Periodic Maintenance

With proper cleaning and the use of quality pellets, your Cheap Charlie heater requires very little maintenance. However, the following periodic maintenance is strongly recommended. This should be preformed seasonally, bi-seasonally, or every 1-2 tons of fuel usage.

WARNING: Unplug your stove's electrical cord prior to opening the sides of the stove or opening the exhaust system for any inspection, cleaning, maintenance or service work.

NEVER perform any inspections, cleaning, maintenance or service on a HOT STOVE.

ASH TRAPS: [COLD STOVE ONLY] Remove the back plate from the firebox area. This will expose the two ash traps and the fuel drop shute. Fly ash may be removed by vacuuming inside the trap areas. It is also good to use a brush (bottle cleaner) to reach up and down to scrape the build up off the metal areas.

BURN GRATE: Periodically remove and clean your grate. In particular it is advisable to clean out the holes to remove any build up that may prevent air from moving through grate freely. If grate has become plugged with hard residue from burning lower quality fuel, you may need to use a sharp awl or drill bit to open holes back to their original size.

BURN POT: This is the “pot” where the pellets are burned in the grate. When removing your grate for cleaning, check the burn pot area for ash build up. Some ash will fall through the grate holes and build up under the grate. This needs to be cleaned out to prevent lack of air flow through the burn grate.

DOOR GASKET: Inspect the main door gasket periodically. The main door may be removed to have frayed, broken or compacted gaskets replaced by your Authorized Cheap Charlie Dealer.

FAN MOTORS: Clean the in-take on CONVECTION (ROOM AIR) fan as well as the air holes on the motors of both COMBUSTION and CONVECTION fans annually. Disassemble the COMBUSTION AIR FAN and clean out the internal fan blades as part of your fall start up.

FRESH AIR INTAKE: Inspect periodically to be sure that it is not clogged with any foreign materials. A plugged screen will restrict or shut off combustion air and cause a fire to die or burn poorly.

GOLD / BRASS TRIM CLEANING: Use a damp cloth to clean your gold door. DO NOT USE

ANY ABRASIVE CLEANERS AS YOU WILL REMOVE OR SCRATCH THE PLATING!

CHECK AND CLEAN THE HOPPER:

Check the hopper periodically to determine if there is any sawdust or pellets that are sticking to the hopper surface. Clean as needed.

GLASS (High Temp, Neo-Ceram):We recommend using a high quality glass cleaner. Should a build up of creosote or carbon accumulate you may wish to use 000 steel wool and water to clean glass. Ceramic is very hard and will not scratch from the steel wool.

GLASS REPLACEMENT: In the event you need replacement only Neo-Ceram of the correct size and thickness may be used. Contact your local Cheap Charlie dealer to obtain this glass.

DO NOT OPERATE STOVE WITH BROKEN GLASS AS LEAKAGE OF FLUE GASES MAY RESULT.

Copyright 2004	27	Cheap Charlie Owner’s Manual
Canadian Comfort Industries	www.dansons.com	Dansons Group Inc.