Hopper Slide Issues

So yesterday I put some aluminum tape and dry graphite to the hopper of the 55-TRPEP. I won't have results until this weekend at best. Pics to follow.
Ps 15ft of Aluminum tape goes fast.....

 

well. not wanting to rain on your parade or anything, but I am divorced!

Knowledge of an item doesn't necessarily mean one practices it.

Margaret Fuller said: "If you have knowledge, let others light their candles in it", sooo, just trying to help you guys out!

so, ladies, here I am, come and get it!

 

Well knowledge is power.

 

all the more reason to have one.....

 

or 2 or 3

 

I have had hopper slide issues in the past with AWF WPs, Heat'rs and Vermonts. I tried a number of different techniques to solve it, but nothing really made an impact because the pellets aren't really sticking to the hopper. OK, maybe they are - but the real issue for me is they are sticking to themselves which creates that bridge effect. Once the gap forms down the middle of the hopper, the pellets at the ridge stick to the ones behind them and won't slide down. In the end, I gave up trying and settled on making sure the hopper is 100% full to the brim before I go to bed at night, otherwise I wake up to a cold house despite the fact the hopper is still half full of pellets! Recent seasons of Vermonts no longer do this, they must have found a way to bake them that eliminates the "tacky surface" issue.

Interested to know if the aluminum tape helps your situation!

 

I have an insert so it's more of in issue for me when trying to go for a long burn. I have found that during a weekly cleaning, "dusting" off the hopper liner helps quite a bit. I've found the AWFs tend to stick more and leave more fine behind. Once those are clean, things move along better in the hopper.

 

So after running it out twice the verdict is........no difference. As some have alluded to I think these MWP are part of the issue. Currently I have a 18-20 lb real use hopper. I probably will not be trying any other pellets this season but will be sure to update this thread when I do and report the results.

 

That sucks. Hope you find a cure.

 

It definitely would suck. But this stove is a part timer. 5 hrs a night. Max of 12 on the weekends. So, it doesn't effect me much. But it definitely wouldn't work as the full time option.

 

How about what the grain farmers use in their grain silos?

Slip Plate ! ! !

 

I tried Slip Plate on mine...didn't work as good as Dry Moly lube.

 

Yes it does help. Those are my pics.
I like it better than dry moly.

 

FWIW, graphite, any other dry lube, ok, give it a try. Not sure I support the aluminum tape though. Eventually the adhesive fails, then the tape heads south into the drive assembly. Not sure what the tape might do inside the feed assembly system, so, I think I'll pass on the tape fix, thankyou.

 

I've used the tape since back in my Astoria days ('08 - '09). The surface has to be cleaned well...... I used alcohol on a rag. And I only used the tape in the corners where I'd seen pellet hang-ups. Never had an issue with it "failing".....I ran the end way up to the very top of the hopper so there wasn't any edge for the pellets to pull on as they slid down, and used just 1 continuous piece. It was furnace tape, so I never had an issue with the adhesive failing.

 

AWFP great heat but were my big "sticker" started to really pizz me off

 

Green Supremes slid a bit better. Was able to burn 30 lbs before the stove ran out. At about 25 lbs you could tell that the auger was no lo get feeding a full load.

 

I tried tape on my Englander PAH and it helped with Somersets but these TSC Equine bedding pellets (white pine, high amount of fines) really stick still. I've come home from work many times with a stove the went out with nearly a full bag of pellets still in the hopper. Happened two days in a row last weekend, house dropped to 58 the first day then 52 the next day. Took a whole day just to get it back up in low 60's and a second day to get mid/upper 60's running just the pellet stove. My fault though since I didn't check and top it off before leaving for work.