Pellet Stove Question

[jkuzlotsky]

Good morning all,

I am running a Harman Accentra which I bought 2 years ago. Lately it seems that there are flames coming from around the burn pot, like from the sides. I shut down the stove about every ton of pellets and clean out the ash, scrape the carbon from the burn pot, etc. and I notice that there is a shiny, black substance around the burn pot. Is this creosote? Could that be what catches fire when the stove is on?

So I guess my questions are: Is that normal? When I clean, should I get rid of that stuff around the burn pot? If that is gunk is creosote, what can I do to prevent that from reoccuring? Are there products that I can buy to clean that off, or would scraping do the job well enough?

Thanks for any thoughts you may have.

 

[drizler]

Sounds like a somewhat normal deposit left behind from whatever brand of pellet is burning. If it isn't hurting anything I doubt that it will unless it starts really growing and blocking the air holes or otherwise causing problems. One thing I do know definitively is that 9/10ths of the burning badly or flame looking slow and weird issues are caused by dirtiness. You should at least once a season ( and probably more get in behind the burner area and clean out any ash that got deposited there. I can't speak to your particular model but you can usually get in there behind the burn pot or from where the flue comes in from the real. Stuff does get deposited in there and that goes 10 fold if it is used with corn or a mix of corn.

 

[restorer]

Are you burning anything besides pellets. My experience is that if your stove is burning properly there should be little or no deposit, if there it may be carbon. What you are describing sounds more like inadequate combustion air. Most often as a result of dirty air chambers, or blocked flue. I would suggest reviewing your manual and thoroughly clean the stove, behind and beneath the baffles in all air chambers. Pull the exhaust blower and throughly clean the chamber, vanes and rotor.

Trust me the few hours spent cleaning the stove will make a world of difference in performance.

 

[GVA]

What do you mean flames coming around the burnpot?
Have you cleaned out the ash under the burnpot by the ignitor?
Do you use outside air?
If you empty out your hopper of pellets do you see any discoloration at the slide plate?
Who did the install?
Draft test performed?

Creosote can happen in a pellet stove but it is not a normal thing..... Mine will build up the sticky creosote if it is burning low for extended periods of time, like this year Nov-Jan the stove was in maintenance burn most of the day so I would just shut it down on certain days...

What brand of pellets are you burning?

 

[HarryBack]

Good morning all,

I am running a Harman Accentra which I bought 2 years ago. Lately it seems that there are flames coming from around the burn pot, like from the sides. I shut down the stove about every ton of pellets and clean out the ash, scrape the carbon from the burn pot, etc. and I notice that there is a shiny, black substance around the burn pot. Is this creosote? Could that be what catches fire when the stove is on?

So I guess my questions are: Is that normal? When I clean, should I get rid of that stuff around the burn pot? If that is gunk is creosote, what can I do to prevent that from reoccuring? Are there products that I can buy to clean that off, or would scraping do the job well enough?

Thanks for any thoughts you may have.

Check your burn pot bolts, make sire they are tight. Check your flame guide, making sure it isnt warped...they will warp in 2-5 years.....make sure the back surface is flat. Make sure there are no carbon or creosote deposits where the flame guide seals against the burn pot. Yes, you can get creosote inside, and it can cause the flame guide not to sit flat, thereby allowing flames around the back of it. Im guessing the flames are by passing the flame guide and not the burn pot. If they are bypassing the burnpot, either the gasket is shot, or the bolts loosened (Ive never seen the bolts loosen).

When the creosote burns, it usually burns completely. It could be your stove is starving for air tho, creating the creosote (incomplete burn). Normally, all that "stuff" is burned with adequate oxygen.

Check the flame guide and its seat...good luck.

 

[Michael6268]

Sounds to me like a maintenance issue. Im not familiar with that stove, but you state you shut it down after "one ton" of pellets and clean the ash and scrap the burnpot. Most pellet stoves require this weekly. Again, Im not familiar with your specific stove.