Questiong about testing my new stove

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Status
Not open for further replies.

Andy H

Member
Oct 4, 2009
55
Upstate NY
I got a new forester 5824 yesterday just like this


175086_lg.jpg



it has a small hopper, It's only 44,000 btu's, a very basic control board........... but it's very small

less than 20"x20" my home is limited on where I had room for a pellet stove so that is what I went with.


Spent yesterday getting the stove, building a nice tile hearth and getting things ready for the install.

While the stove was just sitting in my garage I figured I'd test it out so I filled the hopper about half full and turned it on. Nothing, but the instructions said that the auger would have to prime so I should shut it down and start it up again


Then again, Nothing......... to make a long story short it did end up starting after about 5 minutes the 4th or 5th time I tried and it ran great. I shut it down and tried again later on and it was the same deal. The auger would drop pellets down and nothing would happen then it would just shut down but eventually start after I tried a few more times.



The instructions are very very basic and I've never owned or used a pellet stove before so I may just be making a simple mistake? Does anybody have any guesses or know anything about this stove? I can't find a single review and hope I don't end up regretting this purchase... but then again like i said because of space issues it was either this stove or none at all.


Oh yeah, also while I was testing it I had the front and back doors of the garage wide open but no pipes hooked to the stove.... could this be the problem? Maybe it was looking for some sort of pressure or something?

Just want to make sure this thing is going to work before I break my back hauling it inside.

Thanks,

Andy
 
Andy how long where you waiting before you shut it down? With a new stove it will take time to prime and light, and even when primed mine takes at-least 5 minutes to really get going. Start times will differ between stoves.
 
I first saw the stove displayed at TSC (Tractor supply Co) and it caught my eye since it is fairly attractive and similar to those european designs that cost so much more.
However, upon close inspection I felt the heat exchanger was nothing more than a flat sheet metal plate . Possibly I could be wrong and that it might well be some sort of baffle instead but the overall construction of the stove didn`t impress me and instead led me to believe that for the $1,300 price tag it was more about looks than substance.
I`m sincerely hoping that I`m wrong and that you can easily resolve that minor issue and that it does in fact function well and ultimately gives you much satisfaction..



Andy H said:
I got a new forester 5824 yesterday just like this


175086_lg.jpg



it has a small hopper, It's only 44,000 btu's, a very basic control board........... but it's very small

less than 20"x20" my home is limited on where I had room for a pellet stove so that is what I went with.


Spent yesterday getting the stove, building a nice tile hearth and getting things ready for the install.

While the stove was just sitting in my garage I figured I'd test it out so I filled the hopper about half full and turned it on. Nothing, but the instructions said that the auger would have to prime so I should shut it down and start it up again


Then again, Nothing......... to make a long story short it did end up starting after about 5 minutes the 4th or 5th time I tried and it ran great. I shut it down and tried again later on and it was the same deal. The auger would drop pellets down and nothing would happen then it would just shut down but eventually start after I tried a few more times.



The instructions are very very basic and I've never owned or used a pellet stove before so I may just be making a simple mistake? Does anybody have any guesses or know anything about this stove? I can't find a single review and hope I don't end up regretting this purchase... but then again like i said because of space issues it was either this stove or none at all.


Oh yeah, also while I was testing it I had the front and back doors of the garage wide open but no pipes hooked to the stove.... could this be the problem? Maybe it was looking for some sort of pressure or something?

Just want to make sure this thing is going to work before I break my back hauling it inside.

Thanks,

Andy
 
My post wasn't very clear. I wasn't shutting the stove off when it would not start, it would just shut off on it's own and then I'd try to restart it.


I did just read this in the manual


"Because a forced draft pressure is required for the combustion process inside your stove, it is extremely important that the exhaust system be properly installed "


Ok, I'm going to guess that that is my issue and I'll just hope that every thing works ok when it's all hooked up correctly.
 
Andy H said:
My post wasn't very clear. I wasn't shutting the stove off when it would not start, it would just shut off on it's own and then I'd try to restart it.


I did just read this in the manual


"Because a forced draft pressure is required for the combustion process inside your stove, it is extremely important that the exhaust system be properly installed "


Ok, I'm going to guess that that is my issue and I'll just hope that every thing works ok when it's all hooked up correctly.

You might want to put on a length of exhaust pipe and give it a try although I can`t see how that would have much of an effect on the draft. Also be sure to check the hopper seals, door and ash pan seals, etc.
 
Andy H said:
.....I did just read this in the manual
"Because a forced draft pressure is required for the combustion process inside your stove, it is extremely important that the exhaust system be properly installed "
Ok, I'm going to guess that that is my issue and I'll just hope that every thing works ok when it's all hooked up correctly.

Andy, as far as I know, there is no need to have any exhaust pipe attached to test run the stove outdoors. I just did the same thing with my new stove, and it started right up.

The manual states that for legal reasons, and note that it states "properly installed". They just want to make sure you install the pipe correctly so no smoke or carbon monoxide leak into the house.

I'm not sure why it won't start the first time you press the on button, but it should run outdoors w/ no exhaust. Is there an 800 number for tech support for the stove?

EDIT: the Tech phone number is 800-750-2723....I'd give them a call tomorrow.
 
Well for the heck of it I hooked the exhaust pipe up while the stove was still in my garage and it fired right up... i shut it off and tried again and it started right back up.


So I spent the next 5 hours installing the stove and it turned out better than I could have hoped. Even the cut in my siding for the thimble turned out great. It's warm out now but I still have the stove running, I'd guess it's about 80 degrees in here now :)

Anyways, It's dark out but I'll get some pics and throw them up here tomorrow.
 
Ok, I think I spoke too soon. The pellet stove was running fine and then started beeping and then shut down. I fired it back up it ran for about 15 or 20 minutes and then shut down again.


the trouble shooting section says that it could be the auger jammed but that's not it because when i turn it back on it runs fine for a while

it's also not an empty hopper or loss of power


the only other thing it says is "The high temperature thermodisc has tripped. Check wiring connections. Possibly replace thermodisc"




I'm new to pellet stoves but guessing that is the sensor with a bunch of numbers that shuts off the stove if it get's to a certain temp? Can that get adjusted and perhaps mine is just set too low?


This was a floor model (the last one they had) and I really don't feel like taking this thing back so I hope it's something dumb I'm doing.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.