# Need help with American harvest 6039



## Cowgirl1970 (Nov 24, 2014)

We purchased a home that has this stove.  We have replaced both gaskets on door/window, cleaned the blowers, pipes etc... and are still getting a dirty dirty burn.  This stove does NOT have a manual draft adjustment, it has the A,B,C buttons on the control panel, can anyone tell me how to use those to set the draft and auger speed please and what the best settings are?  We are burning Propellets only, no corn.  Thanks bunches


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## alternativeheat (Nov 24, 2014)

Cowgirl1970 said:


> We purchased a home that has this stove.  We have replaced both gaskets on door/window, cleaned the blowers, pipes etc... and are still getting a dirty dirty burn.  This stove does NOT have a manual draft adjustment, it has the A,B,C buttons on the control panel, can anyone tell me how to use those to set the draft and auger speed please and what the best settings are?  We are burning Propellets only, no corn.  Thanks bunches


I don't know much about your stove but until others who do answer you might try the search feature at the top of the page. There are several threads on this model that could get you started in the right direction.. Also if you don't have a manual most stove manuals are available in PDF online free.


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## Cowgirl1970 (Nov 24, 2014)

alternativeheat said:


> I don't know much about your stove but until others who do answer you might try the search feature at the top of the page. There are several threads on this model that could get you started in the right direction.. Also if you don't have a manual most stove manuals are available in PDF online free.


 
We do have the manual but it isn't helpful when it comes to programming.  I've read all the threads on the 6039 but couldn't find one that answered my questions.


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## Lake Girl (Nov 24, 2014)

Here's the manual .... http://www.usstove.com/resources/OwnersManuals/English Owners Manuals/6039 Manual.pdf

I know you said you cleaned it but if you didn't have the manual you probably missed inner smoke pathways ... page 14 shows the areas that may be the culprit the clean-outs.  I have a dryer lint brush and a hose attached to my shop vac to get into all the nooks and crannies.  Depending on the stove a wire may be the option.

Keep us posted... Welcome to the forum!


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## alternativeheat (Nov 24, 2014)

Cowgirl1970 said:


> We do have the manual but it isn't helpful when it comes to programming.  I've read all the threads on the 6039 but couldn't find one that answered my questions.


Ok, well someone will be along eventually, those were just suggestions.

One thing I did notice in the manual is that obviously the stove has a corn mode and that it ships in that mode. Did the old owner burn corn by chance ? I.E. it's not set to burn corn when you are burning pellets ?

I also noticed an Auto mode.


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## Cowgirl1970 (Nov 24, 2014)

Lake Girl said:


> Here's the manual .... http://www.usstove.com/resources/OwnersManuals/English Owners Manuals/6039 Manual.pdf
> 
> I know you said you cleaned it but if you didn't have the manual you probably missed inner smoke pathways ... page 14 shows the areas that may be the culprit the clean-outs.  I have a dryer lint brush and a hose attached to my shop vac to get into all the nooks and crannies.  Depending on the stove a wire may be the option.
> 
> Keep us posted... Welcome to the forum!


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## Cowgirl1970 (Nov 24, 2014)

Yes, we did see the cleanouts on page 14 and are cleaning them out on a regular basis, we went through the whole stove, the old owner said he was never happy with it, I'm not sure what all he burnt, it had old pellets in it when we took possession of the house and we did clean all those out and buy new pellets.  I'm sure it's set for corn that's why I want to see if anyone can tell me how to program it for pellets.  We are just frustrated, been messing with it for over a month and now that we have done everything we were told to do it's still burning dirty.  Hopefully it's something simple.


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## Lake Girl (Nov 24, 2014)

Apparently A & B can be deactivated at the factory.  Not sure if they remain activated if unit is unplugged for any period of time so you may want to ensure these adjustments are functional to start.  page 16 instructions.

First start off by writing down the values that are showing when you press the buttons - at least gives you a starting point.  When you change a value, make small changes and allow enough time to record any burn characteristics changes.  Record...  Each stove venting situation and pellets used may create different conditions so there is no "right" value - you have to find what works for your situation by experimentation...  High fuel and low air create a dirty burn... as does clogged internal smoke pathways as it affects air.
Do you have an Outside Air Kit (OAK)?  What configuration (total length vertical, horizontal, tees, elbows) is your exhaust venting?  This will effect your draft....

A adjusts your fuel - higher numbers means more fuel is added.  Auger will turn more frequently...  What value is shown when you press A?
B adjusts your air - higher numbers means more air.  What value?
C pauses the auger for 1 minute to stop adding fuel...

When adjusting, stay on one heat range and only change one variable at a time either air or fuel.  Keep us posted


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## alternativeheat (Nov 24, 2014)

Cowgirl1970 said:


> Yes, we did see the cleanouts on page 14 and are cleaning them out on a regular basis, we went through the whole stove, the old owner said he was never happy with it, I'm not sure what all he burnt, it had old pellets in it when we took possession of the house and we did clean all those out and buy new pellets.  I'm sure it's set for corn that's why I want to see if anyone can tell me how to program it for pellets.  We are just frustrated, been messing with it for over a month and now that we have done everything we were told to do it's still burning dirty.  Hopefully it's something simple.


It sounds like an air setting over 4 is generally used for corn. You might try 3. From there dial down your feed rate.

If the old owner was never satisfied then that leads one to wonder about the install. As Lake Girl mentioned about the venting ? Make sure that is all within spec.. Notice that on this stove they give little leeway for vertical rise before moving to 4" pipe. Also 2500 ft altitude mandates 4" vent. Lets hope it's all the wrong settings currently though and once dialed in the thing hums along beautifully !

Edit: also along the lines of install, do you have an outside air kit on the stove and if not how tight is your house ?


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## Lake Girl (Nov 24, 2014)

The stove comes set-up to burn corn ... This is what they mean:  "Corn, as does some other fuels, requires more air than wood pellets to burn effeciently(sic)."  It was originally set up with a higher air/fuel ratio.  Where it is now is anyone's guess.


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## alternativeheat (Nov 24, 2014)

Lake Girl said:


> The stove comes set-up to burn corn ... This is what they mean:  "Corn, as does some other fuels, requires more air than wood pellets to burn effeciently(sic)."  It was originally set up with a higher air/fuel ratio.  Where it is now is anyone's guess.


Yep that's true enough ! I was hoping someone who runs one of these successfully on pellets might have chimed in by now.


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## Bob E (Nov 24, 2014)

Wish I could help, but mine has a different control board and the manual damper... First thing I would do is try to turn up the combustion blower. Putting a thermometer in the heat exchanger vents above the door really helps figuring out how to dial it in. I started with a meat thermometer, but that pegged out when I got up to around heat range 5 or 6. Now I'm using the thermometer off of my grill. My stove is running on the verge of warming and bbq at the moment . It gives you a point of reference to determine if the changes you are making are helping or not. More heat is good, and less heat is bad. Give it a half hour or so after you make an adjustment before you check the temperature reading. 
I know my stove burns pretty dirty in the lower heat ranges, turns the glass black with soot, but there isn't any smoke coming out of the vent pipe or anything. I also get the best heat when I burn it a little on the dirty side. The flames reach up and lick the top of the fire box putting more heat into the heat exchanger which puts more heat into the room.
It could be the pellets if you're burning those WD softwoods.


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## SidecarFlip (Nov 24, 2014)

not sure, but i think you can upgrade to the 4 button digital board like the hf's have.  it's the bomb.  you can custom tailor every aspect of combustion


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## mustangwagz (Nov 24, 2014)

Welcome! Youve got the same stove as me. When you get a chance to shut it down, Unlplug the stove wait a moment, and then plug it back in...Take note of what version the board is. It'll pop up a couple numbers, followed by a letter THen it'll be ready for operation. Different models of boards had different settings. 

There is A LOT of settings available for this stove, once you find out what board you have, it'll be easier for us 6039 owners to help. These are very adjustable stove, so no worries, we'll help ya get it dialed in.  As a previous poster said, they burn dirty at low unless you modify the settings. No big deal though. As long as you dont have black soot rolling off the tip of your flames, you'll be fine.    As Lakegirl said, There's passages behind that fancy "brick" looking back board that need cleaned also. If you remove the "brick" and look through the holes in the back plate, the one on the right hand side will show a passage to the combustion blower..see if thats dirty.   Also make sure your clean out plates are properly installed in the bottom as well. Make sure they cover both bottom holes and rear holes at the bottom. 

keep us posted and also, fill us in on what your exhaust system consists of and IF you hooked up the OAK. "outside air kit" 

what settings are you currently running? On mine, i can run the auto settings...by auto settings, i mean by adjusting the Left button which is Heat Range (HR)  Dpending on version of board, you may or may not have "auto" or Manual" led lights.


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## SidecarFlip (Nov 24, 2014)

I have both my 'portholes' plugged with electrical knockout plugs btw.  I pop the plugs and get in there with a small paintrush and scrub away.....


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## mustangwagz (Nov 24, 2014)

SidecarFlip said:


> I have both my 'portholes' plugged with electrical knockout plugs btw.  I pop the plugs and get in there with a small paintrush and scrub away.....


Ditto! 1-3/4 knock outs will fill the void. Then install "fancy back board" and be happy. i noticed a little bit of a difference in heat, and a major difference in the amount of ash behind the cleanout plates.


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## SidecarFlip (Nov 24, 2014)

I knew my 'idea' wasn't original. 

 I use a bottle brush on a twisted wire handle to get the ash along the floor behind the bulkhead and push it to the cleanouts to be vacuumed up and a 14" long length of garden hose stuffed in the small diameter adapter on the shop vac, snaked into the pipe that leads to the combustion blower to suck that out, you have to cut the end you push down the pipe at a slant or it hangs up.  Maybe thats an original idea, maybe not.

I also take a 1x1 stick and  'flog' the side plates on each side of the firebox to dislodge any ash clumps back there...  my wife thinks I'm nutz beating on the stove like it's a drum......

While flogging and beating, I keep the suction hose in the door to collect the dust I'm making....


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## Lake Girl (Nov 25, 2014)

SidecarFlip - I must be nuts too ... well I don't actually beat on the stove but most of the rest is the same  Dryer lint brush instead of the bottle brush ...


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## alternativeheat (Nov 25, 2014)

You guys have me so inspired about this stove now I want to go out and buy one, LOL ! Where is our OP ? They have a lot more to work with now.


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## SidecarFlip (Nov 25, 2014)

Lake Girl said:


> SidecarFlip - I must be nuts too ... well I don't actually beat on the stove but most of the rest is the same  Dryer lint brush instead of the bottle brush ...


 
Lake Girl....

Get a length of broomstick or anything wood thats about 2 feet long and when you clean it, open the door and with the stick centered inside, hitting the side baffels, smack it back and forth, you'll be amazed at how muc falls out from behind the baffles (and how much will drop behind the rear bulkhead too.  It's hard to clean behind the front/side baffles but the board smack does the trick with no damage.

BTW, if you use the angle cut garden hose section in your shop vac in the combustion air pipe channel to clean it and the leaf blower trick on the venting, you'll vever have to pull your combustion fan and clean the chamber,  Mine hasn't been off for at least 3 years now.  That saves grief and red rtv.


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## alternativeheat (Nov 25, 2014)

SidecarFlip said:


> Lake Girl....
> 
> 
> 
> BTW, if you use the angle cut garden hose section in your shop vac in the combustion air pipe channel to clean it and the leaf blower trick on the venting, you'll vever have to pull your combustion fan and clean the chamber,  Mine hasn't been off for at least 3 years now.  That saves grief and red rtv.


My shop vac came with a length of hose and that is how I clean the vent from stove to T and with no danger of whacking the ESP probe. That is when it needs it which mainly is with dirty pellets and low burn. With clean pellets and higher burns nothing collects in that length of pipe, most of it settles in the clean out T, which is convenient. I do get some ash way up in the 26 ft of vertical pipe though. That I brush.


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## SidecarFlip (Nov 25, 2014)

My vertical (4") is about 20 ft, give or take.  3-4 at the cleanout and 4 after that.  I actually have pretty good draft with a hot pipe.  11 years on the venting and no issues other than a black terminatioin cap from soot.

For the longest time, I had no idea what an 'OAK' was, thought people were referring to hardwood pellets, then dense me, I realized it was outside combustion air., which I've always had anyway.  When it's real cold outside the flex pipe for the outside air supply frosts up......

I like the stoves for a couple reasons, one, the infinite adjustability and two, they are user friendly.  I don't like the cost of replacement consumables (which at some point) I'll fix by making them with the exception of the window glass and backer boards and the what I consider sub standard workmanship, even my 11 year old stove has welds that cosmetically look like bird shitte and ill fitting sheet metal, no excuse on a stove that costs over a grand, even it it cost a dollar, there is no excuse for crappy workmanship.

I also don't like the human representation at USSC.  Everytime I've called there, they seem to have a nonchalant attitude, like they are doing you a favor talking to you, no, I did them a favor by buying their product and keeping them working.....


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## SidecarFlip (Nov 25, 2014)

Interestingly, one of the 3" horizontial pipes in the house (the one that fits to the stove adapter) is from my original, from 30 years ago pipe setup, so the stuff will last forever with minimal care....  FYI.


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## SidecarFlip (Nov 25, 2014)

alternativeheat said:


> My shop vac came with a length of hose and that is how I clean the vent from stove to T and with no danger of whacking the ESP probe. That is when it needs it which mainly is with dirty pellets and low burn. With clean pellets and higher burns nothing collects in that length of pipe, most of it settles in the clean out T, which is convenient. I do get some ash way up in the 26 ft of vertical pipe though. That I brush.


 
I ain't got no ESP probe...lol  In fact, I have no probes, only a vacuum port in the firebox on the lower left side,  No ignitor either,  My 'ignition' is jelled firestarter'  I prefer simple, less things to fail and/or break.  One reason I have no desire to get another, more complex unit.  More stuff to break and more chances of a cold stove.....


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## alternativeheat (Nov 25, 2014)

SidecarFlip said:


> I ain't got no ESP probe...lol  In fact, I have no probes, only a vacuum port in the firebox on the lower left side,  No ignitor either,  My 'ignition' is jelled firestarter'  I prefer simple, less things to fail and/or break.  One reason I have no desire to get another, more complex unit.  More stuff to break and more chances of a cold stove.....


Yeah I get it.
Off topic :
I'm looking to heat my basement part time ( work shop down there and it's pretty chilly since losing my kerosene heater). Now that they banned kerosene heaters in this state and it seems far and few between dealers who sell the fuel and at a stupid price when they do, I need to look at other ways to heat it. One way is an inexpensive stove, the other is an even more inexpensiveness vent less propane unit. I don't need lots and lots of BTU's but would like to not see my breath in mid Jan down there. Now if they made a direct vent coal stove that wasn't outrageously priced I'd consider that. At one point in time I had what could only be classified as a homemade coal furnace down there but wouldn't dare do that in this day and age plus the venting would be crazy high in both cost and height. that thing easily brought the basement up to 90 deg. which I don't need either ! Yeah we've lived here a long time.


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## SidecarFlip (Nov 25, 2014)

Being 'down east' I see is real progressive...  Banning kerosene heaters sounds real, shall we say, politicially correct.  I'm not real fond of propane ventless space heaters though, probably because I can't stand the smell of the propane odorant (methyl percapitan I think it's called)., the main reason I don't have a propane grill but I consider it in poor taste to grill good meat on a perfumed fuel anyway, I'm a charcoal and wet flavored wood person myself.

Maybe a 6039 HF or the Chinese Ashley would work for ya.  I wonder if they use what they make in China????


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## alternativeheat (Nov 25, 2014)

SidecarFlip said:


> Being 'down east' I see is real progressive...  Banning kerosene heaters sounds real, shall we say, politicially correct.  I'm not real fond of propane ventless space heaters though, probably because I can't stand the smell of the propane odorant (methyl percapitan I think it's called)., the main reason I don't have a propane grill but I consider it in poor taste to grill good meat on a perfumed fuel anyway, I'm a charcoal and wet flavored wood person myself.
> 
> Maybe a 6039 HF or the Chinese Ashley would work for ya.  I wonder if they use what they make in China????


The added benefit of a pellet stove in the basement is that the fuel is already on hand and it puts out enough BTU to probably help heat the end of the house downstairs above the stove that is currently the coolest part of the whole house. I could crack open the door to the basement and get a bit more heat than just the floors warming as well, since that is also on that end of the house. And yeah, that odor of propane can give me a headache actually.

I have considered  Summers, the Ashley, Englander, TimberLand , Timber Ridge and now this 6039 ( or Other USSC that makes sense as well for that matter). I was not aware that the Ashley was made in China till the other day, that taints that choice for me.. I'd prefer American Made or as much as possible anyway. Timberland I believe is a spin off of Enviro and is a bit more money than I wanted to go ( $1799- $2000), though well made. The Englander I looked at has no ash pan, seems kind of stupid since stoves make ash ! I don't mind even a small ash pan but it makes sense to have one to me. I'd love another Harman but I'm retired now, not in my budget  for a part time stove anyway ( although one dealer had a used old P61 for $1500 last year, I should have scoffed that up)..

A propane heater I can get for $300 but currently everyone seems out of them, Maybe that is just as well.


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## Bob E (Nov 25, 2014)

WTF, they really banned kerosene heaters in MA? 
I had a vent less inferred propane wall heater once. It did pretty good. kept the small place I was living in at the time warm. It didn't need hardly any attention, very low maintenance. If you can smell the propane you have a gas leak that needs to be fixed. Operating cost would most likely be a little more than a stove, depending on your prices, but it was cheaper than running the old inefficient propane furnace that house had in it.



SidecarFlip said:


> For the longest time, I had no idea what an 'OAK' was, thought people were referring to hardwood pellets, then dense me, I realized it was outside combustion air., which I've always had anyway. When it's real cold outside the flex pipe for the outside air supply frosts up......
> 
> 
> 
> ...



 For a while I couldn't figure what the heck an OAK was either. The K was what threw me off. I've also noticed with the oak installed the stove temps fluctuate with outside temps. Just the other day when we had that thaw out I thought I was burning a better than average bag of propellets, until I realized the outside temp had jumped up by about 20 inside a couple hours. 
I was just talking with ussc customer service through email. Obviously not the same as talking to them on the phone, but they seemed nice and helpful. They gave me a free whistle gasket.


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## alternativeheat (Nov 25, 2014)

Bob E said:


> WTF, they really banned kerosene heaters in MA?
> .



Yep. Wouldn't be so bad cause you can still get them in Ri ( 50 miles each way) but the fuel itself looks sparse and expensive. And if it's a banned heater I don't imagine the insurance company would like that much even though I ran one for years with no issue before the ban. But some of us MA citizens aren't so bright, somebody probably didn't use one right and burned their house down or something. So in this state, the answer ? For a few dumb ones ban it from everyone !


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## SidecarFlip (Nov 25, 2014)

Bob E said:


> WTF, they really banned kerosene heaters in MA?
> I had a vent less inferred propane wall heater once. It did pretty good. kept the small place I was living in at the time warm. It didn't need hardly any attention, very low maintenance. If you can smell the propane you have a gas leak that needs to be fixed. Operating cost would most likely be a little more than a stove, depending on your prices, but it was cheaper than running the old inefficient propane furnace that house had in it.
> 
> 
> ...


 
I must ask what a whistle gasket is.  Sounds like OAK to me....


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## SidecarFlip (Nov 25, 2014)

Not on subject but worth relating for the humor aspect (not the recipient, us...)

One of the guys I hunt with owns the local propane company and years ago, they has to add the 'perfume' to each load as it wasn't added at the bulk plant (propane is odorless btw).  His wife was screwing around on him and her concubine had a new Corvette.  My buddy took a small bottle of propane odorant and dumped it on the seats.  Needless to say, he had to sell the Corvette because no amount of cleaning would rid it of the horrible smell.

Paybacks are a biatch....


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## Bob E (Nov 25, 2014)

SidecarFlip said:


> I must ask what a whistle gasket is. Sounds like OAK to me....


It quiets down the noise of the air blowing through the heat exchanger. My stove was making a noticeable whistle. I found that by loosening the screws that hold the louvers in place it allows them to angle down a little bit and reduces the whistle. But it didn't completely eliminate it. I did some searching and found an old thread that mentioned the whistling was a problem that ussc knew about and if you complained about it they would send some kind of special gasket to stop it. So, I complained and they sent one right out. It's just a rope gasket with an adhesive backing. It goes in the little cavity right under the louvers. I thought it seemed like kind of a joke, but It actually works pretty good. The stove is noticeably quieter.


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## mustangwagz (Nov 25, 2014)

HA! thats odd..Never noticed mine whistling..nor is there any gasket rope stuff jammed in there..  Interesting!


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## SidecarFlip (Nov 25, 2014)

Bob E said:


> It quiets down the noise of the air blowing through the heat exchanger. My stove was making a noticeable whistle. I found that by loosening the screws that hold the louvers in place it allows them to angle down a little bit and reduces the whistle. But it didn't completely eliminate it. I did some searching and found an old thread that mentioned the whistling was a problem that ussc knew about and if you complained about it they would send some kind of special gasket to stop it. So, I complained and they sent one right out. It's just a rope gasket with an adhesive backing. It goes in the little cavity right under the louvers. I thought it seemed like kind of a joke, but It actually works pretty good. The stove is noticeably quieter.


 

Didn't know that but then, mine don't whistle.  Could be I restrict the air flow a bit with having a K&N filter on the blower intake because it's never whistled.  I can get the fire to roar like a blast furnace if I open the slide all the way.......  Don't do that either...lol  Most times, it's closed all the way.  Why use heated room air for combustion when the cold air is available.

I've considered taking the louvers off and opening the round holes up into a rectangular opening but that would take my Hypertherm and it's out in the shop so that nixed that idea.

I see you are in south Michigan, so am I but you must not be too close because I can't smell your pellet burner....


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## mustangwagz (Nov 25, 2014)

Think we could open the holes to a large rectangle and not compromise anything? Ill fire up my jig saw and let that baby rip when no ones home! haha


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## Bob E (Nov 25, 2014)

They told me it whistles because of the way the air blows through the louvers. But when I was first messing with the louvers I took them off altogether and it whistled louder. I'm pretty sure it has to do with the way the air blows over that lip that sticks up along the bottom of the rectangular hole the louvers set in. When I had the louvers loosened they sat down on top of it blocking the air from flowing over it, and the gasket pretty much fills the cavity making it flat across the bottom so there isn't much lip left sticking up. It could be a manufacturing defect. Maybe the rectangular hole wasn't cut in exactly the right spot or maybe the panels weren't lined up perfectly when they were welded together...
Opening up the round holes behind the louvers might mess up the way the air from the room fan flows around the outside of the fire box, but I'm just guessing, don't know for sure.
I've been trying my best to make the neighborhood smell like pellet smoke, but even when I close the damper all the way the dang stove still burns too clean for anybody to notice.
My neighbor might disagree


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## SidecarFlip (Nov 26, 2014)

Interesting thoughts.  I believe my Hypertherm with Fine Cut consumables in the torch would do a nicer job, problem is, I don't want to screw anything up, it heats just fine the way it is....I could not ask for more really and you can only get so much output from so much input anyway, this isn't a rocket engine though I can make mine sound rocket like if I pull the damper plate out all the way, but again, that defeats the purpose because all the heat is going out the venting and I don't need to heat the roof.....

I try to set mine where the flame is just at the point where it's a bit lazy and then crack the damper maybe 1/8" more, leaving everything on automatic and my PPH at 2.75/HR9.

At that point it's doing everything it can do, the stray ash on the glass is snow white and by the end of season, I have all the paint above the door burnt off.  A couple years back, I had to take it out to the shop and weld in a length of 1/2x1/2 angle about 6" long, right above the top of the arch on the door opening, I was actually warping the top of the door frame from the heat.  Was an interesting weld, in as much as space is at a premium in the firebox.  I had to use a mirror to weld the angle in.

Don't think it will do much more.  I also have a big breezebox fan perched on top of the hopper to distribute the heat a bit more.

I never get any smoke out of my venting, maybe a tad on startup and shutdown but thats it.  Just smells like someone is burning wood outside but no telltale smoke.


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## Bob E (Nov 26, 2014)

Dang, I'm going to have to keep an eye on the arch in my door opening. I have noticed ash build up and a little paint discoloration there. 
2.75 PPH on HR9 seems a little slow. I've been leaving mine on the factory setting for my control board, 6.00 PPH for HR9. 
The factory fan setting doesn't very much more than about 20 CFM from low to high even though it has a large range of capability. I played around with that a little bit, but the draft fan is pretty much either on or off when running it in auto, and doesn't seem to need a whole lot of variable range. I could see how adjusting the fan settings would be necessary if you didn't have the damper or if your trying to run in manual mode. With the factory fan settings and my OAK set up I only need to pull out the damper 1/4" to 1/2" for that slightly lazy flame that gives the best heat. Before the OAK it was closer to the inch that most people talk about in other threads on the forum. I thought about slowing down the fan a little so I could pull the damper out more and give myself a little bit more range of adjustment. But, nah I like it the way it is. I still have enough range to fine tune the flame and with the damper just about closed most of the combustion air is coming from outside.


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## Bioburner (Nov 26, 2014)

alternativeheat said:


> The added benefit of a pellet stove in the basement is that the fuel is already on hand and it puts out enough BTU to probably help heat the end of the house downstairs above the stove that is currently the coolest part of the whole house. I could crack open the door to the basement and get a bit more heat than just the floors warming as well, since that is also on that end of the house. And yeah, that odor of propane can give me a headache actually.
> 
> I have considered  Summers, the Ashley, Englander, TimberLand , Timber Ridge and now this 6039 ( or Other USSC that makes sense as well for that matter). I was not aware that the Ashley was made in China till the other day, that taints that choice for me.. I'd prefer American Made or as much as possible anyway. Timberland I believe is a spin off of Enviro and is a bit more money than I wanted to go ( $1799- $2000), though well made. The Englander I looked at has no ash pan, seems kind of stupid since stoves make ash ! I don't mind even a small ash pan but it makes sense to have one to me. I'd love another Harman but I'm retired now, not in my budget  for a part time stove anyway ( although one dealer had a used old P61 for $1500 last year, I should have scoffed that up)..
> 
> A propane heater I can get for $300 but currently everyone seems out of them, Maybe that is just as well.


Have you tried Northern tool or handyman whatever they call themselves today? Propain heaters of all sizes and shapes here in MN. Their pulling out fish houses on to the lakes as already had 7 inches of ice a week ago.CL in my area must have twenty LP heaters in just general section let alone sporting.


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## SidecarFlip (Nov 26, 2014)

Bob E said:


> Dang, I'm going to have to keep an eye on the arch in my door opening. I have noticed ash build up and a little paint discoloration there.
> 2.75 PPH on HR9 seems a little slow. I've been leaving mine on the factory setting for my control board, 6.00 PPH for HR9.
> The factory fan setting doesn't very much more than about 20 CFM from low to high even though it has a large range of capability. I played around with that a little bit, but the draft fan is pretty much either on or off when running it in auto, and doesn't seem to need a whole lot of variable range. I could see how adjusting the fan settings would be necessary if you didn't have the damper or if your trying to run in manual mode. With the factory fan settings and my OAK set up I only need to pull out the damper 1/4" to 1/2" for that slightly lazy flame that gives the best heat. Before the OAK it was closer to the inch that most people talk about in other threads on the forum. I thought about slowing down the fan a little so I could pull the damper out more and give myself a little bit more range of adjustment. But, nah I like it the way it is. I still have enough range to fine tune the flame and with the damper just about closed most of the combustion air is coming from outside.


 
Ooops, I meant 2.75 on forced idle and 6.5 on HR9.  I leave the fan run on the alogrithm as well and control the draft with the shutter and the restricted outside air (have a gate valve on the intake side on the back of the stove). as the stirrer and run the room fan balls to the wall.  You can tell if it's warping by sighting down from the top looking toward the bottom with the door open.  Just look at the top of the door arch, it will warp inward.  I had to do a bit of blue point tool work prior to welding in the stiffener. 1/2" black angle works fine, about 6" long.  Prep is a PITA.  Had to use a die grinder to clean the inner wall and welding clamps and a mirror to weld it in.  Used pulse MIG, spray arc transfer with EROS 6, 030 wire, plain and 75-25 shielding gas.at 125 amps  You have to watch the heat or you'll blow through the metal front.


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## alternativeheat (Nov 26, 2014)

Bioburner said:


> Have you tried Northern tool or handyman whatever they call themselves today? Propain heaters of all sizes and shapes here in MN. Their pulling out fish houses on to the lakes as already had 7 inches of ice a week ago.CL in my area must have twenty LP heaters in just general section let alone sporting.


I did look there the other day but didn't see the 99% odorless versions. I'm looking for the wall hanging type with blue flame if I go that way at all. Around 19,000-23,000 btu or what ever will heat up to 1000 sq ft. but still use smaller tank sizes of 20-30 gal. My main shop area is 750-900 sq ft. depending how I utilize space. If I heat it to 60 deg I'd be happy though.

It bothers me a little that these are open flame and I sometimes get saw dust filled air down there.  Mostly from my old timer stationary belt sander that won't die ! I'll have to think on that one. I just know Jan is coming and it gets cold down there by then. Right now it's fine.


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## alternativeheat (Nov 26, 2014)

How much % of heat on that 6039 is radiant vs convection more or less ?


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## Bob E (Nov 26, 2014)

SidecarFlip: That sounds more like it. For a second there I thought if you're heating your place with 2.75 pph as your high setting I must really have my stove out of whack 
Are you running a thermostat and jumping between 2.75 on idle and 6.50 on hr9? I've been thinking about hooking a thermostat up to my stove. I see on ussc's faq web page they say any milivolt thermostat should work. My stove hasn't warped but I'll remember to check for that if it starts acting like it needs a new door gasket.

alternativeheat: I would say a pretty low percentage of the heat is radiant. The door and front of the stove get hot. The top above the firebox and the vent pipe get warm. The rest of the stove stays cool to the touch.


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## alternativeheat (Nov 26, 2014)

Bob E said:


> SidecarFlip:
> 
> alternativeheat: I would say a pretty low percentage of the heat is radiant. The door and front of the stove get hot. The top above the firebox and the vent pipe get warm. The rest of the stove stays cool to the touch.



Perfect !


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## mustangwagz (Nov 26, 2014)

mines starting to warp..ill drag it to garage in the summer and fix it..or replace it for a different one. either or. lol


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## alternativeheat (Nov 26, 2014)

mustangwagz said:


> mines starting to warp..ill drag it to garage in the summer and fix it..or replace it for a different one. either or. lol


Oops !!


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## SidecarFlip (Nov 27, 2014)

Bob E said:


> SidecarFlip: That sounds more like it. For a second there I thought if you're heating your place with 2.75 pph as your high setting I must really have my stove out of whack
> Are you running a thermostat and jumping between 2.75 on idle and 6.50 on hr9? I've been thinking about hooking a thermostat up to my stove. I see on ussc's faq web page they say any milivolt thermostat should work. My stove hasn't warped but I'll remember to check for that if it starts acting like it needs a new door gasket.
> 
> alternativeheat: I would say a pretty low percentage of the heat is radiant. The door and front of the stove get hot. The top above the firebox and the vent pipe get warm. The rest of the stove stays cool to the touch.


 
I run a cheap digital Honneywell with 2 AA batteries, it's about 30 feet from the stove in another room.  You pull the jumper on the board and put spade terminals on the T'stat wire and put the wires in place of the jumper.  It then runs on the T'stat with a forced idle fire on HR2 and a high as high as you set the HR range.  Run everything on auto and everything adjusts to the pre-programed alogrithm on the baord.  Simple as that.  If you jump the PPH firing rate above the default program setting, the alogrithm adjusts the firing rate across all ranges.  Why I like the unit so much,  It's so adjustable....

My side sheets get warm and the corner radius metal gets hot too...If it's running hard....  I ran it so hard last year (remember how cold it was) that I boiled the grease out of the agitator drive and had to repack it.

What I did was, I pulled the drive and pulled the back cover (carefully so as not to loose the spacers and fudge up the gears inside and I drilled a small hole in the very top of the back cover.  at the bottom, on the right side (side closest to the front of the stove), I drilled and tapped a hole and installed a right angle alemite (zerk) fitting.  I replaced the back cover but before I did, I cleaned it and put a bead of silicone on the edge.  Then I closed it back up, let is set for a couple hours (to let the silicone cure) and filled the gearbox with good synthetic grease with my greasegin (same stuff I use on my farm equipment). so this year, I just put the grease gun to it and pumped in grease until it came out the hole on top.  Problem solves, everything is running in grease.


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## Bob E (Nov 27, 2014)

That must be what happened to my agitator motor. It was really loud, almost grinding the first couple of times I fired the stove up. I pulled it apart and and packed it with some high temp grease. It was so quite I had to get right up next to it in order to hear it run. That only lasted about a week before it started getting a little louder. Still not bad, but I've been running the agitator down on 1 or 2 hoping to prolong the motor's life span. USSC has the replacement listed for about $180


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## SidecarFlip (Nov 27, 2014)

Goggle up USSC Stove parts.  There is an outfit. I think called NorthEast Stove that has them for 60 bucks.  Conversely Grainger has them too.  It's a 1rpm Counter Clockwise (CCW)rotation 110 volt shaded pole gearmotor.  Get the largest outboard bearing carrier you can.  The agitator motor takes all the abuse, combustion fan is second.


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## mustangwagz (Dec 29, 2014)

Did the "Leaf Blower Trick" to mine last weekend...HOly cow, what a performance difference! I always went through my stove with a bunch of different shop vac adapters and stuff, rods for poking, hoses for stuffin through small areas...yah...that worked great...but now that i did the LBT for the first time, holy crap...MAJOR output difference!  and its so freaking easy too! WOrks GREAT!!  if any of yinz haver never done it, i suggest doing it!  OPen door on pellet stove and leave it open during the process though to avoid vacuum switch issues. (not speaking from experience, just common sense)   Totally amazed still!


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## Owen1508 (Dec 30, 2014)

alternativeheat said:


> I was not aware that the Ashley was made in China till the other day, that taints that choice for me.. I'd prefer American Made or as much as possible anyway. .


They aren't  the 6039/6041 and the Ashley 1406 line are made in Alabama in an union shop.  The 5660 is Made overseas (China)


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## SidecarFlip (Dec 31, 2014)

Owen1508 said:


> They aren't  the 6039/6041 and the Ashley 1406 line are made in Alabama in an union shop.  The 5660 is Made overseas (China)


 
Good clarification Owen..  Have a great New Year....


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