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

[jamesdjs]

Contact your local community for help. There may be someone they can refer you to to help fix the oil leak

 

[slls]

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!

I would patch a oil tank so it could be run dry, I would never add oil to a patched tank. Oil smell from a leak is too bad to risk.

 

[cncpro]

I would patch a oil tank so it could be run dry, I would never add oil to a patched tank. Oil smell from a leak is too bad to risk.

The smell would be the least of your worries. The cost of excavating contaminated soil would be my fear.

My house had an oil line concealed in/under the concrete floor when I moved in. Within a month of closing I had the oil company replace the whole line. Oil leaks scare the crap out of me.

 

[UncleAnthony]

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!

I would patch a oil tank so it could be run dry, I would never add oil to a patched tank. Oil smell from a leak is too bad to risk.

As earlier stated, please do not run this stove till fixed. most possible cheap safe alternative is replace oil tank .
yes, get a real electronics tech to come out to troubleshoot it. the tech would probably need the manual though, with his/her DVM, can probably troubleshoot it for a reasonable price. The manual is important, to make sure it is fixed properly. Are you sure you want to invest in such an old stove with no service nor company backup ?
I am thinking it is control board (?). If so, can probably troubleshoot to faulty component on board.
With the symptoms you state, it would not appear difficult with the service manual.
Can you get the manual from the seller ? was this sold to you in working condition ?
i am a real certified electronics tech(10 yr) and those questions are what i would look for .
in the nashua area, there should be quite a few electronics techs or boiler techs (dang they are smart)
who can fix you up. if you can link a manual , i will try to assist.
best of luck.

 

[dtaillon]

hay mike its me dan, i wrote the guy on craigslist where we bought it and he says that its my problem, that i bought a used stove on craigslist and I should have made sur it worked and now its my problem, he had it on the back of the truck how could i check it? we trusted that someone says "working pellet stove" that it means working I have been writing back and forth with him to no avail, when do you want to go visit him? I have his work address and cell and work number. i am going to start calling him at work evey hour till he gives me back our money. whao want to join me lol I told him it almost killed my parents and kids and that we spent the money on the stove because we cant afford the oil prices and he showed no simpathy said its my problem, hes a real scum bag, lets go visit him. I ll bring this damn stove

 

[dtaillon]

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

we did he says i bought a used stove and its now my problem I am thinking of brining him to court,

 

[Havlat24]

No offense, but caveat emptor. Buyer Beware! you bought a used stove without checking it out??? When I bought my Kozi used, I had the guy fire it up outside and run it for 30 minutes...then we checked out the insides... You wouldnt buy a used car without taking it for a test drive would you?

Good luck with your stove, and getting your money back.

 

[Stentor]

You've got to handle the practical problem of getting heat in the house first. Then you've got to try to get your money back. Here are a couple of ideas:

1. Call the NH Attorney general's office and ask if they have a Consumer Protection office. Follow up with that office and explain that you may have a fire safety problem, not just a financial loss.

2. Call one of the local TV stations and ask if they have somebody who does consumer issues. Explain your problem, including the fire getting out of control beyond the firebox. TV stations like to take pictures and you might have a good visual there. (The price would be some loss of privacy if they go with the story.)

3. Wouldn't hurt to contact Craig's List to see if they have a procedure that covers your type of problem.

Good luck.

 

[daydreamer]

Yes contact Craigslist to see if they can help you.