M55 insert Auto/off mode

[roadrunnermoore]

Have had the stove running off and on since I had it installed Nov. 23rd. It has still been fairly mild here, so mainly running it only at night.(and loving it) Installed the thermostat Sat. and have been using it on the High/Low setting at night. They are talking about a cold snap coming and only being in the 30's for highs next week. Question: I thought I remember reading somewhere that it wasn't recommended to run on Auto/Off setting if at all possible because every time it started was another time the ignitor had to be used. Just wondering what the prevailing opinion on that was. I don't want to have to leave it on High/Low and burn more pellets than I have to.
Thanks again for the help.

 

[jtakeman]

Well seeing how the stove is new and still under warranty. Let err ripe the igniter is covered. Run it in Auto/Off for now.

There are a couple of things you can do to extend the igniter life. You can play with the swing on the thermostat to have the stove run the house temp up a little higher and then come on when its a little colder. You already know about using the high/low feature. Keep the igniter clean, When you do the weekly cleaning use the vac on the igniter to suck out any crud. I don't try and touch the igniter I just try to hold the hose over it to get any junk that may get into it.

Every once in a while remove the air tube from the back of it and blow air thru the igniter. If the tube clogs it will not let air go thru it and it will overheat fast. I am pretty sure this is how I toasted mine. I learned my leason under warranty. The air tube is important to these pressure ignitors. It is supplied air by the air pump by this tube. I do this at least once a month while I am back there doing the same to the vacuum hose to the vacuum switch.

These igniters are pretty durable. As far as I know, I am the only one on this forum thats lost one. We have a member thats on his 5th season with his and he uses Auto/Off all season. I really woundn't worry to much about it.

 

[flynfrfun]

One thing to think about is how many pellets it wastes starting up and getting back to temperature. Unless the stove is going to stay off for 1-2hrs, I would leave it in high/low mode. You will likely be pellets ahead just to keep the stove up at operating temp. Plus, my M55 Cast Insert tends to overfill the burn pot a little each time I fire it up and wastes a few pellets into the ashpan. So, if I were using it for my primary heat source, I'd leave it on high/low. Besides, the fewer ignition cycles, the better.

In my case, I still use my natural gas furnace to keep the house from getting too cold while we are away at work, so it makes a lot more sense to only turn my M55 on in the evenings or whenever we want to get toasty.
Flynfrfun

 

[jtakeman]

The stove will got to its lowest setting for 30 minutes anyway, Before it shuts down. I use the Auto/Off in the shoulders because low fire still raises my house temp. I only use High/Low when it gets cold enough to not raise the temps, But more to hold them.

flynfrfun has a good point. If the stove is on low for more than an hour or so its probably cheaper for it to just turn off. I think the fuel usauge is somewhere in the 1.6lbs/hr rate and thats about the amount it takes to start it roughly.