Hi folks - I wonder if the braintrust here can help me out. I have a St. Croix Prescott EXL stove that has been running great all year long on about the #3 setting.
Lately, it's been colder and I've had it on the #4 setting. I'm seeing so much more black smoke / soot on the window and the sides of the firebox. The flame is a lazy orange and it just doesn't look like it's getting enough combustion air. I've opened the combustion air inlet as wide as it can go. I left the stove on the #4 setting and cleaned and scraped the firebox at about 11pm. By 7am, the burn was so poor that pellets had backed up the feed ramp and it was and awful mess.
I cleaned it out again, making sure it was all set before re-firing the stove. Now I'm seeing the same black sooty / poor burning conditions on the #3 setting. I left the stove on this morning around 10 and I've just returned home about 5 and it's once again, backed up the feed ramp with pellets and black and sooty.
The only thing I can think of is that I've just reached the bottom of the pallet of pellets that I've stored in the basement. Is it possible that they are more humid than the bags on the top?
Help!
Lately, it's been colder and I've had it on the #4 setting. I'm seeing so much more black smoke / soot on the window and the sides of the firebox. The flame is a lazy orange and it just doesn't look like it's getting enough combustion air. I've opened the combustion air inlet as wide as it can go. I left the stove on the #4 setting and cleaned and scraped the firebox at about 11pm. By 7am, the burn was so poor that pellets had backed up the feed ramp and it was and awful mess.
I cleaned it out again, making sure it was all set before re-firing the stove. Now I'm seeing the same black sooty / poor burning conditions on the #3 setting. I left the stove on this morning around 10 and I've just returned home about 5 and it's once again, backed up the feed ramp with pellets and black and sooty.
The only thing I can think of is that I've just reached the bottom of the pallet of pellets that I've stored in the basement. Is it possible that they are more humid than the bags on the top?
Help!