this is also a common problem with Maxim pellet boilers by CB, you end up burning half of the 11 bags of pellets due to funneling. the best ideas I have seen have involved a vibrator that runs when ever the augers are.
Harman Hopper Design...Pellets not falling in from sides
- Thread starter lessoil
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Info from the Pellet Fuels Institute
Pellet Industry Specifics
PFI-graded fuel must meet tests for:
• Density: consistent hardness and energy content (minimum 40 pounds/cubic foot)
• Dimensions: length (1 ½” maximum) and diameter (1/4” x 5/16”) to assure predictable fuel amounts and to prevent jamming
• Fines: limited amount of sawdust from pellet breakdown to avoid dust while loading and problems with pellet flow during operation (amount of fines passing through 1/8” screen no more than .5 percent by weight)
• Chlorides: limited salt content (no more than 300 parts per million) to avoid stove and vent rusting
• Ash content: important factor in maintenance frequency
(broken link removed to http://www.pelletheat.org/3/industry/index.html)
Pellet Industry Specifics
PFI-graded fuel must meet tests for:
• Density: consistent hardness and energy content (minimum 40 pounds/cubic foot)
• Dimensions: length (1 ½” maximum) and diameter (1/4” x 5/16”) to assure predictable fuel amounts and to prevent jamming
• Fines: limited amount of sawdust from pellet breakdown to avoid dust while loading and problems with pellet flow during operation (amount of fines passing through 1/8” screen no more than .5 percent by weight)
• Chlorides: limited salt content (no more than 300 parts per million) to avoid stove and vent rusting
• Ash content: important factor in maintenance frequency
(broken link removed to http://www.pelletheat.org/3/industry/index.html)
There's been quite a bit of discussion about this here. The suggestion that I followed was to vacuum out the dust and then rub down the hopper with Pledge furniture polish. It worked great.
I have been running a Harman Advance for 8 years - have burned excellent, good, bad, lousy - softwood and hardwood pellets - NEVER had a pellet stick, bridge, tunnel, "rat hole" or jam.
Burning Rocky Mountain softwood now - best I have ever found.
Must be something in the air if you have this problem.
Have you checked for Radon, Coriolis, or Schumann Resonance?
Burning Rocky Mountain softwood now - best I have ever found.
Must be something in the air if you have this problem.
Have you checked for Radon, Coriolis, or Schumann Resonance?
Here is a possible solution that wont kill the budgit and wont take much time.
Clean the hopper out completely. Vacuum all dust out too.
Take some 800 or 1000 grit emery paper and go over all the inner surface of the hopper to remove any and all roughness.
Revacuum the hopper to remove any left over dust.
Now, Using a standard auto finish PASTE WAX give the inside of the hopper a good pollish with the wax, two coats and then shine off all the haze.
This will make the hopper walls much slicker and very well may stop the issue.
I use nut shells in my stoves and have had these issues. The shells are run through a trash fan after they are cracked and the stuff is far different from pellets with the pieces as small as 1/8th inch kernels.
I do the pollish thing once a season to eliminate the "Funneling"
Many stoves are designed for esthetics rather than function and the hoppers can have shallow slopes that tend to agravate the issue.
Keep us Posted
Snowy
Clean the hopper out completely. Vacuum all dust out too.
Take some 800 or 1000 grit emery paper and go over all the inner surface of the hopper to remove any and all roughness.
Revacuum the hopper to remove any left over dust.
Now, Using a standard auto finish PASTE WAX give the inside of the hopper a good pollish with the wax, two coats and then shine off all the haze.
This will make the hopper walls much slicker and very well may stop the issue.
I use nut shells in my stoves and have had these issues. The shells are run through a trash fan after they are cracked and the stuff is far different from pellets with the pieces as small as 1/8th inch kernels.
I do the pollish thing once a season to eliminate the "Funneling"
Many stoves are designed for esthetics rather than function and the hoppers can have shallow slopes that tend to agravate the issue.
Keep us Posted
Snowy
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