Bypassing board to test combex motor on drolet eco45

[mikemcb]

hi, I'm new here and have been searching for a thread on how to test the combex motor on my drolet eco45. I have stripped and cleaned and want to verify rpm with a strobe light without actually firing it up.
I have also had times I wish I could have "jumpered" the motor when I have had an E code where the pellets are almost lit and smouldering but the stove has shut down including the exhaust motor.
It's the E code I am actually working on correcting and suspect a possible faulty thermistor. Stove seems to fail just prior to an ignition. When I reset and restart I actually get a flame almost instantly. The convection blower doesn't come on after this sequence of events though so I then shut it down in the event the stove overheats. In this scenario the entire stove shuts down with a flame burning without the exhaust remaining on. Any thoughts?
Thanks. Mike

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

hi, I'm new here and have been searching for a thread on how to test the combex motor on my drolet eco45. I have stripped and cleaned and want to verify rpm with a strobe light without actually firing it up.
I have also had times I wish I could have "jumpered" the motor when I have had an E code where the pellets are almost lit and smouldering but the stove has shut down including the exhaust motor.
It's the E code I am actually working on correcting and suspect a possible faulty thermistor. Stove seems to fail just prior to an ignition. When I reset and restart I actually get a flame almost instantly. The convection blower doesn't come on after this sequence of events though so I then shut it down in the event the stove overheats. In this scenario the entire stove shuts down with a flame burning without the exhaust remaining on. Any thoughts?
Thanks. Mike

Which E code and do you have a link to the manuals for the stove?

How long after the stove actually lights did you wait for the convection side to start up? Depending upon the stove it can take some time for the convection blower to kick in.

Did you clean the sensors and are they properly positioned and fastened?

 

[pete324rocket]

Let me try to dissect what you are saying,since I have one of these stoves (eco-45). From memory,seems I recall the "e" code is triggered by an event where the stove goes thru a start cycle that does not complete itself......due to either no pellets to ignite (hence the "e" for empty) or other factors.
So the basics of fire building come into play....fuel, source of ignition, and proper air supply. Fire does not care how much ash is nearby...so long as those essentials are supplied. Lets start with the simple stuff. The last guy who wrote in to this forum about his eco-45 was about to(or already did) tear his stove apart for cleaning hoping to find the solution for a problem similar to what you describe. Although it took awhile,he finally listened to me and discovered the draft adjustment on the lower right hand side of the stove. This is crucial,since it is the air supply to the fire. Remember those three elements. Since you never mentioned this, I can assume that you forgot about this perhaps. Chances are that you have it fully closed,although the design is so sloppy,you should be able to start a fire on this setting,unless you have poor exhaust flow. Remember that the intake and exhaust are "one" motor,and it is fully enclosed I believe,so the other motor you are referring to is the one that blows air thu the heat exchanger tubes to warm your home. Try to start a fire with the draft fully open. With fuel,strong air flow and ignition...fire is inevitable.

 

[mikemcb]

hey guys,
thanks for the replies and suggestions. I've been running this stove for 3 heating seasons. The only real problem I've had was the auger jamming due to a bur that had picked up and scoured the barrel. I filed this up and emery clothed it and haven't had another issue with it. Lately(3 occurances) I have had a full pot that has almost lit but not quite. It has shutdown on the E code. If I reset and restart I get a flame almost immediately but the convection blower never comes on, as if it doesn't see heat. I've let it go with just the combustion and exhaust (combex) running for more than a 1/2 hour and still no convection blower. If I leave it till it cools and start over (clean out the burn pot) it acts as it should. The E code is intermittent. The auger/motor is fine. I have played with the intake for combustion air and have it happen on fully closed and fully open. Since the stove has been running at it's curent setting for 3 seasons and nothing in or around the house has changed I assume I have a faulty input to the board. You are right in that I have stripped the stove to give it a good cleaning. While I have the combex out I thought I run it to check rpm, which the manual says can be done bypassing the board except it doesn't say how but to call a tech.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

You might want to make certain that your sensor's connections are tight.

You might want to check the manufacturer's plate on the motor, that could give you a clue as to how you can bypass the board. It isn't something I like to do, on my stove the motors are 115 volt ac 3000 rpm fractional horsepower thermally protected shaded pole FASCO motors.

NOTE to anyone reading this your motor might not be the same as mine and doing this involves playing with lethal (as in it can kill you) voltages and current and if your motor isn't the same destroy the motor.

So to bypass the board with the stove off and unplugged you pull the motor connection apart and hot wire it to a house outlet (not exactly what I like to do but it works) the motors should spin at their plate rate.

NOTE to anyone reading this your motor might not be the same as mine and doing this involves playing with lethal (as in it can kill you) voltages and current and if your motor isn't the same destroy the motor.

 

[pete324rocket]

Stove Builders International (S.B.I.) CUSTOMER SERVICE DEPARTMENT 418 527-4311

The part about the convection blower not coming on is unusual,and I recall there was a problem with a sensor for a large number of the stoves built with a certain serial number range. Hopefully,you will be able to witness when the stove fails to light like this,for the basic elements to start fire remain the same, and when the hopper has run empty causing an "e" code and you fill it and restart,it takes a long time for the pellets to make their way to fill the burnpot and it is timed.If all the factors aren't correct,the ignitor will turn off eventually,the stove will continue to run to sense any heat(hopefully not) and stop. The next cycle will turn the ignitor on immediately,the auger won't feed anymore..and there is fire eventually.

 

[mikemcb]

good morning,
got busy this week so I didn't have a chance to get to the stove until last night. Fired it up in manual and got a fire. Everthing seemed fine and then the convection blower stopped for a few seconds and then restarted. Did this a couple of times. No immediate error codes. I sat and watched it and the convection blower stopped again, combex kept running. This time it didn't restart and I got the E code. The pellets stopped feeding and the stove proceeded to shutdown. I'm still inclined to suspect the exhaust snap switch thermistor as, from what I have read, it controls the convection blower. Question now is: can I jumper it to prove it's the problem? I am assuming on a shutdown the convection blower would keep running as it will not see a drop in temperature. On start up I assume the blower will come on right away.
Thanks for the SBI info. I did email them and hope to get a reply. I will call them however....and thanks for the tip about the faulty sensor.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

How old is the stove and when was the last time you cleaned your convection blower?

You appear to be describing a convection blower that is thermaling off and when the temperature doesn't drop the stove goes into to overheat or overfired mode and kills the power to the auger thus indicating a E for empty hopper situation.

Clean your convection blower and it's motor, if the motor accepts oil using the proper oil you should oil it according to the directions, work the first load of oil into the bearings by manually turning the fan in both directions, then add no more than two additional drops of oil to each bearing.

This may or may not result in you being able to continue using that blower. It should last at least long enough to get a replacement.

 

[jtakeman]

How old is the stove and when was the last time you cleaned your convection blower?

You appear to be describing a convection blower that is thermaling off and when the temperature doesn't drop the stove goes into to overheat or overfired mode and kills the power to the auger thus indicating a E for empty hopper situation.

Clean your convection blower and it's motor, if the motor accepts oil using the proper oil you should oil it according to the directions, work the first load of oil into the bearings by manually turning the fan in both directions, then add no more than two additional drops of oil to each bearing.

This may or may not result in you being able to continue using that blower. It should last at least long enough to get a replacement.

X2!

 

[mikemcb]

I'll check the convection motor. My manual says sealed bearings so no oil required. If I can run the motor on its own I will to see if it thermals out....thanks so much!

 

[jtakeman]

I'll check the convection motor. My manual says sealed bearings so no oil required. If I can run the motor on its own I will to see if it thermals out....thanks so much!

My ex Breckwell said the same thing. I still oiled the convection and combustion motors. Had to or they squealed loudly! Don't buy the "Never" needs oil stuff. You might be SOL but if you oil it and it runs for a few days you know you are on the right track anyway! How can it hurt anything?

just my 2!

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

I'll check the convection motor. My manual says sealed bearings so no oil required. If I can run the motor on its own I will to see if it thermals out....thanks so much!

Running it free might not cause it to thermal off as it can be a combination of crud on the blower and the heat in the stove cavity that causes it to thermal off. But it should turn freely and spin for a time after you have stopped turning it by hand.

Also don't be surprised if the manual and the motor don't agree as to bearing types on the motor that is actually on the blower (don't ask).

 

[mikemcb]

hey gents,

I ordered a new convection blower/motor. In the mean time I decided to jumper the thermistor (thermo disc f140) and, as thought, the convection blower came on. I let it run for a couple of hours to see if it would heat up or fail. It didn't, so I decide to try to light a fire. It was evident the board doesn't want to see an input from the convection blower right away and wouldn't feed pellets or start the combex motor. I disconnected the wires from the thermistor and wired them to a toggle switch I had in my tool box. I start the stove with the toggle open and the stove lit as normal. I waited for 5 minutes and then closed the toggle. The convection blower started and it ran this was for over 24 hours without an E code. I left it in manual and at the lowest setting. Anyway, I am now also ordering a new thermistor as well and will change them both out to close this one out. Thank you for your time and assistance, much appreciated. Mike

 

[lmjr]

I see...good for you

As always don't be afraid to do some simple testing of components.

Prove or disprove what's good or bad.