Of course, pellet stoves may only be thoroughly cleaned when it is cold and not just because there is otherwise a risk of burns. The thorough necessary cleaning at the beginning of the heating season should also be followed by a check of all the seals on the stove so that you do not experience any nasty surprises when heating up, for example, if the window seal or door seal has become somewhat porous or leaky.
Clean the Smoke Pipe and Stovepipe
The cleaning of the smoke pipe or stove pipe should not be forgotten at the beginning of the heating season to guarantee optimal extraction. To do this, open the cleaning flap on the pipe, if available, and then sweep slowly in both directions several times with a flexible brush. The soot falling into the shaft or furnace can also be removed later via a chimney door. Once the pipe has been cleaned, the flap’s inside is brushed off, the opening is closed, and damaged seals are replaced, or the smoke pipes are put back together again to fit. Then the pipe leading to the stove is also cleaned. One proceeds in the same way. The outside of the pipes is cleaned with a soft brush and a cloth.
Clean the Combustion Chamber
When cleaning the combustion chamber, you remove the coarse dirt with a hand brush and shovel or the appropriate parts from the fireplace cutlery and the ash residues with the ash vacuum. First, you remove the upper vermiculite or fireclay plate, the heating gas deflection plate, and the dust filter. Then sweep and vacuum the removed parts and the entire combustion chamber and put them back in reverse order. Incidentally, damaged panels do not always have to be replaced immediately, but only when they are broken or when larger parts have already broken out.
Clean the Ash Drawer
Clean the Cladding and Glass Doors
For thorough cleaning of the ash pan and its insert, remove the ash pan and empty it. This should also be done regularly during regular operation anyway since an ash cone that is too high prevents sufficient primary air supply. Before reinserting the ash pan, the insert is then thoroughly swept out and vacuumed.
Steel-jacketed stoves are best cleaned with a cloth slightly moistened with water. If the stove owner discovers flash rust, scratches, or other small damage, he can cover these areas with a special colored lacquer spray. Stoves with cladding made of soapstone, sandstone, marble, other natural stones and tiles are best cleaned with a soft cloth and soapy water.
The glass panes of a pellet stove usually hardly get sooty in newer models. They typically have a window flush, in which sufficient secondary air is always directed over the inside of the panes and ensures a clear view. However, if soot deposits do occur, they should be removed as soon as possible. Usually, a cloth moistened with water is sufficient, but more substantial dirt can also be removed with a special stove cleaner or glass cleaner, sprayed onto the panes, and then removed with a cloth or kitchen roll.
