Lots of Smoke on Startup...

[pearlset79]

hello all....hope your summers are going well....i know this place is pretty quiet this time of year, but i have a questions about my pb105 that i have had for just short of a year. i am currently burning pellets for my DHW as the system I have of foinf through a bad a night. Since the fire is going out and staying cold for some time due to the lack of a heat call, when the boiler does ignite it kicks out quite a bit of smoke. i am talking about at least 10 seconds worth, now it could be this bad all the time, and i have simply never watched it that closely. once the fire is going, the smoke completely stops.

is this normal?? i believe i keep my boiler excessively clean, but could something need to be cleaned again?? this board has always been extremely helpful so i look forward to any responses......

i have a harman pb105 pellet boiler.....

 

[stoveguy2esw]

electrically fired (self igniting) pellet appliances have to "smoulder to a start" from the heat of a resistance coil (ignitor) its common to have smoke even what might seem to be a lot during the initial ignition , usually it will clear within several seconds to a minute after an actual flame is achieved. if the smoking continues well into the established fire it would warrant closer examination as it could indicate an airflow issue blockage of the flue or even serious need of cleaning. but if it clears rapidly upon flame appearance as i said earlier it would be normal. hope this helps ya.

 

[pearlset79]

thanks, your help does really help. it confirms what i already know that since it has to smoulder to start, there is going to be smoke until there is a flame. as i watched my boiler, the smoke is gone within seconds of the pellets igniting....guess there really is no problem. as you mentioned might be a sign of it needing to be cleaned, but i don't think it is becausei really clean the boiler often and thoroughly. thanks for the comments...any others out there??

 

[Delta-T]

i agree, some smoke is normal. a good indicator that things are getting dirty in the burnpot is the "bang" you may hear when the pellets ignite. then you know for sure that its time to loosen some wing nuts and dig around the igniter element.

 

[Bkins]

Pearl,

How do you like the PB105? How badly does it chew through pellets on cold days?

Thanks, David

 

[pearlset79]

i have had my pb105 for one winter and so far i love it i really can't compare it to other pellet boilers, but from when i went through and did the research it seemed like harman made the best boiler out there. i have my boiler connected so that it heats two zones (upstairs and downstairs) in an approx. 2000 sq. ft. home. it is a new home, well insulated and i live in northern NY. the boiler also heats my hot water. wanted to give you those facts so you could take it into account for how you compare the two homes for heating. the most i used per day, when the temps did not get above 0 in jamuary, 2009 up here, was about 3 bags/day. that did not last long though. i averaged about 2 bags/day. i love the boiler so much that i now use it in the summer to heat my DHW. i turn it on once a day to heat the water in the tank, then it is off for the day. that provides us with enough hot water for our needs. it is sooo nice being completely oil free! let me know if you have more questions....

 

[wil lanfear]

Hey pearl,
I see that you are from Plattsburg, NY., this guy is selling pellets in Chateaugay NY., not to far from you at a pretty good price if you can pick them up yourself. I purchased a truckload (22 ton)from him, they burn awesome in my pb105. These pellets are manufactured by the same manufacturer of Pro Pellets.

http://cgi.ebay.com/PREMIUM-WOOD-PELLETS-LOW-ASH-EXCELLENT-BTUS_W0QQitemZ220447829457QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3353b6edd1&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65:12|66:2|39:1|72:1205|293:1|294:50

 

[stoveguy2esw]

thanks, your help does really help. it confirms what i already know that since it has to smoulder to start, there is going to be smoke until there is a flame. as i watched my boiler, the smoke is gone within seconds of the pellets igniting....guess there really is no problem. as you mentioned might be a sign of it needing to be cleaned, but i don't think it is becausei really clean the boiler often and thoroughly. thanks for the comments...any others out there??

that was only if the smoking persists after lightoff , looks to me there is no issue. i looked at the specs for that unit after posting last , looks like a workhorse!

 

[pearlset79]

yea i believe all is working as it should...just never saw the smoke from that angle...it definitely is a workhorse kept me warm and with enough hot water all winter and never felt like it couldn't handle the load...i really would recommend one to anyone looking at a pellet boiler....

 

[Lousyweather]

FWIW, could also be a failing ignitor.....what Mike says is true, they do smoke upon ignition, but if you are seeing EXTENDED ignition times (just seems longer than it usta be), then its usually indicative of a failing ignitor, OR a dirty unit.