Caring for your Pellet Stove in Spring

Now that you have operated your stove all winter with a minimal of cleaning, it’s time to clean it yourself or have it cleaned professionally. Most manufacturers have detailed instructions on how to do yearly pellet stove cleanings either in their manual or on the web – follow these instructions carefully. The pipes need to be brushed and vacuumed well. Vacuum the heat exchange tubes as well as behind the baffles. The chimney cap also gets a build up of wet ash and should be cleaned. Doing this in the spring while your stove is still fresh in your mind will cause less creosote or ash smell through the summer when it is not in use and it will be ready to start up on the first cold night next fall.

If your stove is in a basement put an open box of baking soda in the burn box to keep the stove from rusting on the inside.