Smoke Heat Ambers coming out of blower vent - Whitfield Advantage Plus Insert

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htom1021

New Member
Feb 10, 2011
5
Hartford, CT
Hello...I just joined and I'm terribly baffled by an issue I'm having with my Whitfield Advantage Plus Insert Stove. This morning I smelled smoke throughout the house. I went downstairs to the stove to find that it was smoking and throwing out red ambers through the room blower vent (connected to the blower fan). I took the stove completely out from the fireplace and placed the unit on the floor. I thoroughly cleaned the stove --everything. I then turned on the stove while it was on the floor and red ambers still were shooting out from the blower vent. From behind the stove I noticed smoke around the combustion chamber (right at the bottom of the throat --where the damper is). I then removed the combustion fan and cleaned the entire throat (it was dirty and appears there's been some decay of steel). With the fan unattached to the throat of the chamber, I turned the unit on and there was still smoke and red ambers. I then proceeded to remove the blower fan and disconnect the heat ignitor. So essentially I had all the core components removed from the stove --I then turned on the stove for a 2nd time and I still have smoke, heat, and sparks.
The source of the heat is at the bottom of the combustion chamber throat --right next to the damper flange. I can see smoke and it's hot to the touch. How is that area getting hot when I've got virtually all parts disconnected from the unit?
 
Sorry to hear about your problems.

It sounds like you have a complete failure of your exhaust path.

DO NOT OPERATE THE STOVE!!! The smoke and embers you are seeing are filling your house with CO.

This is nothing to fool with. That stuff could kill you in your sleep.

Not sure if your stove is serviceable.

I'd call and get service advice before going any farther.

It sounds like you have had a long term corrosion problem in your exhaust path that has finally broken through.

The path from combustion air intake-through the firebox-past the exhaust blower-out the vent should be a sealed from the convection side of the stove.
Yours has failed.

Please get it checked out.
---Nailer---
 
nailed_nailer said:
Sorry to hear about your problems.

It sounds like you have a complete failure of your exhaust path.

DO NOT OPERATE THE STOVE!!! The smoke and embers you are seeing are filling your house with CO.

This is nothing to fool with. That stuff could kill you in your sleep.

Not sure if your stove is serviceable.

I'd call and get service advice before going any farther.

It sounds like you have had a long term corrosion problem in your exhaust path that has finally broken through.

The path from combustion air intake-through the firebox-past the exhaust blower-out the vent should be a sealed from the convection side of the stove.
Yours has failed.

Please get it checked out.
---Nailer---

Yep, what he said x2. Start shopping for a new stove, IMO.
 
Hello

1st item I would check is the heat exchanger tubes to see if the embers are getting in any rotted holes in the tubes!

Good luck!
 
htom1021 said:
Hello...I just joined and I'm terribly baffled by an issue I'm having with my Whitfield Advantage Plus Insert Stove. This morning I smelled smoke throughout the house. I went downstairs to the stove to find that it was smoking and throwing out red ambers through the room blower vent (connected to the blower fan). I took the stove completely out from the fireplace and placed the unit on the floor. I thoroughly cleaned the stove --everything. I then turned on the stove while it was on the floor and red ambers still were shooting out from the blower vent. From behind the stove I noticed smoke around the combustion chamber (right at the bottom of the throat --where the damper is). I then removed the combustion fan and cleaned the entire throat (it was dirty and appears there's been some decay of steel). With the fan unattached to the throat of the chamber, I turned the unit on and there was still smoke and red ambers. I then proceeded to remove the blower fan and disconnect the heat ignitor. So essentially I had all the core components removed from the stove --I then turned on the stove for a 2nd time and I still have smoke, heat, and sparks.
The source of the heat is at the bottom of the combustion chamber throat --right next to the damper flange. I can see smoke and it's hot to the touch. How is that area getting hot when I've got virtually all parts disconnected from the unit?
Welcome to the forums neighbor. I would not use that stove any more and start looking for a new one. I don't want to hear on the local news about you or your family dying and or house burning down due to a old burnt out pellet stove.
 
Gentlemen,

Thanks very much for the thoughtful responses. I pretty much thought it was toast and you confirmed it. I'm still perplexed as to the source that's causing the heat -the area near the damper flange is hot to the touch when I plug the unit in --yet I've got all sources that produce heat disconnected (or so I think). What is causing that area to heat-up when plugged in? There's no ignitor connected, no fire...there's no blower or combustion fan connected. It's not any residual ambers...something is causing that area to heat up.
 
Don't plug it in again!! You have an electrical problem that very well may kill you while you're looking for it!

If there is a significant amount of corrosion in and around the firebox then you should scrap the stove as getting new steel welded in will be not be worth it


Take pictures and start pulling the wiring

Inspect every inch of every wire - if the only thing that is hooked up is the electric then you have an electrical fire in the stove.

Also pull all of the snap switches - this is probably where the issue is

Once you find and repair the issue - run the stove through a GFI AFTER you replace every inch of wire that was exposed to over current. Even if the insulation looks good right now it will harden and fail quickly.

Aaron
 
its really hard to tell where smoke is coming from.
is it leaking at the combustion blower then getting blown out>?

if so, it probably just needs cleaning, and new gaskets on the combustion blower housing etc.


i wouldn't start shopping for a new one just yet

but they are right, stop using it until you get it serviced
 
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