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My Stove is
Burning
Dirty.
My Stove is Sooting.
My Exhaust is Smoking Heavily.
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| (1) |
Bad pellets, wet or old pellets, pellets which have been wet will
not burn as clean or as hot. Try using a different bag of pellets
especially if the ones being used are old, from a torn bag, or may have
been stored in a damp environment. It is important to have dry storage
for pellet fuel.
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| (2) |
Improper installation, lack of outside air source or using too
long a pipe to bring in air will cause air deficiency. Too long a flue
pipe, or too many elbows, intake or exhaust can also lead to a dirty
burn. Air flow is very important to get proper performance improper
installation can cause resistance to the flow of air, causing fuel to
burn dirty. Refer to installation manual for proper installation to
compare your installation to.
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Click Here for
Diagrams and Instructions
for proper installation |
| (3) |
Leaky gaskets, door and window gaskets, as well as gasket behind
burn box will decrease available air through the fire. To test for
leaking door or window gaskets, turn the stove on without building a
fire, close the door and take a lit match or lighter and move the flame
around the edge of the window and around the door. If the gasket is
leaking, the flame will be pulled toward the leak as air is
sucked in past the gasket. Gasket should then be replaced.
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Click Here for
Gasket
Maintenance |
| (4) |
Overfeeding, if too much fuel is cycled into the burn chamber,
there is insufficient air volume to give a complete, clean burn. A
bag of pellets should normally last from 16 to 24 hours (smaller pellets
tend to feed faster than longer ones) if the 40 lb. bag is not lasting
that long contact customer service to have a technician walk you through
a check of the programming of the control board.
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| (5) |
Insufficient combustion air, combustion blower is not running at
sufficient speed. The exhaust blower should run at about 3000 rpm.
Lubrication may help but replacement of the exhaust blower is the
recommended course of action.
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Click Here for
Exhaust Blower
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| (6) |
Ash buildup in flue, if flue is not cleaned regularly ash buildup will
restrict air volume being exhausted from stove. The flue system
should be cleaned on a regular basis. We recommend it be cleaned at
least once a month or once per ton of pellets used.
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Click Here for
Cleaning Instructions
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| (7) |
Ash buildup in heat exchanger/firebox area, if firebox and heat
exchanger are not cleaned regularly ash buildup will restrict airflow
through the fire. The firebox must be cleaned
on a regular basis and the holes in the firebox must be kept clear.
The heat exchanger is located behind the impingement plate and
should also be cleaned at least weekly.
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| (8) |
Leaving hopper lid open/unlatched, when hopper is not sealed down
tight air can be pulled through the hopper and feed system reducing the
amount of air through the fire.
It is extremely important that the
hopper lid be latched down tight while the stove is in operation.
Airflow may occur through the auger system and in the event of a power
failure or error shutdown smoke can travel back into the hopper if the
lid is not sealed down tight!
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Click Here for Instructions
to Adjust your
Hopper Lid Latches
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| (9) |
Wear plate missing, fire will burn dirty as air cannot get under
the fuel and flow through it. The wear plate (or grate)
must be
present to allow airflow below the fire as well as to diffuse the air
and spread it around the firebox to allow complete combustion.
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Wear Plate (pu-bp98wp) |
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(10)
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Loose bolts holding burn
box, if bolts are loose air is allowed around the burn box rather
than through it. On the front of the stove , below the ash lip there
are bolts that hold the firebox in place and tight against the back
of the burn chamber of the stove. This seal is
important as the combustion air can leak around the firebox rather than
go through it and the fire. Bolts should be tight enough to hold the
firebox tight but do not over tighten them.
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(11) |
Improper fuel, burning corn
or cherry pits will cause a dirty burn because of the high ash,
moisture and sugar content. The use of
alternative fuel is possible when mixed with pellets but is not
recommended. If the unit is burning dirty and these fuels have been
used, clean the entire stove out thoroughly (flue system as well) and
burn just premium hardwood pellets to see if the problem goes away. If
using these fuels is still desired, adjust the mixture to use less corn
or pits per bag of pellets.
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(12) |
High altitude, air density
at high altitude can cause dirty burn simply because of the lack of
available oxygen. In
installations above 5,000 ft. above sea level the exhaust should be
expanded to 4" pellet vent pipe (ac-3100 kit) and the outside air intake
should be run with 3" pipe. |
Click Here for
High Altitude Installations |
