How do you remove the upper baffle in an M55 insert?

Manchester Bob · Jan 16, 2015

I recently bought an Enviro M55 insert. It was a store model: actually used in the store, so I got a decent price break. However, the baffle (or what some call the cleaning rake) at the top has never slid easily. As a matter of fact, it's pretty much seized. It barely moves even when grabbing the rear with both hands and trying to pull it forward.

I had searched around the net and found this site: lots of great info! I see that others have had this same problem, and some say that a good cleaning of the heat exchanger tubes might help.

I tried to get the baffle out: I noticed that the rod that connects to the baffle would screw out, so I tried that. Unfortunately, it appears that the nut behind the front of the baffle that holds the rod in place must have fallen back down to the rear of the baffle, and I can't reach up to get it. Right now, it doesn't matter because I could never get the baffle to move just by pulling the rod, but I'd like to get it all working and back the way it should be.

I see that someone in this forum had removed this baffle on an insert, but didn't say how. They said it was a pain to reinstall, but I'd still like to give it a try...maybe in the off-season so I'll have plenty of time to get it back together.

Does anyone know how to remove this baffle? Please keep in mind that this is an insert, and not the free-standing model which is very different.

It looks like there are two torx screws in the back corners, but I was afraid to try to remove them after what happened to me with the nut that holds the rod in place.

steveg_nh · Mar 9, 2015

Did you ever figure this out? I have this same stove, and I'm noticing my baffle is warped a bit in the middle. Doesn't really affect much yet, but if I ever need to get it out, it wold be nice to know how.

Manchester Bob · Apr 10, 2015

No, I have not heard from anyone nor found anything yet. I now have another problem: my remote thermostat isn't working. I can hear the wall unit clicking, but the stove doesn't turn on. In a few weeks (when the weather finally gets warm for good), I'm going to pull the stove out and do a major cleaning. At that time, I'll see if I can get my thermostat working again (I'm hoping a wire came loose and that it's not the control board), and also, I'll see if I can figure out how to remove the baffle. If I figure it out, I'll post it here.

If you find anything, please let me know!

steveg_nh · Apr 10, 2015

Thanks. I need to look into it too. I'm wondering if it matters than mine is warped a bit.

steveg_nh · Apr 17, 2015

Have you made any progress on how to do this? I haven't, but enviro did send the part for me to replace it. When I can, I always prefer to do the work myself, as I know it's done right.

Manchester Bob · Feb 27, 2016

Steveg: Well, it's a year later, but I finally did get the baffle out. My stove had been working OK early on this season, but I started having problems with exhaust ventilation and overheating, so I had to do something. Turned out that there was a tremendous amount of ash stuck up there!

On my stove, there were two T-15 Torx screws toward the back of the baffle (the ones that are easy to see but a bit difficult to tell that they are Torx style), and two 5/16" hex bolts toward the front. You have to stick your head in the stove to see the hex bolts, or you could probably use a mirror. All the screws are very close to the sidewalls, so it's pretty tight when trying to turn a nut driver.

The nut that fell off the rod last year was still up there, so I was able to retrieve it and put it back on the rod. However, my baffle is both severely warped and cracked. It is fairly heavy steel and not easily straightened out. I'd like to replace it.

You said that you were able to get the part from Enviro. Do you by any chance know the part number? I looked at their web site, but they don't seem to have an illustrated break-down for the insert, and I could not find one anywhere else. I guess I could give them a call, or call the store where I bougth the stove.

Manchester Bob · Feb 27, 2016

I may have to revise this now that I'm trying to get everything put back together. It is possible that the Torx screws can remain in place. Looks like they are stops so the baffle/rake doesn't slide too far back. There are supposed to be four hex bolts, but I only had three. That might have added to my problems. There are sections that slide across the tubes that attach to both the front and the back side of the baffle.

Still don't have it together yet...not fun at all !!!

Manchester Bob · Feb 27, 2016

OK...finally got it back together. I think I screamed out words that I didn't even know existed! Unfortunately, I was the only one home today, and an extra hand would have made it a bit easier.

Bottom line (and just my humble opinion): if you don't absolutely have to take the tube rake / baffle assembly apart, DON'T !!!

I am definitely missing a hex bolt. Even still, it slides now. I'll have to get another bolt tomorrow so I'll have all four. I'm sure that my sliding problem was due to both the baffle being warped, and that I was missing one of the rear screws. Without the screw, the rear rake was probably moving on one side but not the other and causing it to bind up.

And...the Torx screws should not have to be removed. They are just stops that hit the back wall and keep the assembly from sliding too far to the rear.

Maybe this thread will help someone who has the same problem....

steveg_nh · Mar 17, 2016

Thanks. Sorry I didn't get to this till now. I did not get the part number from Enviro. Mine appears to be warping a bit again after only one season. Worse too, is that auger has dwindled away again as well. Pretty disappointing for a $5k stove that these two parts do not seem to hold up for more than a year.

steveg_nh · Mar 17, 2016

Actually, I just found the baffle part number in the manual. 50-2287

stovelark · Mar 18, 2016

Ok guys, you discovered that scraper is pretty much not to be disassembled. It is important to keep the air tubes clean so it doesn't get jammed in there. It will also make the back baffle fall forward when moved on earlier units too, that's why it is advisable to clean the scraper baffle when the stove is off and cold. Most customers of ours don't use it much during the season and it gets jammed. On later units, there are clips that hold the back baffle in place. Frequent cleaning during the season will keep this scraper in use. Don't forget the end of year cleaning, everything comes off and gets cleaned. The exhaust blower, convection blower, back baffle etc. Good idea to put dessicant in burn pot during the summer months to prevent rusting for the interior and touch up any metal inside with black hi temp paint, keeps the stove looking new. Good luck.

steveg_nh · Mar 20, 2016

It is hard to get up in between the tubes, and I feel like there is a lot of ash stuck up there. I do my best to clean it when I clean the stove, but always feel like I could do better. Any suggestions?

stovelark · Mar 21, 2016

Yes it is a difficult area to clean. I have my little 1 inch paint brush and vacuum in there, and raking the cleaner box back and forth does help too, it takes a good effort to get it clean. Its important to or it will get jammed. Good luck with it.

Manchester Bob · Dec 28, 2016

Now that my stove is fully functional, I wanted to update anyone who may be reading. My remote thermostat was not working due to a bad control board: there was no voltage going to the wall unit.

Also, the overheating was caused by a faulty exhaust heat sensor: the convection blower was not turning on, so the stove would overheat and shut down with a blinking red lamp #3.

My dealer got me a replacement baffle. Stovelark was correct in that you should not use the scraper at all unless the stove is completely cooled down. Never, ever use it while the stove is warm or hot. My scraper works now!

My only remaining issue is that my convection blower is getting louder. It makes a tinny sound, and is much worse when cold, but it is working. I guess that it will need to be replaced sometime, but it isn't cheap. The good thing about all of this is that I now know my stove inside and out, and I know how to disassemble just about everything.

If you do need to remove the baffle, my dealer showed me a neat trick: pull the rod out about half-way or so (if you can...I had to pull on the back of the scraper to get it to move), then put a vise grip on the rod on the outside of the stove to keep it from sliding back. You can get to the screws much easier with the baffle held in place like this.

Another tip: after reintalling my stove, it was making a loud vibration-type of noise for the first five minutes or so. Turns out that there is a vaccuum pump (very similar to an aquarium pump) that runs during start-up, and it's on a rubber base. It had moved out of place a little, and was vibrating against another part. I just nudged it away from the other part (which looked like a capacitor further behind it), and it's fine now. The vaccuum pump is on the right-rear side behind and below the control board.

ohbix · Dec 28, 2016

How about a "how to replace the bearings" thread? I have the fs M55 and started to dismantle the convection fan in order to replace bearings. I took it to a small electric motor shop, but they added grease to the bearings, thinking it would help. Too much resistance. I took off the motor last week, but haven't yet tried to access the bearings. As I was able to replace bearings in the Bixby, I hope I can do so w/ this motor. Both are motors made in Germany. If you do this, please take pictures and share!

bostonfan49 · Dec 28, 2016

Manchester Bob said:
Now that my stove is fully functional, I wanted to update anyone who may be reading. My remote thermostat was not working due to a bad control board: there was no voltage going to the wall unit.

Also, the overheating was caused by a faulty exhaust heat sensor: the convection blower was not turning on, so the stove would overheat and shut down with a blinking red lamp #3.

My dealer got me a replacement baffle. Stovelark was correct in that you should not use the scraper at all unless the stove is completely cooled down. Never, ever use it while the stove is warm or hot. My scraper works now!

My only remaining issue is that my convection blower is getting louder. It makes a tinny sound, and is much worse when cold, but it is working. I guess that it will need to be replaced sometime, but it isn't cheap. The good thing about all of this is that I now know my stove inside and out, and I know how to disassemble just about everything.

If you do need to remove the baffle, my dealer showed me a neat trick: pull the rod out about half-way or so (if you can...I had to pull on the back of the scraper to get it to move), then put a vise grip on the rod on the outside of the stove to keep it from sliding back. You can get to the screws much easier with the baffle held in place like this.

Another tip: after reintalling my stove, it was making a loud vibration-type of noise for the first five minutes or so. Turns out that there is a vaccuum pump (very similar to an aquarium pump) that runs during start-up, and it's on a rubber base. It had moved out of place a little, and was vibrating against another part. I just nudged it away from the other part (which looked like a capacitor further behind it), and it's fine now. The vaccuum pump is on the right-rear side behind and below the control board.

****Hi Bob... as to your Convection Blower....if your stove is 2011+- you have the old style blower which Enviro/Sherwood Industries replaced free as a known warranty issue ( not sure now ) but if you have the newer replacement blower and it's making noise, here's a tip from Enviro. (While I forget the number of bolts on each side) I was told that if they are not all super tight...the fan can actually twist itself out of position causing the spinning blades to contact the inside metal casing as the metal expands and contracts. So make sure it's in the correct position and all the bolts are tight. Hope this helps, Bill

Lake Girl · Dec 28, 2016

Thanks Bob for coming back and giving the update. Much appreciated!

steveg_nh · Dec 30, 2016

Good tips on the baffle, thanks! I seems to need another agitator too. One was replaced under warranty, but now this one seems to be dwindling away in size. Is this normal? It almost seems like it's a consumable part, but it's not cheap either.

Lake Girl · Dec 31, 2016

Agitator tines do wear away ... no idea of average life span though. Do recall previous threads on members sourcing their own locally but can't recall which stove brand. Could try a search to see what shows up.

steveg_nh · Jan 3, 2017

Lake Girl said:
Agitator tines do wear away ... no idea of average life span though. Do recall previous threads on members sourcing their own locally but can't recall which stove brand. Could try a search to see what shows up.

Interesting. I'll have to look into it. Luckily the replacement blower last year and baffle are holding up better than the originals.

How do you remove the upper baffle in an M55 insert?

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