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Now Reading: Routine maintenance: all the tasks to keep your stove clean

Routine maintenance: all the tasks to keep your stove clean

Routine maintenance: all the tasks to keep your stove clean


The efficiency of a stove and its long-term durability depend on many factors. These include the care taken over maintenance and cleaning which play an important part. Many maintenance tasks are delegated to qualified technicians while others must be carried out by you, the user, and are the simplest and most frequent operations.

When we talk about routine maintenance, we are, in fact, referring to all the cleaning operations that must be carried out directly by the user or owner of the stove.

These operations are outlined in the instruction manual supplied with the stove. Although many of the tasks that we indicate in the next few paragraphs are the same for all the stoves, please consult the manual for any clarifications.

When you are preparing to clean your stove, there are three things you should always consider:

  • Frequency of the cleaning operations
  • Material used
  • Cleaning procedure

It is, in fact, important that you carry out the correct cleaning tasks according to the specified intervals. This will ensure that you always have a product that performs efficiently and looks good.

The cleaning operations differ depending on whether you have a wood or pellet stove. Let’s take a look at what to do based on the two types of product.

Routine cleaning of wood stoves

Let’s start with wood stoves which are easier to clean compared to pellet stoves due to their technical features. Here are the operations required if you have this type of stove.

Cleaning the majolica cladding (if present)

– Recommended frequency: there is no precise schedule for cleaning these components.
– Material: a soft cloth, a cotton cloth, denatured ethyl alcohol.
– Procedure: when the stove is cold, dust the majolica surfaces with a soft cloth. If there are stubborn marks, spray a little denatured ethyl alcohol on a cotton cloth and wipe it over the marks.
– Warning: do not use products for porcelain stoneware.

 

Cleaning the glass

–  Recommended frequency: every day.
– Material: a soft cloth, ammonia-based degreaser free from corrosive substances.
– Procedure: spray the degreaser on the cloth and wipe the glass taking care not to wipe any other parts of the stove. Alternatively, dip the cloth in the ash without using any cleaning product and wipe the glass.
– Warning: only clean the glass when the stove is cold. Avoid abrasive substances and any material that could scratch (a scratch could cause cracks or breakage).

Cleaning the firebox and ash pan

–  Recommended frequency: every day, but this may vary depending on how long the stove is used. It is important not to let the ash pan get too full.
– Material: an ash vacuum cleaner (or another tool with a filter for the ash).
– Procedure: take out the ash pan and empty it into the organic waste or use it as plant fertiliser, clear out the remaining ash in the pan with an ash vacuum cleaner. Follow the illustrations in the instruction manual to clean the firebox.
– Warning: if the embers are still hot, place the ash in a metal container with a tight-fitting lid and keep it closed until the embers are fully extinguished and keep away from flammable materials. Ash can be used as fertiliser as long as it does not exceed 2.6 kg/10m2 per year. Using vacuum cleaners with unsuitable filters can release dust into the environment and make the house dirty.

These are the cleaning tasks that you can do yourself to keep your wood stove operating correctly.
Any other cleaning task must only be carried out by the T.S.C. (authorised Technical Support Centre) or qualified staff.

Find the Technical Support Centre in your area

Routine cleaning of pellet stoves

Pellet stoves require a few more tasks compared to wood stoves, all of which you can find illustrated in your instruction manual. You can also rely on our support centres if you have any doubts about how to carry out a task.

With that said, let’s see how to take care of your pellet stove.

Cleaning the majolica cladding (if present)

– Recommended frequency: there is no precise schedule for cleaning these components.
– Material: a soft cloth, a cotton cloth, denatured ethyl alcohol.
– Procedure: when the stove is cold, dust the majolica surfaces with a soft cloth. If there are stubborn marks, spray a little denatured ethyl alcohol on a cotton cloth and wipe it over the marks.
– Warning: do not use products for porcelain stoneware.

Cleaning the glass

– Recommended frequency: every day.
– Material: a soft cloth, ammonia-based degreaser free from corrosive substances.
– Procedure: spray the degreaser on the cloth and wipe the glass taking care not to wipe any other parts of the stove. Alternatively, dip the cloth in the ash without using any cleaning product and wipe the glass.
– Warning: only clean the glass when the stove is cold. Avoid abrasive substances and any material that could scratch (a scratch could cause cracks or breakage).

 

 

Cleaning the ash pan

– Recommended frequency: every two days, but this may vary depending on how long the stove is used. It is important not to let the ash pan get too full.
– Material: an ash vacuum cleaner (or another tool with a filter for the ash).
– Procedure: take out the ash pan and empty it into the organic waste or use it as plant fertiliser, clear out the remaining ash in the pan with an ash vacuum cleaner.
– Warning: ash can be used as fertiliser as long as it does not exceed 2.6 kg/10m2 per year. Using vacuum cleaners with unsuitable filters can release dust into the environment and make the house dirty.

Cleaning the burn pot and burn pot support

– Recommended frequency: every day, but this may vary depending on the length of use and user’s experience.
– Material: ash vacuum cleaner.
– Procedure: open the firebox door, remove the burn pot deflector and pull out the burn pot. Clean out the ash and any residue so that all the blocked holes are cleared, especially the ignition hole. Remove any ash from the burn pot support. When you have finished cleaning, put the burn pot back pushing it towards the ignition hole and then, reposition the burn pot deflector.
–  Warning: if there are any pellets left in the burn pot, remove them and throw them away. Do not put them back into the stove hopper.

Cleaning the combustion chamber

– Recommended frequency: every week.
– Material: ash vacuum cleaner, brush.
– Procedure: we recommend performing this task when you clean the burn pot and burn pot support because you have to remove them to clean the combustion chamber. Follow the illustrations in your instruction manual to see how to remove the deflector, back and side panels. Clean the vents and all the components that have been removed with the brush.
– Warning: if you have any doubts about dismantling or reassembling the various components, contact an authorised technical support centre.

These are the cleaning tasks that you can do yourself to keep your pellet stove operating correctly.
Any other cleaning task must only be carried out by the T.S.C. (authorised Technical Support Centre) or qualified staff.

Find the Technical Support Centre in your area



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