Enviro Wood Pellet Stove Dollar Bill Test - Pass and Fail!

Hello

As recommended by another hearth member I did the dollar bill test on the Enviro Meridian.

All 4 sides of the door passed with flying colors. The ash pan is a different story!

See my video below. Should the ash pan be dead tight like the door?

I would replace that gasket Don..

I wish I lived closer to you. I would really be interested in that Enviro. Wanna take a road trip

Nice Don, thanks for sharing,before you change the gasket see if there is an adjustment on the latch to tighten the pan.

Thanks Joe

That is a great idea! The original gasket is in really good shape but the pan is just not closing tight.
I know the gasket I can get from the hearth shop is a little thicker and would be better, but I would rather make this work!

The latch is a standard center desk drawer type latch held on but a single nut. See pic below. Click to Enlarge.

Do you see any way of making it tighter?

Shim it, bend it or replace gasket.

Reverse the flange, or use a washer on the outside to pull it closer.

Thanks again Joe
I thought of the washer too. Right now it has a very thin rubber washer so the knob does not mar the paint. I will get a thicker steel washer to put behind it!

Sounds like an Enviro WDS problem! (no Washer in the Design Syndrome) I will keep you posted on this!

See this similar Enviro NDS issue - no Nut in the Design Syndrome!
http://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/...ks-found-reason-and-fix-for-0-14-cents.73036/

By any chance is it possible the prior owner replaced that gasket and used to wrong kind?

No Smokey, I am familiar with the OEM gasket and it is the original. In very good shape too. The aftermarket replacement gaskets are thicker but I sure want to try the washer first!

The ash pan is not tight and probably it has always been that way!

Hello

Well, I checked around to see what was available. The flat steel washers at the hardware store with a large enough center hole were too big and protruded around the know. My friend suggested using an O-Ring and he had one that fit! So I removed the skinny rubber ring on the knob and replaced it with the O-Ring. Well the know turned and just bearly snapped in so I felt it was as tight as possible. Well the dollar bill test on the top of the ash pan was certainly much more snug but still failed. The sides of the ash pan still failed the dollar bill test even more easily.

Can anyone with a STEEL enviro ash pan say that their ash pan gasket is very tight and can pass the Dollar Bill test with flying colors?

The only other item to try here is a new ash pan gasket.
See pics below:
Orignal rubber gasket Ring is on the Left
New thicker O-Ring is in the Right

Spend a couple bucks on the new gasket. When you install it, make sure to "bunch" it together. Don't pull it tight. By bunching it together, you will make the gasket slightly thicker than it would have been. Pulling it tight will make it thin (not good).

For the cost..... You cant beat it.

Don, I had an EF2i for a few years before I sold it. Great stove, did not check the ash pan with the dollar bill test, had the same ash pan as yours and always wondered if it had a great seal just fastening at the top. Stove ran great and the current owner has not had a problem with it. Test fire that baby up and look at your flame, while it is burning push in on the ash pan and see if it makes a difference.

Hi Joe

Good idea, It may be just fine now that the knob is in a little tighter. The Lytherm sheets will be arriving tomorrow, so I can clean the blowers. Then I will do a test fire.

Thanks Kenis
That will be my plan B if the flame is lazy. I rebuilt an EF2i FS and it is running good for it's new owner. I never did the dollar bill test, but once I went over to the new owner's because his flame was lazy and we found the ash pan knob was not click in all the way. Once we turned the knob fully so it clicked in everything was fine.

for whats it worth (no welds to fear compromising) id have simply bent that biatch to the snuggest fit i could (take lever off and put in bench vise and give a "whack" works good), im not sure the design of the "catch" but maybe you could even contore a backer piece and weld it on if you have a lil' welder in the garage (this would prevent it from becoming loose again anytime soon).

Hello

Well I finally talked to a very knowledgeable Enviro Dealer Technichian.

He stated that adding the rubber O-ring behind the ash pan know is a very good idea.

Also he recommended replacing the very flat OEM ash pan gasket with an aftermarket TAD-POLE gasket.

Has anyone seen or know where to get the Tad-Pole Gasket like this?
http://woodheatstoves.com/gasket-tadpole-door-p-2096.html

Just click buy in the link you provided. In a few days it will be on your doorstep.