I've had this stove running daily since late November. When I installed it, I noticed that the cutouts in the backing panel didn't line up properly with the OAK inlet or the exhaust outlet. The cleanout 'T' install was made more difficult due to lack of clearance on the (facing the backside) left side of the outlet, in my case, less than 1/4" from the securing clamp. The air inlet tube was so tight up against the right side of the cutout that the flex hose actually touched the backing panel.
In the case of the backside of both auger motors, the white plastic pieces on each side of the windings would intermittently touch the panel as the augers rode back and forth in their bearings. The result of both of these situations was periodic buzzing, squalling and grunting sounds, for lack of a better description, as the vibrations from the 2 fan motors and the auger motors got amplified by contact with the backing panel.
The huge steel unsupported plate acts like a speaker cone to make even the tiniest vibration annoyingly loud. This is of little or no consequence if your stove is not in a living area, but mine is 8 ft away from my sofa in the livingroom.
So, yesterday, I marked where I thought metal needed to be removed, took the panel out to the shop and cut out what was needed to relieve around the exhaust and air inlet pipes. A 5 minute job with a skillsaw.
I was going to cut out behind the motors too, but noticed that the plate itself was pushed in, far enough that simply pulling it out just a bit more than straightening it (horizontally) allowed 1/8" clearance from the plastic pieces on the motors, at their furthest point of travel backwards. The inward bend could have been caused by transporting from the store (it wasn't boxed), or by the spot where it had caught on the air inlet piping.
The pictures show what was cut around the outlets. If you look close, it's possible to see the 'dust' on the motors and the 2 marks made from rubbing up against the panel. After modifying the cutouts and straightening the panel to clear the motors, the stove is quiet as possible, just the occasional grunt from an auger and the humming of the fan motors.
My complaint is that it appears Englander has made some changes to the outlets respecting their positions and has not modified the stamping die(s) for the back panel accordingly, or the cutouts are in the wrong places due to some other change. I'll post back after I check another 25-PDVC at the store to see if it's the same. Maybe mine was a bad stamping. At any rate, this is a quick and easy fix, and has paid off for me big time!
In the case of the backside of both auger motors, the white plastic pieces on each side of the windings would intermittently touch the panel as the augers rode back and forth in their bearings. The result of both of these situations was periodic buzzing, squalling and grunting sounds, for lack of a better description, as the vibrations from the 2 fan motors and the auger motors got amplified by contact with the backing panel.
The huge steel unsupported plate acts like a speaker cone to make even the tiniest vibration annoyingly loud. This is of little or no consequence if your stove is not in a living area, but mine is 8 ft away from my sofa in the livingroom.
So, yesterday, I marked where I thought metal needed to be removed, took the panel out to the shop and cut out what was needed to relieve around the exhaust and air inlet pipes. A 5 minute job with a skillsaw.
I was going to cut out behind the motors too, but noticed that the plate itself was pushed in, far enough that simply pulling it out just a bit more than straightening it (horizontally) allowed 1/8" clearance from the plastic pieces on the motors, at their furthest point of travel backwards. The inward bend could have been caused by transporting from the store (it wasn't boxed), or by the spot where it had caught on the air inlet piping.
The pictures show what was cut around the outlets. If you look close, it's possible to see the 'dust' on the motors and the 2 marks made from rubbing up against the panel. After modifying the cutouts and straightening the panel to clear the motors, the stove is quiet as possible, just the occasional grunt from an auger and the humming of the fan motors.
My complaint is that it appears Englander has made some changes to the outlets respecting their positions and has not modified the stamping die(s) for the back panel accordingly, or the cutouts are in the wrong places due to some other change. I'll post back after I check another 25-PDVC at the store to see if it's the same. Maybe mine was a bad stamping. At any rate, this is a quick and easy fix, and has paid off for me big time!
