5824 Forester question

The Chinese have got your money? Local big box store has been trying to sell one now since early fall for $640. Sorry for the problems. Have you called USSC about the symbol?

A lazy flame is a sign of insufficient air flow. Make sure your combustion blower is running at normal speed, and your venting pipe is clean. You don't mention cleaning the venting, or its termination. Did you pull the combustion blower out and clean it? I'm not familiar with your stove, but you may have missed cleaning some "hidden" passage(s), also.

What did you do behind the fake firebrick boards?

I'm assuming there are one or more metal plates back there, did you get behind those plates?

As for that light when does it light up?

There has to be a path for the exhaust to get from the firebox area to the combustion blower. That is usually one of the things that takes place behind the fake fire brick and the metal plates it sits against.

Usually there is at least one clean out port on each side or the side plates are held on with a screw, removing the screw allows you to rotate out a side plate to access the ash trap on that side of the stove.

It is the ash traps that plug up and after a while make a mess of your burn.

If you have access to the termination cap on your exhaust system you can on a stove with a simple airflow remove the crud using a leaf blower in vacuum mode. If the air path isn't simple you go in from the clean out to the combustion blower cavity or from the combustion blower cavity to the ash trap clean out with brushes to loosen things up and then follow up with the leaf blower or a strong shop vacuum with proper filters.

Your stove's installation manual shows an exhaust maintenance access port labeled as part #32 which allows access to the area below the combustion blower and behind at least part of the firebox.

rodbo1967 said:

Yep, got that and had the exhaust motor #34 to get into the system.

Rodney

Click to expand...

So what did you do about going in that way to get behind the firebox?

If you have a lazy fire and the damper isn't having any effect you still have crud in the system.somewhere. The exhaust path starts just above the burn pot and ends just outside termination cap (it includes that termination cap which btw can be plugged).

rodbo1967 said:

Thank you, just for my own, what is the termination cap? What would happen if I pumper the thermocouples?

Rodney

Click to expand...

Leave those T/Cs alone the stove want's a temperature reading on at least one stove jumping a T/C will cause it to not follow the controller to the desired heat setting while on another it can cause a short.

Termination cap the last piece of vent pipe in your vent system. It normally has some kind of screen to prevent critters from entering it and making a nest in the exhaust system, this screen is prone to gathering ash and other combustion byproducts on it, thus plugging up and making a mess of your burn.

Fix the bad burn first.

rodbo1967 said:

Just one more question. It would appear the thumbs up icon relates to those T/C's. And it would seem since the stove is not blowing warm or hot air that would cause an issue. Also I have the sides and back still off the stove to allow easy adjustments. Should I put the sides back on? Is it possible the stove is not heating up enough to work properly?

Thank you,

Rodney

Click to expand...

If the stove isn't blowing air then it doesn't think it is at temperature yet. You have to run down the all of the controls for the convection air system which might include those T/C plus a snap disc.

Hopefully in playing around you haven't got the T/C s connected incorrectly, located in the wrong positions, or damaged.

ETA: The thermo disc is item #35

You state that the flame is tall & lazy....classic problem with lack of airflow through stove. You state that the stove & exhaust pipe are clean. As mentioned above, I'd still do a leaf blower cleaning to make 100% sure.

To me, the only thing left is the air intake. Do you have an OAK on the stove? If so, are you sure it's clean all the way out? You say it has a damper....are you sure that it's opening?

Maybe make a nice planter. Spring is supposed to be close. Was -22 here this AM. Could hardly get the Newfs off the deck to pee.

A: why would the blower fan not kick on?

Bad temperature sensor, loose connection, sensor not mounted where it should be, stove not getting hot enough, bad control board.

B: is it normal for the flame to die out when you put your hand over the air intake port?

Fire needs oxygen from the air and you just plugged its air supply, do that and a fire goes out.