Big E flashes #2 light

Hi,

I recently picked up a used Big E - hadn't been used much. I fired it up about 10 days ago and set it at #4 to get my shop up to a comfortable warmth level. All was well, but flame started getting very lazy, so I shut it down and cleaned it yesterday - including combustion motor and fins and airway.

So I fired it back up and set it at #3 - nice bright flame, but after 30 minutes it went out with #2 flashing light. Checked airline and air hole into stove and fired it back up. Same thing - 30 minutes or so and it would go out and flash #2.

So, I had no idea what the deal was - ran fine until I cleaned it. I unplugged it from wall, then back in and refired it up at setting #2. It ran all night fine. So this morning, I bumped it up to setting #3 and went to work. Had to come home a bit ago (hour and a half later) and sure enough, it's out again with #2 light flashing. I just re-fired it back up at #2, but any idea why it suddenly won't run any higher then #2?

Thanks in advance.

You have to adjust the damper for every time you change the firing rate as the stove runs the combustion blower wide open.

There have also been cases where on higher settings the metal expands losing the door seal which results in loss of vacuum (one of the normal causes of #2 shut downs [depends upon controller, if a #2 is vacuum related or another # is used]).

What does a #2 error mean according to your manual?

This is from the Big E manual for error light #2:

Put a straight edge across the front of the unit. I bet $5 it is warped. Do the same and check the ash pan.

Eric

I was thinking of you growling as you forced the bulge back to where it should be when I wrote the above response.

Is that what would need to be done in an instance where it is warped? Try to get it straight? Or could you stuff more rope gasket around the door until it seals?

I suspect whichever floats your boat, you'll note that Eric doesn't seem to be advertising the Breckwell line in his signature. Creeping metal on a stove isn't a good thing.

Small piece of 2"x4" across the firewall and a pry bar. Go as easy as you can and watch your knuckles. I also made a couple posts a few years ago about how "really" clean this stove. Stuff the owners manual will not tell you. I sure hope United States Stove Co can improve the Breakwell stove line. Me yelling and screaming has done nothing.

Eric

Eric I've seen the same things happen to USSC units.

Pitty the consumer.

Eric

If you have the clamps you can also use thick angle iron and clamps to remove bulges, once again slow on the clamp tightening.

I'll be good now and retire to a neutral corner.

I kind of suspect an air leak - either the gasket on the combustion motor - although it did seem go back on ok, and I wasn't 100% impressed with gasket on the ash door. And turning up stove to #3 might be enough to trigger an air leak - I've got it set back on #2 again, and it's running fine.

Eric, any suggestions on my Big E thread at http://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/big-e-sporadic-auger-stoppage.94104/ ?

Answered on that thread. Fix the airleak and go from there.

Eric

Further investigation has shown the "ash tray" gasket had come unglued in the top middle leaving a fairly good size gap for unwanted air flow. I jury-rigged it for the time being and it's been running fine since. Thanks for the help. Rick