Nothing is better than cozying your home with an efficient heater. Pellet stoves have become the number one option for many house owners since it can warm up an entire house during the coldest days of winter. However, like all house equipment and appliances, it needs proper maintenance to function properly. Because many people will need to run a stove for about 8-10 hours per day (sometimes even the entire day), pellet stoves can get worn out quickly, so periodic maintenance will become even more crucial. If you want to know how you can run basic maintenance steps, check out this guide to find out.

High-quality Pellets

First things first, start using pellets of higher quality. Simply put, when you’re using the best pellets out there, you won’t have to clean your pellet stove as much. In addition to that, your stove won’t be dirtied or damaged as opposed to when you’re using low-quality pellets. Quality pellets combust more completely, leaving behind less ash and particulate matter which can clog up your system. This efficiency not only underscores the advantage in the pellet stoves vs wood stoves debate but also translates to less frequent and less intensive cleaning sessions for your appliance. The downside for using better pellets is the increased pellet costs, but that evens out the cleaning costs spent on removing soot build-up or even damage to the innards of the stove due to using low-grade fuel. When choosing high-quality pellets, make sure that they have low moisture content (not higher than 10%) and little to no fillers, as they can produce large quantities of smoke and ash in your stove.

Vacuum Dust and Ash

All stoves will produce soot, dust, and ash in varying amounts, so you’ll have to clean them regularly to have optimal performance. Generally speaking, cleaning a pellet stove starts with removing dust and ash from the burn pot. You can find the pot at the bottom of most models and you can find the handle either at the back or the front of the stove. Once you’ve got that part figured out, you can take out the pot, throw out the contents, or vacuum it thoroughly either with a regular vacuum or an ash vacuum cleaner. Don’t miss a spot by cleaning the surrounding areas of the pot, as ash tends to escape, which can eventually affect the quality of burning pellets. You’ll also have to clean the vent pipe and chimney once a month, which might be a hard task to perform on your own, so it’s highly recommended that you hire experts to clean the vent pipe.

Note that you don’t always have to use specialized tools, as you can use any vacuum or paintbrush to clean the blower motor and the fan, which will help eliminate dirt build-up. As mentioned earlier, cleaning the vent pipe can be a difficult task to carry out, but if you still want to do it on your own, you can use a pipe brush.

Carbon Deposits

You can get rid of carbon deposits with the standard cleaning tool that comes with a pellet stove. However, if you don’t have that tool readily available, you can either purchase one or use a wire brush or a putty knife. Dregs can be scrapped with any of these tools. You might also find carbon deposits in the exchanger tube, which can be cleaned by pushing and pulling the lever at the top or in front of the stove. Repeat until the exchanger tube is thoroughly clean.

The Glass Door and the Outer Body

The front glass door integrity is important in many ways; it allows you to see the natural fire burning while sitting on a bed or a chair, and it also allows you to see whether or not the pellets are burning properly. Naturally, you shouldn’t clean or even touch the glass when the stove is running. Wait for 20 minutes until it cools down, then you can use a clean towel and a glass cleaner to do the job. When it comes to cleaning the outer body, a solution of body soap, clean water, and vinegar will do the job. Use a clean cloth and dip in the mixture to clean the outer body thoroughly. Once you’re done, let the stove dry out completely before running it again.

Pellet Storage

Maintaining your pellets is an extension of maintaining your stove. Even if you’re still purchasing the highest-quality pellets, you might not get the best results due to improper storage methods. Ideally, pellets must be stored away from air and water, as wood can easily absorb water when it is kept out in the open. Plus, leaving your pellets out like that would attract hordes of pests, which will degrade the quality of the pellets if not damage them permanently. Another good option is to keep the pellets in a bag and cover them up with waterproof tapes to keep the moisture at bay.

Now that you know how to properly maintain your pellet stove, you shouldn’t feel cold during the coldest days of winter. Most of the cleaning can be easily done on your own. However, if you don’t want to tamper with the inner parts of the stove, hiring a service to do the job for you will be the easiest and safest option.