Big E getting hungry

For some reason my big e is eating twice as much as it was a month ago. I know there are a lot of variables but what am I missing?

1. 5+ degrees warmer outside

2. same pellets all season

3. cleaned weekly (pipes, chamber, behind trap doors, upper heat exchangers, cumbustion blower
and area it goes, anywhere I could get abrush, than I do the leaf blower)

4. set to high/low using thermostat.

5. unplugged and reset while cleaning incase the PCB got a glitch

If you set the stove on a setting 1 through 5 it will not change the feed rate no mater what the temp is outside, inside, or on Mars.

Thermostat will bounce to the high setting based on what temp you set it at so yes if it is colder it will run more. To keep this from happening use the manual setting.

Eric

I guess I wasn't clear.

With the stove on the thermostat (switch on high/low) when it was colder outside the stove used less pellets, now that the outside temp is higher its using twice as many pellets. If its warmer outside, in theory it should use less pellets to keep the house at a set temperature.

Are you still on the same heat level?

Yes, nothing has changed. Stove set to high/low level 3, thermostat set to 70.

How does the flame look? Size, shape, active or not?

Same as always, i adjust the flame to active, but not blow torch. Size changes with heat level being called for, seams to be a high heat flame more than usual.

Do you have a timing chart for your stove? It would tell you how long (in seconds) the auger should run at each heat level. For instance, my Croix, at heat level 3, should run the auger for (I think) 4.5 seconds every 11.5 seconds, so the auger runs 4.5 seconds, stops for 7 seconds, runs 4.5 seconds……...

Twice as many pellets in warmer weather and stove seams to have high heat flame more than usual. Ok I'll bite.

Is the blower motor running? If so. Has anything changed in the house? Do you have supplement heat source that might not be running?

Haven't seen on, but I'll try to google one.

Stove seams to be running like normal otherwise. Nothing has changed to the house except maybe snow melting off the roof. Nope, second heat sorce is set 8 degrees lower so it won't come on unless pellet stove shuts down.

Right now the stove is eating 40lbs every 12 hours, I was able to get 24 hours out of 40lbs.

I am noticing the same thing but not as bad as 12 hours per bag. It warmer and the stove seems to be eating more pellets. The only thing that I can come up with might be the fact that the basement is a lot colder than it was a month ago. Maybe that has something to do with it.

Doesn't seem logical. Got me scratchin my head. As the weather(outside temps) warm, You usauge should go down.

Are you sure you didn't open the damper more causing more heat to vent out the stack?

Actually that snow melting on the roof means your home's heat loss is increasing.

Then no one has discussed changes in wind loads.

The only questions I have is what was the prior heat loss rate and what is the current heat loss rate.

Wouldn't it have to be a bad Stat? It is what is calling for more heat, using more pellets in the process. I would think if you were using more pellets the house would be hotter, where is the access heat going?

Just a thought! By saying you burn the same pellets, are you saying you use just one brand or do you have multiple brands like most? Reason I ask is I burn Hamer Hot Ones, Spruce Point & Logik-e. The Hamers are 1 inch plus in length compared to the Spuce points and Logik-e which are 1/2 inch in length or smaller. I do notice when I use the Spruce Points or Logik-e pellets I do go through them faster (especially on the #3 setting), I'm guessing seeing as they are a smaller pellet in length more pellets pass through the auger!

The snow melt is due to increased outside temp and sun light warming the roof.

same brand pellets all year.

Yes and snow is an insulator until it gets wet through (air bubbles) or the amount of it on your roof decreases. So when the snow on the roof is no longer on the roof your heat loss increases.

The question then becomes did I loose enough insulation to offset the effects of a 5 degree increase in temperature.

That 5 degree increase in outside temperature may only be a small amount of your homes heat requirement.

I have 9 inches of R30 in the attic and its a well vented attic so the snow shouldn't play a role. I have soffit vent and ridge vent the entire length of the house.

The snow still plays a roll.

Totally off topic - So Smokey , when u gonna send me some of that stout in your sig?

It comes down to two simple things IMO, The BTU requirement to heat the space has increased or something is up with the stove.
Dismiss one possibility and the other remains.

Actually likely a bit of both plus several things most people never think of.

What is up with the stove is it isn't exactly in the same state of cleanness as ash does one hell of a number on the BTU's coming out of a stove.

The impression that having a ventilated soffet and air flow above insulation is going to stop heat build up under a roof with several inches of snow on it doesn't always hold water under actual conditions.

First if even part of the ventilation requires a ridge vent the snow will block that and second if insulation isn't properly positioned and somehow secured it is possible that air flow through the attic lifts the insulation and what is even worse is that some insulation even allows air flow through it which leads to heat leaking into the attic via convection and thus that insulation provided by the snow on the roof allows the temperature in the attic to build above outdoor ambient temperature.

Now does anyone want to guess why I brought up wind load?

midfielder, not likely ever.

I just got back from tanking up on some seafood and need a nap, but didn't want the OP to think my arsenal was spent. Theory only works when the conditions it is predicated on exists which is an extremely rare happening. Attic ventilation and roof failure issues are common occurrences because of these conditions existing.

Some empirical data would be relatively easy to collect.

Here is my guess on wind loads:
http://www.cedengineering.com/upload/Heat Loss Calculations and Principles.pdf

"when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." Sherlock Holmes.