Winter is here, and it’s in full swing. If your wood pellet stove hasn’t been working overtime yet, it’s about to. With frigid days and long, cold nights ahead, ensuring your stove is running safely and efficiently is key to staying warm all season.
Here’s your essential guide to pellet stove best practices and troubleshooting, so you can enjoy maximum heat and minimal hassle this winter.
Read your pellet stove owner’s manual. Every stove is different, so the manual will offer the best advice for your specific model, including proper maintenance to warranty information, many manuals are now available online, so don’t spend too much time searching your drawers for the paper copy.
Consider scheduling a professional appointment, especially if your stove hasn’t been extensively cleaned recently. A technician can check all stove components to determine whether replacement or adjustment is needed, something a stove owner cannot always determine on their own. Also consider that an improperly kept stove can impact your burn quality and efficiency, which can snowball—pun intended—into other issues down the road.
Clean your stove regularly. While we recommend a professional cleaning once or twice a year, monthly cleanings are also suggested to keep your stove burning at tip-top efficiency. If you have the right tools (a scraper, stiff brush and an ash vacuum with special dust bags), a complete cleaning takes 20-30 minutes. Here are some tips on cleaning your stove quickly and correctly.
Use high-quality wood pellets. This will significantly improve your burn experience.
Check out the specifications on the pellets you’re considering, including ash percentage. Higher quality pellets will have a lower ash percentage and require less maintenance. The higher the ash percentage, the more maintenance is needed.
Check your stove settings. Even when using premium wood pellets, if your stove settings aren’t synced for feed rate, air flow, and heat settings, you’ll sacrifice efficiency and have other potential issues.
|
The Problem |
The Likely Culprit |
The Solution |
|
Poor burn quality |
Dirty stove |
Clean your stove according to your manufacturer’s recommendations. |
|
Blackened glass |
Burning on ‘low’ |
Adjust heat setting to medium or medium/high. |
|
Excessive clinkers |
Airflow leak |
Clean all vents, check and repair/replace all gaskets, and adjust damper or airflow setting. |
|
Trouble igniting |
Air-to-pellet ratio |
Adjust air-to-pellet ratio by increasing air flow. |
|
Lazy or small flame |
Air-to-pellet ratio |
Adjust air-to-pellet ratio by increasing air flow and/or decreasing feed rate. |
|
Low heat output |
Air-to-pellet ratio |
Adjust air-to-pellet ratio by increasing air flow and/or increasing feed rate. |
|
Sparks flying/ embers in the ash pot |
Air-to-pellet ratio |
Adjust air-to-pellet ratio by decreasing air flow and/or decreasing feed rate. |
|
Whole, charred pellets left in the burn pot |
Air-to-pellet ratio |
Adjust air-to-pellet ratio by decreasing air flow and/or decreasing feed rate. |
|
Auger jamming/ stove shutting down |
Long pellets |
Drop bags on the floor – this can break long pellets into a manageable length. |
|
Excessive ash buildup/ whole, charred pellets in burn pot |
Short pellets |
Reduce feed rate. |
If you’re a Woodpellets.com customer experiencing burn issues, fear not! Our quality-certified fuels are backed by a quality guarantee valid for 30 days after your delivery date.
Learn more here or call 1-800-PELLETS to speak to an expert!
