help me please!!!!!! pellet stove nightmare

[michael taillon]

my dad bought a used pellet stove off craigslist. when he started it the first time it was ok ,but the second night he had it on it burned out of control. the auger never stopped going. it kept feeding the pellets in at high speed. the fire burned out of control and got larger and larger till the fire got into the hopper and burned all the pellets in there till the fire was climbing out of the pipe on the outside of the house.
it is a derco grizzly, ultimate achiever. the company is out of buisness and noone can fInd an owners manual.
WHEN IT REACHES OPERATING TEMP IT IS SUPPOSED TO START TO MANUALLY FEED THE PELLETS BUT IT DOESNT STOP.
THE BLOWER STAYS ON AND THE LIGHTS DONT WORK.
PLEASE HELP US THEY ARE GETTING UP THERE IN AGE AND HAVE NO OTHER WAY TO HEAT THERE HOUSE DUE TO A LEAK IN THE OIL TANK.

 

[Gweeper64]

my dad bought a used pellet stove off craigslist. when he started it the first time it was ok ,but the second night he had it on it burned out of control. the auger never stopped going. it kept feeding the pellets in at high speed. the fire burned out of control and got larger and larger till the fire got into the hopper and burned all the pellets in there till the fire was climbing out of the pipe on the outside of the house.
it is a derco grizzly, ultimate achiever. the company is out of buisness and noone can fInd an owners manual.
WHEN IT REACHES OPERATING TEMP IT IS SUPPOSED TO START TO MANUALLY FEED THE PELLETS BUT IT DOESNT STOP.
THE BLOWER STAYS ON AND THE LIGHTS DONT WORK.
PLEASE HELP US THEY ARE GETTING UP THERE IN AGE AND HAVE NO OTHER WAY TO HEAT THERE HOUSE DUE TO A LEAK IN THE OIL TANK.

Well, knowing what brand and model stove it is would be a start.

Obviously, you don't want to start this thing again until it is fixed though; you'll burn the house down.

 

[dbjordan]

See if any of your local dealers are familiar with this stove. They may be able to help you out alot.

 

[Fsappo]

I would sell it on Craigslist and not bother burning pellets until you can get a different stove. If you need to go used (remember the tax credit) research the stove first and make sure it's something you can get parts or service on. Buying a used pellet stove aint like buying a used wood stove. Lots of little parts and pieces and switches and snap disks, gremlins and stuff in them.

 

[Fsappo]

I didnt read the no heat part, I normally ignore stuff in all caps. In the meantime, I'd get an electric heater or something

 

[mark d fellows]

my dad bought a used pellet stove off craigslist. when he started it the first time it was ok ,but the second night he had it on it burned out of control. the auger never stopped going. it kept feeding the pellets in at high speed. the fire burned out of control and got larger and larger till the fire got into the hopper and burned all the pellets in there till the fire was climbing out of the pipe on the outside of the house.
it is a derco grizzly, ultimate achiever. the company is out of buisness and noone can fInd an owners manual.
WHEN IT REACHES OPERATING TEMP IT IS SUPPOSED TO START TO MANUALLY FEED THE PELLETS BUT IT DOESNT STOP.
THE BLOWER STAYS ON AND THE LIGHTS DONT WORK.
PLEASE HELP US THEY ARE GETTING UP THERE IN AGE AND HAVE NO OTHER WAY TO HEAT THERE HOUSE DUE TO A LEAK IN THE OIL TANK.

The following is intended to be discussion only, and is not professional advice. I urge you to seek professional help on this problem.

Don't run the pellet stove again, until this is figured out.

Option 1

For the short term, you can get a Kerosene heater from Lowes and a Carbon Monoxide detector. They only stink when they first start up and after shut down. There is a fuel Home Depot sells around these parts called "Clean Heat" or something like that. It is manufactured by the same company that also sells K1 Kerosene in 5 gallon cans in HD and lowes. I used to burn it. It says specifically sold for Kerosene stoves, and it stinks less. A large sized Kerosene heater will heat a smaller house just fine. They are however dangerous if not used properly. You must fill them outside and carry them inside. You must adjust the flame properly and not try to "turn it down on low" or you will produce Carbon Monoxid, and in short read all of the directions.

If you have a fire in your house while one of these is burning, my understanding is that the insurance company won't pay the policy.

Option 2

for a long term solution, fix the oil tank. There might be products to patch the leak. I found one.

http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/caulks-sealants/40754.htm

Option 3

This can be done simultaneiously while you are working on getting heat in the house. Have a shop that sells pellet stoves come out and look at it.

Possible Option 4

Have a company that services furnaces come out and look at it.

Possible Option 5

Have a real electronics technician come out and trouble shoot it. Not just someone who claims to be an Electronics Tecnician. There are a lot of them. Just like there are a lot of people who claim to be mechanics.

Good luck! That is a scary situation!

 

[michael taillon]

it is a ultimate achiever grizzly made by derco,inc

 

[michael taillon]

someone told me it might be that the old owner had a thermostate hooked up to it and if they didnt re-hook it up it it might run out of control.

 

[daydreamer]

What is the brand and model? Do not use it until you figure it out because it is definitely a fire hazard. Maybe you could post a picture of it?

 

[michael taillon]

dont have a pic yet. it is a ultimate achiever grizzly made by derco,inc
noone has heard of it company is out of buisness.
the local pellat stove store told me i am out of luck they cant or wont help

 

[MCPO]

PLEASE HELP US THEY ARE GETTING UP THERE IN AGE AND HAVE NO OTHER WAY TO HEAT THERE HOUSE DUE TO A LEAK IN THE OIL TANK.

I sincerely wish them the best of luck getting it going again.
But I can`t help wonder why you weren`t there to help them make a better decision than opting for an old out of date (unreliable) pellet space heater. Old folks getting up in age are dependent on a reliable heat source . Fixing or replacing the leaky oil tank would have been the prudent thing to do in the first place.

 

[fossil]

This stove is no longer functioning properly, parts are likely unavailable for it, and it's dangerous to try to operate it. Get it replaced with a new stove by a professional and scrap this old thing. The previous owner had no business selling it to anyone. In the interim, use electric space heaters or kerosene, or temporarily relocate your folks. Those are my thoughts. Rick

ETA: And yes, get the oil system repaired properly.

 

[Clay H]

I googled this brand name and came up with nothing.
Craigslist = buyer beware.
Cut your losses, roll it to the curb and tape a dollar to it.
Go buy a new stove and apply for the 1500$$ tax credit.

 

[tractorman100]

from hearth.com Q&A
Grizzly Stoves - # 1052
Question:

I had written you recently re grizzly stoves. Are they still in business and how do I contact them.
Please reply me if you have or haven’t any information.
Answer:

RJM Manufacturing, Inc. should have parts or knowledge about this.

P.O Box 27 1210 Lowater Road
Chippewa Falls, Wi 54729

Phone: 715-720-1794
Fax: 715-720-1797

 

[freebird77]

Where are you from?
If you have a way to haul it, I have an oil tank your folks can have.
Ita a horizontal 275 gal.
Been sitting for a few years but the fill holes have been covered up. Im in ne Pa.

 

[Bkins]

Looks like New Hampshure.

Bkins

 

[GVA]

someone told me it might be that the old owner had a thermostate hooked up to it and if they didnt re-hook it up it it might run out of control.

Regardless there should have been a high limit that would have cut off the stove.
Unless you can find someone with a good working knowledge of this type of stove I would not use it.
And maybe go after the guy from craigs list.

 

[freebird77]

Thanks, I should have seen that. Duh!

 

[Xena]

Cut your losses, roll it to the curb and tape a dollar to it.

I strongly advise against doing this since it could
mean a serious loss for the unlucky person who
acquires it from the curb.

 

[tinkabranc]

Scrap the stove before there is no house to heat....or worse.

Why risk life with an out of control stove that has no manual, support or
parts available to bring it up to par?

 

[mainegeek]

The leak is in the tank not the pipes? Replace the tank! I see used ones in the swap and buys all the time! Check Uncle Henry's You may end up with an older tank that has some sludge at the bottom.... but after a few years most tanks do anyways! Just do a good "look over" of the tank before you buy it. The actual tank connections are really simple... get yourself some pipe dope and a good plumbers wrench. Make sure to have the oil company inspect it though before filling it.

Then start shopping for a pellet stove....

 

[stoveguy2esw]

im with the gang on this one , the stove may be unsalvagable by anyone except someone who has access to parts from the manufacturer or the technology to make it work with off the shelf items , i could do that but shipping it here for that would be more expensive than a new tank for the oil burner (i'd do the work once it was here "pro bono" for a hearth.com member in this situation) i googled the distance to get an idea of travel time between our member with the free tank (dinner is on me BTW if you ever get down here freebird just for the offer ,im proud to be associated with people who look out for others like that my friend) was 313 miles between scranton and nashua (just as a ball park i dunno where freebird is in n.e. pa).

first route is getting heat to the parents(ya flat out gotta look after them) what ever way is easiest and quickest. check the local lists for oil tanks , with the amount of folks geting away from oil i expect a tank may be found easily. get em heat first then work on making it cheaper with a pellet stove.

kudo's to the member who found contact info BTW , nice find. i might be able to help if you can get schematics in figuring out what is needed, may take some chatting to get an idea of what its doing , but im game if you want to try (and help from me to hearth members is free, as it is for everyone)

 

[Stentor]

I would sell it on Craigslist and not bother burning pellets until you can get a different stove. If you need to go used (remember the tax credit) research the stove first and make sure it's something you can get parts or service on. Buying a used pellet stove aint like buying a used wood stove. Lots of little parts and pieces and switches and snap disks, gremlins and stuff in them.

He should NOT sell it on Craigslist because it is a hazard. Even selling it "as is" without any implied warranty could create a serious liability in a house fire or if someone is hurt. His options are to repair it, to junk it according to any regulations in his community, or sell or give it to a qualified and informed individual, such as someone in the stove business. Besides, selling a dangerous item to someone else is unethical.

 

[daydreamer]

Also try putting a listing on your local freecycle to see if anyone has a fuel tank they don't need since your parents leaks. Tell them about your parents situation, maybe someone will be able to help.
http://www.freecycle.org/

 

[cogger]

Contact the former owner if you can??????????