Yesterday, after about 8 hours of run time, my burn pot pellets looked like they were too deep, filling the pot to too high a level, which reduced the amount of air the pellets were getting and causing them to blacken (charcoalize) instead of just igniting. So I figured I needed to let the high pellet level decrease. I turned off the auger, and after a minute or two, the level was about half as high as before, just really hot glowing coals. Then I opened the door a crack, stuck in a tire iron, and scrapped the bottom of the burn pot with its chisel end, back and forth, then banged on the pot edge about 5 times to loosen any ash in the pot holes, then closed the door. After re-starting the auger, I saw that it had worked, and the flame was stronger and the pellets were no longer turning black because they had more air. Then the stove was again producing heat like the pot had recently been cleaned. So get out your tire irons folks, keep one nearby.
Actually though, just letting the pellet level burn down to a lower level might have been what made most of the difference.
Actually though, just letting the pellet level burn down to a lower level might have been what made most of the difference.