Problems with a Tarm Pellet boiler

sinnian said:

This is why I bought what I did! Simplicity of design is most often the better choice ;-P

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I bought my tarm 4.0 for the same price as yours. ;-P

Poor manufacturer design is the cause of this issue and until manufacturer corrects the issue will persist/ I would consider finding other Tarm owners and threaten class action lawsuit.

About two weeks ago during a cleaning I noted a slight drip from the fire suppression port in the feed tube of my Tarm 2.5. This was during a complete cleaning so there were no pellets in the tube at all so it was easy to see. I have to say that I was lucky that the drip must have been light and didn't put the fire out. When I dis-assembled the valve there was a bit of crud preventing a complete seal and allowing water to weep. I cleaned it up and cleaned the screen on the water supply too. I could have also simply just replaced the entire valve or even just the internal plunger portion but it really wasn't too bad. I was careful when I reassembled the unit not to tighten the actuator too tight onto the valve, as this would open the value. There are a number of other manufactures making this same fire suppression valve so replacements are available.

I suspect that this was the original problem in this thread rather then a manufacturing defect. As Dosat1 said above, the valve leaked and the pellets became hydrated. If they were hydrated enough to bind/stop the auger in a Tarm, I seriously doubt this was a burn back event. Wet jammed pellets don't burn that well. Just a leaky valve and a lot of wet messy pellets. Could look like a burn back but it isn't.