them at Harbor Freight for 5 bucks.


Oh. I been using paper towels. Your idea sounds better, and cheaper!


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 14, 2021)

I'm into cheap, always have been, why I heat with a biomass stove running corn.  I get all my corn for free and have for years now.  I do mix pellets with it to mitigate the clinkers so my total heat bill in the winter is about 400 bucks including the electricity to run the stove.


----------



## rickwai (Jan 14, 2021)

When a St Croix is breathing correctly this is the type of ash you should have burning straight corn. I just did a full cleaning and leaf blower on it for the first time this season


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 14, 2021)

rickwai said:


> When a St Croix is breathing correctly this is the type of ash you should have burning straight corn. I just did a full cleaning and leaf blower on it for the first time this season
> View attachment 271970
> View attachment 271971


Yeah, it's not doing that well yet.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 14, 2021)

I have the damper wide open and running on 3. Still not burning through the pellet.
But it doesnt go out on me!


----------



## rickwai (Jan 14, 2021)

Turn it down to 2. sounds like 2 may be the correct fuel ratio for the amount of air that is being allowed thru the stove. You should not have pellets building up like that


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 14, 2021)

X2


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 14, 2021)

rickwai said:


> When a St Croix is breathing correctly this is the type of ash you should have burning straight corn. I just did a full cleaning and leaf blower on it for the first time this season
> View attachment 271970
> View attachment 271971


That stove is filthy...........


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 14, 2021)

rickwai said:


> Turn it down to 2. sounds like 2 may be the correct fuel ratio for the amount of air that is being allowed thru the stove. You should not have pellets building up like that


I suspect as it cooks out, air flow will improve.  Just needs to run hot for a while, a long while...


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 14, 2021)

Glad you mentioned it, I need to blacken the deck myself....


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 14, 2021)

another thing we need to look at. your old motor got pretty dirty in a very short time. may have to clean the squirrel cage on the big one if it burning more and longer.  run it at 2 wide open damper and lets see if it slows down the draft changes


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 14, 2021)

Ok. 2 it is.  Hey, I have heat. Not the kind I can leave on at night yet, but it's waaaay better than what I had before!  I'll just have to do it like this until more of the crud burns out.
Hard to believe its still not enough air to burn through the pellets when I can open the door and smoke doesnt roll out of the burn chamber.
I have to run into Menards and get more pellets now anyway. Would you recomend more creosote buster while I'm there?


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 14, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> another thing we need to look at. your old motor got pretty dirty in a very short time. may have to clean the squirrel cage on the big one if it burning more and longer.  run it at 2 wide open damper and lets see if it slows down the draft changes


Yeah, that thought occured to me as well.
So when I have to shut it down to put the convection fan in once it gets here, should I pull all that out again?
Or can I get by a bit longer before doing all that?
Not exactly looking forward to it.   I only just now managed to scrub the worst of the creo-tar smears out of my rug.


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 14, 2021)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> Yeah, that thought occured to me as well.
> So when I have to shut it down to put the convection fan in once it gets here, should I pull all that out again?
> Or can I get by a bit longer before doing all that?
> Not exactly looking forward to it.   I only just now managed to scrub the worst of the creo-tar smears out of my rug.



unfortunately I think it would be a good idea. Its only 6 screws. I would leave the panels off till we get this done.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 14, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> unfortunately I think it would be a good idea. Its only 6 screws. I would leave the panels off till we get this done.


Leave the panel off?  NOW you tell me?!

All right. Fan is on its way.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 14, 2021)

Oh goody. We're under a blizzard warning.


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 14, 2021)

we're under a thaw . lol 45 tomorrow. good day to change the starter on the plow truck


----------



## Washed-Up (Jan 14, 2021)

Alberta clipper, it’s a powerful one too



Rxwoman1961 said:


> Oh goody. We're under a blizzard warning.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 14, 2021)

I need to put the Lucknow on the back of the cab tractor tomorrow.  Been putting it off but I have a feeling my luck is wearing thin.  I'm a snow beast with a 10 foot power angle plow on the front and an 84" double auger Lucknow blower on the back end and the front tires chained up.  Unstoppable.  I need to be, I'm a mile off the pavement.  I do have heat and the am fm though.  Put on some hillbilly tunes and go snow busting.  Did 8 foot drifts before but it takes every bit of the 100 horses the tractor makes.

We only ever get one, maybe 2 good storms every year but this is flat, open farm country and when it snows, it drifts up real bad and I have to keep my rental drives open.


----------



## gfreek (Jan 14, 2021)

Snow blower  and cab has been mounted on tractor  for over a month.   Not used once.  Yet...45 here tomorrow,  some weekend snow that Rxwoman1961 is getting,


----------



## Washed-Up (Jan 14, 2021)

We already had our big dump  81cm/32in


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 15, 2021)

I have a couple front wheel assist turbo diesel farm tractors, one with a cab and all the comforts and one without, same model, same power same transmission, only difference is a cab and no cab so the no cab unit stays in the barn all winter while the cab tractor does plow duty.  I do the road all the time.  Only way I can get in and out.  For a long time I farmed with only one tractor but the older I get the harder it is to switch implements so 2 tractors make it easier for me.  besides, nothing beats plowing in a tee shirt when it's below freezing out.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 15, 2021)

Washed-Up said:


> We already had our big dump  81cm/32in
> 
> View attachment 272005


Plenty of insulation on that roof I'd say...  On the car roofs too.....


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 15, 2021)

Washed-Up said:


> Alberta clipper, it’s a powerful one too


Alberta clipper?
Doin' meteorology in your spare time?


----------



## rickwai (Jan 15, 2021)

Flip, we dont get snow like that here in central OH. But when we do get a sizable snow I am prepared! I have a 300’ driveway, way to much for a push blower anymore


----------



## Washed-Up (Jan 15, 2021)

Sort of.... I am a storm chaser during the summer and I do my own forecasting year round. @Washed_Up on Twitter 



Rxwoman1961 said:


> Alberta clipper?
> Doin' meteorology in your spare time?


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 15, 2021)

rickwai said:


> Flip, we dont get snow like that here in central OH. But when we do get a sizable snow I am prepared! I have a 300’ driveway, way to much for a push blower anymore
> 
> 
> 
> ...


You have a garage?? I'm so jealous.
A garage, a snowblower and a house with a mudroom are the only ways to make living in states with REAL weather tolerable.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 15, 2021)

Washed-Up said:


> Sort of.... I am a storm chaser during the summer and I do my own forecasting year round. @Washed_Up on Twitter


Oh wow. Seen any crazy tornados?
I once mentioned the idea of chasing a tornado (close one)  to get some pictures. My daughter freaked. Her opinion was that tornado chasing in a Toyota Corolla was a bad idea. Lol.


----------



## Washed-Up (Jan 15, 2021)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> Oh wow. Seen any crazy tornados?
> I once mentioned the idea of chasing a tornado (close one)  to get some pictures. My daughter freaked. Her opinion was that tornado chasing in a Toyota Corolla was a bad idea. Lol.


 Yea I’ve see quite a few, here’s one from last May


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 15, 2021)

Thats to cool!!


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 15, 2021)

Washed-Up said:


> Yea I’ve see quite a few, here’s one from last May


WOW. Where was that one?
We had an unusually innactive season last summer.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 15, 2021)

Well, she' just a burning away. It still gets awfully full at level 2, but I use the clinker poker and just kind of stir things up.
If it gets too full I shut off the stove at the control panel. That leaves the room fan running on low, for a little while, and the exhaust fan of course wont stop until I unplug it.
I havent had to do that yet today.  I filled the hopper for the first time and added another room fan to blow some hot air.
The convection fan was only just shipped. Expected to arrive next week, like Thurs or Fri.
Our blizzard is mostly wind, thank goodness. I wont be snowed in.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 15, 2021)

rickwai said:


> Flip, we dont get snow like that here in central OH. But when we do get a sizable snow I am prepared! I have a 300’ driveway, way to much for a push blower anymore
> 
> 
> 
> ...


My tractors are about 10 times the size of your Grasshopper.  If I had one (always wanted one), it would only have a lawnmower on it.  I use a 60" Cub Cadet Tank to mow with (7 acres) and the wife has one too.  We play 'dueling lawnmowers' in the summer.  personally, I really dislike moving snow but it's a necessary evil.  I'd much rather toast in front of the stove anyday along with the cats...

Nothing here, just some rain and I'm all good with that.  In fact it's so warm I have the stove puttering along on HR2.  I have about 600 feet to keep clear before the road starts and then 1.5 miles to the pavement.  Little much for your grasshopper I'd say.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 15, 2021)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> Well, she' just a burning away. It still gets awfully full at level 2, but I use the clinker poker and just kind of stir things up.
> If it gets too full I shut off the stove at the control panel. That leaves the room fan running on low, for a little while, and the exhaust fan of course wont stop until I unplug it.
> I havent had to do that yet today.  I filled the hopper for the first time and added another room fan to blow some hot air.
> The convection fan was only just shipped. Expected to arrive next week, like Thurs or Fri.
> Our blizzard is mostly wind, thank goodness. I wont be snowed in.


Gonna be time for a paint job this spring when heating season is done.  You need to make it presentable and polish the door trim too.  A nice looking unit is a happy unit.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 15, 2021)

SidecarFlip said:


> Gonna be time for a paint job this spring when heating season is done.  You need to make it presentable and polish the door trim too.  A nice looking unit is a happy unit.


I would love to fix or polish up all the paint and stuff!  I thought about it when I first got it home, but Ive seen ones on the marketplace with really bad paint jobs and it looked terrible .  I was afraid if I tried it would come out like that. That blotchy black rustoleum or spray paint that you can tell someone added.
What would you recommend to address the places inside that are so rusty? Is there anyway to treat it that might slow it down?


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 15, 2021)

Interior, you are basically stuck with.  Exterior, not so much but you will need to prep it by sanding it down, wiping it with a solvent like acetone to remove all the residue, tack it off with a tack cloth and spray it with high temperature semi gloss of flat black stove paint.  Not Rustoleum either, a good quality high heat resistant paint.  I use exhaust header paint myself.  It's good for any exterior temp the stove can make.  Exhaust header paint comes in different colors too, but I just use black.


----------



## Washed-Up (Jan 15, 2021)

Stove looks like it’s running well


Rxwoman1961 said:


> WOW. Where was that one?
> We had an unusually innactive season last summer.


That tornado was east of Calgary Alberta

 There’s quite a few of us here that have sanded and painted a stove or 3 and we’ll give you some pointers when the time comes...fire away with any questions


----------



## rickwai (Jan 16, 2021)

SidecarFlip said:


> My tractors are about 10 times the size of your Grasshopper.  If I had one (always wanted one), it would only have a lawnmower on it.  I use a 60" Cub Cadet Tank to mow with (7 acres) and the wife has one too.  We play 'dueling lawnmowers' in the summer.  personally, I really dislike moving snow but it's a necessary evil.  I'd much rather toast in front of the stove anyday along with the cats...
> 
> Nothing here, just some rain and I'm all good with that.  In fact it's so warm I have the stove puttering along on HR2.  I have about 600 feet to keep clear before the road starts and then 1.5 miles to the pavement.  Little much for your grasshopper I'd say.


Yes way more than I would want to deal with!  I have 300' of blacktop. It is perfect for my set up.  I do like the Grasshopper. We only have 2 acres. I have a 61" powerfold deck then put the 48" blower on for the winter. We dont get much snow here, but when we do I need a way to deal with it.  And  the 27 Hp EFI Kohler does just fine with anything that we get here. The wife does all the mowing in the summer. I have a inground swimming pool company, so zero spare  time for me from April till the end of October. Business was thru the roof this past year!!


----------



## rickwai (Jan 16, 2021)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> I would love to fix or polish up all the paint and stuff!  I thought about it when I first got it home, but Ive seen ones on the marketplace with really bad paint jobs and it looked terrible .  I was afraid if I tried it would come out like that. That blotchy black rustoleum or spray paint that you can tell someone added.
> What would you recommend to address the places inside that are so rusty? Is there anyway to treat it that might slow it down?


Stove Bright Satin Black 1990 puts a nice finish on a stove.  Flat black from lowes almost looks dark charcoal grey when it drys. This looks like the finish when the stove is new. And it is very forgiving to use.
Buy at this point lets see if we can get it running properly first. no sense putting lipstick on a pig


----------



## gfreek (Jan 16, 2021)

rickwai said:


> Stove Bright Satin Black 1990 puts a nice finish on a stove. Flat black from lowes almost looks dark charcoal grey when it drys. This looks like the finish when the stove is new. And it is very forgiving to use.
> Buy at this point lets see if we can get it running properly first. no sense putting lipstick on a


Agree, get this stove running so it doesn't need constant attention., then worry about paint and polish..


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 16, 2021)

So my Saturday morning question is.  Does the stove seem to be loosing air movement through it? Does it act like its clogging up?


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 16, 2021)

I wasn't suggesting now, I said when it warms up as in summer.  Far as lipstick on a pig goes, I won't go there....  If you can apply it, more power to ya.


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 18, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> So my Saturday morning question is.  Does the stove seem to be loosing air movement through it? Does it act like its clogging up?



now moved to mondays question


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 18, 2021)

Must be good to go now, no reply.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 18, 2021)

Until another issue comes up and then.....

Kind of the way it rolls on this forum.  Rarely do you see any posts where the poster is happy.  I'm very happy with mine, I just like to help others...  Rick is like me, Sysko too.

In reality about half the comments made can be addressed by reading the owners manual and the Wiki at the top of the forum page though...


----------



## gfreek (Jan 18, 2021)

Hey you never know whats up.. I'm sure she'll be visiting here soon...


----------



## Lordtimothy200 (Jan 18, 2021)

She mentioned earlier in the thread about working weekends in healthcare.   Been there, done that, glad I am not doing that anymore.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 18, 2021)

She said she works in a nursing home somewhere.  I believe full time however.


----------



## rickwai (Jan 19, 2021)

SidecarFlip said:


> Until another issue comes up and then.....
> 
> Kind of the way it rolls on this forum.  Rarely do you see any posts where the poster is happy.  I'm very happy with mine, I just like to help others...  Rick is like me, Sysko too.
> 
> In reality about half the comments made can be addressed by reading the owners manual and the Wiki at the top of the forum page though...


I enjoy offering my 14yrs of stove service knowledge to help someone out. That is what forums are about. I am a member of a forum for most stuff I have. (Grasshopper Mower, Case 580 SL, Honda CR-V which I have 2 ect.) I feel I can contribute to the stove forum and that is my give back for being  more of a taker on the others.  I do inground pool service and repair, so this time of year gets pretty boring.  We all banter back and forth about our preferred brand and model but is all in good fun.   Im sure Rx is busy with work considering the pandemic situation right now. I know the stove is not burnt out and running like a champ at this point. And it sounds like she has plenty on her plate in general, Entertaining us old guys on here is just one of them


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 19, 2021)

SidecarFlip said:


> Must be good to go now, no reply.


I didnt forget about you guys. 
It's just that I work weekends and I was waiting on that blower.  Which just got here.
As far as Ssyko's question..
I'm not sure. One day I think it's not backing up anymore. Then the next day I'll look at it and the burn pot is starting to over flow!
I have to stir it to keep that from happening. They stay too pellet to fall through to the ash drawer if I dont give them a crunch with the clinker fork.
I'm assuming I shouldnt have to do that normally?


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 19, 2021)

Well, and I was hoping to get in a nap this afternoon.


----------



## Lordtimothy200 (Jan 19, 2021)

Still to much fuel for the air supply.  Here is mine about 20 hours out from the last time I dropped the clinker.  Heat level 1 for the last 6 hours and the other 14 hours was on 2.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 19, 2021)

rickwai said:


> I enjoy offering my 14yrs of stove service knowledge to help someone out. That is what forums are about. I am a member of a forum for most stuff I have. (Grasshopper Mower, Case 580 SL, Honda CR-V which I have 2 ect.) I feel I can contribute to the stove forum and that is my give back for being  more of a taker on the others.  I do inground pool service and repair, so this time of year gets pretty boring.  We all banter back and forth about our preferred brand and model but is all in good fun.   Im sure Rx is busy with work considering the pandemic situation right now. I know the stove is not burnt out and running like a champ at this point. And it sounds like she has plenty on her plate in general, Entertaining us old guys on here is just one of them


You guys are saving me from freezing!! Or having to give up on this stove and start over several hundred in the hole.

I  was actually thinking you guys might want a break from my dumb questions! So I  waited for the convection fan to get here. And yes, I work more or less every weekend.
Since I dont have a life anymore, what do I need Saturdays off for?


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 19, 2021)

Lordtimothy200 said:


> Still to much fuel for the air supply.  Here is mine about 20 hours out from the last time I dropped the clinker.  Heat level 1 for the last 6 hours and the other 14 hours was on 2.


Yeah, this one only last a couple hours, at best, before I have to stir it down.
We're going to see how much tar n feathers is coming out as soon as it's cool enough to dig into.
Should I just pull the exhaust fan first and see what it looks like?  
Ssyko, what do you think? Or does it matter?


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 19, 2021)

SidecarFlip said:


> She said she works in a nursing home somewhere.  I believe full time however.


You were both close. Nursing home in Milford (usually weekends) and the hospital in Wahoo.
Remember when David Letterman did his top 10 list way back when?  There for a while in the 90's I think, he  would say they were out of Wahoo, Nebraska?


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 19, 2021)

Ok. The fan is off. No more goo. Its turned powdery. Weird.
The powdery is on top and some kind of shiny crystal stuff is underneath.
I think the creosote buster stuff??


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 19, 2021)

By golly that creosote buster stuff works!!


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 19, 2021)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> Well, and I was hoping to get in a nap this afternoon.


Make sure the bearings are oiled before you install it.  A little light machine oil (3-1) won't hurt anything.


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 19, 2021)

Im guessing since i just got in from plowing you probably have it all back together again. Did you brush off the squirrel cage? It is looking better but i was really hoping to see i little bit more improvement. You may have to kinda set up a time schedule to keep the fire burning better. If you are running on 2, when it starts to look like its starting to overfill put it down to 1 and let it almost burn out then put it back on 2. Repeat. Your new blower I assume you figured that you have to drill a couple holes for the mount bolts.


----------



## Lordtimothy200 (Jan 19, 2021)

Never worked in Milford nursing home.   Worked at least a dozen nursing homes all over Nebraska doing Agency.   Let my license lapse a few years ago,  still miss it once and a while but then remember the driving, politics and the long hours........I get over the missing pretty quick.

This has been the most interesting thread on the forums for quite some times.  Enjoy seeing a person willing to work through  problems and see success.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 19, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> Im guessing since i just got in from plowing you probably have it all back together again. Did you brush off the squirrel cage? It is looking better but i was really hoping to see i little bit more improvement. You may have to kida set up a time schedule to keep the fire burning better. If you are running on 2, when it starts to look like its starting to overfill put it down to 1 and let it almost burn out then put it back on 2. Repeat. Your new blower I assume you figured that you have to drill a couple holes for the mount bolts.


Plowing huh....  Better you than me.  I haven't even put the blower on the back end of the tractor yet, though it is ready to go on and the plow is sitting on blocks where it's been since last spring.  I did grease the trunions however.  Guess I'd better install the front chains, it has to be coming, well, maybe.

When we get it, we get it big time so the only way is the FWA tractor with the 10 foot plow on the front and the 8 foot blower on the back.

I use the tractor every few weeks to replenish my corn / pellet mix from the supersacks in the barn and the skid of pellets.  Mix up 4 30 gallon plastic garbage cans of mix, 3 parts corn to one part pellets and set the whole shebang (4 cans on a pallet) up on the deck so I can get to it easily.  I bring it in, in a 5 gallon bucket twice a day and dump it in the stove.  Consequently, I have to leave the pallet forks on the front loader most of the time but hooking up the plow is easy, it's welded to a 2 pin SSQA plate and 2 hydraulic hoses to hook up for the power angle and I'm good to go.

I'd prefer not to do snow at all but I have to keep my rental drives clean so they can get to work so they can pay the rent....lol


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 19, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> Im guessing since i just got in from plowing you probably have it all back together again. Did you brush off the squirrel cage? It is looking better but i was really hoping to see i little bit more improvement. You may have to kinda set up a time schedule to keep the fire burning better. If you are running on 2, when it starts to look like its starting to overfill put it down to 1 and let it almost burn out then put it back on 2. Repeat. Your new blower I assume you figured that you have to drill a couple holes for the mount bolts.


I wish!  I spent over 2 hours trying to scrape hardened creo-crap out of the impossible to reach exhaust area.  
 Then I had to clean up and make a "wtf am I doing for supper"  run.     I just pulled the convection fan, but that's as far as I've gotten for tonight.
Drill holes??  Ugh.  Good thing it's supposed to be almost 60 tomorrow.
Considering how much stuff I've scraped out of that exhaust hole area...what does it look like farther in??


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 19, 2021)

Lordtimothy200 said:


> Never worked in Milford nursing home.   Worked at least a dozen nursing homes all over Nebraska doing Agency.   Let my license lapse a few years ago,  still miss it once and a while but then remember the driving, politics and the long hours........I get over the missing pretty quick.
> 
> This has been the most interesting thread on the forums for quite some times.  Enjoy seeing a person willing to work through  problems and see success.


Which nursing homes did you work in?   In Lincoln?


----------



## Lordtimothy200 (Jan 19, 2021)

Never worked in Lincoln.  Mostly worked at Good Sam's in Bloomfield, Valentine, Kearney basically where ever they needed help.


----------



## rickwai (Jan 20, 2021)

Rx,
When you were cleaning out the area under the fan, you rereferred the the hard stuff underneath. Did you have a thin layer of black powder ash then hard black stuff underneath that was still adhered really well?  Just trying to figure out if the hard stuff is starting to break down yet.


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 20, 2021)

rickwai said:


> Rx,
> When you were cleaning out the area under the fan, you rereferred the the hard stuff underneath. Did you have a thin layer of black powder ash then hard black stuff underneath that was still adhered really well?  Just trying to figure out if the hard stuff is starting to break down yet.



im wondering if it’s getting hot enough! That blower i sent, Static tested on the bench @2.41iwc. Given the amount of space in the path throughout the stove i was hoping to reach an estimated 1.50 iwc at the least. Its got to have some serious chit packed in there somewhere.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 20, 2021)

Lordtimothy200 said:


> Never worked in Lincoln.  Mostly worked at Good Sam's in Bloomfield, Valentine, Kearney basically where ever they needed help.


Valentine, know it well.  I have 2 large 10 point Mule Deer on the wall I shot there. well, just east of there near the dam.


----------



## rickwai (Jan 20, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> im wondering if it’s getting hot enough! That blower i sent, Static tested on the bench @2.41iwc. Given the amount of space in the path throughout the stove i was hoping to reach an estimated 1.50 iwc at the least. Its got to have some serious chit packed in there somewhere.


Yeah there must be. The vac switch on it is a .1 inwc i think?


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 20, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> im wondering if it’s getting hot enough! That blower i sent, Static tested on the bench @2.41iwc. Given the amount of space in the path throughout the stove i was hoping to reach an estimated 1.50 iwc at the least. Its got to have some serious chit packed in there somewhere.


Sure does.  Coagulated, half burnt corn probably.  One thing about corn that is bad and that is, if it's wet (over 15% RM and you do get it to burn), the 'carmelization' of the kernels as the start to combusting corn  causes a sticky gooey mess and a lot of nitric fumes to be released too.  I bet the sticky lumpy mess is half combusted corn that has hardened up over time. Far as I can see, the only way to remove it would be a long HOT burn on straight pellets. High PPH feed rate and as much combustion air as possible.


----------



## Lordtimothy200 (Jan 20, 2021)

Yeah working in Valentine was kind of stupid.  They would pay 56 cents a mile + drive time + extra 75 per shift.  I would go out and do one shift and drive home.  Made more money on mileage and drive time than I did there.  Only did it a couple of times, just wasn't worth the boredom of sitting in a car for that many hours.


----------



## Lordtimothy200 (Jan 20, 2021)

You sure there isn't a way to get to that area that likely is filled up?  I use a old throttle cable attached to a drill to clean out behind the combustion chamber.  Could you come in with the cable from the combustion blower and bust it loose?


----------



## rickwai (Jan 20, 2021)

Lordtimothy200 said:


> You sure there isn't a way to get to that area that likely is filled up?  I use a old throttle cable attached to a drill to clean out behind the combustion chamber.  Could you come in with the cable from the combustion blower and bust it loose?


Its way beyond the throttle cable trick...


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 20, 2021)

Well we might have to add a dollar store hair dryer with no heat to the intake and start forcing some high temps


----------



## Washed-Up (Jan 20, 2021)

Agreed


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 20, 2021)

OK RX Homework for tomorrow. one each cheep dollar store hait dryer multi speed and tape it to the intake pipe and let her blow.  watch the stove while doing this


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 20, 2021)

Lordtimothy200 said:


> Never worked in Lincoln.  Mostly worked at Good Sam's in Bloomfield, Valentine, Kearney basically where ever they needed help.


Oh, way too far out West for me.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 20, 2021)

rickwai said:


> Rx,
> When you were cleaning out the area under the fan, you rereferred the the hard stuff underneath. Did you have a thin layer of black powder ash then hard black stuff underneath that was still adhered really well?  Just trying to figure out if the hard stuff is starting to break down yet.


Yeah, that's kind of it.
The new fan only had thin powdery stuff inside.
But underneath, in the hole, the farther back I scraped, the more hard black stuck on with thin layer of powdery  on top.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 20, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> OK RX Homework for tomorrow. one each cheep dollar store hait dryer multi speed and tape it to the intake pipe and let her blow.  watch the stove while doing this


Got it.
In the mean time, new problem.
Another part fitting issue.
I dont know if you can tell from the pictures. The new fan doesnt fit into the old metal bracket thingy. The fan vent areas dont line up.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 20, 2021)

Dang it. The first pic is the old one that fits.
The problem doesnt come through very well on the pictures.
Just believe me. The fans are a bit too far apart. Is there any way too fix this?


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 20, 2021)

rickwai said:


> Its way beyond the throttle cable trick...


Yeah, a cable would either just bounce off the hard stuff or get forever stuck in the goo like a mammoth in a tar pit.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 20, 2021)

Here, this shows it better. 
The old fan and the new fan lined up together.
Am I explaining it right?
So the same thing happens when I try to line it up/ fit it into the sheet metal frame.
One side fits..the other is off.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 21, 2021)

How does the motor in the center mount to the fan cages?  You might have to shorten the mounting brackets (motor to fan) a bit.

Far as the supplemental air as Ssyko suggests, If you have a shop vacuum with the 'blow' feature (as well as the suck feature (mine has that), why not use the shop vac (if you have one with the hose taped to the air intake?  That would really provide the combustion air and increase the temps inside.  I think the only issue might be actually blowing the fuel out of the burn pot.  Could be wrong though.


----------



## rickwai (Jan 21, 2021)

Where did you buy the replacement fan from?


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 21, 2021)

It was the replacement through amazon. I believe sold by pellethead. The mounts are bolts on each side of the outlet boxes may have to be centered and holes drilled to get aligned


----------



## rickwai (Jan 21, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> It was the replacement through amazon. I believe sold by pellethead. The mounts are bolts on each side of the outlet boxes may have to be centered and holes drilled to get aligned


I was looking at the pics and could not figure it out. Do the boxes not want to enter the hole rectangular holes  because they are offset or to big or are the fan outlets to small and not touch the outsides where screws go?  She is sending me the old blower and I am swapping bearings out on it.  a 1/4"x4" Brass nipple is the proper tool drive the bearing back onto the shafts without pressing on the dust cover or the outer race and risk damaging the bearing


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 21, 2021)

rickwai said:


> I was looking at the pics and could not figure it out. Do the boxes not want to enter the hole rectangular holes  because they are offset or to big or are the fan outlets to small and not touch the outsides where screws go?  She is sending me the old blower and I am swapping bearings out on it.  a 1/4"x4" Brass nipple is the proper tool drive the bearing back onto the shafts without pressing on the dust cover or the outer race and risk damaging the bearing



yeah looks like the new  one is abot 3/8” longer but if you center it and get bolts through it the little bit it is off wont matter.  They don't need to go into the hole. Aluminum tape will seal it to the back plate. But if your doing the bearings maybe send that blower back


----------



## rickwai (Jan 21, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> yeah looks like the new  one is abot 3/8” longer but if you center it and get bolts through it the little bit it is off wont matter.  They don't need to go into the hole. Aluminum tape will seal it to the back plate. But if your doing the bearings maybe send that blower back


True. It must be aftermarket as opposed to OEM.  Probably a chinese knock off. Amazon will take it back.  There are some on there for as low as $79! Something has got to give to be that cheap


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 21, 2021)

rickwai said:


> Where did you buy the replacement fan from?


NBK motors


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 21, 2021)

SidecarFlip said:


> How does the motor in the center mount to the fan cages?  You might have to shorten the mounting brackets (motor to fan) a bit.
> 
> Far as the supplemental air as Ssyko suggests, If you have a shop vacuum with the 'blow' feature (as well as the suck feature (mine has that), why not use the shop vac (if you have one with the hose taped to the air intake?  That would really provide the combustion air and increase the temps inside.  I think the only issue might be actually blowing the fuel out of the burn pot.  Could be wrong though.


Like this? I stared at it last night for half an hour trying to figure out if it could be adjusted like that. I couldnt figure it out.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 21, 2021)

rickwai said:


> True. It must be aftermarket as opposed to OEM.  Probably a chinese knock off. Amazon will take it back.  There are some on there for as low as $79! Something has got to give to be that cheap


Yup. The ones from St. Croix were $160.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 21, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> yeah looks like the new  one is abot 3/8” longer but if you center it and get bolts through it the little bit it is off wont matter.  They don't need to go into the hole. Aluminum tape will seal it to the back plate. But if your doing the bearings maybe send that blower back


No, because there are metal brackets on the outsides of the vent holes. Its not just off centered to the holes, it literally wont go between those bracket thingys.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 21, 2021)

And is this the correct bearings?
Weird thing, when I ordered the listing said "Manufactured in Germany".  This box says "Made in China".


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 21, 2021)

Here is my thoughts on
Mounting: are the brackets on the plate small enough to slide into the blower housing holes?
Washers could be used to even up the space from mount to blower housing


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 21, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> Here is my thoughts on
> Mounting: are the brackets on the plate small enough to slide into the blower housing holes?
> Washers could be used to even up the space from mount to blower housing
> 
> View attachment 272420


Kind of. One fits inside, the other on the outside. Some of the screw holes line up, but I'm not sure about those 2 big ones.


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 21, 2021)

Which 2 big ones?  Can you spread them enough to get both on The outside?


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 21, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> Which 2 big ones?  Can you spread them enough to get both on The outside?


These 2 big ones. I made them work. But the right side with the bracket inside, it just doesnt want to flush up with the fan hole. It's crooked and sloppy.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 21, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> Which 2 big ones?  Can you spread them enough to get both on The outside?


This is as far as the side ive pushed the bracket to the inside will go.
Im not even sure about the rest of the little screw holes.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 21, 2021)

On one side i think the tiny screws will still fit. No way on the other.


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 21, 2021)

Thats where you will have to mark them and drill the holes out


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 21, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> Thats where you will have to mark them and drill the holes out


Cheese whiz
My new least fav thing to do. Drill into metal, especially sheet metal.  
But, it's on the thingy as good as its going to get. I even drilled one side too loosy goosy and the little screw isnt tight. But its on there.
Anything I need to know before I shove it back into the stove?


----------



## gfreek (Jan 21, 2021)

Be carefull drilling, maybe wear gloves in case it moves when you break thru.  Tape up the gaps   with flue tape  ?


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 21, 2021)

gfreek said:


> Be carefull drilling, maybe wear gloves in case it moves when you break thru.  Tape up the gaps   with flue tape  ?


Yup, I tried gloves (from work). I ended up taking them off because I couldnt manipulate the screws.
I'll tape it up.


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 21, 2021)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> Cheese whiz
> My new least fav thing to do. Drill into metal, especially sheet metal.
> But, it's on the thingy as good as its going to get. I even drilled one side too loosy goosy and the little screw isnt tight. But its on there.
> Anything I need to know before I shove it back into the stove?
> ...


I proud of ya!! looks awesome! bet its much quieter. how did you make out with the dollar store hair dryer?


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 21, 2021)

Aww, shucks. Thank you.
The family  dollar I stopped at didnt have any, so I went to a Goodwill ( it was in Gretna, so...) . Nope.
Then I remembered I have an extra little hair dryer here somewhere that's just collecting dust. I had one here and a cheapo at the apartment in San Diego.
I havent dug it out yet.
Hey, here's what some of the stuff inside looks like.
Idk if that's good or bad?  Where could I find pictures of what it's supposed to look like in there? Or where does it go from there?


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 21, 2021)

WOW THAT IS CAKED!! that is a metal box and  you should see flat sides and sharp corners.  now we know why the big motor is struggling


----------



## gfreek (Jan 21, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> WOW THAT IS CAKED!! that is a metal box and you should see flat sides and sharp corners. now we know why the big motor is struggling


Yup ,  Caked


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 21, 2021)

gfreek said:


> Yup ,  Caked


Looks like one of the mines that Gly Coolness goes into on Lost and Forgotten Places on You tube (I recommend his channel btw.  Gly is a geologist with a penchant (death wish) for exploring abandoned mines out west.  Interesting show and Gly tells you all about the rocks and minerals you are seeing on his video camera).  He does vertical 600 foot mine shafts too.  Nerves of steel, fun show to watch.

Your exhaust passage looks like the mines he goes in.  Should be sharp corners and just a bit of ash dust on the metal.  Obviously the previous owner ran wet corn on low fore for a long time until the stove plugged up.  Like Ssyko said, time to supercharge the draft and get it real hot but keep an eye on it, hot stoves can warp and welds cam break as well as the view glass.

it's a mess inside.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 21, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> WOW THAT IS CAKED!! that is a metal box and  you should see flat sides and sharp corners.  now we know why the big motor is struggling


And it's so impossible to reach!  I been busting my knuckles with various things trying to break it out.


----------



## Washed-Up (Jan 21, 2021)

I’ve used a long chisel to get at some of them I’ve had to deal with


----------



## mikefromiowa (Jan 21, 2021)

This thread has some cutaway pictures (post #6) from another Hearth member of the exhaust passages you are trying to clean (it's from a different St Croix model, but the construction looks very similar to your stove)





						how do I get my st. croix scf-50 running optimally
					

I recently purchased a st. croix SCF-50 furnance and I'm trying to get it working to its full potential.  I'm not all that familiar with wood pellet furnaces, so it is difficult for me to judge if it is giving out the full heat it can.   I've tried adjusting the dampers but don't see a lot of...




					www.hearth.com
				




From those pictures, I would guess that it is plugged the most on the sides of the tube bringing the intake air to the burn pot (pictures 2&3).
I would try cleaning on both sides of that tube (I know, not an easy task, but might be doable with something like a metal coat hanger).


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 22, 2021)

mikefromiowa said:


> This thread has some cutaway pictures (post #6) from another Hearth member of the exhaust passages you are trying to clean (it's from a different St Croix model, but the construction looks very similar to your stove)
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thank you for those pictures. So it looks like the fresh air intake tube passes through the exhaust area somehow?  And it looks like the passage way leads up, from the area under the exhaust fan?
But in the picture someone is sending a wire through from the front. I dont understand where that is on mine. No hole like that on mine.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 22, 2021)

Washed-Up said:


> I’ve used a long chisel to get at some of them I’ve had to deal with


I cant get a chisel in there because of the angle.  Ive been using a thin  saw blade, but man are my hands a mess!


----------



## rickwai (Jan 22, 2021)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> Kind of. One fits inside, the other on the outside. Some of the screw holes line up, but I'm not sure about those 2 big ones.
> 
> View attachment 272436
> View attachment 272437
> View attachment 272438


If you can get it rigged up to work for now do it. Send me your blower. I will replace the bearings then put it back in and send the chinese blower back. Amazon takes anything back and it "just would not fit".


----------



## mikefromiowa (Jan 22, 2021)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> Thank you for those pictures. So it looks like the fresh air intake tube passes through the exhaust area somehow?  And it looks like the passage way leads up, from the area under the exhaust fan?
> But in the picture someone is sending a wire through from the front. I dont understand where that is on mine. No hole like that on mine.


Yes, it looks like the air intake tube passes through the exhaust channels, as a way to preheat the air going to the firepot.  The small hole in the front may be covered by a hole cap, like in the picture below (from a St. Croix pellet stove maintenance video).  Does your stove have those?


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 22, 2021)

rickwai said:


> If you can get it rigged up to work for now do it. Send me your blower. I will replace the bearings then put it back in and send the chinese blower back. Amazon takes anything back and it "just would not fit".


Ooh, I hadnt thought of that. Like buying an outfit to wear once.
The truth is it really doesnt fit right.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 22, 2021)

mikefromiowa said:


> Yes, it looks like the air intake tube passes through the exhaust channels, as a way to preheat the air going to the firepot.  The small hole in the front may be covered by a hole cap, like in the picture below (from a St. Croix pellet stove maintenance video).  Does your stove have those?
> View attachment 272509


OMG...it does! I never noticed those before. Jeez, have to wait for it to cool now.
Wish I had known about those last night when I had everything tore apart..or any of the other times I had it tore apart.
I just put everything back together!


----------



## mikefromiowa (Jan 22, 2021)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> OMG...it does! I never noticed those before. Jeez, have to wait for it to cool now.
> Wish I had known about those last night when I had everything tore apart..or any of the other times I had it tore apart.
> I just put everything back together!


I would let it keep burning for now.  But try using a wire down through those holes the next time you have it apart to try to knock some of the crud down to the exhaust blower hole.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 22, 2021)

Well, I spent 3 + hours sitting in awkward positions with various tools, busting the hell out of my knuckels and getting soot and sh!t everywhere last night scraping and chiseling and even sawing as much as I could reach down in that area.
Believe me or don't, it was waaay worse when I started.
When I couldnt do it anymore (it was getting late) I put the gasket stuff on and ran to quick shop for milk. 
When I got back I started assembing everything thinking I would fire it up last night.
But when I plugged in Ssyko's blower to check it,  nothing happened.  The wires had come loose from the little electrical clip together things.
So I pushed them back together. Came right apart. So I added black tape. I plugged it in....black soot everywhere!
Aaaah!  Ok, well it works still.  I  unplugged it again (after vacuuming up soot) and muscled the stove back to the stove pipe, taped it up and plugged everything back in. No blower. The other side had come apart!
That was it for last night. It going on 11 by then and I threw in the towel. Couldnt deal.
I black taped it up this morning.
The new room fan leaks a bit, but dang it sounds better!   But the fire looks different. Better I think.


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 22, 2021)

Yes it is an improvement. No hair dryer? Yet.  I Have some ideas i want to see if i can make reality this weekend. Im thinking a flexable shaft with some nuts welded to it that you can put in a drill and shove down in there and beat the daylights out of the chit


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 22, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> Yes it is an improvement. No hair dryer? Yet.  I Have some ideas i want to see if i can make reality this weekend. Im thinking a flexable shaft with some nuts welded to it that you can put in a drill and shove down in there and beat the daylights out of the chit


Nope, no hair dryer yet. Im waiting to see if the burn pot still overflows.


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 22, 2021)

Awesome it’s looking like your scraping helped!


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 22, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> Awesome it’s looking like your scraping helped!


That's what I'm thinking and was hoping, considering how long I spent on it. My hands look like Ive been changing oil on cars my whole life, I broke most of my nails off and I ruined 2 pairs of used to be white socks. But dammit,  it's getting air now!


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 22, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> Yes it is an improvement. No hair dryer? Yet.  I Have some ideas i want to see if i can make reality this weekend. Im thinking a flexable shaft with some nuts welded to it that you can put in a drill and shove down in there and beat the daylights out of the chit


If it works you should patent it. Call it  a "NY Ssyko bustem' up". Or "the Miracle Auburn creosote buster".
Whatcha' think?


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 22, 2021)

Lmaooo I like it


----------



## gfreek (Jan 22, 2021)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> If it works you should patent it. Call it  a "NY Ssyko bustem' up". Or "the Miracle Auburn creosote buster".
> Whatcha' think?


RXwoman1961-NYSsyko Creosote Buster +


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 22, 2021)

gfreek said:


> RXwoman1961-NYSsyko Creosote Buster +


Too long?    How about " RXSsyko formula '61 creo-crusher!" Or "Ssyko RX 61. Your prescription for a clogged stove!"


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 22, 2021)

I hated to do it too soon, but the fire went out, I think because the pellets are burning to quickly now? I dampened it some.


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 22, 2021)

If it burned out leave damper open and raise the heat level. Send some heat into the attic lol


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 22, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> Yes it is an improvement. No hair dryer? Yet.  I Have some ideas i want to see if i can make reality this weekend. Im thinking a flexable shaft with some nuts welded to it that you can put in a drill and shove down in there and beat the daylights out of the chit


Wound probably be easier to double nut the nuts and lock them on.  No fusion required.  Why do I think the original owners was tickled you cam along and bought it.  BTW what did you pay for it, if it's not too personal to ask?

In reality he should have paid you for taking it.  He knew pretty much what the issues were.

19 here and windy and the corn burner is doing what it's supposed to do, incinerate corn.  House is maintaining 71 and 53% RH, but she's working pretty hard.  I have it in notch 5 presently.  Much above notch 5 and it goes into overheat.  it will only run so hard and then the over temp snap disc ends the program.  I do run a custom algorithm so in reality, notch 5 is probably pedal to the metal anyway.

I may, this summer, take it apart physically and open up the HX area for more air flow and add a second or a larger CFM room air blower to up the CFM and then I could get past notch 5 without an overheat scenario.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 22, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> If it burned out leave damper open and raise the heat level. Send some heat into the attic lol


Got it. Will do.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 22, 2021)

SidecarFlip said:


> Wound probably be easier to double nut the nuts and lock them on.  No fusion required.  Why do I think the original owners was tickled you cam along and bought it.  BTW what did you pay for it, if it's not too personal to ask?
> 
> In reality he should have paid you for taking it.  He knew pretty much what the issues were.
> 
> ...


I started looking for a pellet stove in July.
By September I knew I wanted a St. Croix Auburn. But everyone wanted so much for them!
There was a guy about 3 hours from me to the West who had a John Deere stove. I read those were Auburns. He was asking $800 and wouldnt come down.
It looked in good shape. I wish I had been able to get that one, but it wasnt in my price range. Another guy about 30 minutes from me in Staplehurst listed his for $2000!
But this one. The guy listed it for $400. I thought someone would snap it up for that.   Plus he was 5 hours away!
3 weeks later it's still for sale and he dropped it to $300. I messaged him I would take it if it works. He said it works great. Sent me video of the control board lit up, the fan running, and the auger turning.  I told him I'd be there as soon as I could arrange for a pick-up to borrow.
5 hours there. 5 hours back.  Had to stay overnight outside of Des Moines. But I had an Auburn!
 I had no idea it was a nightmare of a mess.


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 22, 2021)

Yes it was a turd but look at the polishing you’ve done so far and how much YOU have learned about your stove!! Hell look how much i have learned about your stove lol.


----------



## ABusWrench (Jan 22, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> Yes it was a turd but look at the polishing you’ve done so far and how much YOU have learned about your stove!! Hell look how much i have learned about your stove lol.


We've ALL learned a lot about your stove! LOL     Knowledge is freedom, nobody can take that from you.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 22, 2021)

ABusWrench said:


> We've ALL learned a lot about your stove! LOL     Knowledge is freedom, nobody can take that from you.


Is it TMI?   
Lol.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 22, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> Yes it was a turd but look at the polishing you’ve done so far and how much YOU have learned about your stove!! Hell look how much i have learned about your stove lol.


Yes. Thank you Ssyko.
I appreciate all of it.

Btw, I got home about an hour ago and fired it up again.  It's on 5 with the dampener wide open.


----------



## Lordtimothy200 (Jan 22, 2021)

Think it has helped a lot of people.  It has given me more reason to  buy a moisture tester for the corn and get off my lazy butt and build a dryer for the corn.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 22, 2021)

Lordtimothy200 said:


> Think it has helped a lot of people.  It has given me more reason to  buy a moisture tester for the corn and get off my lazy butt and build a dryer for the corn.


AHA,
yeah, we get lazy.  think to ourselves "what's the worst that can happen?"

Well, now ya' know.


----------



## rickwai (Jan 23, 2021)

Lordtimothy200 said:


> Think it has helped a lot of people.  It has given me more reason to  buy a moisture tester for the corn and get off my lazy butt and build a dryer for the corn.


The root of the problem was not wet corn it was not sucking it out and cleaning the stove properly. The blockages started as ash that could have been sucked out with a leaf blower. But instead the previous owner kept running it then jumped the vac switch and kept running it until it was breathing so poorly it started getting sticky. Properly dried corn or pellets will do the same thing.


----------



## rickwai (Jan 23, 2021)

Rx,
 You need to run the brush up the ash traps and try the leaf blower before to long. Also after you do that try hooking the vac switch back up and see if it will hold


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 23, 2021)

rickwai said:


> Rx,
> You need to run the brush up the ash traps and try the leaf blower before to long. Also after you do that try hooking the vac switch back up and see if it will hold


Yes, definately.  Yesterday when I got home from a couple appointments I checked the ashtraps and popped off the those little access caps. I was dying to see if there was anything in there. I ran a coat hanger around but didnt feel much. I heard a couple small somethings fall, but otherwise seemed clear.
I sure wish I had a tiny camera buttlight on a cable I could really colonoscopy this thing with. See how bad it is back there.
Depending how whipped I am when I get home tonight at midnight, I may wire it again.
Time to go play with the older people for the evening. 
I feel so bad for them sometimes. They've all been locked in quarantine for going on a year!


----------



## Washed-Up (Jan 23, 2021)

Oh I just noticed that, I think you’d have to remove and inspect then, might be able to get some in underneath the fan maybe


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 23, 2021)

With enough perfume, you can even make a turd smell good......  Or so they say.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 23, 2021)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> Yes, definately.  Yesterday when I got home from a couple appointments I checked the ashtraps and popped off the those little access caps. I was dying to see if there was anything in there. I ran a coat hanger around but didnt feel much. I heard a couple small somethings fall, but otherwise seemed clear.
> *I sure wish I had a tiny camera buttlight on a cable I could really colonoscopy this thing with*. See how bad it is back there.
> Depending how whipped I am when I get home tonight at midnight, I may wire it again.
> Time to go play with the older people for the evening.
> I feel so bad for them sometimes. They've all been locked in quarantine for going on a year!



A colonoscopy cam is a bit more complex and very costly because it not only 'sees' what is in there, it  also uses a heated wire to remove and cauterize and polyps......  Why you have to be squeaky clean inside so there is no chance of infection so, you have to drink that awful stuff and become glued to the throne for a while...  Been there and did that many times.  Being a survivor they watch me like a hawk.  They have violated every orifice I have including that one.... My last big go around cost just south of a million bucks, sure glad we have excellent health care. and now I'm doing it again, but this time I did cyber knife, the external BBQ but I'm about to go back on chemo for a couple months.  I hate that stuff.  rat poison.

Not germane to this discussion though.  What is, is, I suggest you go on Amazon and buy yourself an endoscope that plugs into your cell phone.  They are cheap, you can get one for under 30 bucks and the cam image is in color and you use your cell phone to power it and receive images.

Very handy tool.  I use it for rifle and handgun bore inspections all the time and looking in places you cannot see in like walls or even sewer lines.

Most of them come with a 3 meter cable, plenty long enough for most needs.  of course made in China like almost everything else electronic.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 23, 2021)

rickwai said:


> The root of the problem was not wet corn it was not sucking it out and cleaning the stove properly. The blockages started as ash that could have been sucked out with a leaf blower. But instead the previous owner kept running it then jumped the vac switch and kept running it until it was breathing so poorly it started getting sticky. Properly dried corn or pellets will do the same thing.
> [/QUO
> You can buy a cam on a cable? Cool! I want one.
> So what did they make you drink?
> ...


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 23, 2021)

I call it 
Blow Lightly.  Actually, last time I didn't.  I did the ducolax stuff,  Same deal only no liquid except bottled water.  Don't bother me much, it's a means to the end.  The back end.  I'm in a different option scenario.  Infusion every 3 weeks and Xeloda 2 pills in the am, 2 in the pm for a while.  Probably 90 days.  He just wants to make sure there isn't any cancer cells floating around.  My CEA levels are normal and have been.

If I told you what I've been through in the last 2 years, you'd shitte.  Least I don't have  bag and I can shitte normally.  I don't mind doing it now.  When it gets warm it's time to farm so any chemo or infusions are off the table.  I'm ported anyway.  Infusion is a snap other than I get tired easily.  They 'plug' me in for a couple hours.  No biggie.  First time I had do a pump at home.  Told him no pump no more.  I hate wearing one.  Hard to sleep, hard to work in the shop, hard to do anything actually and especially hard to carry a firearm, something I do almost all the time.

Have a very good friend with a bag and his butthole sewn shut.  Bad deal but kind of SOP when your intestines explode.

Cancer is a cash cow for hospitals and doctors.  they don't want to 'cure' a money maker.

I've had every scan known to man.  Pet scans, CT scans, MRI's, had my stomach pumped because I had a reaction to some of the chemo that was fun, tilt your head back and get a greased up tube stuffed down your nose, then you get to watch all the stuff come out the tube, all joyous stuff.  I have no virgin orifices left including that one...

When I go in to get something done, first thing I do is get naked and put on a Moo Moo.  I can actually tie them in the back...lol  I even have 'frequent flyer' booties I wear, they don't want you in your sock feet.  When I was in recovery the first time they issued me 3 pair so I wear them.  Everyone knows what they are and they denote me as a veteran.

have to say the hospital I go to, St. Joe in Ann Arbor is the best.  friendly caring people and they all treat you like family.  They address me by first name and they remember me too.  Nice to walk down the hall and have some tech greet me by name, but then I'm never in the dumps no matter how bad it gets.  If you don't maintain a positive attitude, well, you have to.  Attitude is half the recovery battle.  First go around I was only interred for 4 days and I'm cut from my chest to my navel and around the right side to my hip.  Called a 'Whipple'.  Had 3 transfusions and the surgery was 5 hours with 2 surgeons.  One for my ascending intestine which was removed and one for my liver, lost 35% of that.  reattached the intestine with titanium sutures.  I had zero pain.  In fact, I've had no pain the entire time from any of it other than some soreness where they BBQ'd my liver lesions with the Cyber Knife at maximum dosage in 5 sessions.  My chest and tummy do look like 5 miles of bad road however.

You asked I told you.

Back to regular programming.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 23, 2021)

Damp corn and no maintenance, a certain recipe for disaster.  Looking at the exhaust tract in your previous pictures I'd say the damp corn was a huge contributing factor, that coupled with no care and just run it, did it in.  Ssyko will tell everyone there are 2 important aspects to any biomass stove's longevity, maintenance regularly and good fuel.  Everything else follows and drops right in line.

Just cleaned mine this morning.  I purposely let it run out of fuel last night and it was chilly in here when I got up at 6am for my hot coffee.  6:15 the propane furnace came on and brought the temp right up to 70 and I got my britches on and cleaned the black box and dumped the full ash pan in the driveway.  Out  came the burnpot and the stirrer in a bucket of water and installed the other already cleaned burnpot and stirrer, dumped in a handfull of liquid firestarter soaked pellets, a dab of jelled firestarter and lit it with a farm match, closed the door and energized the stove.  In about 3 minutes the room air fan came on and it's been running all day and will keep running until Wednesday when I clean it again.  Corn makes a lot of ash and I could go to a clinker pot but I'm used to my cleaning regimen now.  Forgot to add, a few drops of 3-1 oil on the bronze stir rod bushing too.  I made my own in the shop 2 years ago.  Mine is 2 times as large and 2 times as long as the OEM bushing.  I have various diameters and lengths of 660 CA bronze bar stock in the metal rack.  I'm always making bushings for equipment some big ones for backhoe's too.

I always run 2 pots and 2 stirrers.  One soaking in water while the other is in the stove.  Water soaking a burnpot is the easiest way to remove hard carbon, most of it will flake right off and whatever is left, a coarse scotchbrite pad will get rid of.  Quick dry with a paper towel and in it goes.

71 in here, 50%RH and the cats and wife are all happy.  So am I.  I do need to mix up my corn pellet mix this week sometime and fill my plastic trash cans, I'm on my last full can today.  Gives me an excuse to fire up one of the tractors anyway and I need to put the blower on the back, wife says we have 3-6 coming Monday evening.  I might actually get to blow and plow some snow.  Not excited.

Less than 5, I don't do anything.  Has to be 5+ for me to consider it and 6 will do it.  Warm up the tractor, turn on the climate control to 68, crank up the hillbilly station on the FM and go play in the snow.  I prefer doing snow at night anyway.  Less idiots coming up and down the road that I have to watch out for,  Besides, my 4 front facing and 2 rear facing high intensity LED spot lights are blinding.  I need to see, they don't.  I can fry their eyeballs for all I care.  You don't want to tangle with a 10 foot snow plow and an 8 foot snowblower on a 10,000 pound tractor anyway, especially with crazy old me driving it.


----------



## Lordtimothy200 (Jan 23, 2021)

The weatherman just started to  throw around the 8-12" snow Monday and Tue.    Should go put the seat back in the skidsteer.  The ole girl is 49 years old and just got a new exhaust.  Still runs well but like most things of a certain age tend to leak a bit and needs maintained.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 23, 2021)

Lordtimothy200 said:


> The ole girl is 49 years old and just got a new exhaust. Still runs well but like most things of a certain age tend to leak a bit and needs maintained.


Sounds personal to me.................


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 23, 2021)

It's COLD and windy here in SE Michigan and I'm running right around 100 pounds of corn every 24 hours.  Glad I have a lot, I'm burning a lot right now.  It's in notch 5 and staying there but not idling down at all.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 25, 2021)

Weird. 
My comment box is there, but nothing I wrote shows up?


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 25, 2021)

SidecarFlip said:


> I call it
> Blow Lightly.  Actually, last time I didn't.  I did the ducolax stuff,  Same deal only no liquid except bottled water.  Don't bother me much, it's a means to the end.  The back end.  I'm in a different option scenario.  Infusion every 3 weeks and Xeloda 2 pills in the am, 2 in the pm for a while.  Probably 90 days.  He just wants to make sure there isn't any cancer cells floating around.  My CEA levels are normal and have been.
> 
> If I told you what I've been through in the last 2 years, you'd shitte.  Least I don't have  bag and I can shitte normally.  I don't mind doing it now.  When it gets warm it's time to farm so any chemo or infusions are off the table.  I'm ported anyway.  Infusion is a snap other than I get tired easily.  They 'plug' me in for a couple hours.  No biggie.  First time I had do a pump at home.  Told him no pump no more.  I hate wearing one.  Hard to sleep, hard to work in the shop, hard to do anything actually and especially hard to carry a firearm, something I do almost all the time.
> ...


Holy crap!!  I can't imagine going through that.  Youre one toughy!  
Ive been lucky so far, just some knarly arthritic feet and ankles and trouble keeping my weight down.
At 59 could be worse *knock on wood*.
But still better than the alternative, imo.
My husband went FAST.
Diagnosed in August, gone by February.
His only symptom was waking up one day and sounded hoarse...like he had a bad cold.
We were stunned that it was stage 4 lung cancer!  Already spread to his liver.
He did the 2 chemo drugs plus immunotherapy, Keytruda. The VA spared no expense, he had doctors from Scripps  and UCSD on his team. None of it helped. The metastasized cancer just ate his liver like it was candy. He ultimately died of liver failure long before he had any pulmonary issues. 
I'm constantly asking WHY.    Wondering "what if.."  if if if.   Pointless.
Why now? We were married only 2 years. Why now. He was about to recieve a large inheritance and retire.
Why now. I found his bio mom we'd been looking for, for years. I found her 2 weeks after he died!!
There isnt an answer. It just IS and it just SUCKS.

Anyway, thanks for letting me spill off topic complaints and rants.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 25, 2021)

Ok, so I'm stuck at home. We're getting snowed in. Thank goodness I only had to reschedule an oil change.
The stove is COOKING!  Ive had going since about 10am.  I'm running it on 4, just stepped it up to 5. The pellet are only just now starting to get ahead of the burn.  The pot is about half full.  So 6 hours before it starts getting too full.  And it's plenty hot!
The conv fan is a nice and quiet now..but it doesnt seem to want to run on high.  The air blowing out the tubes is HOT HOT HOT.  I added my summer fan to move some of this hot air.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 25, 2021)

SidecarFlip said:


> It's COLD and windy here in SE Michigan and I'm running right around 100 pounds of corn every 24 hours.  Glad I have a lot, I'm burning a lot right now.  It's in notch 5 and staying there but not idling down at all.


Are you supposed to get any of this winter storm your way?


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 25, 2021)

No problem with me.  Least mine was not fast spreading.  This week will be a groan,  I start back on infusions on Thursday and 2 xeloda in the Am and 2 in the PM for 2 weeks, off for a week and repeat again for 3 months.  I still cannot write a check, print anything or sign my name, my fingers don't work that well anymore.  I can still load ammunition and shoot however and shop work is no issue, glad of that but the things that require dexterity I cannot do.  Used to really pride myself on my cursive, especially printing stuff.  Not any more.  Cannot print anything you could read.

Not looking forward to what is coming but if it keeps me north of the dire, I'm good with that.  One of my dear friends just came down with Covid and he's my age early 70's and has medical issues.  Just said a prayer for him.

Little apprehensive of the xeloda.  Last time it almost did me in,  I wound up in the hospital on IV's for a week and got my tummy pumped too.  When my wife took me to ER I was totally incoherent, don't remember any of it really.  The cut the dosage in half so it might be ok, we will see.

Cancer is a strange disease.  Most times you don't know until it's too late to arrest.  I was lucky in that respect, had God on my side as well as excellent doctors and of course a 'Caddilac' health plan too.

When they told me I had a 30% survival chance, I cried my eyes out and the resolved to myself I'd beat it and I have, so far.  Still have places to go, things to see and people I want to piss off yet.

Got my Nebraska Mule Deer mount delivered Sunday.  He's on the wall with the rest of my mounts.  I get them all cape mounted because when I look at them they inspire memories of past hunts, people I've met along the way and places I've been.  Every one evokes a trip down memory lane.

Need to put a few more on the wall yet.  Not done.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 25, 2021)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> Are you supposed to get any of this winter storm your way?


Tonight, 3-4.  Not enough to fiddle with really.  Has to be 5+ for me to get a tractor out.  Staying cold here though.  Fine with me.  Cold is good for the ground, kills the bugs and allows the soil to rest.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 25, 2021)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> Ok, so I'm stuck at home. We're getting snowed in. Thank goodness I only had to reschedule an oil change.
> The stove is COOKING!  Ive had going since about 10am.  I'm running it on 4, just stepped it up to 5. The pellet are only just now starting to get ahead of the burn.  The pot is about half full.  So 6 hours before it starts getting too full.  And it's plenty hot!
> The conv fan is a nice and quiet now..but it doesnt seem to want to run on high.  The air blowing out the tubes is HOT HOT HOT.  I added my summer fan to move some of this hot air.
> View attachment 272824
> View attachment 272825


Looks good.  I put a small box fan on top of my stone, that works pretty well and I have one of those Harbor Freight tube fan air movers perched on top of my wife's curio cabinet on the opposite side of the room that blows toward the kitchen and laundry room.  Keeps the warm air circulating.  tried running the central furnace on blower only, that didn't work too well.  Moves way too much air in too big a space.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 25, 2021)

That should subside as the exhaust tract gets burned out.  It needs to be smooth inside.  The more turbulence there is, the less exhaust flow you have.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 25, 2021)

SidecarFlip said:


> Tonight, 3-4.  Not enough to fiddle with really.  Has to be 5+ for me to get a tractor out.  Staying cold here though.  Fine with me.  Cold is good for the ground, kills the bugs and allows the soil to rest.
> [/QUO
> 
> 
> ...


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 25, 2021)

We got a big storm last weekend 2ft.fri 1.5 sat 10”-12”sat night sun morn. Changed a chevy starter in the snowbank for my father in-law.  Now on to the burn, if its not over filling on 4 leave it there if you can the extra air in the path through will help burn chit out. You can hook that convection blower up to the cord Plugging into the wall and run it wide open that would get a lil more heat out of the stove


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 25, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> We got a big storm last weekend 2ft.fri 1.5 sat 10”-12”sat night sun morn. Changed a chevy starter in the snowbank for my father in-law.  Now on to the burn, if its not over filling on 4 leave it there if you can the extra air in the path through will help burn chit out. You can hook that convection blower up to the cord Plugging into the wall and run it wide open that would get a lil more heat out of the stove


Leaving it on 4.
This thing is about to cook me out of the dining room!
Hard to believe. I usually  keep the door to the extra bedroom closed this time of year. I had to open it.
My old Siegler is rated 70,000 btus.  But it NEVER got this hot.  There's no way it's only doing 50,000.  It's nice to be able to take a layer of clothes off.


----------



## Ssyko (Jan 25, 2021)

Its good to hear that!


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 25, 2021)

Eventually, I'll loose but then eventually, we all loose.  Life isn't forever and you are dead a long time .  I plan on being around as long as possible.  I just get to fight a bit harder than most people.  Makes me more appreciative of life in general.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 26, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> We got a big storm last weekend 2ft.fri 1.5 sat 10”-12”sat night sun morn. Changed a chevy starter in the snowbank for my father in-law.  Now on to the burn, if its not over filling on 4 leave it there if you can the extra air in the path through will help burn chit out. You can hook that convection blower up to the cord Plugging into the wall and run it wide open that would get a lil more heat out of the stove


I guess it's 'nice' living in the path of the Great Lakes snow machine....lol  Isn't SOP for you to get dumped on regularly?

On stove...  Think I'd wire the room air blower to a line cord as well and let it run at max rpm.  Difference between a central furnace rates at say 110K Btu and a solid fuel stove rated at 50K Btu is, the stove is CONTINUIOUS output whereas the central furnace isn't.  The furnace reaches set temp and shuts off and the HX cools off and the blower shuts down and then when the T'stat calls for heat, it has to heat the HX back up to temp to activate the blower and the cycle repeats itself over and over, whereas t solid fuel stove NEVER cools down and the room air blow is blowing all the time, so while a stove might be rated at 50K BTU which is a fraction of what a central furnace outputs, it's CONTINUAL so that 50K is ALWAYS keeping the house heated.  Big difference in operation as the stove is constantly heating.  That even applies to one on a thermostat, at least one with no auto complete shutdown (like mine, manual light).  Mine will revert to the base PPH feed when the T'stat opens but it's still firing and the room air blower is still pumping out heat, just a lower BTU output than at the set by me firing rate.

That all works good for me when it's cold out (like it is now).  When it's more temperate out, the continual run can make it a sweat box so my only alternative is lock mine down to continuous idle setting.  Problem with that is, it don't fire efficiently and makes more soot and blackens the view glass because the a/f ratio gets wonky.  I can live with it after all these years.  I just accept it as part of the quirks of using a biomass heater.


----------



## Lordtimothy200 (Jan 26, 2021)

We solve the whole continuous heat thing in the Spring and Fall when it is cold enough for the stove but too warm to keep the stove on.  Just open up a window or two.  Hate to run the furnace in this house.  It was shoehorned into a closet with like 3 vents for the whole 1500 square foot house.   

Back when I was young and the parents were not at home,  my brother and I found some old creosote wood.  House was cold and we were young and stupid (now I am older and still stupid).  So threw like 3 pieces of that creosote wood in the wood stove.  Didn't take long, even though it was 5 degree's out we had the doors and windows open in the house.  The stove and the pipe going up was  glowing red, can't believe we didn't burn the house down.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 26, 2021)

When my wife and I lived in Ohio, many years ago, we heated with an Iron Fireman coal furnace, I love coal heat and a coal furnace will burn anything including old railroad ties but only at night.  The smoke from railroad ties is wicked and stinks up the entire neighborhood so it is  an after dark deal when no one can see it,  They can smell it however.  That Iron Fireman would really chug on railroad ties....  You'd have to open the windows in the dead of winter to keep the house below 80.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 30, 2021)

Hey guys, we got over a foot of snow on Monday. I was digging out all week.
I hate snow.
But question. How much pellets should this thing be going through. It has an auger trim button with only 2 settings, and I cant really tell any difference between the 2.
The pellets come in 40# bags.  More than one bag seems to fit.  If I leave this thing running all day ( yes, I can do that now, as long as I poke the burn pot once in a while. YAY!), from when I get up and around, to when I shut everything off for the night, 14-16 hours, it seems like it goes through 3/4 of  a full  hopper. Is that normal?  If I left it on all night I would be empty before morning.
How many pounds should it go through?
How much are you guys using?


----------



## SciGuy (Jan 30, 2021)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> Hey guys, we got over a foot of snow on Monday. I was digging out all week.
> I hate snow.
> But question. How much pellets should this thing be going through. It has an auger trim button with only 2 settings, and I cant really tell any difference between the 2.
> The pellets come in 40# bags.  More than one bag seems to fit.  If I leave this thing running all day ( yes, I can do that now, as long as I poke the burn pot once in a while. YAY!), from when I get up and around, to when I shut everything off for the night, 14-16 hours, it seems like it goes through 3/4 of  a full  hopper. Is that normal?  If I left it on all night I would be empty before morning.
> ...



It looks like the  Auburn is rated for an input up to 40,000 BTUs/hour. That would be ~ 5 lb per hour or 120 lb i.e. 3 bags per day run at maximum input. The capacity I see says 90lb so you can load ~ 2 1/4 bags in a full hopper. How much you end up burning is a function of how cold it is outdoors, how warm you want it to be indoors and especially how large, well insulated and leaky your house is. I'm burning  ~ a bag per day with outdoor night time lows running around -6*F and day time highs in the single digits. This is to heat a small not very well insulated cabin.  There really are tons of variables at work here and it's hard to nail down a precise number someone might use.

Hope that helps a bit.

Hugh


----------



## Washed-Up (Jan 30, 2021)

My P61a goes through a bag a day during -5/-10f, but as said above depends on your house, size insulation etc.


----------



## Lordtimothy200 (Jan 30, 2021)

I will have to look up the manual for pellets but for Corn on heat setting 1 it will go through .8 bushels a day (about 40lb of corn) and on 5 it will burn though 2 bushels a day.  That has been my experience.

Expect you will be going through at least 1- 1 1/2 bags a day.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 30, 2021)

All depends on your level of comfort really.  I go through on an average this time of year (cold), about 100 pounds of corn/ pellet mix every 24 hours.  So that would be 2.5 bags of pellets.  One 'trick' I use to keep my consumption under control is, I run a wick type humidifier all the time but it's expensive because I use  either purified drinking water or distilled in 2.5 gallon plastic jugs.  I hold my interior RH around 50% all the time and go through about 4 gallons of water every 24 hours.  Dry field (shelled corn) burns much hotter than pellets but the drawback is a lot more ash,  In as much as I get all my corn for basically free, my only expense is hauling it down here a mile in supersacks and plopping it in the barn but it takes a big farm tractor to move 2.5 ton supersacks.  Typically I go through a skid of pellets every winter and I buy them in the summer when I can find them cheaper because most retailers store them outside and rainwater can play hell on bagged pellets.  This year I got a deal on pellets and bought 4 ton on skids for just under 200 bucks a ton or 4 bucks a bag, but I have indoor (in the barn) storage so they stay dry and keep for many years.  I have I believe, about 6 ton in the barn right now, all shrink wrapped and stuck in the corner, stacked 2 high.

If you get a humidifer get a wick type, not an ultrasonic one.  The wick types don't produce white dust (calcium) and the wicks are treated with anti-microbial chemicals.  I get about a month out of each wick and then change them.

The higher the RH is, the 'warmer' it feels at any temperature and heat lowers the RH in the winter,  The lower the RH is, the more you perspire as your body sheds moisture and that makes you feel colder.  Being a nurse you know that your body is basically comprised of liquids and those aspirate through your epidermis.

Keep my ambient temps in the house at around 68 during the day and 65 at night, I dial back the stove a bit when we retire for the night and the bedroom isn't heated.  I like to snooze cooler.

It's always dry in the winter inside any home.  Dry warm air is hell on your nose too and makes your skin feel like a prune.  Being a gal and having prune skin don't work, gals like to be soft, least my wife does...


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 30, 2021)

Lordtimothy200 said:


> I will have to look up the manual for pellets but for Corn on heat setting 1 it will go through .8 bushels a day (about 40lb of corn) and on 5 it will burn though 2 bushels a day.  That has been my experience.
> 
> Expect you will be going through at least 1- 1 1/2 bags a day.


You are running about the same rate I am (a bushel of 12-15% RM corn is about 55 pounds give or take.  Only reason I run the pellet mix is to negate the clinker issue.  Taken me years to perfect that so I stick with what works for me.  Your mileage will vary.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 31, 2021)

SciGuy said:


> It looks like the  Auburn is rated for an input up to 40,000 BTUs/hour. That would be ~ 5 lb per hour or 120 lb i.e. 3 bags per day run at maximum input. The capacity I see says 90lb so you can load ~ 2 1/4 bags in a full hopper. How much you end up burning is a function of how cold it is outdoors, how warm you want it to be indoors and especially how large, well insulated and leaky your house is. I'm burning  ~ a bag per day with outdoor night time lows running around -6*F and day time highs in the single digits. This is to heat a small not very well insulated cabin.  There really are tons of variables at work here and it's hard to nail down a precise number someone might use.
> 
> Hope that helps a bit.
> 
> Hugh


That helps a lot! Thank you.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Jan 31, 2021)

Thank you everyone! That helps quite a bit. I thought it was eating pellets too fast, but it sounds like its doing exactly what its supposed to do (for a change).  Pellets are about  $5.50 a bag right now. No wonder they were burning farmer's corn, it was probably much cheaper.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Jan 31, 2021)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> Thank you everyone! That helps quite a bit. I thought it was eating pellets too fast, but it sounds like its doing exactly what its supposed to do (for a change).  Pellets are about  $5.50 a bag right now. *No wonder they were burning farmer's corn, it was probably much cheaper.*




Corn can widely vary in price (and quality as well), whereas pellets are pretty stable.  I just happen to get my corn for almost no cost but I'm an exception.  Corn around here (from the co-op) is priced per the Chicago Exchange so it varies weekly but it's usually around $5.00-$6.50 a bushel and a bushel of 12% Midwest medium dent field corn weighs around 56 pounds, so it's a tad more than pellets if you have to buy it and of course there is a storage and transport issue with corn that don't exist with pellets.  Pellets come in 40 pound sacks,  whereas corn is bought in bulk so you need the equipment to handle it or a grain tank to store it in.  I'm very fortunate that all mine either comes in Tyvek sacks palletized or in super sacks, but you need a substantial sized tractor to handle 2500 pound supersacks and 2500 pound skids.

If I didn't have a perpetual supply of very dry and cleaned field corn and I had to buy it from the co op, I'd be buying old crop corn in bulk (gravity wagon loads) just before the start of corn harvest in the early fall.  That is when elevators like to purge old crop corn and start finning with new crop, which becomes old crop the following year.

Stuff I burn can be 5 years old or more but it's stored in a climate controlled building so it never degrades,

I remember when I started with corn, before I fell into the deal I have now, buying corn at the co-op and having it delivered and augered into my grain tank and then having to clean the organic matter out of it before I burned it, don't do that now.  Goes from the sack or bag into the garbage cans, mixed with pellets and on the deck into the stove.  Never paid tax on it, because I was feeding the cattle with it too.


----------



## rickwai (Feb 1, 2021)

Rx,
Have you hooked the vac switch back up yet or is it still bypassed?


----------



## Lordtimothy200 (Feb 1, 2021)

Most years you can go to Orschlens or Tractor Supply around here in Nebraska pre purchase them mid summer ish.  You can get them for a nice discount.  Then they will be delivered to the store and you can pick up in Oct.


----------



## Lordtimothy200 (Feb 1, 2021)

It is nice if you have an option to do either pellets or corn.  Right now to get some from the Coop it is running 5.45 a bushel of corn.  Yet in 2019 I had 200 bushels of corn dropped in my grain wagon for $3 a bushel.

I use on average about 200 bushels of corn a year.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Feb 1, 2021)

Keep in mind that the corn is for the stove AND the steers as well.  Tend to feed the steers from the 1000 bushel bulk tank next to the barn.

I always buy my pellets mid summer.  The local TSC always has left over pallets out back.  I always have the 'associate' pull them from underneath the top pallets, that way there isn't a moisture issue.  TSC isn't smart enough to store them inside.

Right now, I have enough for next year in the barn anyway.


----------



## rickwai (Feb 2, 2021)

I got corn for $4.23. Farmer charges us  market price plus $.05/bu. for drying.  The TSC pellets in the blue and white bag have been pretty good. I bought a skid sight on seen with my rewards rebate. They were fine


----------



## SidecarFlip (Feb 2, 2021)

rickwai said:


> I got corn for $4.23. Farmer charges us  market price plus $.05/bu. for drying.  The TSC pellets in the blue and white bag have been pretty good. I bought a skid sight on seen with my rewards rebate. They were fine


You are certainly a TSC Neighbors Club junkie and I thought my wife and I bought a lot of stuff there....lol

I think the blue and white bags can be any extruder, packed in TSC generic bags.  Our local TSC has them as well as the Michigan Hardwood and same price so I get the MHW pellets.  Pretty consistent being made from recycled pallets and timber slash.  I like the packaging on the MHW pallets too.  The are covered with a double shroud white plastic cover and double shrink wrapped and as long as the TSC 'associate' don't play 'stab the bags' with the forks on the fork truck, all is good.  They are good at impaling the bottom bags if you don't watch close.  If they stick one, I get another pallet.  Not dealing with dribbling pellets....

I stack the MHW pellets on skids, 2 high in the back of the barn and then shrink wrap both pallets myself.  Harbor Freight sells shrink wrap rolls cheap.  They keep very well.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Feb 2, 2021)

rickwai said:


> I got corn for $4.23. Farmer charges us  market price plus $.05/bu. for drying.  The TSC pellets in the blue and white bag have been pretty good. I bought a skid sight on seen with my rewards rebate. They were fine




I take it that is per bushel (56 pounds).  Not bad.  Is that in your container (I presume gravity wagon), or is that delivered?  If I got it from the co-op it would be a tad higher I suspect.  I have a sweetheart deal with mine, all it costs me is the diesel to drive the tractor and pallet forks down the road a mile to fetch it.  I do have to return the skids and supersacks which is no big deal.

I was surprised how much the skids cost (and they buy them by the truckload), they are 12 bucks each but they are nice hardwood skids and they have the company name burned into the side rails.  Supersacks aren't cheap either but I don't know what the cost per sack is.  They get everything back other than the Tyvek bags.  I roast them, but most of it comes in supersacks.

Mine is all by the hundredweight, not bushel but don't much care what it weighs, just so long as I have excess in the barn, I'm good with that.  Supersacks run 2500 pounds per and bagged on skids are right at 2500 as well.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Feb 2, 2021)

rickwai said:


> Rx,
> Have you hooked the vac switch back up yet or is it still bypassed?


Right now its still by passed. 
I got to thinking about and wondered  "well, what does that switch really do for me, except tell me I have airflow and some negative pressure?"
So I left it off.
I can redo it later today and see what happens.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Feb 2, 2021)

SidecarFlip said:


> Keep in mind that the corn is for the stove AND the steers as well.  Tend to feed the steers from the 1000 bushel bulk tank next to the barn.
> 
> I always buy my pellets mid summer.  The local TSC always has left over pallets out back.  I always have the 'associate' pull them from underneath the top pallets, that way there isn't a moisture issue.  TSC isn't smart enough to store them inside.
> 
> Right now, I have enough for next year in the barn anyway.


I'm a bit leary of storing corn. I dont have a barn (I wish!) Just a shed and chicken coop, both full of junk.
Corn attracts rodents and bugs. 
Last summer I bought a bushel bag of cracked corn (thought it was whole corn) for $5.00 to use to chum for carp and catfish. 
Well I only used half a bag and then rest sat in a corner on the kitchen floor all fall into early winter. 
One day I started noticing tiny moths.... EVERYWHERE.
Blechhh.  I finally ended up setting the bag on my porch so it could freeze them out. 
I ended up feeding it to the deer that are  all over my yard every night.


----------



## rickwai (Feb 2, 2021)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> Right now its still by passed.
> I got to thinking about and wondered  "well, what does that switch really do for me, except tell me I have airflow and some negative pressure?"
> So I left it off.
> I can redo it later today and see what happens.


It is a safety switch so it will stop the feed in the event that you loose air flow. It needs to be in place if you are running it and not monitoring it.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Feb 2, 2021)

rickwai said:


> It is a safety switch so it will stop the feed in the event that you loose air flow. It needs to be in place if you are running it and not monitoring it.


So I can run the stove at night if it's working??

I just hooked it up. It's working now!


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Feb 2, 2021)

The vacuum switch is on. I finally managed to misplace a damn screw, so it just kind of hangs there.
I still have the old exhaust fan motor propped up and jury rigged up to fool the control board.
And Ive left the back panel off (Ssyko's advice) because I got tired of removing all those damn screws!
But...I have HEAT.


----------



## rickwai (Feb 3, 2021)

Yes hook the exhaust fan up the way it is suppose to be. If the vac switch is hooked up and everything is wired back up like it should be you can run it at night I would say?  Does it seem to be burning good?  Looking at the picture it looks like you are getting a clean burn


----------



## Ssyko (Feb 3, 2021)

The big motor has to stay plugged into the wall, it will smoke the control board


----------



## rickwai (Feb 3, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> The big motor has to stay plugged into the wall, it will smoke the control board


Good to know


----------



## Lordtimothy200 (Feb 3, 2021)

Just a few mins ago was looking at the Surplus Center and they had a combustion blower that looks just like the big one you sent her.   Looks like the stock one pulls 1.7 amps and I the one I was looking at pulled 2.1 amps.  Hmmmmm is that enough of a difference to burn up the board?


----------



## FirepotPete (Feb 3, 2021)

I just want to chime in quickly, I've been following this thread since the beginning.

I think this is one of the best threads we've seen here in a long time.

Good job pelletheads and kernel burners! 

Stay warm, we (upper mid west) are about to see days without going above 0°f and chills down around -40°f.


----------



## Ssyko (Feb 3, 2021)

Lordtimothy200 said:


> Just a few mins ago was looking at the Surplus Center and they had a combustion blower that looks just like the big one you sent her.   Looks like the stock one pulls 1.7 amps and I the one I was looking at pulled 2.1 amps.  Hmmmmm is that enough of a difference to burn up the board?


Yeah, unfortunately any that are made by APPCONEX ,I can guarantee they wont take more that 1.5amp a burst of 1.8 smoked one on my test bench. Most PCBs are constructed with 1 oz copper thickness. thats about 1.37 mill (thousands of an inch) and you can see how wide the traces are so yeah between the triacs and opto's they really are electrically fragile.
  The motor i sent was for a Trane furnace, it is an inducer motor but not a standard 1/40- 1/70 hp it is a 1/15hp @ 3000 rpm. so driving a bigger squirrel cage does not drag it down like it would the lesser hp motors. I have frankenstoved my old breckwell to the point the fire wall looks like a washboard its so warped.lol


----------



## Lordtimothy200 (Feb 3, 2021)

Thanks for sharing your knowledge on the stoves.  Like FirepotPete said,  this is one of the most enjoyable threads.


----------



## JbTech (Feb 4, 2021)

FirepotPete said:


> I just want to chime in quickly, I've been following this thread since the beginning.
> 
> I think this is one of the best threads we've seen here in a long time.
> 
> ...



Agreed! I don't know the 1st thing about burning pellets or corn, but helping someone in the same boat says a lot about the folks here!
Thanks to all that helped!

And yes....It looks like it's gonna be a cold week around here...Real cold.


----------



## rickwai (Feb 4, 2021)

FirepotPete said:


> I just want to chime in quickly, I've been following this thread since the beginning.
> 
> I think this is one of the best threads we've seen here in a long time.
> 
> ...


I agree! I dont think there are many women on here. And when Rx joined and was willing to go elbow deep into this basket case stove it got our attention.  I can barely get my wife to add pellets or corn if I am away and at that I have to have it set by the stoves   . It is fun to help others, and this time of year there is not much else to do....


----------



## SidecarFlip (Feb 5, 2021)

rickwai said:


> I agree! I dont think there are many women on here. And when Rx joined and was willing to go elbow deep into this basket case stove it got our attention. * I can barely get my wife to add pellets or corn if I am away and at that I have to have it set by the stoves*  . It is fun to help others, and this time of year there is not much else to do....



In the same boat with mine.  She basically won't touch it and then crabs when it's not producing sufficient heat to keep the cats toasty, but then I pay for all the heating supplies and the propane as well.

I do get her to add fuel in the AM, so ling as the fuel pail is next to the stove and has mix in it.  No way is she going out on the deck and get any.

I suspect a bad (as in arctic cold0 weekend is coming up..  Ambient outside temp is visibly sliding down to the cellar.  Probably have to notch up the stove a bit and kick on the central furnace as well.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Feb 5, 2021)

rickwai said:


> I agree! I dont think there are many women on here. And when Rx joined and was willing to go elbow deep into this basket case stove it got our attention.  I can barely get my wife to add pellets or corn if I am away and at that I have to have it set by the stoves   . It is fun to help others, and this time of year there is not much else to do....


Thank you guys. My dad is partly to blame. He was a shade tree mechanic and he insisted I know how to check and change my oil when I got my first car back in the late 70's.
Funny though,  he never made my younger sister do the same.  It occurs to me now that he must have figured she'd never need to know as men fall over themselves begging to do stuff for her since age 12 .  
I think the stove is  running even better now, no more pellets seem to be over filling the burn pot. I went and stocked up on more pellets yesterday as we are supposed to get brutal cold starting tomorrow. Yuck.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Feb 5, 2021)

Already brutal cold here in SE Michigan.  Got the tractor out (the one with the cab of course) and cleaned the drives out and in front of the mailbox, took the bucket off, put on the forks and replenished the 4 plastic garbage cans with corn pellet mix and my wife actually helped.  She put in the pellets, I put in the corn.  3 scoops corn, 1 scoop pellets, rinse and repeat.  Filled the last can and my fingers were numb and that is in the barn.  It never ceases to amaze me, the corn I'm using (no treat seed corn) sells for 300 bucks a 50 pound sack and I suck it down, so basically, every day when it's cold out I'm burning 600 bucks worth of no treat GMO seed corn.

It's 18 here and very windy.  Supposed to go below zero tonight.  I imagine the central furnace will be on.  No way can a 50K btu input stove keep up with that heat load.  With the wind chill presently, it's -1.  Besides, I don't need frozen pipes.  Have the Plus 90 set at 60.

Nice to be back inside with a hot cup of cocoa.


----------



## Lordtimothy200 (Feb 5, 2021)

Temps are starting to drop here,  just loaded up 25 bushels of corn in the hopper attached to the house and made sure all the temp sensors are working across the property.  Ready as I will ever be.  

Anytime it gets under 10 degree's (or 15 with a wind) the ole Auburn is steady at heat setting 4 of 5.   5 just scares me just a bit on how hot she gets.  Also does not seem to put out that much more heat at 5 than it does at 4.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Feb 5, 2021)

Like I said in another thread, running them balls out for an extended period will do nothing except warp the firebox.  Never run my 6039 past 5 (out of 9 notches).  I gain nothing, use more fuel and always run the risk of a high limit shutdown.  I have over 20 years on this unit and other than having to straighten out the firebox above the loading door and adding a steel stiffener because I pushed it too hard too long, it's been a gem.  You do not ever want to straighten out a warped from heat door frame or add a stiffener in a confined space.  I'm a pretty good welder and it tested my mettle installing it.

They will only strip so much heat from the firebox no matter what.  You are limited by the air passages and the CFM of the convection blower anyway.


----------



## Ssyko (Feb 5, 2021)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> Thank you guys. My dad is partly to blame. He was a shade tree mechanic and he insisted I know how to check and change my oil when I got my first car back in the late 70's.



As a father of 3,  we always tryed to teach them right from wrong and to always stay true to your beliefs. all 3 were tought to wrench and work on their own vehicles so they are not dependant on others to do it for them. one (father of 2) is way up the food chain in the nuklear power in the northeast one is a school bus driver(mom of 3) and the other is a mom of 3 (married big money). My wife is spoiled but she can change her own oil and let me know when the check engine light comes on .  the
willingness of RX to jump in this project is awesome and should be a lesson for stove owners that you think your stove is clean,  and we just like to harp on folks for not doing their research.  She took the suggestions we all gave her and ran with it. next year she will be cruzing the forums helping others how to clean their stoves.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Feb 5, 2021)

SidecarFlip said:


> Already brutal cold here in SE Michigan.  Got the tractor out (the one with the cab of course) and cleaned the drives out and in front of the mailbox, took the bucket off, put on the forks and replenished the 4 plastic garbage cans with corn pellet mix and my wife actually helped.  She put in the pellets, I put in the corn.  3 scoops corn, 1 scoop pellets, rinse and repeat.  Filled the last can and my fingers were numb and that is in the barn.  It never ceases to amaze me, the corn I'm using (no treat seed corn) sells for 300 bucks a 50 pound sack and I suck it down, so basically, every day when it's cold out I'm burning 600 bucks worth of no treat GMO seed corn.
> 
> It's 18 here and very windy.  Supposed to go below zero tonight.  I imagine the central furnace will be on.  No way can a 50K btu input stove keep up with that heat load.  With the wind chill presently, it's -1.  Besides, I don't need frozen pipes.  Have the Plus 90 set at 60.
> 
> Nice to be back inside with a hot cup of cocoa.


Holy crap!  Why is that corn so expensive??
It's nice to have an other half to help with stuff.  One of my favorite memories from about 2014,  Arne had a 50 something inch projection tv in his apartment in San Diego (we weren't married yet) and it went on the fritz.  We decided it must be a broken color wheel and ordered a replacement from ebay.  I found a youtube video on how to pull the old one (that thing was waaaay inside the guts!) and install the  new one. He and I spent the whole morning into afternoon taking that thing apart by following every step from the youtube video.
It doesnt sound like something enjoyable, but it was.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Feb 5, 2021)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> *Holy crap!  Why is that corn so expensive??*
> It's nice to have an other half to help with stuff.  One of my favorite memories from about 2014,  Arne had a 50 something inch projection tv in his apartment in San Diego (we weren't married yet) and it went on the fritz.  We decided it must be a broken color wheel and ordered a replacement from ebay.  I found a youtube video on how to pull the old one (that thing was waaaay inside the guts!) and install the  new one. He and I spent the whole morning into afternoon taking that thing apart by following every step from the youtube video.
> It doesnt sound like something enjoyable, but it was.



Certified seed corn is always expensive, 300 bucks per 50 pound sack is about average and some (if it's coated) is even more.  Lots of growing technology in it plus it has to germinate at 95% or better to be sold.  The stuff I get is last years and sometimes the previous year's seed corn and it won't meet the 95% germ rate so it's no longer marketable.  If you were buying seed corn, you'd want the maximum germination rate for dollars spent.  Most of what I get to burn is what they call 'refuge corn' which is basically silage corn for animal feed.  My buddy typically sells out of the ultra hybrid stuff every year.  It all roasts the same, the stove don't care one way or another.

My wife gets a kick out of telling her friends we have the most expensive biomass stove around here and I agree.  At 600 bucks a day average, we wail through some serious bucks.  really only 3 choices for it. I can burn it or it can be landfilled or direct burial, so I burn it and everyone (including us) are happy.

The only issue with really dry seed corn is the amount of ash it makes.  I have to empty the ash pan every 3 days or it quickly gets out of hand.

Currently 7 here outside.  Not nice out and the wind is howling.  Central furnace is coming on about once every 1 1/2 hours which is fine with me anyway.  keeps the pipes from freezing down in the dungeon.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Feb 5, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> As a father of 3,  we always tryed to teach them right from wrong and to always stay true to your beliefs. all 3 were tought to wrench and work on their own vehicles so they are not dependant on others to do it for them. one (father of 2) is way up the food chain in the nuklear power in the northeast one is a school bus driver(mom of 3) and the other is a mom of 3 (married big money). My wife is spoiled but she can change her own oil and let me know when the check engine light comes on .  the
> willingness of RX to jump in this project is awesome and should be a lesson for stove owners that you think your stove is clean,  and we just like to harp on folks for not doing their research.  She took the suggestions we all gave her and ran with it. next year she will be cruzing the forums helping others how to clean their stoves.


It's amazing what people can do when their alternative is to freeze their a$$es off.
Not a lot of people are willing to spend hours cyber tutoring someone step by step for weeks, especially when that someone is a total pellet stove newb who has to repeatedly ask dumb question like  "what's this thingy and should it sound all squeaky?"  Lol.
Thank you for having so much patience.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Feb 5, 2021)

Oh, hey!  I have been wanting to ask everyone their opinion on Bixby stoves.
When I very first started looking around I saw several for sale and I really liked the look. 

But after doing some home work and seeing so many scathing complaints I crossed them off my list.
However,  Ive seen some guys have them.  
I'm just curious.  Do they ever function?
Why did he go out of biz?


----------



## rickwai (Feb 6, 2021)

They have not been made in years and alot of parts are obsolete and not available from what I have heard.


----------



## john sulllivan (Feb 6, 2021)

the green light will blink when the stove is in warm up mode, it has to pass vacuum test and prof of fire test before the convection fan comes on and green light stays solid. if it fails it will blink a code with the red lights 1 through 5. seeing the vacuum switch is bypassed it's probably going to blink a 2. remove the ash vent covers in the bottom of the stove. these go from the bottom to the top of the stove, need to be clear. use a wire, blow it out with a compressor, what ever you have and try it again. you can change the program to burn pellets on later stoves, find the manual and see


----------



## Ssyko (Feb 6, 2021)

john sulllivan said:


> the green light will blink when the stove is in warm up mode, it has to pass vacuum test and prof of fire test before the convection fan comes on and green light stays solid. if it fails it will blink a code with the red lights 1 through 5. seeing the vacuum switch is bypassed it's probably going to blink a 2. remove the ash vent covers in the bottom of the stove. these go from the bottom to the top of the stove, need to be clear. use a wire, blow it out with a compressor, what ever you have and try it again. you can change the program to burn pellets on later stoves, find the manual and see



welcome to the forums John. You shold go back and check out the entire thread, we are wayyyy past the point at this time. But you post made me smile.


----------



## rickwai (Feb 9, 2021)

Lordtimothy200 said:


> Temps are starting to drop here,  just loaded up 25 bushels of corn in the hopper attached to the house and made sure all the temp sensors are working across the property.  Ready as I will ever be.
> 
> Anytime it gets under 10 degree's (or 15 with a wind) the ole Auburn is steady at heat setting 4 of 5.   5 just scares me just a bit on how hot she gets.  Also does not seem to put out that much more heat at 5 than it does at 4.


We have been in single digits w/ no wind. The Lancaster is on a tstat and set on 3. (100% corn).  I have 1600 sqft and hardly ever have to go up to 4.   We dont typically get the brutal cold here in central OH.  I dont think I have run it on 5 w/ corn.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Feb 9, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> welcome to the forums John. You shold go back and check out the entire thread, we are wayyyy past the point at this time. But you post made me smile.


Lol. I thought he was lost and replying to a different thread.
This stove finally producing heat is saving me from having to either stay at a motel or live under my electric blanket.
I retired the summer fan I was using to blow heat around the stove. It doesnt over heat the room now!
Single digits and below zero nights all this week, and we're supposed to see -12 this weekend. 
Is it normal to have piles of ash after about 30 or so?   Ive already vacuumed it, but it seemed like alot!


----------



## Ssyko (Feb 10, 2021)

Yeah that’s common.


----------



## rickwai (Feb 10, 2021)

You will find that different pellets have there own characteristics.  The goal is to find the least expensive pellets that burn satisfactory.  If there is a TSC near you they run a 25% off on pellets if you are in the neighborhood club in the fall then if you have there credit card you get another 5% off.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Feb 10, 2021)

Ash production all depends on what the extruder used for feedstock and you have no way of knowing.  I pay no attention to the PFI certification on a bag of pellets.  To me, all that means is the extruder paid a membership fee so they could the logo.


----------



## rickwai (Feb 11, 2021)

Yeah, They are all "premium" pellets


----------



## john sulllivan (Feb 11, 2021)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> Lol. I thought he was lost and replying to a different thread.
> This stove finally producing heat is saving me from having to either stay at a motel or live under my electric blanket.
> I retired the summer fan I was using to blow heat around the stove. It doesnt over heat the room now!
> Single digits and below zero nights all this week, and we're supposed to see -12 this weekend.
> ...


Sorry about that. thought I was at the beginning. was I wrong. I'm just glad you have your stove up and running. Wow, you got a lot of help and good advice. Ssyko really knows his stuff. good luck and keep warm


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Feb 12, 2021)

john sulllivan said:


> Sorry about that. thought I was at the beginning. was I wrong. I'm just glad you have your stove up and running. Wow, you got a lot of help and good advice. Ssyko really knows his stuff. good luck and keep warm


No need to appologize. 
And yes, thanks to the guys on this forum and Ssyko's generosity and patience, I'm staying warm during this below zero spell.


----------



## Ssyko (Feb 25, 2021)

UPDATE??? stove seam to be working better? or just staying the same? slowing down?


----------



## Washed-Up (Feb 25, 2021)

We’re ALL wondering how you and the stove are doing


----------



## Lordtimothy200 (Feb 25, 2021)

/waiting with a bowl of popcorn


----------



## johneh (Feb 26, 2021)

Lordtimothy200 said:


> /waiting with a bowl of popcorn


Hope you brought enough for everyone


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Feb 26, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> UPDATE??? stove seam to be working better? or just staying the same? slowing down?


Hi guys!
It's running beautifully. Nebraska had about 2 weeks of horrible sub-zero weather. Snow and ugly cold ( like much of the nation).
I got stuck in my own driveway and missed work 2 weeks ago. I was unable to leave until my gf from Lincoln came out so she and her hubby could help me.
My water froze once in the wellhouse, and twice inside my lines to washing machine and the sewer going away from washer, so I had a flooded bathroom twice! I had to pour boiling water down to unfreeze it. 20-30 below night time lows will do that.
But I was comfortable, for a change. 
Seriously, this stove was the only reason I didnt have to go stay with someone. I had it cooking! No freaking way space heaters gonna' cut it when its that cold.
When its time to shut it down for the year Im going to take the exhaust fan off and see how much more stuff came out of there. I bought a camera that can go up inside. And of course do the leafblower thing to it, etc.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Feb 26, 2021)

On the lowest setting right now, as it's been in the 40's and 50's this week.
If I damper it waaay down when I go to bed, by morning it's will be half full in the pot. I still have to use the clinker poker to crunch up the burnt pellets if the damper is partially closed. So should it still be doing that?
I think much of what ever is inside of there, is still back there. For now at least.
I mean, it's still on the souped up exhaust fan, (thank you Ssyko) so if it were clear back in there, I wouldnt have any pellet build up. That's my guess.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Feb 26, 2021)

On a different subject. Who has a Bixby?
Anyone? Is there already a Bixby thread on here? Just curious.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Feb 26, 2021)

Rxwoman1961 said:


> On a different subject. Who has a Bixby?
> Anyone? Is there already a Bixby thread on here? Just curious.


Rona and Gutatmalan fake eye...  Rona uses his and has been for decades.  Search Bixby for info.  They are seriously obsolete stoves.

You really need to invest in a real quality surge supressor like the Tripp-Lite.  They are on Amazon for 35 bucks.  Money well spent plus they tell you if the outlet is grounded or not and if the polarity is correct.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Feb 26, 2021)

SidecarFlip said:


> Rona and Gutatmalan fake eye...  Rona uses his and has been for decades.  Search Bixby for info.  They are seriously obsolete stoves.
> 
> You really need to invest in a real quality surge supressor like the Tripp-Lite.  They are on Amazon for 35 bucks.  Money well spent plus they tell you if the outlet is grounded or not and if the polarity is correct.


Ok. Thank you.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Feb 27, 2021)

Lordtimothy200 said:


> /waiting with a bowl of popcorn


Sorry to disappoint everyone.  It's not as interesting if I'm not tearing into it,  is it?  Lol.

I promise to have all kinds of pics when I take the exhaust fan off again. I'm curious too to find out how much stuff actually burnt out of there and if I can ever go back to the fan it's supposed to use.
Oh yeah, and I had this Saturday night off for a change. 

I've been thinking about a corn stove in the basement, and the possibility of buying cheap corn ( dry, very very DRY !) in bulk.
Ssyko, how did your cleaner outer thingy pan out?


----------



## Ssyko (Feb 27, 2021)

Tried a couple times with 1/8” multi strand cable but it wont take the heat of welding and then spinning at 800 rpm. Got busy and to be honest it slipped my mind till now sorry.


----------



## Lordtimothy200 (Feb 27, 2021)

Just nice to see it is working almost like it should.

Not sure how your place is set up, but the guy I bought my Auburn off of had it in his basement.  He had the stove being fed by a 10 bushel box on the side of his house.   Worked quite well,  So took the idea and modified it to fit my place.    

If you have a truck or access to one, it is fairly easy to get a grain wagon and get 100-200 bushels of corn from the closest Elevator.


----------



## Lordtimothy200 (Feb 27, 2021)

I get 200 bushels at Fall time and that normally lasts me all winter.


----------



## FirepotPete (Feb 27, 2021)

Lordtimothy200 said:


> I get 200 bushels at Fall time and that normally lasts me all winter.


Holy moly! That's over 5 ton. I burn 100% corn and only one time in all the years have I ever gone over 3 ton. 1950's cape cod, old windows, some insulation. I blew some insulation in years ago from inside, as it has aluminum siding. 1800 sq ft. I guess it depends on what you are heating.
Here is how I store my corn, IBC totes, I think they are 275 gallon, I can get 1 to 1 1/2 ton in and it keeps the critters out of it.
I'm lucky that my corn comes from a large farm about 13 miles away so easy to go get more as needed and I don't have a lot more room to store it. Corn vac system to move the corn out of the truck into the secondary tank. When that is filled I open the blast gate and the corn falls into the tote. Put the vac head on a 55 gallon drum top and suck the corn out of the tote and into the 55 gallon drum and then I just haul what I need in 5 gallon buckets.


----------



## Lordtimothy200 (Feb 27, 2021)

Yes I do burn through a lot.  House was built over 100 years ago and well insulated, now if we would not heat the back porch we would burn much less.  We use the back porch for our business so need to keep that stove a cooking.  It is our main source of heat (I don't count the tiny little electric furnace they shoehorned into a closet).  
Using IBC totes work out well.  Used them for the first two seasons then moved to  a grain wagon I picked up at an auction for a C note. Then again upgraded last year to a gravity wagon.  Pretty happy with the gravity wagon.  
Like your setup.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Mar 4, 2021)

Ssyko said:


> Tried a couple times with 1/8” multi strand cable but it wont take the heat of welding and then spinning at 800 rpm. Got busy and to be honest it slipped my mind till now sorry.


I was just curious if you had had any success.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Mar 4, 2021)

Lordtimothy200 said:


> Just nice to see it is working almost like it should.
> 
> Not sure how your place is set up, but the guy I bought my Auburn off of had it in his basement.  He had the stove being fed by a 10 bushel box on the side of his house.   Worked quite well,  So took the idea and modified it to fit my place.
> 
> If you have a truck or access to one, it is fairly easy to get a grain wagon and get 100-200 bushels of corn from the closest Elevator.


That's what I was thinking about.


----------



## Lordtimothy200 (Mar 4, 2021)

I could not recommend it enough.  Anything to lower the workload daily always helps.  Here is a few pictures of my setup.  Granted I do not clean my corn besides what is blown away in my moving it from the grain wagon to the box on the side of the house.  I have not had an issue so far with it.


----------



## Rxwoman1961 (Mar 14, 2021)

Lordtimothy200 said:


> I could not recommend it enough.  Anything to lower the workload daily always helps.  Here is a few pictures of my setup.  Granted I do not clean my corn besides what is blown away in my moving it from the grain wagon to the box on the side of the house.  I have not had an issue so far with it.


Just now seeing your corn set up. WOW.
So you fill it up outside and a chute keeps the stove fed.   I could never do anything quite that ambitious. At least not anytime soon.     A  roof that doesn't leak and a basement that doesn't flood every time it rains more than an inch are on the top of the list for construction projects.
But I just love clever,  handy people and cool cost saving ideas like these.   That was my goal when I bought the old Siegler oil stove 15 years ago. I was hoping to be able to run it on biodiesel.   Didn't quite pan out the way I had hoped.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Mar 14, 2021)

Corn is a lot different than pellets.  Corn makes 3 times the ash and it makes clinkers too. that have to be removed daily. My corn comes in 55 pound sacks or 2500 pound super sacks on skids.  I mix my corn with pellets at a 3-1 ratio (mitigates the clinker issue) in 4- 30 gallon plastic trash cans sitting on a skid and I lift 4 of them up on the back deck with one of my front end loaders and take it in the house in a 5 gallon bucket and feed the stove.  4 garbage cans last me about 2 weeks on the average.  I keep all my corn and pellets with the farm equipment in a large Clearspan Truss Arch building, so everything is inside out of the weather and someplace for the cats to sleep too.  Unlike Tim, the corn I burn is very clean.  Just Midwestern Dent Hybrid corn at about 9-10% RM.

Corn is very moisture critical.  Too much and it burns poorly (and gets moldy), too little and it burns too hot.


----------



## Lordtimothy200 (Mar 14, 2021)

Learned the hard way not to reinvent the wheel.  Just take other people's good idea's and combine them into something that works for you.  For instance to move the corn I use 4" PVC pipe and a leaf blower, got the idea from hunters filling deer feeders.  Cheap and easy, just like me, except instead of being easy I am just lazy.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Mar 15, 2021)

The always inherent issue with moving corn in plastic piping is static electricity.  Corn sliding against plastic creates static electricity and it can be a 'shocking' experience.  Why I handle it the way I do.  The garbage cans eliminate the 'shock' aspect.


----------



## Lordtimothy200 (Mar 15, 2021)

You got it,  have to ground it or you will have that punk rock hair style.  I run a wire and chain to the ground,  seems to keep the 'lectricity down.  Safety first you know.


----------



## Washed-Up (Oct 31, 2021)

Wondering if you’ve fired up yet and how things are going?


----------



## Ssyko (Dec 11, 2021)

Washed-Up said:


> Wondering if you’ve fired up yet and how things are going?



@Rxwoman how are things going?


----------

