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table spoons of vegetable oil into the auger chute at the bottom of the hopper to
lubricate the shaft and further soften things up. If possible let things soak and
soften for at least an hour.
After allowing the vegetable oil to work on the clog, rock the gear motor back and
forth. If you get the auger motor to move freely in both directions plug in the stove
and see if it can push out whatever is clogging things up. (Fast forward through the
start up procedure to start the gear motor, without lighting a fire.)
If the gear motor cannot turn the auger, pull the plug and rock the motor some
more. You may have to do this several times. Take a break and allow the
vegetable oil to work. You may add a little more if things do not look sufficiently
moist.
(Pulling the auger is a last resort! It can be done, but it is generally not necessary.
Do not be eager to do that.)
Once the motor is able to turn the auger, let it run at least 10 minutes allowing the
muck to be pushed into the elbow. Vacuum out any crude stuff that is pushed
forward. One more time feel the inside of the elbow and the burn pot to see if
anything else can be chipped out.
Now, you should be able to start a fire. Follow the instructions on the Controller.
However, continue to feed hand feed soup can quantities of pellets into the hopper
until you are comfortable that the auger is feeding properly.
Keep in mind, that once the auger gets gooped up, it takes a while for it to get
cleaned off. When you run at very low settings it is more difficult to do so. So be
prepared to run on medium heat, at least 4 bars, until things are flowing smoothly.
What do I have to do to prepare my Upland at the end of the season?
Your Spring preparation / cleaning is similar to the cleaning that you do once every
four to six weeks during the heating season. Start off by doing your normal
maintenance clean. Clean out the burn pot and auger feed elbow as normal, maybe
just a little better than normal. The most critical area is the feed elbow as it
redirects the pellets from horizontal flow to vertical lift. The carbon buildup may
be a little allusive, because the deposit is generally very smooth, hard and just out
of view at the front of the elbow as it meets the burn pot. However, it is easily
chipped away with the cleaning tool.
This is a good time to be sure that you have a nice fresh, high quality filter on your
shop vacuum. If your vac has a hose outlet, I suggest investing in a second hose
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