# Pellets sticking to Englander hopper solved!



## SKOAL MAN (Dec 4, 2014)

I was getting tired of putting 60 lbs of pellets in my stove and coming home from work late only to find the stove out! I would lift the lid only to find 30 lbs stuck to the sides. I  tried every thing I could think of, sanding smooth, cooking spray, Teflon, car wax, and finally found the answer, and here is the proof! One side is sanded down to bare metal and the other is lined with foil tape, the good stuff not the cheap crap.


----------



## Jigger (Dec 4, 2014)

Thanks for the tip. I have an Englander 25PDVC that also sticks. I have not run out due to the pellets sticking yet. But close to it. When I let the stove burn out this weekend I'll give it a try. I have Lowes and HD within a mile of home.


----------



## SidecarFlip (Dec 5, 2014)

Get foil tape for Tuff-R insulation sheets.  Menards has it and so does Blowes


----------



## SKOAL MAN (Dec 11, 2014)

Both sides with foil tape, nothing sticks now!


----------



## bill3rail (Dec 11, 2014)

Fantastic idea!  I may try this.
What brand of tape did you use?  

Bill


----------



## SKOAL MAN (Dec 11, 2014)

bill3rail said:


> Fantastic idea!  I may try this.
> What brand of tape did you use?
> 
> Bill


Not sure I get it from a friend of mine that uses it to insulate steam lines. It's a lot thicker than the stuff at HD.


----------



## jintoreedwine (Dec 12, 2014)

I've been interested in trying this out, but I worry that the tape might loose adhesion and leave a sticky mess. Most aluminum tape I find is good to 200 degrees F. I know my hopper lid can get pretty hot to touch when I'm burning full-blast. It makes me wonder how hot the walls of the hopper are getting and if over time the tape wouldn't fail. Perhaps someone with more knowledge would have a better idea if this would actually be an issue or not... .


----------



## Bioburner (Dec 12, 2014)

What you didn't try my favorite, graphite paint? Got  stove with a filthy bin and will do it today.


----------



## bags (Dec 12, 2014)

A picture is worth a thousand words! If the tape ever fails or comes off you can clean the adhesion off with Goof Off or the likes. Sounds like the graphite paint is a one and done deal. Foil tape isn't going anywhere any time soon though either.


----------



## kofkorn (Dec 12, 2014)

The aluminum tape on my stove has been there for 6 years.  The writing has all worn off, but there isn't a single area where the adhesive has lifted.   Each time my stove empties out, I may have one or two pellet hung in the corners, other than the small pile over the adjusting flap.   

The nice thing about that little pile; when I realize that the stove is out of pellets, there are just enough in that pile to grab a handful and toss them on top of the remaining coals.  Then I brush the rest of the pile into the auger.  It usually relights the fire and gives me about 5 minutes to run downstairs and grab a new bag.  

Kind of like the reserve switch on my motorcycle tank!


----------



## Tonyray (Dec 12, 2014)

Came down this morning and had a bout dozen pellets sitting on the drop lid.
no pellets stuck on the walls...
I sometimes wipe the walls with damp rag when hopper is low maybe 3x a year.


----------



## tiger (Dec 12, 2014)

Tonyray said:


> I sometimes wipe the walls with damp rag when hopper is low maybe 3x a year.



Not having this problem (yet) but a *great idea*. I'll use a dry microfiber cloth just to be certain of not introducing moisture to that environment.


----------



## acammer (Dec 12, 2014)

I did that to my PAH, but I still have the problem - it's the cursed Heatr's pellets.  Not an isolated problem with those as I understand it.  I'm going to try a few other brands and see if I get any different results - I'm hoping to see the same results once I get onto a decent pellet.


----------



## tiger (Dec 12, 2014)

Wouldn't it be neat if stove manufacturers put a Silverstone coating on the hopper, such as seen on frying pans.


----------



## velvetfoot (Dec 12, 2014)

What's the slope of those hopper walls?  More than 45*?


----------



## acammer (Dec 12, 2014)

velvetfoot said:


> What's the slope of those hopper walls?  More than 45*?



Maybe closer to 30*


----------



## bags (Dec 12, 2014)

tiger said:


> Wouldn't it be neat if stove manufacturers put a Silverstone coating on the hopper, such as seen on frying pans.


Neat costs money as we all know. It would be neat if I had a rich uncle I didn't know about that left me a fortune............... Until then foil tape or graphite paint it is.


----------



## kofkorn (Dec 12, 2014)

Here's what it looks like after 6 years, average 4 tons a year. I opened it carefully to ensure that any pellets that had hung up didn't slide down, but there was actually nothing stuck to the sides on this bag.:
	

		
			
		

		
	





You can see here that I've already brushed the pile into the auger.


----------



## SXIPro (Dec 12, 2014)

kofkorn said:


> Here's what it looks like after 6 years, average 4 tons a year. I opened it carefully to ensure that any pellets that had hung up didn't slide down, but there was actually nothing stuck to the sides on this bag.:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
Wondering what you do for a living? Because you would excel at doing vinyl wraps on cars, jet skis, boats......That is some precision application of that tape!! If I did it, it would  be all crooked, bumpy and full of air bubbles and wrinkles.


----------



## acammer (Dec 12, 2014)

SXIPro said:


> Wondering what you do for a living? Because you would excel at doing vinyl wraps on cars, jet skis, boats......That is some precision application of that tape!! If I did it, it would  be all crooked, bumpy and full of air bubbles and wrinkles.


Yea, mine definitely doesn't look quite that nice.  I avoided any major wrinkles, but I didn't get quite so precise with the ends of the tape on the high side, and getting them all lined up so perfectly.  Nice Job!


----------



## tiger (Dec 12, 2014)

bags said:


> Neat costs money as we all know.



Cost of installed Accentra: $7000
Cost of frying pan with Silverstone: $7

Somehow, I think they could afford it.


----------



## bags (Dec 12, 2014)

tiger said:


> Cost of installed Accentra: $7000
> Cost of frying pan with Silverstone: $7
> 
> Somehow, I think they could afford it.


Ha Hahaha! Yeah, I know. I was commenting on the .65 cent fancy manual that came with mine and how much effort went into that. IMO cheap and an afterthought for the cost of the stove and how much you need to and should refer to them. Some type of cover or binding is what a couple of bucks. I hole punched mine and stuck it into a vinyl cover from Office Depot for $1.29 just s it would last longer and not get all ratty.

You also need to figure in the huge pellet stove options mark up so in pellet stove pricing that $7 pan would likely equate to hundreds of dollars. I will use the Harman trim kit for example. Probably $40 worth of time and materials and they want a gazillion bucks. The cost of venting pipe and elbows kills me too. Obscene markups considering what it is and made of. You'd think it was gold plated.


----------



## kofkorn (Dec 12, 2014)

SXIPro said:


> Wondering what you do for a living? Because you would excel at doing vinyl wraps on cars, jet skis, boats......That is some precision application of that tape!! If I did it, it would  be all crooked, bumpy and full of air bubbles and wrinkles.



Actually, It's funny you mention this, because I've repainted a couple of boat motors (motor repair is another hobby) and I've recently redone some vinyls on them that came out pretty well 

My day job is sitting in front of a computer all day, so any hands on work is welcomed when I get a chance.




acammer said:


> Yea, mine definitely doesn't look quite that nice.  I avoided any major wrinkles, but I didn't get quite so precise with the ends of the tape on the high side, and getting them all lined up so perfectly.  Nice Job!




I'll admit that I'm probably borderline OCD when it comes to some things.  Even looking at it now, some of the overlaps aren't straight and it bothers me .

And lining up the top actually was really easy.   I just put the tape in place and the used a razor along the seam to cut the tape evenly.


----------



## bags (Dec 12, 2014)

If you ever find yourself unemployed you could move to KY and open a pin stripping shop. Folks around here and many other places think of foil tape as CHROME! For that matter you could stay put because I've seen hill billy bassackward people in every state I've been in and that is bout all of them. It gives me great pleasure to see a more jacked up hill billy when I go to other places than I've seen here in KY. Never ceases to amaze me. They are abundant everywhere.

Now really impress us and get your stove sum of dem der race'in stripes. Put some bling on that bad boy! LOL!


----------



## hossthehermit (Dec 12, 2014)

bags said:


> If you ever find yourself unemployed you could move to KY and open a pin stripping shop.!



I've been to Kentucky, you could make money in any kinda stripping shop down there ..........


----------



## BrotherBart (Dec 12, 2014)

bags said:


> It gives me great pleasure to see a more jacked up hill billy when I go to other places than I've seen here in KY. Never ceases to amaze me. They are abundant everywhere.



Dan Jenkins agrees. And wrote a hilarious book about them. Bubba Talks.

"The conventional notion of Bubba is a Southern redneck who thinks a rented movie and a six-pack are quality entertainment. According to Dan Jenkins, this historical view has been advanced largely by "effete Easterners and West Coast ponytails who claim to like trout pizza and fat novels written by some kind of Ecuadorian". Granted, says Jenkins, there is more than one Bubba from Georgia who has spray-painted his girl's name on an overpass. But there is also more than one Bubba from Chicago who will do his Christmas shopping at Graceland. Bubba, Jenkins concludes, is a state of mind, and he proceeds to let Bubba define himself by speaking on topics ranging from beer to ballet, from haircuts to the homeless."

http://www.amazon.com/Bubba-Talks-Politics-Foreigners-Teenagers-ebook/dp/B0042JSO9O


----------



## mchasal (Dec 12, 2014)

I wonder how this PTFE tape would do? http://amzn.com/B000REJNB6
$40 a roll isn't exactly cheap though.


----------



## Pete Zahria (Dec 12, 2014)

I have to admit... I made sure there was no slag, or gobs of sealant in the hopper,
and massaged the very bottom so there was no lip.. Sanded the factory paint off,
finished it off with 320 paper all going downhill, not side to side, hit it once in a great
while with some silicone spray..
and my hopper empties.. no problem...
investment... 20 minutes of time.. zero $...

Dan


----------



## chken (Dec 12, 2014)

mchasal said:


> I wonder how this PTFE tape would do? http://amzn.com/B000REJNB6
> $40 a roll isn't exactly cheap though.


Well, teflon coated tape should work well.


----------



## Countryboymo (Dec 12, 2014)

My wife has a device that I thought about taping to my hopper to shake them down the hopper on a trial and if that worked out take it apart and wire in a timed switch so it would come on every few hours for a minute or so and work them down.  I think I might just try the tape first and see how that goes.


----------



## bbfarm (Dec 12, 2014)

Great idea. Im going to try it


----------



## Chrisnow86 (Dec 12, 2014)

I know what I doing on my shutdown cleaning tomorow


----------



## Drew65 (Dec 13, 2014)

Countryboymo said:


> My wife has a device that I thought about taping to my hopper to shake them down the hopper on a trial and if that worked out take it apart and wire in a timed switch so it would come on every few hours for a minute or so and work them down.  I think I might just try the tape first and see how that goes.



You better move the stove to the garage first. Because if you touch that device that's where your going to be living


----------



## OhioBurner© (Dec 13, 2014)

Might just have to try this! [The tape... not the female device! ]

Mine might not be as bad as the op but I probably get almost half a bag stuck on the walls. But I try to load it up with three bags so it'll still last a couple days even if I don't reload it.


----------



## SKOAL MAN (Dec 13, 2014)

Countryboymo said:


> My wife has a device that I thought about taping to my hopper to shake them down the hopper on a trial and if that worked out take it apart and wire in a timed switch so it would come on every few hours for a minute or so and work them down.  I think I might just try the tape first and see how that goes.


Best post ever!  Imagine how tired you'd be if that thing usually turned on every couple hours!!


----------



## bags (Dec 14, 2014)

That and Countryboymo might be walking around looking like a popsicle or lollypop when his wife takes the non-vibrating part left over and rams it up his butt in a fit of anger.
 <<<< little slide show for you mo......... Not worth the risk!!


----------



## lagger (Dec 14, 2014)

kofkorn said:


> The aluminum tape on my stove has been there for 6 years.  The writing has all worn off, but there isn't a single area where the adhesive has lifted.   Each time my stove empties out, I may have one or two pellet hung in the corners, other than the small pile over the adjusting flap.
> 
> The nice thing about that little pile; when I realize that the stove is out of pellets, there are just enough in that pile to grab a handful and toss them on top of the remaining coals.  Then I brush the rest of the pile into the auger.  It usually relights the fire and gives me about 5 minutes to run downstairs and grab a new bag.
> 
> Kind of like the reserve switch on my motorcycle tank!



how old is your bike?? I haven't seen a reserve sitch on a bike in  along time ('course I've been riding a BMW r1200C for many years now and there is no fuel petcock of any kind).. I recall this feature on most of my bikes pre-1979 (been riding sonce '67)


----------



## acammer (Dec 14, 2014)

lagger said:


> how old is your bike?? I haven't seen a reserve sitch on a bike in  along time ('course I've been riding a BMW r1200C for many years now and there is no fuel petcock of any kind).. I recall this feature on most of my bikes pre-1979 (been riding sonce '67)





It's not uncommon at all, my vmax had a reserve, as did my sportster and intruder.


----------



## lagger (Dec 14, 2014)

acammer said:


> It's not uncommon at all, my vmax had a reserve, as did my sportster and intruder.


ok  I guess it's just a German thing then.  Been considering an Indian Scout or a HD Vrod as my next ride .. (if I can get it past my wife, many years of GAS (gear acqusition syndrome) regarding guitars and amps etc has made her wise and wary of my "stories" as to where the new stuff came from)


----------



## acammer (Dec 14, 2014)

lagger said:


> ok  I guess it's just a German thing then.  Been considering an Indian Scout or a HD Vrod as my next ride .. (if I can get it past my wife, many years of GAS (gear acqusition syndrome) regarding guitars and amps etc has made her wise and wary of my "stories" as to where the new stuff came from)



Yea, once my kid is a little older I might look for another cruise missile (ie cruiser-eque bike with big power).  Either a vrod, a m109r, or another vmax.  I too suffer from g.a.s - I'm a sucker for small class a combo amps!


----------



## lagger (Dec 14, 2014)

I have a THD univalve and a Cornford Carrera in the class A single ended category.. the Cornford runs, like the THD with any octal and 12XX7 pre, and has the added feature of a 9 pin el84 side that is switchable.. my wife has no idea why I keep getting NOS tubes in the mail etc all of the time lol... I have a friend that has been building fender harvards and champs to tweed or brownface specs for the cost of parts and shipping.  He put together a supro rig recently also


----------



## SKOAL MAN (Dec 14, 2014)

lagger said:


> I have a THD univalve and a Cornford Carrera in the class A single ended category.. the Cornford runs, like the THD with any octal and 12XX7 pre, and has the added feature of a 9 pin el84 side that is switchable.. my wife has no idea why I keep getting NOS tubes in the mail etc all of the time lol... I have a friend that has been building fender harvards and champs to tweed or brownface specs for the cost of parts and shipping.  He put together a supro rig recently also


Does this help the pellets from sticking?


----------



## lagger (Dec 15, 2014)

SKOAL MAN said:


> Does this help the pellets from sticking?


why yes, yes it does ... one just needs to hook up one of the amps to a full 8x12 stack in front of the stove, plug in a strat, turn the amp to 11 and the vibration from an Am chord sends them right down the hopper


----------



## Birdman86 (Dec 15, 2014)

mchasal said:


> I wonder how this PTFE tape would do? http://amzn.com/B000REJNB6
> $40 a roll isn't exactly cheap though.


I used a similar but narrower one and  it didn't work that well. The tape is so narrow you have too many seams, plus, it is very expensive


----------



## Birdman86 (Dec 15, 2014)

SKOAL MAN said:


> I was getting tired of putting 60 lbs of pellets in my stove and coming home from work late only to find the stove out! I would lift the lid only to find 30 lbs stuck to the sides. I  tried every thing I could think of, sanding smooth, cooking spray, Teflon, car wax, and finally found the answer, and here is the proof! One side is sanded down to bare metal and the other is lined with foil tape, the good stuff not the cheap crap.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I can confirm that this worked wonders on my 25epi. I got a roll of the 3M high temp flue tape stuff off Amazon and lined what I could. Came down this morning and the flame was still going (which had never happened) and there was no more pellet donut in the hopper!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004Z4DS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


----------



## tiger (Dec 16, 2014)

Last night I decided to let my stove run until it shut down for lack of pellets. I looked in the hopper, just a small handful of pellets -- perhaps a couple of tablespoons' worth -- remained clinging to the hopper right down near the "throat". Pretty good I guess, but the stove is rather new... Does this phenomenon stay constant or does it get worse as a stove ages?


----------



## kofkorn (Dec 16, 2014)

In my experience, it seems to happen right away or not at all.  Although pellet brand can make a pretty big difference.


----------



## acammer (Dec 16, 2014)

I swapped a few bags of my Heatr's for a buddies Timber Heat pellets.  After about 10hrs running the Timber Heat pellets don't stick to the hopper nearly as bad as the Heatr's.  While not perfect, its been keeping the auger fed pretty well.  Just carrying the bags of Timber Heat pellets I can tell they arn't as sticky - the bag just conforms and reshapes easily, whereas the Heatr's are very, very stiff, and hold their shape, seeming to defy gravity.


----------



## Polar Bear (Dec 16, 2014)

I need to do this... I've tried everything else to no avail. I lined my welded seams with foil tape... time to do the rest and bling it out.


----------



## bags (Dec 16, 2014)

Polar Bear said:


> I need to do this... I've tried everything else to no avail. I lined my welded seams with foil tape... time to do the rest and bling it out.


Play some ZZ Top and go get yourself some cheap sunglasses!


----------



## Polar Bear (Dec 16, 2014)

bags said:


> Play some ZZ Top and go get yourself some cheap sunglasses!


 

I'll make sure to dress sharp.


----------



## SKOAL MAN (Dec 16, 2014)

Birdman86 said:


> I can confirm that this worked wonders on my 25epi. I got a roll of the 3M high temp flue tape stuff off Amazon and lined what I could. Came down this morning and the flame was still going (which had never happened) and there was no more pellet donut in the hopper!
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004Z4DS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


And my wife said I was crazy!  Glad it works for someone else and those voices in my head aren't real. I hope!


----------



## Chrisnow86 (Dec 16, 2014)

I did it to... Def made a difference too... It was a pain in the ass getting the paper backing off the aluminum tape that's for sure...my wife thinks I'm nuts but because I'm always on the forum lol


----------

