usstove 6220 pellet furnace installed but got a problem

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cds11

New Member
Dec 27, 2011
34
ohio
well i just installed the furnace last week and i just started it up today to make sure everything was ok. everything on the furnace seems to function correctly but im not getting very much air flow out of the floor registers. i took the rear panel off the furnace to make sure both blowers were running and they both are. anybody else have this problem with these furnaces? i do have the cold air return hooked up to the furnace. i also have a backdraft damper installed so it doesnt blow air into my electric furnace. my electric furnace has a 1400 cfm blower and it just blasts the air out of the registers, you can actually stand beside the register on the floor and feel the air hitting your face. when the 6220 is running you can barely feel the air on your hand right against the register. the 6220 has twin 500 cfm blowers so im not sure whats going on. i was just getting ready to go buy 3 tons of pellets today but i dont want to waste any more money if i cant get this to work any better. any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks
 
Are you positive the back draft damper is closed? Is it a manual damper? Or a auto damper (air pressure opens and/or closes).

Twin 500 doesn't make 1,000 CFM. So you have a decent reduction in air flow. Have you closed off any registers that are not really needed?
 
Are you positive the back draft damper is closed? Is it a manual damper? Or a auto damper (air pressure opens and/or closes).

Twin 500 doesn't make 1,000 CFM. So you have a decent reduction in air flow. Have you closed off any registers that are not really needed?

the back draft damper is auto. last year i had a johnson j9900 wood burning furnace that had the same cfm blowers on it and i have the pellet furnace installed exactly the same way and the wood furnace blew plenty of air out the registers.
 
Check for leaks in all of the joints in the distribution system. Also how is your return air hooked up? Is the return air blocked?

ETA: Also pellet units generally do not go full output unless the device is operated at the highest feed rate.
 
Check for leaks in all of the joints in the distribution system. Also how is your return air hooked up? Is the return air blocked?

ETA: Also pellet units generally do not go full output unless the device is operated at the highest feed rate.

its hooked up to the same distribution sys as the electric furnace and it does good with no leaks. its hooked up to the same return air as electric furnace with no blocks. i turned the pellet furnace up on high and waited for about 30 minutes then checked it but still the same low output at the registers. i will take some pics this afternoon and post them so you guys will have a better look at it. what do you guys think about a duct booster fan? the one that will fit is a 10" one and it is rated for 650 cfm. but i have seen some posts where people has recommended putting a damper in the feed line because the air was moving to fast through the heat exchanger.
 
And you have all of the proper block offs in place? We aren't going to assume that even the prior setup was correct.

Note, there should be two, one on the distribution side and one on the return side.

Pictures will help as will all of the settings on the 6220 this includes the actual firing rates in the controller "constants" not just the heat range setting.

If you have a means of measuring the exhaust temperature of the 6220 that would be of interest.

ETA: Is this unit being operated off of a t-stat?

Oh Dexter has a good point on the two 500CFM units not being the same as a 1000CFM unit, the information I've found says that the second blower doesn't engage until the plenum temperature gets above 90 something ::F.
 
And you have all of the proper block offs in place? We aren't going to assume that even the prior setup was correct.

Note, there should be two, one on the distribution side and one on the return side.

Pictures will help as will all of the settings on the 6220 this includes the actual firing rates in the controller "constants" not just the heat range setting.

If you have a means of measuring the exhaust temperature of the 6220 that would be of interest.

ETA: Is this unit being operated off of a t-stat?

Oh Dexter has a good point on the two 500CFM units not being the same as a 1000CFM unit, the information I've found says that the second blower doesn't engage until the plenum temperature gets above 90 something ::F.

i only have one backdraft damper and its on the distribution side, nothing on the return side. i dont know all of the settings and actual firing rates. i dont think the 6220 is as adjustable as its brother the 6100. i just ordered a stove thermometer so i will be able to measure the temps by next weekend. the unit is not being controlled by a thermostat. you are correct about the second blower. thats why i removed the rear cover to verify that they were both running and they were. now i will try to upload some pics.
 
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Can you get access to a CFM meter so you can measure the actual airflow coming out of each register.

I also can't really see a lot in the way of sealing on each of those joints.

You should also get a hold of USSC and ask them about what the firing rate constants should be and how to access them on that controller. It is possible that they are incorrect and if you don't burn enough pellets you don't get enough heat out. Also if the unit can be operated in manual or automatic mode will make a huge difference in how the draft gets handled. In manual mode you have to vary a damper to match up with each firing rate. In automatic mode the damper is left open and the combustion fan varies with the firing rate. USSC uses several controller and controller setups. As far as heat itself is concerned you have a rather large metal radiator in that venting so you are going to send a fair amount of heat into the basement.

I'm a little concerned that the return air isn't going into the USSC and being block from entering the furnace.

Also have you verified that the auto damper in the distribution system closes and closes fully when the USSC is running? You don't need any of the airflow from the USSC going backwards through the furnace.
 
Can you get access to a CFM meter so you can measure the actual airflow coming out of each register.

I also can't really see a lot in the way of sealing on each of those joints.

You should also get a hold of USSC and ask them about what the firing rate constants should be and how to access them on that controller. It is possible that they are incorrect and if you don't burn enough pellets you don't get enough heat out. Also if the unit can be operated in manual or automatic mode will make a huge difference in how the draft gets handled. In manual mode you have to vary a damper to match up with each firing rate. In automatic mode the damper is left open and the combustion fan varies with the firing rate. USSC uses several controller and controller setups. As far as heat itself is concerned you have a rather large metal radiator in that venting so you are going to send a fair amount of heat into the basement.

I'm a little concerned that the return air isn't going into the USSC and being block from entering the furnace.

Also have you verified that the auto damper in the distribution system closes and closes fully when the USSC is running? You don't need any of the airflow from the USSC going backwards through the furnace.



no access to a cfm meter, if they are not that much i can buy one.

i dont feel any air leaking around the dist joints, i plan on sealing them up though after i make sure everything is ok and i dont have to take them apart

i have done some research on the old i burn corn forum and found that USSC will not give or tell any info to change the 6220. they did for the 6100 but i guess they claimed that they got the 6220 right and it should be run on auto.

i think the return air is ok. when i removed the rear panel from the 6220 that pretty much eliminated the return air and it could just draw air in from the basement and it didnt change the airflow at the registers.

the damper does completely close to where no air is entering the electric furnace.
 
What is the supposed BTU output of the 6220?

It is likely not going to produce a massive amount of heat like a wood furnace would as it won't burn the wood at anywhere near the rate of that furnace did, this will likely lower the temperature of what you are used to seeing come out of the vent.

I have heard USSC say that about a number of their units in the past only for them to eventually provide someone the information.

https://www.google.com/search?q=cfm air flow meter
 
What is the supposed BTU output of the 6220?

It is likely not going to produce a massive amount of heat like a wood furnace would as it won't burn the wood at anywhere near the rate of that furnace did, this will likely lower the temperature of what you are used to seeing come out of the vent.

I have heard USSC say that about a number of their units in the past only for them to eventually provide someone the information.

https://www.google.com/search?q=cfm air flow meter

75000 btu output. the plenum on the 6220 feels warm enough to the touch, its just not able to push the warm air through the ductwork into the house.
 
75000 btu output. the plenum on the 6220 feels warm enough to the touch, its just not able to push the warm air through the ductwork into the house.

That amount of uninsulated metal surface area will result in the air cooling down plus even minor leaks in the ductwork will cause a lot of warm air to escape and never make it out the registers.

I still say hammer on USSC it is their device.

Ever watch Mike Holmes, he had a case where about 400 CFM got lost on one furnace it was going out the joints in the ductwork, they use some sort of smoke generator to locate the leaks. They used an air flow meter to determine what was happening and if they got the situation fixed.
 
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