As a general rule, weekly maintenance requires about 20 minutes per week for the Parlour 3000 model, and about 30 minutes a week for the Gnome. To do the maintenance properly, you will need a good quality shop vacuum with a 5 or 6 HP motor. The more suction the better. Each week you will want to:
- Remove Fly Ash
- Clean Hopper
- Clean the Exhaust Fan Blade & Heat Exchanger
- Clean the Fan Guard
- Clean the Glass
- Clean the Gold and Chrome
- Use "Clean" position
Weekly Maintenance Procedures
To maintain your heater, each week you will want to:
Remove Fly Ash
Some ash will accumulate in the heat exchanger, firepot, and the flue. These should be cleaned on a regular basis for best efficiency and safety.
When the heater is off and cold, open the door and remove the clean out covers. To remove, simply lift up and out from retaining notched cutout on vertical wall. Clean one side at a time using the brush attachment on the shop vacuum. With the door open, push the "Clean" button and let fan run for 30 to 45 seconds.
Remove the fire pot by lifting it up and out. It may be brushed out or vacuumed. The fire pot should be cleaned daily. Make sure slots in the bottom of the fire pot are not plugged. The area around and below the pot should be checked every five or six days, depending on how many hours a day you are burning your heater and the quality of the pellets being burned. After a few days you will be able to determine the frequency required for cleaning. The important thing to remember is that excessive fly ash accumulation will affect the efficiency of the burn.
Vaccum on both sides of the fire pot. The fire pot holder can be lifted out so the area under the pot holder can be cleaned. This area must be kept clean and free of debris and ash build-up.
Scrape pellet feed chute with putty knife to remove hardened material on which sawdust can accumulate.
Check the tee connector's clean out cap on the vent pipe every four to six weeks or whenever you utilize the "Clean" mode on the Control dial.
Fly ash can also accumulate in the vent pipe. Inspect the exhaust system frequently to maintain free flow of exhaust fumes. This depends entirely on the quality of the pellets, so you will initially monitor the buildup in the vent pipe. Those installations going into an existing flue must be installed with a tee connector to allow access to clean the ash from the pellet vent pipe.
Clean the Hopper:
Vaccum the accumulated sawdust in the hopper weekly. Keep free of debris and foreign material. An accumulation of sawdust can cause irregular pellet feed. For best results, this should be done on a regular basis determined by how often the heater is used. If you burn the heater all of the time, you should do this every eight to ten days.
Clean the Exhaust Fan Blade & Heat Exchanger:
The exhaust blower should be checked for excessive fly ash buildup. Regular and routine maintenance utilizing the clean out feature, will keep the exhaust blower housing and fan blades clean. This cleaning can only be done when the heater is not burning. For best results, run the fan in the "Clean" position with the door open for approximately 45 seconds or until ash is no longer being picked up by the fan.
Clean the Fan Guard:
The plastic fan guard on the bottom of the heater must be kept free of lint and dust. Check weekly for lint build-up and vacuum as necessary.
Clean the Glass:
If soot deposits accumulate on the glass, clean with stove glass cleaner. Alternatively, you can use a damp paper towel and the ash from the burned pellets as a cleaning agent. The glass must be cold to perform this maintenance.
Clean the Gold and Nickel:
All gold and nickel plating used on the pellets stoves can be cleaned with a soft cloth and non-abrasive cleaner. Do not use an abrasive cleaner. Gold is a soft metal and, therefore, a fragile surface. It will not discolor from heat, but it can easily be scratched. Prior to the first burn, it is important to use Windex spray cleaner or comparable products (Kel Kem Gold Cleaner or Flitz Faucet & Fixture Wax) and a soft clean cloth to wipe any fingerprints off all gold surfaces or the heat will cause the oil in the fingerprint to remain in the surface permanently.
The position is to be used only when the heater is not burning and you wish to clean out the combustion housing and fan blades.