Need to Increase Cleaning?

[pellet2corn]

This is my third winter with the Lancaster. We have had an unusually long cold spell. Stove ran on 5 basically around the clock all last week. I stop the stove and clean every Saturday. I could not get the clinker to drop last night. Pounding a butter knife between the fork tines only yielded a burn in the carpet. I had to shut the stove off, retract the fork, and beat the clinker out with the handle end of a hammer. Relit the stove until this morning for the weekly clean. The burn pot had a 1/4' think build up. It was very hard. I had to chip it off. Do you folks in colder climes have to clean out your stoves more than once weekly when burning larger amounts of corn?

[plaster93]

I clean my greenfield every 2 weeks. I have the clinker drop problem also. I find that if I turn down to 1 and let the flame die down then don't use the rake just pull the trap door, push the clinker with a screw driver, close the door,throw in a quater cup pellets with some alcohol, light and continue running. My pot does get build up on it after 2 weeks of running so I scrap it and sand down to clean. The clinker drops for a few days after and thats is running the stove on 4 and 5. I was also told to try and put the stove on 1 for a few minutes to cool the clinker then drop it, after runnin on 5. Seem the clinker is expanded in the pot and wants to stick. When it is cooler I guess it contracts enough to free it up to drop.

[byrn-e-stoves]

Welcome to the colder weather ,I think it is colder there then here in Canada. One reason why your stove clinker has stuck is cold air is higher in oxygen thus getting a leaner fire. Meaning hotter fire. Clinkers will stick in a dirty burnpot. In the manual flipout pots clinkers will cement themselves in there. ie an amaizeablaze pot. Like you 's mentionedselecting a low level of heat will help drop a clinker.Cycle through your heat levels and that will help too.
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[pellet2corn]

At least I am not alone. Cold air should not have an effect as I do not have outside air hooked up. I really cannot decide if its worth the trouble. I did not mention I am running 10-20% pellets. I thought pellets would keep the clinker from being so hard. Just as you say asbyrn-e-stoves, the clinker was cemented in on that last drop. Even after busting it loose about a 1/4" stayed cemented to the pot. Plaster93 solution sounds the simplest, just relight the stove. Its supposed to be back to normal next wee highs in the 40s and lows in the 30s. Won't be much burning on high then. Thanks for the replies.

[woodnmetalguy]

And here's the easy way to clean the hard, cement-like clinker build-up off your burn pot - just remove the burn pot and soak in water for a little while! The deposits soften up and wash away with a wipe of the hand. No need to get out the hammer, chisel and sandpaper.

Not my idea, I think I read it somewhere here a year or so ago. I was sceptical, but it works great.

I do this every week or so to get back to clean metal. Also use it on the stainless steel baffle in the top of the burn chamber.

-- Dave

[Corny]

When clinkers are too hard on my Bixby stove, it is because I am running too lean. That could be due to a cold weather downturn, as byrne-e says and explained in the WIKI at http://forum.iburncorn.com/wiki/index.php/BixbyFAQ#External_Factors. It could also be due to imperfect adjustment of the air/fuel mix. Adding more fuel or reducing the air a tad usually corrects this.

I'm a big fan of burnpot soaking. Put it in water and it will be squeaky clean by the time you finish a cold one !
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