Big-E heat output "issue"

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snikr

snikr

Member
Sep 14, 2008
170
Wallingford, VT
I've got an interesting problem with my Big-E and heat output. My daughter just got a new Big-E over a month ago and her output on #2 setting it what my heat output is on #3 setting (checked with a meat thermometer in the grill like Eric told me to do). I've been e-mailing Eric about this "issue" I started having after about 2/3 of the way through last heating season (my first season with the Big-E). We are both burning the same pellets and I've cleaned my stove about every way I know and Eric has told me to but my stove still doesn't "put out" the heat like my daughters. Does anyone have any ideas?? Eric has been trying to help me and has been great!!
I'm wondering if my control board is bad? It makes me wish I'd had the money for a Harman when I bought my stove. Oh well. If anyone has ANY ideas please pass them along. Thanks.

Tom
 
snikr.

You may never figure this out as each installed stove will react differently. Even vent variance makes a difference. But seeing how her's is brand new maybe breckwell made some changes to the stove itself. Maybe they tried to improve the the convection efficientcy as well. There could be differences you could hardly tell but improve the heat output from the newer stove.

One difference could be the fuel charge of the newer stove. Have her time the auger cycle. Maybe there adding more fuel with the new board. Breckwell has been using 3 seconds auger on time and "x" for the off time. The x time is what will change. See what time yours is on 3 and what hers is on 2. If her off time is less than yours they are adding more fuel on the newer stove.

I hope I explain this well. Its kind of tough to explain though. keep us posted on the findings.
 
I looked at our manufacture dates and they were both built in 2008 so that may not be the case. I am wondering if I have an auger problem (fines build up or something like that). It has me STUMPED.

Tom
 
The auger motors do stahl pretty easy. One other thing is the convection tubes. If there is ash build up on them. The ash acts like an insulator and you loose heat transfer. Keep the tubes as clean as possible. I used a tube brush bent in a u shape to clean the top of the tubes. The scraper didn't get all the ash off. For that matter ash build up in the stove housing could be another problem.

How well is your stove cleaned?
 
ISTR that some people were having problems and that Breckwell made a baffle plate available. I think it was to deflect and slow down the exhaust as it goes through the heat exchanger.

Now it has been a bit of time and I may be misremembering. That happens when one can remember the invention of dirt.
 
There is a thread about the plates, if you search Brecckwell Big E , you will probably be able to find it. From what the pictures look like to me they are just two pieces of metal that fit on both sides of the combustion chamber , by the heat exchange tubes. If they were free I'd put some in my stove just to see if there was a differance . I can't hold my hand on my exhaust pipe for very long , like 5 seconds , so maybe I do need them. The heat as to go some where , either into the house or out the exhaust.
The thread is there and its called "low heat output in Breckwell big E."

The metal plates are called flue maybe baffle plates ?, look like two flat pieces of metal that you lay on the shelf part on both sides of the combustion chamber.
 
j-takeman said:
The auger motors do stahl pretty easy. One other thing is the convection tubes. If there is ash build up on them. The ash acts like an insulator and you loose heat transfer. Keep the tubes as clean as possible. I used a tube brush bent in a u shape to clean the top of the tubes. The scraper didn't get all the ash off. For that matter ash build up in the stove housing could be another problem.

How well is your stove cleaned?
Click to expand...
I've done a good job of cleaning mine. I used an old paint brush to clean what I could on the tubes. Maybe those "plates" are what I need.
 
snikr said:
j-takeman said:
The auger motors do stahl pretty easy. One other thing is the convection tubes. If there is ash build up on them. The ash acts like an insulator and you loose heat transfer. Keep the tubes as clean as possible. I used a tube brush bent in a u shape to clean the top of the tubes. The scraper didn't get all the ash off. For that matter ash build up in the stove housing could be another problem.

How well is your stove cleaned?
Click to expand...
I've done a good job of cleaning mine. I used an old paint brush to clean what I could on the tubes. Maybe those "plates" are what I need.
Click to expand...

My stove was an 2007 vintage and it had the plates installed. I assumed yours would have them as well. But maybe not?
 
I have the same year stove. a few weeks ago I noticed that smoke and while cleaning the tubes, ash was coming from the bottom of the glass area. I picked up some gasket material in order to replace the glass gasket. when I unistalled the glass I noticed that the original gasket in place was only on the sides and top of the glass and it appeared at one point there was some sort of "white" material at the bottom which had disentigrated away except for a few spots. I inspected the gasket in place and it looked good on the sides and top and decided to add some to the bottom and reinstall. When I fired the stove back up there was no smoke escaping and the heat output was significantly higher. she has been running like a champ since. I think if this original seal is broken you are losing combustion air feeding the fire.... I was also keyed into this as I have a co2 detector that reads levels and I was getting anywhere from 15 to 25 ppm in that room.....
 
SmokeyTheBear said:
Now it has been a bit of time and I may be misremembering. That happens when one can remember the invention of dirt.
Click to expand...

You and Krooser must go way back ! LOL, Think he said he invented dirt! :lol:
 
Check the firebox pressure/vacuum with a small manometer

The book that came with the stove should say what the neg pressure in the firebox should be.

If you are within specs then the stove is getting the air it needs.

Does the fire burn briskly with yellow flames and a slight hint of blue at the base of the fire ???

A lazy fire indicates a lack of combustion air.

Due to variations in production tollerances and the adjustments on the control boards your stove may just be opperating on the low end of the heat range variations that are normal.


Snowy
 
yknotcarpentry said:
I have the same year stove. a few weeks ago I noticed that smoke and while cleaning the tubes, ash was coming from the bottom of the glass area. I picked up some gasket material in order to replace the glass gasket. when I unistalled the glass I noticed that the original gasket in place was only on the sides and top of the glass and it appeared at one point there was some sort of "white" material at the bottom which had disentigrated away except for a few spots. I inspected the gasket in place and it looked good on the sides and top and decided to add some to the bottom and reinstall. When I fired the stove back up there was no smoke escaping and the heat output was significantly higher. she has been running like a champ since. I think if this original seal is broken you are losing combustion air feeding the fire.... I was also keyed into this as I have a co2 detector that reads levels and I was getting anywhere from 15 to 25 ppm in that room.....
Click to expand...

Vyknotcarpentry, I take it you have the large window bigE? What you found was the airwash in the lower door glass gasket missing. The stove was designed that way. I actually never though about it effecting the stoves performance. I had the large window version and a friend had the small window. His heat output killed my large window stove. Looks like we learned something with that.

Snowy, The bigE has no guidance for the magnahelic or manometer settings. There a full out combustion blower stove and its adjusted with the damper only. But a good point snikr could get a meter and see what or if there is a difference between the 2 stoves. It could also be that he likes his damper open more than his daughter does? Stove variables can be killer to decypher
 
I think he needs to fire up his leafblower...
 
Can't do the "leafblower" as my Big-E is in the basement. It would make a mess for sure, but I'd like to do it. Mine does NOT have the plates in it and it mean I might have to call Breckwell support and see what they say. And my flame looks good to me but I am going to put in a OAK as soon as I get the rest of the parts together. You guys are giving me good ideas so keep them coming.

Tom

P.S. One thing I forgot to tell you. I have a magnetic thermometer on the side of the firebox and about 2/3's of the way through last heating season the theremo DROPPED about 75 degrees for no reason I could think of. And it's stayed at that low setting since.
 
snikr said:
Can't do the "leafblower" as my Big-E is in the basement. It would make a mess for sure, but I'd like to do it. Mine does NOT have the plates in it and it mean I might have to call Breckwell support and see what they say. And my flame looks good to me but I am going to put in a OAK as soon as I get the rest of the parts together. You guys are giving me good ideas so keep them coming.

Tom

P.S. One thing I forgot to tell you. I have a magnetic thermometer on the side of the firebox and about 2/3's of the way through last heating season the theremo DROPPED about 75 degrees for no reason I could think of. And it's stayed at that low setting since.
Click to expand...

You are venting your stove into the basement therefor you can't do the leaf blower cleaning routine.

How the h*ll do you not get CO poisoning?
 
yknotcarpentry said:
I have the same year stove. a few weeks ago I noticed that smoke and while cleaning the tubes, ash was coming from the bottom of the glass area. I picked up some gasket material in order to replace the glass gasket. when I unistalled the glass I noticed that the original gasket in place was only on the sides and top of the glass and it appeared at one point there was some sort of "white" material at the bottom which had disentigrated away except for a few spots. I inspected the gasket in place and it looked good on the sides and top and decided to add some to the bottom and reinstall. When I fired the stove back up there was no smoke escaping and the heat output was significantly higher. she has been running like a champ since. I think if this original seal is broken you are losing combustion air feeding the fire.... I was also keyed into this as I have a co2 detector that reads levels and I was getting anywhere from 15 to 25 ppm in that room.....
Click to expand...

The air wash system doesn't work in my stove at all. my glass get SOO dirty in such a short amount of time. matter of fact the flames Lick the glass. I have adjusted the damper to get it to go straight up into the air tubes but it doens't work this way. or it's just a lazy flame which in unexcetable. i just except it and constantly clean the glass. Heat out-put is only good on #3...... 1 or 2 it really doesn't burn that wel. just gets a really dirty stove..... again. unexceptable...
 
when this stove was in my shop, it had no oak installed, performance was so so. When I moved it into the house last year I installed the oak, it made a major differance in my opinion
 
when this stove was in my shop, it had no oak installed, performance was so so. When I moved it into the house last year I installed the oak, it made a major differance in my opinion. And yes I have the big glass model. The glass actually seems to staying cleaner now since the gasket was added then before...?????
 
sorry for the dbl post got an error msg and then decided to expand on my thought...
 
yknotcarpentry said:
And yes I have the big glass model. The glass actually seems to staying cleaner now since the gasket was added then before...?????
Click to expand...

Hard to explain, But guessing at it. Could be you improved the burn effiency. IDK for sure though???? But after all the air wash is just an air leak in the stove. Kind of like haveing a bad door seal.
 
SmokeyTheBear said:
You are venting your stove into the basement therefor you can't do the leaf blower cleaning routine.

How the h*ll do you not get CO poisoning?
Click to expand...
The vent pipe is run into my chimney.
 
OK, just had this mental picture of a basement full of smoke or possibly a vent going through a window.

How about telling us how the venting is set up in terms of both piping and lined or unlined flue and if you have cleaned your chimney lately?
 
No basement full of smoke Smokey thankfully. I run a 4" vent pipe to the chimney and it goes through a 90 degree elbow up about 3 1/2 ' into another 90 degree elbow and then run into the chimney. Chimney has the orange liner in it but I have not been up on the roof to clean it yet. I have looked up the clean out and it looks good. If the weather holds I should get up there and clean it.

Tom
 
You might want to adjust your damper towards being more closed, if that chimney has a good natural draft you just may be sending the heat up the wrong pipes, just don't get a lazy fire situation going.
 
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