Before the first fire: your pre-season checklist

A pellet stove that sat quiet all summer will usually light on the first try. Usually. The exceptions — a blocked smoke duct, a crusted burn pot, a bag of pellets that drank up the summer humidity — all announce themselves on the coldest night of the year, when every technician in the country is already booked.

An hour of checking now saves you that night. Here is what to go through, in order, before you press the ignition button for the first time.

Start with the chimney and smoke duct

The smoke path comes first, because a blocked one is the single fault you cannot work around: if smoke cannot leave, you do not light. Over the summer, ducts collect dust and loose soot, and in mountain villages it is not rare for birds or wasps to move into a terminal that sat unused for months.

Walk the whole route. Inside, check that the duct sections are still seated tight at the joints and that the seals have not cracked. Outside, look at the terminal cap — it should be clear, with no nest material and no soot cake narrowing the opening. If the duct has not been brushed in a season or more, have it cleaned before you light, not after.

Clean the burn pot until the holes show

The burn pot is where air meets pellets. Its small holes feed the flame, and a season of ash and clinker can seal half of them. The result is a lazy orange flame, sooty glass, difficult ignition, and pellets wasted as smoke. Models like the 8KW stove are rated at 95% efficiency — but a stove only reaches that number when air can move through a clean pot.

Lift the pot out, scrape off the crust, and check each hole against the light. While you are in there, empty the ash drawer, vacuum the firebox and the channels around it, and wipe the door glass and its seal.

Buy fresh pellets — and store them dry

Pellets are compressed wood, and wood drinks humidity. A bag that spent the summer open in a damp storeroom turns soft, crumbles into dust, and burns badly — more ash, a weaker flame, more cleaning. Squeeze a pellet between your fingers: it should be hard and snap cleanly, not bend or powder.

Start the season with fresh bags, keep them off the floor, and store only as much as your space can keep dry. Buying gradually beats stockpiling in a humid corner.

Clear the air intake — and plan for power cuts

A pellet flame needs air coming in as much as it needs smoke going out. Find the air intake at the back of the stove and make sure nothing has settled in it or in front of it — dust, lint, or a box pushed against the wall over the summer.

One practical note: pellet stoves need electricity for the igniter, the feed and the fan. With Lebanon’s power cuts, plan the stove onto your UPS or generator line before winter — the draw is modest, and you can message us to size the backup for your model.

Book your service visit before the autumn rush

Every autumn the same thing happens: the first cold week fills the service calendar for a month. A pre-season visit booked in spring or early summer gets your stove inspected, deep-cleaned, and test-fired calmly — and if a part needs replacing, spare parts are available locally, so it is handled before you need the heat, not during.

Our after-sales support runs 24/7, and that includes helping you pick the right service date. If you have a supported model with Wi-Fi app control, the visit is also a good moment to get the app reconnected before the season starts.