st. croix york poor performance

ryan319 said:

SmokeyTheBear said:

ryan319 said:

also, i noticed when i was messing with the stove last night that the board was somewhat unresponsive when i tried to change the heat level. relevant?

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Not likely, on a number of stoves there is a delay between the selection of a heat level and the stove actually changing the feed.

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sorry, what i meant was that i was pressing the heat level button and it wasn't changing the level indicated by the red light.

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There are times when the control panel is locked out completely and the only button that works is the on/off button.

I had the York installed last year. Within about 2 weeks the versa grate motor went and about 4 months in the combustion motor went. I was not to pleased to say the least. When my combustion motor went, it did so slowly, over the course of a couple weeks. I to had the #2 flashing light. This does not just mean a vuccum leak, it can also mean the combustion motor isn't functioning. Take a look at your manual for #2 error. My dealer suggested taking off the surrond and watching the combustion motor while I attempted to start the stove. in my case it was very clear that the motor was not working.
In your case it sounds like you're getting through the start up which means the motor is working part of the time. I suggest taking off the surround and watching how the motor is functioning during start up and compare that to when you're getting lazy flame and burnout. I don't know to much about stoves, but just passing along what I've been through.

not being able to change the heat setting is indicative of a lockout on the board. There's too much draft in there. As you look at the draft setting knob it should be just a hair back from fully clockwise on that stove. I have the same thing.

I have an older non digital york. I think this is my sixth year with it and I bought it used.
I remove the exhaust vent ducting once a month and vacuum out the elbow that goes into the blower. Use a mirror and a flash light to see down in there. The orfice gets pretty small after a month of cheap pellets.
I also use 1/2dia clear flexible tubing stuffed into the end of a vacuum crevice attachment. This can bend at a 90 and get up behind the ash trap doors and into the two openings at the top sides.
Removing the front bottom door while the unit is running should change the flame from brisk to lazy. This will show you weather or not your ash pan door seal or gasket is working. Obviously opening the main door should have the same effect.
I wouldn't get too hung up on complicated adjustments and theories just yet but it is possible one of the wires came unplugged on one of the spade connectors from all the messing around that has been done . I have always found that it is usually something simple that ails the stove.
The york does needs frequent cleaning and attention because of it's size. I shut it down every three days for a couple of hours and vaccuum out the firebox area also, this includes removing the top deflector plate just below the heat tubes in the top front. I only do the exhaust elbow once a month and that is because I don't have a cleanout T since the unit sits too low in my fireplace.
All the manuals were available online also.
Dave

I forgot to tell you that the cable that adjusts the air intake is kind of a makeshift setup. The function of the knob can be lost just by the improper routing of this cable. Basically it opens and closes a plate similar to a carburator throttle plate on the air intake. You can use a flashlight and a mirror or your finger to check that it is operating ok. Just look inside the inlet opening and turn the knob. We re all assuming you don't have it plumbed to the outside of your house as some people do.

Nice.... And you probably learned more about your stove in 2 weeks than you previously knew in the last 2 yrs. Another successful Hearth.com story!

Keep them clean, lubed, and maintained and they will last for many years.