Englander multiple starts to get a fire... What to do??

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Joe B One925

Joe B One925

Member
Sep 19, 2014
66
Sturbridge, MA
Hi all,

This is my first season burning with my new englander 25-pdvc, and while the stove has been burning great to get it to ignite is another story.

Since fire one I've had to start it 2 sometimes up to 3 times to get the fire to get going. If it doesn't light during the first start up it jumps to E2, I unplug it, clean out the pot and hit on again.

While it does eventually start up I'm wondering what I should do to fix this? The pellets do get very hot and hurt taking them since they're scorched a bit...

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!
 
Ok one thing to always make sure of is that you are starting it in heat range 5 or higher I always start mine in high.. Plus check the ignighter to make sure it not loose and moved out of whack
 
Ya the manual says to start on 5 or higher.. Like I said I always start mine on high... So ya boost up the heat level and I bet your problem will be solved
 
Also no reason to unplug it after getting the error code, hit the on button again and it'll start back up.

When I actually use the igniter I usually put a few pellets in front of it to help it start faster but mostly I just start it with a torch.
 
In the bottom of the firepot / burn chamber on the right there is a hole on the back wall, place a long pellet in this hole just before you start it, then cover it with a hand full of pellets, it will help it start first time every time.
 
Yeah I agree I haven't done the heat any higher than 4 since I bought it w the blower max at 7... Keeping the main level around 75 and upper level at 66 or so... Any thoughts to push air up? I'm taking maybe 6 steps high and the steps are about 12 from away
 
Happens sometimes on my stove also. Mostly happens when the stove has been off for a long time, or on really cold days when the fresh air intake is bringing in super cold air.

Make sure the burn pot is situated properly for the igniter to glow through the hole in the burn pot. If you get a sense that the pellets are hot but just haven't caught fire yet, hit off, then on, and the startup sequence will begin again giving more time for the pellets to ignite into flame.
 
Joe B One925 said:
I always thought clad master that you don't want pellets below the burn plate... That's where the air intake hole is correct?
Click to expand...

No ! The hole is above the wear plate (igniter hole) on the right, it's a small hole that's just big enough for a pellet to slide in.
 
I'm not lucky enough to have a self ignitor.... but even with manual starting, this happens sometimes. ... especially with a new (i.e. different brand) bag of pellets! I just messed around and got the stove adjusted for a new brand I got from Lowes (don't remember the brand) .., but THEY didn't like to light with the standard 6-4-1 setting on my stove. The hopper was about 1/2 full, so I filled before going to work. I shut the stove down at night to clean it, and dang .. I had a heck of a time starting it as well. 3 times was the charm, then I realized it had run out of the Lowes pellets and was back on locally bought Kirtlands ... like I had initially. Put the stove back to 6-4-1 and it's been a happy camper again.

So .. the moral of the story.... just remember to keep an eye out for such 'oddities', when you switch pellet brands!.

Just curious ... I suspect all self-ignighting pellet stoves us a glow-plug type ignitor? I wouldn't think a spark time (like in our propane log set) would work, unless you had an reasonably flammable excellerant in place .. which wouldn't be a good idea.
 
Mine does this as well, sometimes. The fix... That igniter has to be clean and free of any ash. I find that if I burn for a week or so without sticking the vaccume over the igniter hole once a week, she won't light.
 
Dustin said:
Mine does this as well, sometimes. The fix... That igniter has to be clean and free of any ash. I find that if I burn for a week or so without sticking the vaccume over the igniter hole once a week, she won't light.
Click to expand...



- Dustin do you also start yours at 5 / 1 like ChrisNow86 mentioned above?
 
Tightening the bolts forces the burn pot up against the gasket that is between the back of the burnpot and the fire box. This will help force air through the burn pot instead of around.

Honestly, the most important thing to keep these ignitors working is to ensure that there is airflow around them. The ignitor works by heating the air running by it and eventually the heated air will ignite the nearby pellets. Placing a pellet in the little hole will only block the air flow. If you have an older/tired ignitor, the tip may not be heating as much. You need full airflow around the ignitor to work properly.

Tips to the OP to get the stove running quickly:

> Make sure that the burn pot is cleared of all ashes before starting the stove.
> Make sure that the ignitor is properly positioned - there should be a gap of around 1/8" between the end of the ignitor and the back side of the fire box (1/8" from the outside, not inside of firebox)
> Make sure that there are no ashes around the ignitor. During every weekly cleaning, stick the vacuum hose right up to the hole and make sure all ashes are cleared out. During a daily startup, check to make sure there are no ashes in the ignitor hole. I keep a miniature screwdriver or toothpick around to just run through this hole if there are any ashes in there.

The stove goes through a startup procedure for the first 15-20 mins which really does not rely on the heat and blower settings. These settings only come into play when "S U" disappears from the display.

Lastly, if the igniting is still a problem, before startup, you can drop a small handful of pellets near the ignitor. Don't force them into the hole, just near it. The ignitor usually starts warming before the pellets reach it, so putting an extra handful will usually start the fire earlier in the process.

I'm working on my 8th season with the original ignitor in my stove, and I don't think I've had more than one or two times where the stove hasn't lit.

Keeping things clean on these stoves are critical to good performance.

Good luck!
 
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kofkorn said:
Tightening the bolts forces the burn pot up against the gasket that is between the back of the burnpot and the fire box. This will help force air through the burn pot instead of around.

Honestly, the most important thing to keep these ignitors working is to ensure that there is airflow around them. The ignitor works by heating the air running by it and eventually the heated air will ignite the nearby pellets. Placing a pellet in the little hole will only block the air flow. If you have an older/tired ignitor, the tip may not be heating as much. You need full airflow around the ignitor to work properly.

Tips to the OP to get the stove running quickly:

> Make sure that the burn pot is cleared of all ashes before starting the stove.
> Make sure that the ignitor is properly positioned - there should be a gap of around 1/8" between the end of the ignitor and the back side of the fire box (1/8" from the outside, not inside of firebox)
> Make sure that there are no ashes around the ignitor. During every weekly cleaning, stick the vacuum hose right up to the hole and make sure all ashes are cleared out. During a daily startup, check to make sure there are no ashes in the ignitor hole. I keep a miniature screwdriver or toothpick around to just run through this hole if there are any ashes in there.

The stove goes through a startup procedure for the first 15-20 mins which really does not rely on the heat and blower settings. These settings only come into play when "S U" disappears from the display.

Lastly, if the igniting is still a problem, before startup, you can drop a small handful of pellets near the ignitor. Don't force them into the hole, just near it. The ignitor usually starts warming before the pellets reach it, so putting an extra handful will usually start the fire earlier in the process.

I'm working on my 8th season with the original ignitor in my stove, and I don't think I've had more than one or two times where the stove hasn't lit.

Keeping things clean on these stoves are critical to good performance.

Good luck!
Click to expand...
And to add...locate the igniter in the back of the stove. If your stove is newer. There will be a small metal cap on the top side of the ignitor chase, just above and beyond the square set screw. Remove the cap and toss it away. For good measure, loosen the igniter set screw and draw the igniter backwards 1/8" and reset the set screw. The cap you are removing covers the weep hole they drill into the cast to capture air from the intake tube into the ignitor tube. Because the igniter is only getting air from one side (before removing cap) the ignitor only cools down from one side too. Igniters fail because they cool down uneavenly. If cold air is hitting only one side of the cartridge during cooling (once the electricity is cut off) the cartridge will start to bend over time. If it flexes too much... Snap, the elements break and the ignitor is shot. By removing the cap your are allowing air to cool the ignitor from all sides evenly, thus extending it's life. Also you will allow more air into the tube and create faster ignition times. If your ignitor is starting to warp, by pulling it back an 1/8 you will allow air to escape the ignition hole in the burn pot. Just some tricks....

Oh, and the two bolt on front tighten the bud pot back against the gasket. If it is loose, the hot air just escapes up the back side of the bud pot and not into it. If you ever remove the burn pot, the gasket should be changed. If the burn pot has warped at all...well there may be nothing you can do until you replace it, along with a new gasket.
 
I could be wrong, but I didn't think that the Englander control panel would allow you to have a blower range number lower than the heat range. IIRC, when you bump up the heat range, the blower automatically moves with it. You can have the blower higher than the heat range, but not lower.

Running the blower too low would give the potential for an over heat situation.
 
kofkorn said:
I could be wrong, but I didn't think that the Englander control panel would allow you to have a blower range number lower than the heat range. IIRC, when you bump up the heat range, the blower automatically moves with it. You can have the blower higher than the heat range, but not lower.

Running the blower too low would give the potential for an over heat situation.
Click to expand...
Depends on the model. Smaller one yes, larger one no
 
I have the 25 pdvc the 2200 sq ft... Most of the time I always run the blower on high... But mine never moves automatically... It seems to put out more heat with the blower on high even with the heat down on say 3 so I always just run it on 9 and my stove it two months old .. So practicaly brand new
 
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