A pellet stove has many advantages. If you love the look of a fire, but don’t own a fireplace and don’t want to go to the expense or mess of installing a full wood burning fireplace, a pellet stove may be just the thing you’re looking for. You can buy pellets by the bag, which cuts down on cutting wood, and these bags of pellets store much easier than a big pile of wood. Because these pellets are made from sawdust and woodshavings, they are a very eco-friendly option to burning wood. Additionally, pellet stoves are cost effective and environmentally friendly. It’s easy to see why these stoves have become a popular option for heating your home. But as great as a pellet burner is, things can still go wrong, and it’s nice to know if the troubles you are having are serious enough to call in the professionals.
Troubleshooting Guide
First off, when you start up your pellet burner, it might seem like the flame is burning hot and high. This is nothing to worry about; as the fire gets going, the flame should burn down to a normal level.
One thing you don’t want to see is a lot of smoke coming out of your pellet stove. If you notice this, it could be that your pellet stove needs a good cleaning. Because wood is a natural product, it has some impurities in it that won’t burn. These “clinkers” could be causing your smoking problems, and that’s an easy fix. Just push them out. You can lower the adjustment control rod in the firepot a little at a time until your stove quits smoking.
Another problem could be that you are using low-quality pellets. The better the pellets, the more efficient the burn, and the less mess and clogging you’ll experience.
Sometimes your stove isn’t running as efficiently as it could be, and this shows up by the flames having black tips and the flames not moving too quickly. Just clean your firepot and the heat exchanger’s blower and you shouldn’t have any more problems. Another problem with stove efficiency could be that the door isn’t sealed as tightly as it should be. Check the door seal and make sure it’s a tight fit.
Switch Replacement
It might be that your stove isn’t feeding the pellets as evenly as it should, and the problem might be with the pressure-sensing switch. You can easily check this out by cleaning the switch or the vent pipe, and if these things don’t help, you can try replacing the pressure-sensing switch.
Call Chimney Doctors of Colorado
There are things that you can check out on your own, but if there’s a problem you can’t solve on your own, give Chimney Doctors of Colorado a call. We’ll clean your stove and take care of any problems you might be having.