How to burn wood pellets in 2006 Auburn corn burner

[Rxwoman1961]

sadly true, but not just midwestern honesty. That chit happens all the time everywhere. But we will get you up and running with heat. I would use just pellets for now and get the stove burned clean.

Yes, thank you.

 

[SidecarFlip]

You know what ticks me off? I told this guy I needed heat for my house, that I needed something that worked, that I was driving all the way from Nebraska in a borrowed pick up, that I didn't have ANY heat and that my husband had passed away last year before we put a furnace in.
So he sold a widow a heater he KNEW had issues and never said jack chit. So much for Midwest honesty.

Well, I find Nebraskans to be quite honest and accommodating folks. I hunt in Nebraska regularly near Valentine, always with the same outfitter too and I always come home with a nice mount. It's a long drive from Michigan but always worth the trip.

You are getting there. You are turning a sows ear into a silk purse......lol

 

[Rxwoman1961]

sadly true, but not just midwestern honesty. That chit happens all the time everywhere. But we will get you up and running with heat. I would use just pellets for now and get the stove burned clean.

Btw, how do I get the fan blade off? It seems to really be stuck on there! I doused it with WD-40, but it wont budge. Should it slide right off?

 

[Rxwoman1961]

Well, I find Nebraskans to be quite honest and accommodating folks. I hunt in Nebraska regularly near Valentine, always with the same outfitter too and I always come home with a nice mount. It's a long drive from Michigan but always worth the trip.

You are getting there. You are turning a sows ear into a silk purse......lol

Thank you Sidecar. You must have quite the freezer full of venison. Mmmmm...venison.

 

[Ssyko]

Btw, how do I get the fan blade off? It seems to really be stuck on there! I doused it with WD-40, but it wont budge. Should it slide right off?

There is a set screw, loosen that up or take it out and keep it wet with wd40 let it set overnight it may come off easyer tomorrow. If not it's probably gonna involve a hacksaw blade and some patience

 

[SidecarFlip]

I wish I had found you guys before I bought this stove and asked you what to look for and what you recommended.

The problem with ANY stove is, you haven't a clue what it looks like on the inside if it's used and I'm sure Ssyko will agree that a large percentage of stove owners don't take proper care of maintenance items and /or clean them out properly. Pretty much SOP for any used unit.

I agree with Ssyko, run it straight hardwood pellets and run it hard. It needs 'cooked' out. Once it's cooked and cleaned (again) then get into corn but I'd suggest a corn / pellet mix like I run for a couple reasons. One, pellets ignite much easier than corn does so if you run at lower settings, the chance of it going out is remote (and they will go out on straight corn on low feed settings and Two, the pellet mix negates all the residual build up in the exhaust passage and eliminates almost all the hard carbon buildup that corn produces.

I run a 2-1 mix of pellets and corn. A scoop of pellets (I use a plastic feed scoop) to 2 scoops of corn and I mix up 4 30 gallon plastic garbage cans full at a time. I have them on a pallet that I put next to the deck and take them into the house with a 5 gallon bucket. That lasts me about a week and a half of hard burning.

I always start the stove on straight pellets, never corn as well. Corn don't like to ignite but pellets do and mine is a manual light anyway. Handfull of pellets, a shot of gelled firestarter, light it up, close the door, start the stove and in 5 minutes it's cooking away.

 

[SidecarFlip]

A dre

There is a set screw, loosen that up or take it out and keep it wet with wd40 let it set overnight it may come off easyer tomorrow. If not it's probably gonna involve a hacksaw blade and some patience

A Dremel tool and cut off wheel works too. I use PBlaster myself. never seen one that gives up easily. The constant heat and cool cycles lock the screw in the hub tightly.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Thank you Sidecar. You must have quite the freezer full of venison. Mmmmm...venison.

I actually donated the last one to the local church in Valentine, just had the mount done (locally in Valentine by Tall Tails Taxidermy). I shot him the last day of rifle season with about an hour left and by the time I got him checked in and caped out, I was running out of time and didn't want to stay another 2 days for the processor to run it so I donated it. People everywhere have to eat, I'm sure it was appreciated. Hanging weight was 170 which is a nice sized Mule Deer and he's a 10 point with brow tines too.

With the Covid stuff, I didn't hunt at all this year, hopefully next fall, I'll be out there again.

 

[rickwai]

There is a set screw, loosen that up or take it out and keep it wet with wd40 let it set overnight it may come off easyer tomorrow. If not it's probably gonna involve a hacksaw blade and some patience

I wonder if you suspend the fan in a bowl of water so just the blade is in the water it may soften it up and desolve. Or get some creosote spray and soak it and clean it. You will probably destroy the motor shaft removing the blade. A cutoff wheel on a Dremel makes it easy if you are careful.

 

[Ssyko]

Im just making suggestions to keep costs down and special tools she will never use again is all. Best thing to get the blade cleaned off is fire or a solvent like laquer thinner but there again specialty materials that cost $$$. If you go easy and stay just shy of the shaft hacksaw blade works good but its not as fast as a dremel.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Im just making suggestions to keep costs down and special tools she will never use again is all. Best thing to get the blade cleaned off is fire or a solvent like laquer thinner but there again specialty materials that cost $$$. If you go easy and stay just shy of the shaft hacksaw blade works good but its not as fast as a dremel.

Fan hub set screws (especially on combustion fans are always a bugger to get loose) and don't matter if you put never seize on the new one either, they all lock up and removal is tedious but a new motor is expensive so being careful about removing it is the reward for not having to buy the entire assembly.

Ordered the one Ssyko linked in his post and will see if it will fit in my plenum when it arrives, which could be in a month or 2 months depending on delivery time. Our mail delivery here is non-existent. Local (Detroit) mail distribution has mail stacked to the ceiling and I hear there were 30 semi trailers sitting outside, waiting to unload, what a joke. Post Office is a disaster here. The Covid has some interesting side impacts.

 

[Rxwoman1961]

I have ordered the one Ssyko suggested. I left it soaking in WD 40 but havent tried to remove it yet again. I think there's part of a can of carbureter cleaner here somewhere. Isnt that basically laquer thinner? I managed to remove the funky shaped little screw that holds the blade to the shaft. I thought I would have to go to Menards again. Luckily found the perfect sized little bit that fits in a drill set my husband left behind. Glad I didn't donate it! But so far it still wont budge.
What was the dremel for? I actually have one of those here somewhere.

 

[Ssyko]

Once you get the blade off you can use gas or carb cleaner to clean the housing. If you have a dremel you need a few of the cut off wheels and you will have to cut the hub in a spiral like a barber pole. Do you know if the hubby had a propane torch?

 

[SidecarFlip]

To get the creosote build up off, it might work for you to soak the parts (not the motor) in warm water for an hour or two. That will loosen it and let you use a putty knife to remove it. Brake cleaner won't do squat except take the lubricant out of the motor bearings, I'd not use that. Non chlorinated brake cleaner is a great solvent for removing oil and that is about it (other than drying your hands out and giving you the old leather look and being a female, not good. Men like soft hands.....lol, least I do.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Take the dremel with a small cut off wheel and cut a slot in the fan hub, back to front and remove it. When you do that, the set screw is superfluous. What you will do is relieve the pressure on the motor shaft the hub and screw is making and a shot of WD or PBlaster will allow you to slide it off. May take a little persuasion to get it started, as a light tap on the end of the motor shaft while holding the old fan. Once the grip is broken, it will slide right off and when you install the new fan, note the location of the old one in relationship to the sheet metal back flange. You want the new one attached to the motor shaft in the same spot. Put it on, tighten down the setscrew and put it back together (after cleaning the crap out of the plenum of course. If I lived closer or if Ssyko did, we'd give you a hand, but we don't. You are a 2 day drive for me, probably 3 for Ssyko.

Not on subject but one thing I've noticed at least around Valentine and that is, everyone heats with propane there. I assume no NG piped in.

 

[johneh]

part of a can of carbureter cleaner here somewhere. Isnt that basically laquer thinner?

In one Word NO
Lacquer thinner will flash off fast and is very volatile

 

[Rxwoman1961]

Hey! It came off! I did one more squirt of lube, and it popped off. Getting that creosote build up is a different story. It's all smooth like a coat of shellac or something and wire grill brush does nothing. I found the carb cleaner. It won't damage that housing, right?
I'm making a disgusting mess in the house as it's waaaaay too cold outside for this. And yes I found a torch, but the plastic on/off valve is cracked and it doesn't do anything when I turn it. I think it's been sitting for a while.
And thank you for the offer to come and assist me.

 

[Ssyko]

At this point if you have a good portion of that tar cleaned off I would just soak it in a bucket of warm water and some mean green or greased lighting and dawn dish soap till you new fan comes in. Maybe take a file to the shaft to polish up any burs or build up.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Warm water and a dash of dishwash detergent works wonders on creosote, by the time your new fan shows up, most of it (creosote) will come right off (with a little putty knife help). Basically, install the new fan, put it back together and run the snot out of it on pellets for a few weeks and then think about DRY corn (and pellets together). I've had years to perfect my 2-1 mix.

 

[Rxwoman1961]

Hot water.

 

[Rxwoman1961]

At this point if you have a good portion of that tar cleaned off I would just soak it in a bucket of warm water and some mean green or greased lighting and dawn dish soap till you new fan comes in. Maybe take a file to the shaft to polish up any burs or build up.

Yup. New fan should be here next week. Do I need to use the gasket, or would that red stuff be better? In both places? I bought some.
Thank you everyone. Have a merry Christmas!❄

 

[Ssyko]

The red high temp silicone will be fine. And a MERRY CHRISTMAS to you too.

 

[Rxwoman1961]

Take the dremel with a small cut off wheel and cut a slot in the fan hub, back to front and remove it. When you do that, the set screw is superfluous. What you will do is relieve the pressure on the motor shaft the hub and screw is making and a shot of WD or PBlaster will allow you to slide it off. May take a little persuasion to get it started, as a light tap on the end of the motor shaft while holding the old fan. Once the grip is broken, it will slide right off and when you install the new fan, note the location of the old one in relationship to the sheet metal back flange. You want the new one attached to the motor shaft in the same spot. Put it on, tighten down the setscrew and put it back together (after cleaning the crap out of the plenum of course. If I lived closer or if Ssyko did, we'd give you a hand, but we don't. You are a 2 day drive for me, probably 3 for Ssyko.

Not on subject but one thing I've noticed at least around Valentine and that is, everyone heats with propane there. I assume no NG piped in.

Thank you offering. Yeah, I have propane in the kitchen. Only folks in town have any access to nat gas .

 

[SidecarFlip]

I actually have 4 500 gallon propane bottles here. 2 for the house and 2 for the grain dryers, all 4 running in tandem groups of 2. I cannot use the 'dryer' gas in the house because it's no tax and illegal to heat with (here in Michigan at least). The house bottles are also linked together but I usually keep one shut off all the time so I can easily monitor my fuel usage. HWH and everything else is electric. Just the central furnace is propane and the house standby gen set. The rest of the farm and the farm shop is on the diesel standby genny. My in floor PEX heat in the shop is propane from the house bottles too.

I own all the bottles so I can fill with whomever is the least expensive but I tend to deal with my hunting buddy who also owns a propane distribution business. He's always in the 'ball park' on price.

My rentals are all on propane as well and the renters pay their own gas bills as well as electric bills and all of them have +90 furnaces.

 

[rickwai]

I actually have 4 500 gallon propane bottles here. 2 for the house and 2 for the grain dryers, all 4 running in tandem groups of 2. I cannot use the 'dryer' gas in the house because it's no tax and illegal to heat with (here in Michigan at least). The house bottles are also linked together but I usually keep one shut off all the time so I can easily monitor my fuel usage. HWH and everything else is electric. Just the central furnace is propane and the house standby gen set. The rest of the farm and the farm shop is on the diesel standby genny. My in floor PEX heat in the shop is propane from the house bottles too.

I own all the bottles so I can fill with whomever is the least expensive but I tend to deal with my hunting buddy who also owns a propane distribution business. He's always in the 'ball park' on price.

My rentals are all on propane as well and the renters pay their own gas bills as well as electric bills and all of them have +90 furnaces.

I own my 500 underground tank. I use about 275 Gal. per year and fill in July/August at the lowest price. Propane runs HW, Range, Clothes dryer, Furnace( gets very little use) and gas grill I have plumbed in.