A fine white ash builds up on the glass during the day. It can be dry wiped off but is best cleaned when the stove is cold and a non abrasive cleaner used.
Unlike gas, oil, electric a cornburner does need to be cleaned. It is even more effort than what is required to keep a wood stove/fireplace clean. Even though it is more cleaning required than wood, it is balanced out at least for me by not having to split wood, knock snow off the wood pile, etc.
The US Stove 6039 manual recommends a thorough cleaning once a week. So far I have did a cleaning about every 3 to 4 days. This was to allow me to get a feel for how much ash really builds up. I have been only sweeping theflue once a week and the only ash buildup in the flue is the 2 foot horizontal section. This may be caused by my "fly catcher" hanging off the outlet. I'll know better when it gets cold enough that the stove spends more time not idling on low.
A fine white ash builds up on the glass during the day. It can be dry wiped off but is best cleaned when the stove is cold and a non abrasive cleaner used.
About a weeks worth of ash and oyster shell in the pan. The whole corn is from the burn pot after a shutdown.
After 3 days, a lot of little clinkers. in the lower right corner are some large clinkers that can build up on the agitator fingers. I put on welders gloves and snap them off with a pair of pliers. These clinkers seem to pop off easier while hot.
After 3 days, the accumulation of fly ash and other stuff on the right side. Normally I will vaccuum out this ash while the stove is running. I let it go this long to see how much buildup occurrs. During this run I was running the older burn pot with 7 finger agitator. It seems like when I am running the narrow pot and 5 finger that the ash buildup is not as noticeable.. Maybe a cleaner burn?
After 3 days, the accumulation of fly ash and other stuff on the left side.
After 3 days, don't forget to clean the top where the flue gases exit the fire box.
After 3 days, removing the access panel to clean the fly ash out of left side.
After 3 days, removing the access panel to clean the fly ash out of right side.
My cleanout tee is at the back of the stove and the bottom of 4 foot vertical rise to a 90 degree elbow and then 2 foot horizontal. This is the accumulation before brushing the horizontal flue.
A close up of some of the larger clinkers.
1 week and this is what greeted me when I took the hood off at the outside of the house. I am hoping this buildup is a result of spending most of the week on low(i.e. not a lot of flue draft).