# Who reccommends the leaf blower treatment?



## dhungy (Jan 12, 2011)

After a very bad experience pulling apart my Astoria last year to clean I wonder who suggests using the leaf blower. I will still take apart the stove and clean the motors but I don't want to separate the stove from the exhaust. After my leaky exhaust experience with my England.


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## shisits (Jan 12, 2011)

I use the leaf blower every week to clean my Quad. Cuts down the dust in the house tremendously. I have done this for the last year and a half and have yet to see any negative results. In fact when I took it apart for spring cleaning the only thing needing cleaning was the convection blower. No ash or buildup above baffle plates or in exhaust blower. It takes me less than 10 min to clean my stove each week.


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## dhungy (Jan 12, 2011)

Does one leaf blower work better than another?


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## RTP82 (Jan 12, 2011)

I use my leaf blower and it works nicely.   I run a brush in first from the outside to loosen up the ash and then attach the vacuum end of the blower and it sucks it clean.   I hook a long 2 inch pvc pipe on the end to get the ash blowing away from my house and my face.  Pay attention of the wind.  It does make a mess of your blower.   When I am finished I use and air compressor to clean off the blower.


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## SmokeyTheBear (Jan 12, 2011)

dhungy said:
			
		

> Does one leaf blower work better than another?



Yes, one that acts as a leaf vacuum.


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## dhungy (Jan 12, 2011)

Is it worth buying a new one?


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## exoilburner (Jan 12, 2011)

When you are shopping, get one with the highest CFM (cubic feet of air per minute) rating.  And one that will vacuum. 

Mine is a Toro, 390cfm, 12amp. 

After brushing I used to vacuum out all the fly-ash laying in the bottom of the vent pipe using some PVC extensions I made for the shop vac.  Only trouble with that is I was worried about one of the vac attachments slipping off and getting stuck in the vent pipe.  Changed to cleaning the vent pipe with the leaf blower (switched to vacuum) to eliminate that risk and found it did a better job of cleaning too.  My pellet vent pipe is about 15 feet long with two 45 degree bends in it.


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## dhungy (Jan 12, 2011)

What do you think of this?

http://www.lowes.com/pd_79600-70-BV2500_4294801382_4294937087_?productId=3044008&Ns=p_product_price|0&pl=1&currentURL;=/pl_Blowers_4294801382_4294937087_?Ns=p_product_price|0&state=R#prod-tabs


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## exoilburner (Jan 12, 2011)

dhungy said:
			
		

> What do you think of this?
> 
> http://www.lowes.com/pd_79600-70-BV2500_4294801382_4294937087_?productId=3044008&Ns=p_product_price|0&pl=1&currentURL;=/pl_Blowers_4294801382_4294937087_?Ns=p_product_price|0&state=R#prod-tabs



Looks like a good one.  320cfm & 12amp motor.


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## ChrisWNY (Jan 12, 2011)

Check out the Leaf Blowers at Home Depot - they have a HomeLite model (it acts as a leaf blower as well as a leaf vacuum) there that goes for $39, 2-speed 12-Amp so plenty of power. You can also easily fit a 5" to 4" PVC sewer pipe adapter on it to make it easier to attach to your 4" PL vent. The 5" portion of the pipe fits perfectly into the suction port of the electric HomeLite Leaf Blower.

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053


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## save$ (Jan 12, 2011)

just a hint,  clean out you stove inside before you do the leaf blower vac cleaning.   Plug the auger shoot feeding the burn pot.  if you don't, you might get pellets being sucked right out of the auger feed.  Then don't forget to remove the plug before you turn your stove back on.   You also might want to make sure you either was a dust mask or turn on the power after you are way out of the way of the exhaust.  That ash is nothing you'll  want to be breathing in.  Takes longer to get things out and put back than it does to do the cleaning.


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## ChrisWNY (Jan 12, 2011)

Safest thing to do is remove all pellets from the hopper, or run a "last burn" where you let your stove just run out of pellets for the season. Clean out the stove thoroughly with a brush and vacuum, and run a brush through the PL vent to loosen up any ash or soot stuck to the pipe liner. The advantage of the leaf blower, from what I've read, is that it effectively empties ash/soot out of the PL vent without the homeowner having to worry about getting any ash and dust inside the house from brushing (assuming the homeowner is diligent about where they aim the leaf blower outlet), plus the power of a leaf blower alone will easily draw out some of the finer ash/soot that manual brushing may not touch, as well as pulling debris out of the outer PL vent.


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## pauly2110 (Jan 12, 2011)

hey guys just wondering if there is a thread that explains how to leaf blow your stove step by step, because i plan on doing this at this burning seasons end but not really sure what I am blowing etc., thanks


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## jamesdjs (Jan 13, 2011)

dhungy said:
			
		

> After a very bad experience pulling apart my Astoria last year to clean I wonder who suggests using the leaf blower. I will still take apart the stove and clean the motors but I don't want to separate the stove from the exhaust. After my leaky exhaust experience with my England.


I do the leaf blower once a month and it make such a huge difference with the flame.
I'm burning Ligs and there is a LOT of ash


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## lbcynya (Jan 13, 2011)

Seems like this could be hard on the combustion blower...  Could this high velocity suction cause the combustion fan to spin at speeds far higher than it's rated for (balance) which could bend a shaft, score a bushing or tweak a bearing...?  Worse yet, some might tolerate it, some may not.  Only time will tell since problems with stressed components could take days, weeks or years to surface.  No leaf blower for me unless it's endorsed by the manufacturer.


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## imacman (Jan 13, 2011)

pauly2110 said:
			
		

> hey guys just wondering if there is a thread that explains how to leaf blow your stove step by step, because i plan on doing this at this burning seasons end but not really sure what I am blowing etc., thanks



www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/29847/


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## tchdngrnby (Jan 13, 2011)

I hook up my leaf blower after removing my vent cap and leave it on the entire time I am cleaning the stove.  Keeping the stove under a vacuum the entire time ensures any fines are carried away and ensures that I keep the ash/dust out of the house.  I also use my compressor and air gun to clean in those tight spots such as the heat exhanger tubes and those hidden areas I cannot reach with a brush or vacuum.  A clean breathing stove is a happy (and might I add: SAFER) stove

Go Pack Go!


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## checkthisout (Jan 13, 2011)

lbcynya said:
			
		

> Seems like this could be hard on the combustion blower...  Could this high velocity suction cause the combustion fan to spin at speeds far higher than it's rated for (balance) which could bend a shaft, score a bushing or tweak a bearing...?  Worse yet, some might tolerate it, some may not.  Only time will tell since problems with stressed components could take days, weeks or years to surface.  No leaf blower for me unless it's endorsed by the manufacturer.



I was wondering the same thing.


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## Ro3bert (Jan 13, 2011)

Checkthisout said:
			
		

> lbcynya said:
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For ten years I've been using a Shop Vac, 4 HP, 20 gal without a problem with the combustion blower. Just stick the hose as far down the exhaust pipe as I can get it (to the first 90 degree elbow). I've had it in the pipe as long as 15 minutes. Don't know if the combustion motor even turns.


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## exoilburner (Jan 13, 2011)

Another thing to watch out for is the damaging the low pressure switch with too much vacuum pressure.  I make sure I have the door wide open before starting the leaf blower.


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## SmokeyTheBear (Jan 13, 2011)

Checkthisout said:
			
		

> lbcynya said:
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Perhaps you should find a way to tell if the vacuum even causes the blades to turn at all.   

Just because the blades spin to create an airflow it isn't required that they spin because there is an airflow.


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## Czech (Jan 13, 2011)

They spin on the Castile for sure, sounds like a jet engine. I kinda like it. Now one may have seen my other posts about comb blower replacements, note that this is the first year I've done the leaf blower. I also use the shop vac from inside out, made a fake brick with a hole in it to attach to the blower option of the shop vac. That works ok too. I would think the fan free wheeling for a limited bit really wouldn't cause damage, but I have nothing to base that on other than intuition?


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## SmokeyTheBear (Jan 13, 2011)

Czech said:
			
		

> They spin on the Castile for sure, sounds like a jet engine. I kinda like it. Now one may have seen my other posts about comb blower replacements, note that this is the first year I've done the leaf blower. I also use the shop vac from inside out, made a fake brick with a hole in it to attach to the blower option of the shop vac. That works ok too. I would think the fan free wheeling for a limited bit really wouldn't cause damage, but I have nothing to base that on other than intuition?



Funny there Czech a Castile frequently sounds like a jet engine if my brother's one is any indication.


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