How to Maintain Your Pellet Stove for Performance and Long Life

Pellet heating stoves are fantastic appliances that produce plenty of comforting heat and look great while doing it. Without proper maintenance, however, even the best-made pellet stoves can begin to perform poorly and actually become dangerous to operate.

Fortunately, maintaining your pellet stove isn’t complicated or difficult. Here are some tips.

Clean the air passages

Pellet stoves pull in air from the room, which means household dust, lint, pet dander and pet hair can start to block the air passages. When this happens, air won’t circulate properly and the stove will not perform as designed. Do a visual inspection periodically to determine how often you should perform this maintenance task.

Use high-quality pellets

Not all pellets are the same. Those of lower quality usually have a higher ash content, which means more ash for you to clean from the firebox and vent system. Top-grade pellets will make running your stove much simpler and cleaner.

Clean the firebox

Necessary firebox cleaning will depend on how often you use your stove (and the type of pellets you use). Too much ash and debris in the firebox will cause problems with burn-efficiency. When debris begins to build up, gently scoop it out, vacuum well and then wipe down the inside surfaces with a mild detergent cleaner and rinse thoroughly.

Professional maintenance

In addition to your normal cleaning and maintenance, your pellet stove needs to be checked out periodically by a certified stove technician, who can give your appliance a complete safety inspection and cleaning. Scheduling this appointment will be determined by how often you use your stove. The rule of thumb is, have your stove professionally cleaned and serviced after every ton of pellets burned in it.

Your stove tech will perform a variety of tasks including:

• Closely examine the stove’s clearances and connections to the venting system
• Clean the heat exchangers
• Clean the blowers
• Clean the hopper
• Clean the burn area
• Clean the vent pipe
• Comprehensive visual inspection of every piece and area of the stove

Thinking of purchasing a pellet stove?

A powerful new pellet stove can be a benefit for almost any household. Pellet stoves are highly efficient, produce lots of heat and come in a wide range of sizes, finishes, shapes and design styles to perfectly complement your décor. Pellet stove manufacturers such as Enerzone, Lopi and Thelin offer models that are ideal for both small and large spaces, with BTU outputs of 70,000 and higher. Operation is convenient with an attached hopper into which you pour the fuel and then let the stove do the rest. Built of ultra-safe cast iron, modern pellet stoves give you years of high performance and can keep the fires going for 48 hours and longer without your needing to refill the hopper.

If you enjoy real wood fires but aren’t interested in the extra work and maintenance that goes along with owning a wood-burning stove, a pellet stove may be just what you’re looking for.

Dubuque Fireplace & Patio of Dubuque, Iowa, would love to show you many of the new, high-performing pellet stoves on the market today. We’ll help you select the right stove for your heating needs, square footage and aesthetic tastes.

Call us today at (563) 582-5156. In the Highland, WI, area, talk to a hearth expert at Chimney Specialists by calling (608) 929-4887.