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[Violet Fields]

I have a pellet stove on the main floor of my house and the heat is wonderful, but it puts out a lot of black soot. I dust often, but the furniture and doors in my living room get covered in dust with fine black particles in it. My husband says it's from opening the stove's door to clean it, but I'm wondering if it spews out the soot all the time. Does anyone have a sooty pellet stove? Is there anything you can do to prevent it from collecting on everything? Thanks for your help!

[Allegheny]

I never had a pellet stove, but did have a wood burning stove for many years.  I didn't have that problem or problem with ash dust.

But a quick google search probably will take you to other forums that could diagnose issues that may be creating this problem.  I found some information on Hearth dot com.

[fthunt]

I don't have a pellet stove but it sounds like there is a bad pipe connection.  Somewhere - perhaps a small crack - a less than tight connection.  If there is a crack - like under the stove, that could be dangerous to allow a spark out near rug or furniture.  I think I'd have a PS expert come and clean and inspect.  Don't think your husband has the answer.

[sueeich]

About 14 years ago, we lived in Connecticut and bought a house with all electric heat.  At the time, that was the kiss of death in the Northeast because electricity prices were so high.  We didn't want to spend the money to retrofit the house with oil heat, so we ended up replacing the existing wood stove with a pellet stove.  Let me tell you, I remember how wonderfully that stove worked for us!  It could really crank out the heat.  Anyway, I never had any problem with black soot.  I think there might be a problem with your exhaust pipe.  I would have somebody that specializes in pellet stoves come out and take a look.

[aubnwa01]

Probably 25 years ago, i had a pellet stove insert in the fireplace at another home & the burn chamber was sealed, so I didn't have a problem with soot while it was burning.   It was a type that you'd have to shut it off about once a month & let it cool completely to clean out the ashes since it didn't have a drawer or whatever for the ashes to fall into.  It made a big old mess when I'd clean it out, no matter how neat I tried to be while cleaning it out.  I had a little shop-vac type thing to clean it with & I'd spread out newspapers all over the place & it still made a mess. I'd have to wipe down the glass in the door of it & I'd end up looking like I'd just down a shift in a coal mine!  I finally got tired of it & switched over to a gas insert that looked just like it & was so glad I did, because the pellet stove was a pita, what with cleaning it & buying & storing bags of pellets.

[Violet Fields]

Thanks for all your replies. I agree that it would be good to get someone out to make sure nothing is amiss with the stove or ventiation. In the meantime, I dusted the end table today that's near the stove and I'm going to check it each day for the black dust until my husband cleans it (which is every few days). I wish we didn't have to rely on the pellet stove for heat, but we have oil heat and it's too expensive to just use that. The house is big and the ceilings are real high.