How to Clean Pellet Stoves

Pellet stoves must be cleaned on a regular basis.

Keeping a pellet stove cleaned regularly is important to maintain the integrity of the unit. Basic cleaning of a pellet stove should be performed every 10 times that it is used to ensure that excess carbon deposits do not build up and damage the pellet stove. With a few simple tools and 20 minutes to spare, you can easily clean your pellet stove to maintain proper function.

Things You'll Need

• Wire brush
• Vacuum
• Glass cleaner
• Paper towels

Instructions

1. Remove the burn pot from the front of the pellet stove and dump out the ashes into a trash can. For a very thorough cleaning, wash the burn pot with warm, soapy water and allow it to air-dry.

2. Vacuum out the residual ash from the front portion of the stove that houses the burn pot.

3. Use the wire brush to scrape away carbon deposits from the interior of the pellet stove. Some pellet stoves come with a specialized scraping tool just for this purpose. If that is the case, use the tool that came with the stove in lieu of the wire brush. Vacuum away any carbon that has fallen during the scraping process.

4. Pull the lever that is located on the front or top of the stove labeled "Exchanger Tube" five times; this clears the exchanger tube of carbon buildup.

5. Wash the glass on the front of the stove with the paper towels and glass cleaner. The glass cleaner can also be used to wash the exterior body of the pellet stove.

6. Replace the burn pot, and your pellet stove is fully cleaned and ready to use again.

References

• "Wood Pellets: As a Fuel, Stoves, Buyer's Guide, User's Handbook--All That's Practical"; Ralph W. Ritchie; 2004
• "Fire Places: A Practical Design Guide to Fireplaces and Stoves Indoors and Out"; Jane Gitlin; 2006
• "Wood Pellet Heating Systems: The Earthscan Expert Handbook of Planning, Design and Installation"; Dilwyn Jenkins; 2010