Wood Stove, Pellet Stove and Insert Cleaning in Denver

Colorado exempts EPA Phase III wood stoves and inserts, Colorado-approved pellet stoves and approved masonry heaters from Action Day burning restrictions, according to the state health department. A pellet stove earns that approval by testing under 4.1 grams of particulates an hour. So while open fireplaces in the metro sit dark on bad-air days, these units keep running, and many burn every day from November to March.

Cleaner burning does not mean no maintenance. Modern stoves have baffles, secondary air tubes and sometimes a catalytic combustor that clog with fine ash. Pellet stoves add a burn pot, heat exchanger passages, fans and a small exhaust vent that fills with fly ash. Inserts often need to be pulled out to clean the liner and smoke chamber behind them. We price all of that at the free inspection, depending on what you have.

Signs you need this

• Glass blackens within a day of wiping it
• Fires burn lazily or are hard to keep going
• Pellet stove shuts down or shows error codes
• Smoke smell when the loading door opens
• Ash packed in the pellet vent tee or cleanout

How we do it

1. Inspect unit and flueWe check the stove, the pipe or liner, the cap and the chimney, then give you a written price.
2. Clean the stoveBaffles, air tubes or combustor, firebox and ash pan; for pellet units the burn pot, heat exchanger and fans.
3. Clean the ventingWe brush the pipe, liner or pellet vent end to end and clear the tee or cleanout at the bottom.
4. Gaskets and a test burnWe check the door and glass gaskets, then run the stove and watch the flame and the draft.

Can I still use my wood stove on a no-burn day?

Only if it is exempt. In the restricted area, which covers Denver, Boulder, Broomfield, Douglas and Jefferson counties and the western parts of Adams and Arapahoe, the exempt group is EPA Phase III stoves and inserts, Colorado-approved pellet stoves, approved masonry heaters, homes above 7,000 feet, and homes where the stove is the only heat and the owner holds an exemption letter.

Denver enforces the rule through its own code, section 4-24(c)(1), with a fine of $250 minimum and up to $2,000 per violation per day. A stove cannot be tested on its own to become exempt; approval goes by model. We read the label on the back of your stove at the inspection and tell you where it stands.

What is different about a pellet stove?

A pellet stove is part appliance, part chimney. The fire is small and controlled, but fly ash settles in the heat exchanger passages and the exhaust vent, and when it builds up the stove senses poor airflow and shuts itself down. Many service calls for a pellet stove that keeps stopping turn out to be a dirty vent.

We clean the burn pot, the passages, the combustion and room fans and the vent, then run the stove through a full start. If a part has failed, we tell you what it is rather than guessing.

How often should a stove be cleaned?

At least once a year for a stove in regular use, ideally before the season. A stove that burns every day may need a second check in midwinter, especially if you notice the glass blackening faster or the fire getting harder to manage. Pellet stoves also need the owner's routine cleaning between visits, as the manual describes.