Pellet insert problem.

[GLopi]

Hello folks, I'm new here, but just caught this post.
I am in my 40's, and I have been cutting/burning wood for 20 years.,( I have been around stoves for a very long time) I bought a Lopi-Avalon Yankee Bay pellet insert, because
I was done burning wood., I have asked a dozen people how often they have to clean their pellet inserts. Most say every week or so.
My stove was proffesionaly installed. I clean my stove better than a service person would. It gets completely disassembled, vacuumed
re-assembled..I get about 12 hours out of it, before the ash "tray" is full, not much ever makes it to the ash "pan", because of the poor design of the stove. After 2 bags, the stove is completely covered in ash, pans are full, after only 2 bags worth.
So, anyone that gets 4-5 days between cleanings, what "magic" process are you using?
I have used every single brand of pellet out there, and never a Big-Box store brand of pellet.
My air / fuel settings are perfect, as I use a carbon smoke meter to measure it. ( just like your furnace guy does)
When I bought this stove, I was told I would only have to clean it "once a week"...that's funny.
If anyone would like to purchase a stove, that is only two years old, just inquire.
It is a pellet insert, with a beautiful glass front.
The chimney pipe gets cleaned every 6 months. The exhaust clean-out in the back, gets vacuumed every three days.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

There are a lot of "professionally" installed units that really aren't.

How about telling us about your entire install from the stove adapter to the termination cap and how the expert set your draft for proper combustion. He did put a mag to it and recorded the settings after the stove reached steady state and he adjusted the damper, didn't he, or was that step skipped.

Do you have an OAK if you don't, tell us all about what floor the insert is on and how many are above it and all other air handlers in the house.

 

[GLopi]

My stove is on the ground floor, and the chimney extends roughly 19 feet above.

When I visited my local Pellet stove store, the first question I had for them, was : How often do I have to clean it?
They said, about once a week.
I purchased the stove, and they came in to install it. After they installed it, they filled it with pellets, let it burn awhile, adjusted the air flow, drilled a hole in the chimney-inserted flex pipe, and told me that it was as efficient as it was going to get.
Since day one, the ash tray fills up quickly. You have to open the stove while it is burning, and "pull out" another tray, that drops the ashes into the actual ash pan.
If you do not do this, the ashes build up under the fire pot, and no air gets to the fire...poor design, don't buy one.
Completely filthy after about 12 hours., or 1 - 1 1/2 bags of pellets.

 

[GLopi]

Please remember, I grew up filling the household wood stove, and cutting would since about 16 years old...I have a basic idea of stoves.

 

[briansol]

It really sounds like you need more combustion air. Check the manual and check the damper. Most units ship wide open. Make sure yours is set there to start. Use your eyes more than any meter, as if the meter is telling you that's right, it's broken.

Are you using 3" or 4" pipe for the exhaust. 19' should have a 4" run

 

[superchips]

Smokey; you always get me thinking.

GLopi: How long is your OAK? and are there any serious bends in it? Did they up the size of the pipe after 3'?

 

[jtakeman]

So, anyone that gets 4-5 days between cleanings, what "magic" process are you using?

Not a process for me, Its my stove. I do a once a week cleaning no matter the pellet I'm burning.

There are pellets out there that will provide very low ash and require less cleaning. Try some of the top shelf stuff the others rave about here. But they ain't cheap and getting tough to find in certain parts.

Lowest ash content pellets I have seen are Douglas Fir. Around 0.17% ash. Some others are softwoods like Spruce Pointes, Okies and VWP. Also if you check my testing you'll see pellets vary in ash content not just in weight, But also in volume. So something else to think about.

 

[GLopi]

4 inch pipe, burns hot and clean...When the fire pot empties...it empties on to another plate....you have to open the stove, while it is burning, and you have to "pull" the plate open / forward, to get the ashes to dump into the "ash pan".
If you do not pull this plate open, the ashes will build up under the fire pot, and you will never get an accurate air flow.
If I am not home, the stove will never burn correctly, because nobody is here to pull the tray out.
Bad design, I would not buy another one...I was able to burn any one of my wood stoves for at least two-three days.

 

[superchips]

OK, so do you mean that there isn't enough airflow on the burn plate to blow the ash out. So the burn pot fills up with too much ash reducing the combustion air to the pellets making it worse if you don't scape it often?

 

[earl764]

That sounds like the restrictor is set too low. You're not letting in enough air to blow the ash out of the pot. The ash should blow out of the pot and lay in the clear area in front/on the sides of the firepot.

You would only pull that plate out for normal cleaning when the unit is off.

 

[briansol]

Ash shouldn't really even get under the burn pot at all. Maybe a 'dusting' after a week or so.

If this is 'loading up' you don't have enough air.

 

[GLopi]

The burn pot has a long thin hole under it, same length as the pot.
When you open the stove, and pull the steel piece forward, you open this slot, all the way, and the ash drops into the ash pan.
You must then push it back in, to close the door on the stove.
If you do not open the stove, and pull out the tray under the ash pot, the ashes do not go into the ash pan, and then you do not get any air flow, because the ashes have built up right up under the ash pot.
So, people that say, they don't have to clean their stove out...are they telling me, they don't have to open the slot, drop the ashes, and then pull out the bottom ash tray, and vacuum them out. ?

 

[GLopi]

If the ashes don't fall under the pot, there is only one place left for them to go...into the ash tray on the sides of the fire pot.
There is no possible way, that you are going to get 4-5 bags of ashes into this silly removable tray.
My manual says, every "10" bags...I am cleaning the stove every day., the ash tray is full, the baffles are covered, the pipes are covered in fine ash, and requires a total cleaning...Not to mention the removable clean-out in the back every two weeks.
The fire is hot and clean...not a single clinker.

 

[superchips]

On my englander I have a similar problem ever 3 or 4 bags. I use a spatula to hold up the plate and a table spoon to scoop out most of the ash from the intake air port under the burn pot. Maybe twice a week depending on the pellets.

My guess is that you also have other issues and we would need more info on your setup.

 

[GLopi]

I was tired of cutting wood....so I got a pellet insert.
I have had the dealer to the house several times.
I would not use another pellet stove if it was given to me....Next time, Propane stove. No bags, no ashes, no trips to the pellet store.
Hot, clean, heat......My vacuum uses more energy, cleaning this thing, than I would ever save using pellets.

 

[superchips]

OK. I give....
Can I offer you a link to Craigslist?

 

[John97]

Alot of people get solutions to their problems here that their dealers are unwilling/unable to solve. The dealer is not the be-all/end-all here. As others have stated, just because a dealer did the install doesn't mean it's done right and your stove is set up correctly.

It seems you have already written it off. If so, I don't understand the point of this thread. But, if you really want a solution I am sure the folks here will get one for you.

 

[BrotherBart]

I was tired of cutting wood....so I got a pellet insert.
I have had the dealer to the house several times.
I would not use another pellet stove if it was given to me....Next time, Propane stove. No bags, no ashes, no trips to the pellet store.
Hot, clean, heat......My vacuum uses more energy, cleaning this thing, than I would ever save using pellets.

So the question is? Is there something we can help you with. Or is this just a rant?

 

[Don2222]

Hello folks, I'm new here, but just caught this post.
I am in my 40's, and I have been cutting/burning wood for 20 years.,( I have been around stoves for a very long time) I bought a Lopi-Avalon Yankee Bay pellet insert, because
I was done burning wood., I have asked a dozen people how often they have to clean their pellet inserts. Most say every week or so.
My stove was proffesionaly installed. I clean my stove better than a service person would. It gets completely disassembled, vacuumed
re-assembled..I get about 12 hours out of it, before the ash "tray" is full, not much ever makes it to the ash "pan", because of the poor design of the stove. After 2 bags, the stove is completely covered in ash, pans are full, after only 2 bags worth.
So, anyone that gets 4-5 days between cleanings, what "magic" process are you using?I have used every single brand of pellet out there, and never a Big-Box store brand of pellet.
My air / fuel settings are perfect, as I use a carbon smoke meter to measure it. ( just like your furnace guy does)
When I bought this stove, I was told I would only have to clean it "once a week"...that's funny.
If anyone would like to purchase a stove, that is only two years old, just inquire.
It is a pellet insert, with a beautiful glass front.
The chimney pipe gets cleaned every 6 months. The exhaust clean-out in the back, gets vacuumed every three days.

There is no magic in getting more time between cleanings it really depends upon how your stove is built.

Travis who makes Avalon and Lopi like the whitefield design closes off the Ash Pan to the fire chamber when burning supposedly to give a better burn. Only when the stove is off and the door is open, then you can open the ash dumps and sweep the ashes into the ash pan.
See the 1st 2 pics below

Other stoves are more open to the ash pan so ashes can fall in there while burning.

The Pelpro has 2 open squares right next to the burn pot so sme of the ashes can fall directly into the ash pan while burning
See 3rd and 4th pics

Enviro has an almost suspended burn pot similar to Magnum so more ashes can fall directly into the ash pan while burning
A good gasket seal on the ash pan is needed to get a decent burn on these stoves. See last pic below

 

[DexterDay]

Ash shouldn't really even get under the burn pot at all. Maybe a 'dusting' after a week or so.

If this is 'loading up' you don't have enough air.

I agree. If ash is falling through. Then you need more combustion air. Ash should be ejected as the pellets burn.

What brand of pellets are you currently burning?

 

[briansol]

Sucks that you're having a bad experience. Try getting a guy out from a different dealer even if it costs you money. Or if you're near bristol, i'd be happy to take a look. I'm no expert but another set of eyes never hurts. It really sounds like you're not getting the right amount of air in the intake and it's loading up. I had the same problem when my draft adjuster worked itself loose and slid closed. My burn pot would load up in 2 days, requiring a manual scoop. Now that i have fixed that, it burns proper.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

My stove is on the ground floor, and the chimney extends roughly 19 feet above.


snip ....

let it burn awhile, adjusted the air flow, drilled a hole in the chimney-inserted flex pipe, and told me that it was as efficient as it was going to get.

... snip

And that flex pipe goes where and connects to what?

Now, why after setting the damper ???? Something is wrong big time with this picture.

Now tell us about the block off plate was it sealed to the chimney and was the new pellet flue sealed to the block off plate. I'll leave the termination for another time.