Pellet heads!! What's up today?

Atter all the years of running shells....Learned something.
The big stove has not been feeding shells well recently and we needed to run the beast up on "4" to keep a fire going.

After watching the Drop recently the feed light would at times come on 3 times without a drop...Then maybe a weak little bit would drizzle out.

I checked to be sure the auger was moving each time the light was on...YESS...Every time there was motion.

I decided to bail out the hopper this morning while the stove was down for a regular cleaning the fire box/burn pot.

OH MY
The lower 2/3 of the exposed auger was full of fines and the shells were only getting into the upper area....Maybe an inch or so long.....

Vacuumed the entire auger out and checked things ALL OK

Refilled with shells and set the feed to "P" (PRIME) This runs the auger continuously....
Soon the shells were coming out the drop tube very good.....A Tea spoon full or more each cycle.

The auger on time is set to the factory 2 seconds on.

So now we are running 5 off/2 on......SETTING #3

I like it.
I am thinking maybe this should be part of a monthly clean schedule....

We clean the ash out of the fire box weekly and the ash baffles every other clean and do LBT at the same time....

This gets the stoves innards as clean as can be done considering the torturous path the gases and fly ash travel.
The only other way is to remove the draft fan and go up inside the cross travel channel with a WHA WHA BRUSH (Large brush similar to a thermos bottle brush but stiffer and longer)

The cleaned auger seems to be making things much better....

Ther first hour or so the fire will die down a lot every few cycles but then come back up...Once a bed of coals forms the dire will stay up and hold well....

Draft rod setting needs to be on the factory setting with the rod collar tight against the side of the stove.....

As the ash accumulates over a week or so pulling the draft rod out maybe 1/2" keeps things happy until the next cleaning.

Ah yes

 

So in conclusion shells can create a fines problem as well. Me may take a nap now.

 

That is one nice perk of being retired , I can just go lay down for a bit whenever I feel like it.

Sam

 

Pellets have fines too.....
Once we run the shells through Munchy there is a bit of fines created from the process......Over time they filter down and collect in the lower level of the hopper.
Since I have not cleaned the hopper since we started it on shells back in 2010.....

Not a bad deal though....

 

I old as well; I am entitled or is it titled?

 

Well,well look at what showed up at the Food Panty for Deer.