Start up problem on USSC 5502M King

[tractorboy924]

we got the stove from TSC about a year ago and finally installed it as I burned wood before. ran the initial sequence and all ok.. then during running the dry run procedure it does not complete and says there is a draft issue?? and the exhaust fan just starts, then stops right away and repeats. Door closed all my connections on the exhaust are good and sealed with sealant. I DONT have a OAK and draw from the room, 1100 sq ft so no neg pressure issues as my last stove pulled air from the room. I dont know what to check or do to tryand solve this issue?? I guess I also dont understand what the stove is doing? creating a vaccum pressure in the fire box and thus it leaks air or what??
while its trying to do this..if i OPEN the door the exhaust fans stays running???

I would GREATLY appreciate any advise or help of what to check to solve this issue!!

Oh Ive also seen many people ask about vents and piping and that. I have it at a 45 degree angle in room so I have a 45 elbow 2 1' pipes through the thimble to the tee. then 5' or so of rise of 3" pipe as called for in the manual. Instructions said outside should be 3' but my wife wanted me to go a little higher....could this be the issue as I see many seem to point to the venting in some way.

 

[Lake Girl]

Apparently the exhaust fans pulse rather than a steady RPM but that doesn't seem the issue. Have you checked to make sure there is no packing material in the air intake that may be blocking that?

This thread sounds like a similar problem ... draft fan was set too high. This may explain why the fan starts up when you open the door and it shouldn't.
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/king-55002-m-out-again.137996/page-4
http://www.tractorsupply.com/static/sites/TSC/downloads/ProdContentPDFs/1098925_Man1.pdf page14 goes through setting the draft fan.

Stove in manual or auto?

 

[tractorboy924]

Apparently the exhaust fans pulse rather than a steady RPM but that doesn't seem the issue. Have you checked to make sure there is no packing material in the air intake that may be blocking that?

This thread sounds like a similar problem ... draft fan was set too high. This may explain why the fan starts up when you open the door and it shouldn't.
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/king-55002-m-out-again.137996/page-4
http://www.tractorsupply.com/static/sites/TSC/downloads/ProdContentPDFs/1098925_Man1.pdf page14 goes through setting the draft fan.

Stove in manual or auto?

Autpo mode as we are perfoming the dry run test. called USSC and they said I shojuld put foil tape on all my joints to make sure not air leaking and to check the rubber hose connection in the draft fan sensor in the back of the unit so I plan to do that tonight and will check. I didt think any material in the intake but I will check for SURE! Fan speeds have not been messed with since in auto mode for the dry test the manual calls for..... I will check regardless and see,.

 

[Lake Girl]

I thought of the vacuum switch/draft fan sensor but if it was faulty, it shouldn't have run when the door was open. Worth a check though. Make sure you unplug the stove when working in the cabinet. If it isn't on surge protection, make sure you do that as well.

From the link I gave you, Owen1508 was a USSC stove tech. He mentioned that you can run a straightened coat hanger through air intake to under burn pot. Good way to ensure nothing left in there by accident.

Wondering if when they ran diagnostics at the factory, they never reset to original settings. You might want to see page 14, AUX buttons, to return the stove to factory settings.

What lights on display panel were on when running the diagnostics? If the draft issues comes up again, may want to try opening a door/window near the stove to see if that changes stove reaction. If it does, you likely will need to install an OAK due to negative house pressure.

Keep us posted!

 

[tractorboy924]

I thought of the vacuum switch/draft fan sensor but if it was faulty, it shouldn't have run when the door was open. Worth a check though. Make sure you unplug the stove when working in the cabinet. If it isn't on surge protection, make sure you do that as well.

From the link I gave you, Owen1508 was a USSC stove tech. He mentioned that you can run a straightened coat hanger through air intake to under burn pot. Good way to ensure nothing left in there by accident.

Wondering if when they ran diagnostics at the factory, they never reset to original settings. You might want to see page 14, AUX buttons, to return the stove to factory settings.

What lights on display panel where on when running the diagnostics? If the draft issues comes up again, may want to try opening a door/window near the stove to see if that changes stove reaction. If it does, you likely will need to install an OAK due to negative house pressure.

Keep us posted!

thank you also for all your time and help. im freakin out as I took out wood stove and now this is my only heat source so im afraid something wrong but hoping its a simple thing. They say its a Pos pressure thing so that means vent is under pos pressure? does that mean its try to create a vacumm in the fire box???

Good idea on the coat hanger as well. I dont know what lights were lit during the diagnostic check as my wife did it.....
the second time we tried to run the dry run I had a window open and thought of the neg air pressure so put a fan near back of stove to push more air into the area. our old wood stove worked ok drawing household air so I would not think it should be a problem but I did that all in case.
Good point to I will reset all to factor defaults. Let me try to find out what lights were on during the diagnostic start up too

I did the dollar bill test and that passed for sure! nice and tight on the door gasket! and I know when the draft fan first started it was blowing decent and semi strong out the outside exhaust cap!!
.

 

[Lake Girl]

Don't freak yet ... you still have a bit of time before the real cold hits your area. Former Grand Island/Buffalo, NY resident.

I would do the reset and then write down what lights/messages are coming up. As I mentioned, the exhaust fan does pulse down so exhaust flow will decrease but you should not be getting error codes.

What is your exhaust set-up? Up and out, out and up? Many elbows? 3" or 4"? Using old set up from wood stove with adapter?

 

[tractorboy924]

ok we will run the diagnostic test again tonight and note the lights then reset...(then probaby run it again!) .to let you know what is lit if anything. she does not remember if any likes but remembers all check out ok per the explanation is the manual (whatever that means)

during the dry run test I don't get any error codes its just stuck in that cycle of starting up and then winding down immediately..and we let it run for a while and seems to be stuck i that sequence. display always displaying the Hr-1 indicating the dry run test. but the draft fan light does come one to indicate the problem I'm assuming.

My set up is as follows as ussc asked as well. All 3" vent double wall tubing. Out the back exhaust port horizontally to a 45 elbow to 2' of straight pipe to go through thimble ( as the unit sit at a 45 degree angle in the corner of the room.) in wall to the T clean out pipe then 5' straight pipe (Verticle) to a 90 degree to the exhaust cap.

this is a 100% new vent as it said I could not use the old clay tile chimney I had for wood stove. All joints seamed and sealed with fireplace sealant and I check for any air leaks when It first ran and all seemed ok at that time but do plan to apply foil tape to all joints per USSC tech support advisement. and ofcourse check that hose on the sensor.

I know gotta relax as most likely something stupid/small always is with this stuff.... thanks

 

[tractorboy924]

ok we will run the diagnostic test again tonight and note the lights then reset...(then probaby run it again!) .to let you know what is lit if anything. she does not remember if any likes but remembers all check out ok per the explanation is the manual (whatever that means)

during the dry run test I don't get any error codes its just stuck in that cycle of starting up and then winding down immediately..and we let it run for a while and seems to be stuck i that sequence. display always displaying the Hr-1 indicating the dry run test. but the draft fan light does come one to indicate the problem I'm assuming.

My set up is as follows as ussc asked as well. All 3" vent double wall tubing. Out the back exhaust port horizontally to a 45 elbow to 2' of straight pipe to go through thimble ( as the unit sit at a 45 degree angle in the corner of the room.) in wall to the T clean out pipe then 5' straight pipe (Verticle) to a 90 degree to the exhaust cap.

this is a 100% new vent as it said I could not use the old clay tile chimney I had for wood stove. All joints seamed and sealed with fireplace sealant and I check for any air leaks when It first ran and all seemed ok at that time but do plan to apply foil tape to all joints per USSC tech support advisement. and ofcourse check that hose on the sensor.

I know gotta relax as most likely something stupid/small always is with this stuff.... thanks

ok so tonight I did as ussc said. I foil taped all the joints and also checked the rubber tube on the draft sensor all good. during the initial diagnostic test I get a draft issue... draft fan light blinking and says drft on display.... this is after a factory default reset too. I also for the hell of it ran the dry run test and it again sticks at the draft fan test and tries to wind up but shuts off and draft fan light blinks indicating a draft issue. I had windows all open as well in case so I think I can rule out a neg room pressure issue. What the heck should I do next. calling ussc in the am and again see what they say have reset to factory multiple times in case and reran dry run test and diag test. always says a draft problem. also unplugged the wire to the draft sensor and plugged back in and no go.

I cannot see that anything can be wrong with my venting. this is really bothering me again door gasket is good as passes dollar bill test and fresh air tube is clear and working fine from what I can see...........

 

[Lake Girl]

Hopper lid secured? Is there a gasket on the lid? Can't tell from the manual if it has one.

Did you actually run a coat hanger into the air inlet? Some are equipped with a damper. Wondering if there is one on this stove and if it is jammed from the painting process...

 

[Mt Bob]

Something you can try,jumper the 2 wires going to the pressure switch(unhook from switch,hook wires together)and then run a "dry run".If works,try initial test.The results may help them decide what parts to send you.I do know they had control board problems,causing the problem you have.Please unplug stove before handling any wiring.

 

[Lake Girl]

.I do know they had control board problems,

Couldn't remember what USSC stoves had the control board issues ...

Wondering if any adjustments where made to the controls but they should have gone back to factory settings. Good thread for discussion of functions
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/king-pellet-stove-5502m-issues.152844/#post-2069848

 

[FirepotPete]

Couldn't remember what USSC stoves had the control board issues ...

Wondering if any adjustments where made to the controls but they should have gone back to factory settings. Good thread for discussion of functions
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/king-pellet-stove-5502m-issues.152844/#post-2069848

Those control boards pulse the exhaust fan until the temp is satisfied and then run at a steady speed. Also when opening the door the exhaust fan should ramp up and run at the highest speed. The reason for that is that the control board is sensing a loss of vacuum, so it is acting properly.

 

[tractorboy924]

Those control boards pulse the exhaust fan until the temp is satisfied and then run at a steady speed. Also when opening the door the exhaust fan should ramp up and run at the highest speed. The reason for that is that the control board is sensing a loss of vacuum, so it is acting properly.

Yes when I open the door during the process it does ramp up and run on high. so i guess thats good.

 

[tractorboy924]

Hopper lid secured? Is there a gasket on the lid? Can't tell from the manual if it has one.

Did you actually run a coat hanger into the air inlet? Some are equipped with a damper. Wondering if there is one on this stove and if it is jammed from the painting process...

I think there is a gasket but hopper lid was closed at all times running. I will check again on the gasket.....
no gasket on hopper lid but wife say seems to seal pretty good and lid is flat nicely all along opening ridge.


I did not run a coat hanger throught it as I looked down the pipe will run something physicallly through it too. If I jump the sensor whiles will that make the unit not detect and therefore ramp the fan up to speed show that the sensor is not detected? Ok Will try that before I call them. God wish I was home to do this all. will have to ofcourse after work.

 

[Mt Bob]

Basically,your stove is showing a vacuum leak,or a switch,or control board problem.Few passive mechanical things can cause this,bad door gasket,bad glass gasket,bad internal gasket,or bad internal assembly,or weld.Another est is to partially block off air intake while performing the start up tests.Am trying to help you give the mfg. as much info as possible.Personally,if this is your only heat,i would prefer to see you have a better quality stove.

 

[FirepotPete]

I guess I'm not understanding why you think you have a problem. The exhaust fan seems to be doing what it should do. You say you are doing a dry run? Is that without fire? Until you run that stove with a fire in it you won't know anything.

If the stove was sensing a loss of vacuum with the door closed the exhaust fan wouldn't be pulsing it would be running high like it does when you open the door.

 

[Lake Girl]

Thanks for the clarification Pete ... the exhaust fans on these run different than the norm on pellet stoves. He should be adding pellets and give it a real run? If the exhaust fan (draft fan) will rev and idle on test, why isn't that stated in the manual? I know, saw the comments that the manuals are lousy...

He needs to pay attention to the setting of the feed plate in the hopper? From what I've read, that is another area that can cause problems...

 

[Mt Bob]

His stove has a test mode,called initial test.The combustion motor will ramp up and down,but light is not supposed to flash,as the vacuum switch should stay closed even in combustion motor slow mode.If does not pass this test,it may not allow you to go to the next test step.In dry run,there are no pellets in hopper,stove will go through a complete start up cycle,and shut down after about 20 min.,as described in manual.If stove sees a vacuum problem,start up will not continue.Hope this helps.

 

[FirepotPete]

Thanks for the clarification Pete ... the exhaust fans on these run different than the norm on pellet stoves. He should be adding pellets and give it a real run? If the exhaust fan (draft fan) will rev and idle on test, why isn't that stated in the manual? I know, saw the comments that the manuals are lousy...

He needs to pay attention to the setting of the feed plate in the hopper? From what I've read, that is another area that can cause problems...

I guess I don't know if he should be adding a fire to it yet. He states he's making a dry run? I can only think it's a diagnostic test that can be run on these boards and for some reason it isn't completing and giving a blinking light error code suggesting an exhaust problem. But not sure what "dry run" really means in this case. Or what exact error code is blinking and by which button on the board.

The board on his stove is basically the same as mine. USSC has used that board on many stoves/furnaces and the basics of it are the same with some additional tweaks being made for each specific stove.

Yes the manuals are terrible, USSC keeps information very secret about the boards for the most part. I don't know why they keep it such a secret considering they have very few, if any, techs on the ground to go to someone's house and work on their products. I guess liability is the only reason I can think of.

My stove doesn't have a feed plate in the hopper so I won't say anything about how to adjust it, but yes I would imagine once the stove is up and burning that will need to be adjusted according to the size of pellets he is using. That's going to take finding the sweet spot and then doing all feed adjustments from the board from then on, unless changing pellet types, even then it should be close enough to just adjust from the board.

 

[Lake Girl]

Went back and re-read his post ... draft fan light blinking so it is sensing a vacuum problem. From the manual:
"Flashing Draft Fan Setting Indicator: This indicates that the stove is in normal operation and that the vacuum sensor detects a loss of pressure either because the door is open or because there is a negative pressure in the room with respect to the exhaust."

Obstruction in air intake or too tight a house with little air infiltration, obstruction on exhaust (but doesn't seem the case), vacuum sensor problem or board problem...

Edit: if it was a problem with the house being too tight, should have resolved with opening windows. Apparently tried this with no change...

 

[FirepotPete]

Went back and re-read his post ... draft fan light blinking so it is sensing a vacuum problem. From the manual:
"Flashing Draft Fan Setting Indicator: This indicates that the stove is in normal operation and that the vacuum sensor detects a loss of pressure either because the door is open or because there is a negative pressure in the room with respect to the exhaust."

Obstruction in air intake or too tight a house with little air infiltration, obstruction on exhaust (but doesn't seem the case), vacuum sensor problem or board problem...

Bad hopper lid switch? Easy to check without messing up any coverage from USSC that might be left from buying it last year.

 

[tractorboy924]

I guess I don't know if he should be adding a fire to it yet. He states he's making a dry run? I can only think it's a diagnostic test that can be run on these boards and for some reason it isn't completing and giving a blinking light error code suggesting an exhaust problem. But not sure what "dry run" really means in this case. Or what exact error code is blinking and by which button on the board.

The board on his stove is basically the same as mine. USSC has used that board on many stoves/furnaces and the basics of it are the same with some additional tweaks being made for each specific stove.

Yes the manuals are terrible, USSC keeps information very secret about the boards for the most part. I don't know why they keep it such a secret considering they have very few, if any, techs on the ground to go to someone's house and work on their products. I guess liability is the only reason I can think of.

My stove doesn't have a feed plate in the hopper so I won't say anything about how to adjust it, but yes I would imagine once the stove is up and burning that will need to be adjusted according to the size of pellets he is using. That's going to take finding the sweet spot and then doing all feed adjustments from the board from then on, unless changing pellet types, even then it should be close enough to just adjust from the board.

Yes Pete this stove has two process' that the manual calls for. The first is a diagnotstic test and it says draft and has a light for the draft fan and then after that test manual calls for a DRY Run Test which is done with no pellets and says needs to be performed before you can run fuel it so.

the door gasket was test with the so called dollar bill test at many points along the door seal and its tight! so the door seal is good. Im wondering if I have a bad hopper seal and Im thinking I can test that by "Blocking" the pellet inlet pipe.

I dont see this feed plate many talk about with the Wing nut on it?? I looked.. I was not aware that this was a "low quality stove I guess when I bought it? what are quality stove that should be looked at.

Im sure I will get it but I just cant seem to figure it out. could the draft sensor be bad or is that for sure I must have a leak somewhere in the fire box for this error to be.

when im doing the dry run that should take 23 min per the manul and gets to the draft fan portion.... the draft fan light is no indicating a draft leak and just stays at this procedure pulsing the fan. so I cannot even run this thing with fuel in it yet as I presume from the manual.....as the dry run is not completing..during this dry run test display just says Hr-1 on it.

thanks all

also Pete I think the hopper lid switch is good as thats part of initial test and when tested it on our own say in the diagnotic test it stopped all fans intake and others as it sensed hopper open.

All looks pretty well sealed in the fire box as I looked around the fire box at welds and other stuff but again...does take much im presuming.

let me know if any of you trying to help me would like to see the manual describing the initial test and dry run test function that needs to be peformed before putting into operation.

 

[FirepotPete]

Yes Pete this stove has two process' that the manual calls for. The first is a diagnotstic test and it says draft and has a light for the draft fan and then after that test manual calls for a DRY Run Test which is done with no pellets and says needs to be performed before you can run fuel it so.

the door gasket was test with the so called dollar bill test at many points along the door seal and its tight! so the door seal is good. Im wondering if I have a bad hopper seal and Im thinking I can test that by "Blocking" the pellet inlet pipe.

I dont see this feed plate many talk about with the Wing nut on it?? I looked.. I was not aware that this was a "low quality stove I guess when I bought it? what are quality stove that should be looked at.

Im sure I will get it but I just cant seem to figure it out. could the draft sensor be bad or is that for sure I must have a leak somewhere in the fire box for this error to be.

when im doing the dry run that should take 23 min per the manul and gets to the draft fan portion.... the draft fan light is no indicating a draft leak and just stays at this procedure pulsing the fan. so I cannot even run this thing with fuel in it yet as I presume from the manual.....as the dry run is not completing..during this dry run test display just says Hr-1 on it.

thanks all

Is there a switch on the hopper lid? If there is then see if the lid is contacting the switch. If it is then check that the wires on the switch are properly connected.

Is there a manual damper on that stove? If so make sure it is closed all the way when doing the tests.

 

[tractorboy924]

Is there a switch on the hopper lid? If there is then see if the lid is contacting the switch. If it is then check that the wires on the switch are properly connected.

Is there a manual damper on that stove? If so make sure it is closed all the way when doing the tests.

yes hopper lid is making contact with switch... also can hear it CLICK when closing the door so contact is being made and wires all look good as I check it out last night,. it also say operating ok per the initial diagnotstic test

with the lid down should I tape and seal the gap between door and stove and running test to see if hopper lid has a leak since no gasket???

no manual damper either on this unit.

 

[Mt Bob]

the hopper switch would only shut off auger.