Fahrenheit Pellet Furnace Start & Shuts down

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Earl Beach

Earl Beach

New Member
Jan 30, 2013
38
I am not sure where to go with this thing.
Its been cleaned, NEw Manifold, New Draft Motor, New sail switch. New gaskets on Ash Pan, New Door gasket, New gasket on the top on the machine and still it runs for anywhere from 30 minutes to 8 hours and shuts down. SOmetime the code is flashing for no flame and sometimes its not. Seems now it is shutting down and then re starting after a few minutes
I am about to put this thing at the curb.
See video
 
Is that your normal flame speed? Where is your damper set?

That flame is extremely to lazy. Extremely. That flame should be nice and lively?

Seems your leaking air in a Very large area?

Unless you slowed the flame down in the video?
 
OAK that beast and what the heck does the venting look like starting at the stove.

Where is the unit installed and how many floors in the house?

That fire is totally air starved.
 
Oh, BTW, nice Avatar.. Amc343, yourself, and I all have a similar rendition.

Have you tried to fill any of the upper rows of holes in the pot? I would do the upper 3 rows in the back and front of pot, and then the highest holes in the sides of the pot (mine has 4 holes, way up high I closed off). Also, closing off some air wash will add more air to the pot, adding gasket material to the receptacle, and/or burn pot, also, if damper is closed, open it 100% and slowly back off....

Please post pics of ash color in the ash pan, firebox, and any other pics that will help.
 
+1 on the lack of airflow! It's like the combustion blower isn't even running!
 
That's similar to the way my flame looked before I discovered the three years of buildup left in the 'back wall' from the previous owner.

Have you run a brush up there yet? Pull the ash pan and get a brush of some type (I used a wine bottle cleaning brush) and clean out the space between the firebox and the rear wall of the unit. Its hard to wedge the brush up there but it can de done, and you will be filthy when finished.

I thought mine was clean until I unearthed the mess that was stuck back there.
 
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Also check the front of the pot. Remove ash pan and look up at the front door of the pot. There should be NO gap at all. The actuator should be pulling it fully closed.

That back wall is a good place to check. A long thin brush is needed as amc343 pointed out. I use a dryer lint trap brush. Pretty standard at most stores. I remove the top 2 baffle plates and the ash pan, and come in from the top and the bottom. It basically just goes up and down the 2 sides, because the auger, burn pot, acuator, etc are in the middle.

I also run the combustion blower when cleaning that area. Go into the Maintenance area on the control board and select either the pusher plate or top plate. Once the blower starts, then remove the ash pan, baffles, and go to town.

When you installed the new manifold, the gaskets were put on correctly? Your sail switch isn't opening, because there is not enough air to open it. The Sail Switch swings "In" towards the stove? Correct? If installed backwards it wont open at all?
Did you remove the thin metal plate around the combustion blower and manifold? It has a small hole in it, but when removed makes the exhaust less restricted

There is either a VERY large leak or a plug somewhere (manifold gasket?) Seems as if the blower isn't running as heat seeker said. Almost as if a gasket didnt have the center portion removed (where manifold connects to stove) or the Sail is backwards?

Here is the vid of mine on level 2. With the updated parts, yours should look very similar. 343's looks like this (his actually looks better than mine :() The firebox should be a nice white/grey color.
 
Here are my favorite tools for cleaning that back wall area. The brush and an air nozzle (with Leaf blower hooked up and running on vent outside).

The circle area of the manifold is where the metal plate is (remove) and the square area is where the manifold connects to the exhaust outlet on the stove body. That gasket sometimes comes with the portion thats supposed to be cut-out, still attached. If it was still in the center, there would be 4 small slits on the side, which may allow just enough air through to keep it running?

That flame looks to be getting no air. When you find out whats wrong, it should be obvious as to what it is?

2013-01-07_19-26-40_292.jpg 2013-01-12_15-58-26_551.jpg 2012-02-01_18-20-57_826.jpg
 
Your unit is going to be fuel starved if the air flow is bad, the pellet feed will be disrupted by whatever system in the stove that is used to detect combustion air flow.

You can have a bad air flow due to ash in the works or even negative air pressure in the room with the air intake.

To remove negative pressure in the room issues you OAK the unit or open windows in that room as a test, if the stove is still doing the same thing you then have to find the ash in the works.

You replaced the gaskets but did you test them after having replaced them, we have had cases where people have stretched the gaskets and the new gasket seal was worse than when they started out.
 
DexterDay said:
Here are my favorite tools for cleaning that back wall area. The brush and an air nozzle (with Leaf blower hooked up and running on vent outside).

The circle area of the manifold is where the metal plate is (remove) and the square area is where the manifold connects to the exhaust outlet on the stove body. That gasket sometimes comes with the portion thats supposed to be cut-out, still attached. If it was still in the center, there would be 4 small slits on the side, which may allow just enough air through to keep it running?

That flame looks to be getting no air. When you find out whats wrong, it should be obvious as to what it is?

View attachment 94648 View attachment 94649 View attachment 94650
Click to expand...

Dex, where did you get that brush? I want one.
 
For reference, here is mine burning on level 3. This was taken an hour or so ago after finishing up with the "one ton cleaning and leafblower trick".

Keep in mind that my furnace is a bit different than what Earl and Dexter have. Mine is manual ignition and has a completely different style burnpot assembly.

My apologies if the video didn't turn out that great. I took the video with my iPhone and resized it/uploaded it to Youtube. We'll see if I did this right.

 
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343amc said:
For reference, here is mine burning on level 3. This was taken an hour or so ago after finishing up with the "one ton cleaning and leafblower trick".

Keep in mind that my furnace is a bit different than what Earl and Dexter have. Mine is manual ignition and has a completely different style burnpot assembly.

My apologies if the video didn't turn out that great. I took the video with my iPhone and resized it/uploaded it to Youtube. We'll see if I did this right.

Click to expand...


That's exactly what mine appears like also (Nice job on your Mods and Resto). The auger drop chute is about the only visual difference (pot appears narrower also? But the flame width, height, and liveliness is all the same. And firebox color.
 
343amc said:
For reference, here is mine burning on level 3. This was taken an hour or so ago after finishing up with the "one ton cleaning and leafblower trick".

Keep in mind that my furnace is a bit different than what Earl and Dexter have. Mine is manual ignition and has a completely different style burnpot assembly.

My apologies if the video didn't turn out that great. I took the video with my iPhone and resized it/uploaded it to Youtube. We'll see if I did this right.

Click to expand...


That's exactly what mine appears like also (Nice job on your Mods and Resto). The auger drop chute is about the only visual difference (pot appears narrower also? But the flame width, height, and liveliness is all the same. And firebox color.
 
Earl, any update?

What way does your Sail Switch Swing? And have you removed the Manifold yet?

Seems like the manifold gasket doesn't have a hole (the cut-out portion, is still in it?)
 
Sorry I have been traveling for work.

The furnance is running better but honestly Im not sure why.
It so inconsistent. I am going to clean the back wall tonight and see what improves.
@Dexter I did cut the hole out of the gasket on the manifold as well I have went through the gaskets and followed with a match to see it anywhere was sucking are or pulling in air and the gaskets seem good, as they should since thay are 2 weeks old.
I am wondering how much the exhaust may be playing with this.
I am on a rather High Area and the winds really blows
Thanks so everyone for the input
 
You should not be venting into the wind, if you are you need a special vent termination cap or a wind screen, you also should have an OAK installed on the same side as the vent is and at least several feet below the vent termination. This will remove wind issues which in fact can go so far as to cause loss of vacuum and shutdown, thermal trips of the combustion blower and shutdown, and poor burns.
 
How about the Sail? Its a square piece and can be installed a few different ways. Only one of which is right?

Also, is that flame in the video, your normal flame? Im guessing your damper is open 100%?

Only time my flame is that lazy, is during the auto clean, when the front of the pot opens. Otherwise it should be a brisk and fast flame.

You did the door and ash pan gasket? Is the ignitor working now? Did you check the little white filter on it?
 
Ok,
After much work and changing the the vent outside,the intake and the new sail switch the machine seems to be running well as long as I leave it on 3.
 
Can you post a video of it burning? You still never answered the question on your last video? Is that how the furnace burned?

Can you feel a rush of air when.you place your hand over the intake? How far out can you feel the air from your exhaust? 1' away, 3' away?
 
Make sure the area to the exhaust Manifold is clean and clear, and have you plugged any holes in the pot?

Here is one of my bottom plates to the pot. I did the very back row and the very outside row, along with the 4 or 5 holes, way up in the side of the pot. And the Pusher plate, I did the top 2 rows and I believe the top 4-5 rows of holes on the front door. By closing all those holes (not that many are needed #1 and #2 that isn't where its needed) Now you are bringing all that extra air, into the area where its needed (under the pellets and with force).

Plug the holes, and cover over half of your air wash on the front door (less air wash, more air for pot/pellets). And double up the ash pan gasket if you haven't already.

Also, do you remember if you installed this metal plate on the combustion blower? I removed it because that little hole restricted the air flow Big time. With the plate on its a 2.5" hole, with plate removed, its a 3.625" hole. A 1.125" gain (almost 33% gain)

Here are some pics of the pot side (i can get pics of pusher and front door, but doing the top 2 rows on pusher and top 4 on front door is sufficient). Then cover the airwash some and make sure that metal plate is removed.

2013-03-05_17-42-47_49.jpg 2013-03-05_17-09-28_502.jpg 2013-03-05_18-24-25_865.jpg 2013-03-05_18-25-04_638.jpg
 
And here is a pic of the firebox. So you have an idea of proper ash color. A little lighter or little darker is acceptable. But Black or dark brown is not.
2013-03-02_21-02-08_850.jpg
 
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