Pellets sticking to hopper

[GrahamInVa]

I just came home to a cold house. >:-(

There were plenty of pellets in the hopper but they aren't sliding down.

Any ideas on what to do?

I should have taken a picture before I pushed them down.

 

[Gabe]

Hello Try Pam cooking spray also what kind of pellets are you burning?

 

[DexterDay]

I polish it with furniture polish. Other people use car wax. Couple other things, but cant think of right now (Sat night/thirsty)

 

[GrahamInVa]

Hello Try Pam cooking spray also what kind of pellets are you burning?

Thanks.. I'll try that.

Currently I am burning Big Heat. But I have 11 different brands I am testing. I have had the same issue with the other brands as well.

 

[ifixmy2]

2 things that has helped me.
One was to put alum tape on all the seams in the hopper.
I just put in over top of siliconed cracks
Second thing was to purchase some dry graphite and squirt it in the hopper
and the auger tubes, when I did teardown. Seems to help and no difference
noticed when burned with pellets.

 

[Xena]

I second the dry graphite. I use the fine
stuff and spread it all over the inside of the hopper.
A little goes a long way ya don't really need much.
Works a treat.

 

[kykel]

its not so much that they stick but more like the stack on top of one another, If the bottom ones dont get pulled into the auger they will hold the ones above from sliding down. seems to be a common problem. Im on my second stove and it seems to be the same only this design gets most of the pellets before that happens.

 

[Panhandler]

I second the dry graphite. I use the fine
stuff and spread it all over the inside of the hopper.
A little goes a long way ya don't really need much.
Works a treat.

The graphite is available in spray can. Much easier to use and to get it where you want.

 

[GrahamInVa]

I emptied and cleaned the hopper real good this afternoon. Took a piece of 300 grit sandpaper and smoothed it up a bit and then coated it real good with spray dry graphite.

Well see how that works.

 

[Don2222]

I just came home to a cold house. >:-(

There were plenty of pellets in the hopper but they aren't sliding down.

Any ideas on what to do?

I should have taken a picture before I pushed them down.

Englander Tech Support and Julie Andrews always say:

Just a spoonful of powdered graphite helps the pellets go down, helps the pellets go down... In the most delightful way... hmhmhmhm..

 

[imacman]

I emptied and cleaned the hopper real good this afternoon. Took a piece of 300 grit sandpaper and smoothed it up a bit and then coated it real good with spray dry graphite.

Well see how that works.

If that doesn't work well, try spray furniture polish....I used Behold, and it really helped. Apply it just like on furniture....spray on, and polish with a rag until smooth.

 

[Xena]

The graphite is available in spray can. Much easier to use and to get it where you want.

I'm sure but I used what I had in the garage. ;-)

 

[exoilburner]

How long are your longest pellets? Should not be over 1.5 inches. In mine anything much longer causes pellet jams in the hopper and stove shut down once in a while. Never have a problem with shorter pellets.

 

[timjk69]

I waxed the bottom of my hopper with with furniture paste wax about 3 years ago. Made those pellets slip and slide! It's due for another coat now, but still better than before.

 

[GrahamInVa]

I came home again yesterday to my stove off again. >:-(

This is what the hopper looked like.

I hit the ON button and it started right back up again and ran fine.

So, i'm a little confused. This is the second time it has done it and both times the pellets were low but still seemed there was enough?

 

[kofkorn]

That doesn't appear to be a problem with the pellets sliding. That looks more like you are getting some bridging. Long pellets are locking together, preventing other pellets from dropping into the auger. Your pellets don't look to be too long from what I can see though.

Try this. With the power off, use a small screwdriver and just slowly push it down to the area where the pellets feed into the auger. Listen very carefully when you do this. If the pellets are bridged, you will probably hear them release and fall into the auger.

As to a resolution, I hope that you don't have a whole lot of that particular brand of pellets, as they are likely to be an issue. Maybe you can trade with someone who has a different brand??

Good Luck!

 

[exoilburner]

That doesn't appear to be a problem with the pellets sliding. That looks more like you are getting some bridging. Long pellets are locking together, preventing other pellets from dropping into the auger. Your pellets don't look to be too long from what I can see though.

Try this. With the power off, use a small screwdriver and just slowly push it down to the area where the pellets feed into the auger. Listen very carefully when you do this. If the pellets are bridged, you will probably hear them release and fall into the auger.

As to a resolution, I hope that you don't have a whole lot of that particular brand of pellets, as they are likely to be an issue. Maybe you can trade with someone who has a different brand??

Good Luck!

Agree with kofkorn. This is exactly my experience with pellets that are too long. If there is a jam, I touch them over the hole and if I quietly listen I can hear them tinkeling down on the slide plate. hearth.com has a link that explains pellet spec.s at
https://www.hearth.com/what/pellet/pellet1.html

The hearth.com page says: "Dimensions length (1 1/2" maximum and diameter (1/4"or 5/16") to assure" predictable fuel amounts and to prevent fuel jamming"

 

[kofkorn]

One other thought:

If you do the test and listen for the falling pellets and don't hear anything, it may be that your original issue with the pellets sticking to the side may still be in effect. I've seen times where they stick long enough for the stove to stop, and then later some small vibration (walking by, door closing, etc.) shakes them enough to slide back down. Easy way to determine this would be to try going through a normal start up. If the pellets start dropping again, then you may need to do some additional work to the hopper.

I used the aluminum pipe tape inside of my hopper. I coated the entire inside with it, being careful to minimize any seams and overlaps. After that, I immediately went from having about 20lbs left in the hopper to having about a handful left. That was 4 seasons ago, and I have never had an issue since.

Good luck with it! I'm sure that this forum will get it figured out for you.

 

[GrahamInVa]

Thanks Guys! I'll take a closer look. They didn't seem overly long but I didn't pay too much attention.

I really would like to be around when it happens to see what code my stove throws. I just assumed it turned off because the exhaust temp dropped too low? (aka empty hopper)


I just pulled this from the englander site. Probably my issue...


E-4:
This is a "time and temperature" fault code: This code is only found in certain models. Essentially, it is caused when the unit drops a certain amount of temperature in a short amount of time, and its purpose is to take away the possibility of feeding fuel into a smoldering condition after a gap in feeding.

Common causes for E-4 codes:

1. Pellets bridging in the hopper: In some cases, pellets can form a self-supporting dome or “bridge†over the feed auger in the bottom of the hopper. When this happens, the feed auger empties out beneath the bridge and a gap in feeding occurs. This bridge will normally collapse under its own weight (along with natural vibrations from the unit) and feeding will resume. If the gap in feeding is long enough, the resulting loss of fuel and the dying fire can cause an E-4 code. Longer pellets are usually more susceptible to this issue, and excessive pellet dust can also cause this situation.

2. Stove shutting down from lack of fuel in a cool environment: Stoves such as the utility furnace are often used in shop or basement applications. In these applications, the ambient temperatures may be lower than in a ground-floor house type of application, so in a shutdown from running out of fuel, the E-4 can occur, as the temperature drop is more rapid. This does not denote a “failure†in the unit, but is a common occurrence in cold room shutdowns.

3. Gaps in feeding due to “hot fueling†or “hot cleaningâ€: For pellet units which have hopper lid switches and active door switches - when either is opened, they will stop feeding, and if the gap in feeding is too great then the E-4 "time and temp." error can occur.

 

[exoilburner]

Thanks Guys! I'll take a closer look. They didn't seem overly long but I didn't pay too much attention.

When the long pellets were causing the jamming problem here I found only a few pellets over 1.5 inches. Most were under 1.5 inches. The pellet hopper slope must be borderline.

 

[MSmith66]

I just came home to a cold house. >:-(

There were plenty of pellets in the hopper but they aren't sliding down.

Any ideas on what to do?

I should have taken a picture before I pushed them down.

Vac out hopper and rub wax paper on the hopper sides. works great and is cheap.

 

[imacman]

IMO, the pellet bridging might cause your problem, but I doubt it would happen 2 times....the pellets you show in the pic don't seem overly long.

In addition to my suggestion above to spray the surfaces with furniture polish, I have also added aluminum furnace tape in all the corners to help the pellets slide. I did the furniture polish AFTER applying the tape.

 

[DexterDay]

Im not seeing it. The pellets are feeding. All units do this to some degree. The bridging ...... Maybe? I never liked my Englander design. It has 4 sides. All on the same angle. Makes for even pressure from all angles. Which could very likely stop the flow of pellets (although it has not). My Quad has 3 angles. Front and both sides. Back is flat. Which leaves enough room for pellets to drop straight down into the augers path. When my Quad shuts down. It has about a handful of pellets left in the bottom. But the last 10-15 lbs seem to look like yours until it runs out. But it "runs out" not dies out.

I think more waxing or polishing. Or call Englander. With many stoves in the field. They have dealt with this before. Thats a lot of pellets. Hours worth of pellets. Good luck. I really like the looks of that stove. Looks very similar to my Quad.

How big is the hopper (50-60 lbs)??

 

[imacman]

Believe this or not, a couple years ago, someone on this forum thought of using an old cell phone fastened in the hopper, set to "vibrate only" mode. The person would call the phone a couple times a day and the vibrations supposedly made the pellets slide down.

And NO, I am NOT searching for that thread, so don't ask! :lol:

 

[GrahamInVa]

Im not seeing it. The pellets are feeding. All units do this to some degree. The bridging ...... Maybe? I never liked my Englander design. It has 4 sides. All on the same angle. Makes for even pressure from all angles. Which could very likely stop the flow of pellets (although it has not). My Quad has 3 angles. Front and both sides. Back is flat. Which leaves enough room for pellets to drop straight down into the augers path. When my Quad shuts down. It has about a handful of pellets left in the bottom. But the last 10-15 lbs seem to look like yours until it runs out. But it "runs out" not dies out.

I think more waxing or polishing. Or call Englander. With many stoves in the field. They have dealt with this before. Thats a lot of pellets. Hours worth of pellets. Good luck. I really like the looks of that stove. Looks very similar to my Quad.

How big is the hopper (50-60 lbs)??

Yea, I think your right. They are just not sliding down fast enough. I checked last night and they are not too long (green label ligs). I am going to tape the seams and try a little more "waxing".

The hopper holds 45 lbs.

That's funny about the vibrating cell phone but I bet it worked. It doesn't take much for them to slide.