Pellets not burning completely Englander PDVC

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mystove

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Nov 28, 2012
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Pellets are burning into a pile of grit. I have cleaned the inside of the stove, removed and cleaned all of the exhaust.

Does this sound like a convection fan issue? This is my next project to clean again.

50 degrees in the house this morning :(
 
Would help if we knew what stove you have !
 
Poor pellets, some produce a hard gritty ash over some that produce soft fluffy ash.

Could also be damp pellets, when damp they burn poorly.
 
CladMaster said:
Poor pellets, some produce a hard gritty ash over some that produce soft fluffy ash.

Could also be damp pellets, when damp they burn poorly.
Click to expand...

I have a new brand I bought a few bags of yesterday I can try. have been using Hearth Wood and they have been ok and then suddenly pile of ash and then pile of grit.
 
OH and I don't know what you cal it but little sparks also flying in the stove now since the grit issue began.
 
mystove said:
OH and I don't know what you cal it but little sparks also flying in the stove now since the grit issue began.
Click to expand...

Little sparks, it's called fly ash, this is normal, some stoves have lots of sparks / fly ash, other have very little.

Make sure you have the lower 3 buttons set to LFF 6, LBA 4, AOT 1.
 
CladMaster said:
Little sparks, it's called fly ash, this is normal, some stoves have lots of sparks / fly ash, other have very little.

Make sure you have the lower 3 buttons set to LFF 6, LBA 4, AOT 1.
Click to expand...

How do I check those?
 
On the control panel, the three buttons along the bottom LFF, LBA, AOT, when you press each one a number will come up in the left display. To change the number you use the up and down arrows under that number.

The AOT number must not be changed, it must always be set at '1'.
 
CladMaster said:
On the control panel, the three buttons along the bottom LFF, LBA, AOT, when you press each one a number will come up in the left display. To change the number you use the up and down arrows under that number.

The AOT number must not be changed, it must always be set at '1'.
Click to expand...

ok double checked those
 
Well convection blower cleaned and replaced but no change so far in burning issues, also using new pellets. Only thing I can think of to do is clean the combustion blower also. It is burning now, freezing in here so that isn't going to happen right this second.
 
Pellets piling up is usually an air issue ... follow the air path through the whole stove (internal exhaust pathways out to the end of the exhaust vent). Combustion blower needs cleaning (new gasket on hand?). Does it seem to be running as usual?

Use compressed air to blow out the motor windings for both convection and combustion blowers. Check manual to see if they need lubrication....
 
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Lake Girl said:
Pellets piling up is usually an air issue ... follow the air path through the whole stove (internal exhaust pathways out to the end of the exhaust vent). Combustion blower needs cleaning (new gasket on hand?). Does it seem to be running as usual?

Use compressed air to blow out the motor windings for both convection and combustion blowers. Check manual to see if they need lubrication....
Click to expand...

This machine is the most frustrating thing ever. Yes it seems to be running the same as it has been except the pellets are burning into a pile of grit. At first I thought exhaust too and I'll get that other blower out as soon as I can and check see if I missed anything in the stove.

Counting the days till spring lol.
 
You may also want to double check your OAK inlet to make sure it is not obstructed (snow, ice, dust etc)
 
I thought Pellets piling up was a normal occurence on these stoves due to the design of the burn pot? I know I can't run more than several hours without having to scoop some out? I guess if it's a new problem for you than something must have changed?
 
johnboy89 said:
I thought Pellets piling up was a normal occurence on these stoves due to the design of the burn pot? I know I can't run more than several hours without having to scoop some out? I guess if it's a new problem for you than something must have changed?
Click to expand...

No this stove normally runs for 24 hours and I shut down and clean it out and restart. It should have ash in the pot but it should run fine for a day without having to be messed with. Mine is not now, I had to get up this morning and get a chunk of hard ash/partially burned pellets out of the pot and it still isn't burning right. 55 degrees in the house this morning.
 
mystove said:
No this stove normally runs for 24 hours and I shut down and clean it out and restart. It should have ash in the pot but it should run fine for a day without having to be messed with. Mine is not now, I had to get up this morning and get a chunk of hard ash/partially burned pellets out of the pot and it still isn't burning right. 55 degrees in the house this morning.
Click to expand...
I am having nearly identical problems to this. Just started monday when we got hit with a cold spell (northern pa). Running the stove on 4, my burn pot is over flowing in about 4 hours.
 
mystove said:
No this stove normally runs for 24 hours and I shut down and clean it out and restart. It should have ash in the pot but it should run fine for a day without having to be messed with. Mine is not now, I had to get up this morning and get a chunk of hard ash/partially burned pellets out of the pot and it still isn't burning right. 55 degrees in the house this morning.
Click to expand...

Was it like this clinker.jpg that is called a clinker, welcome to the clinker collectors club.

To get rid of these you have to make sure that all gaskets are good, all doors are properly closed and latched, that the wear plate isn't worn or inserted into the stove incorrectly, that the entire combustion air path is clean (starts outside before the OAK and ends outside after the vent termination) cleaning should involve lots of elbow grease, brush work, high air flow devices, and then making sure that the stove is in the proper mode and the lower 3 are whatever they should be.

It also helps if you burn a low ash pellet.
 
chrisasst said:
Did you say you had your pdvc for 4 years? This is the first time for pellet build up ?
Click to expand...

No it has done it once before I believe but I am unsure what the fix was, it has been a while. Last year we had the auger issues, in the middle of a cold snap of course. This is an 06 model and we bought it used.
 
SmokeyTheBear said:
Was it like this View attachment 150176 that is called a clinker, welcome to the clinker collectors club.

To get rid of these you have to make sure that all gaskets are good, all doors are properly closed and latched, that the wear plate isn't worn or inserted into the stove incorrectly, that the entire combustion air path is clean (starts outside before the OAK and ends outside after the vent termination) cleaning should involve lots of elbow grease, brush work, high air flow devices, and then making sure that the stove is in the proper mode and the lower 3 are whatever they should be.

It also helps if you burn a low ash pellet.
Click to expand...

Yep I am blessed with those now. I want to get into the combustion fan and I thought I had a spare gasket that now cannot be found. I'll keep plugging away at it and see what works. Or it might make a nice planter in the yard :)
 
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