PLEASE HELP!!!smoke from air intake

[connsdragboats]

Hello everyone!
I am new at this whole thing and at the pellet stove thing. 1st of all I bought a used Turbo Fire 2001 manufactured by Alternative energy Northwest INC. No manual and cant find the answers on the web so I thought I would try here!

Here are the problems we are having: Our house was smokey so my husband replaced the gasket around the door, it was still smokey so we looked around the seals on the pipes and RTV all joints still smokey! we noticed that smoke was coming out the air intake and it was not sucking in. (when holding a flame by it) So my husband spent a couple hours pulling things apart and vacuuming things. Not knowing what he did the smoke stopped and it started to suck lightly again. After burning 3 to 4 bags and my house being really warm it has started again. My husband started the stove for my children and myself this morning and I came down about a hour later and it was smokey. I knew where to look and yes it was smoking again. I shut off the stove and came here to ask for help. Called a local dealer and they told me that they have never heard if this happening.
PLEASE HELP My husband is about to through it out the door and I cant have that it is what I was hoping to use for heat this year because my PUD bill was way to high and we froze all last year. PLEASE HELP!!

2nd I dont know what you would call the control on the side of my stove but it is a manual light and there is a auger switch and blower switch in the side with a on/off. There is a dial that the outer circle spins that i have found that it will determine how long the auger is off and then the inner circle determines how long it is on. But my question is I have not found a switch or dial that determines the air intake. Is there one? How should I use this?
As it is now when I start the stove I use the jell and then turn on the blower then auger leaving that on 2 and 10(sec off) if I am wanting it to warm up fast I will turn it up to 4 and 8. But back down to maintain a temp. Is this the right thing to do?

AGAIN PLEASE HELP

 

[Jags]

This is apparently a draft or fan issue on your stove. If I had the ability, I would move this over to the pellet stove side of the forum. You will get a much bigger audience to review your issue.

<ducking and running from new mods ;-P >

 

[fossil]

Man, what a power rush! Rick

 

[connsdragboats]

Well thanks for the info! I will try and move it! didnt you see that I am new to this. But I guess I have the ability to move it!!

Thanks!

 

[Jags]

Well thanks for the info! I will try and move it! didnt you see that I am new to this. But I guess I have the ability to move it!!

Thanks!

Ahh...one of our fine Mod's did the deed for ya. The folks here on the pellet side are good folks and will be along shortly.

 

[webbie]

Wow, I have never even heard of that brand...and I have heard of most.

First, let me spell out a recommendation for future readers of this thread...in general, do not buy a used pellet stove, especially one where the model and manufacturer are not still in business and parts and service available. Yes, there are exceptions....if the stove is made by a top manufacturer (Harman, Travis, etc.) which also makes a lot of other products.....and has dealers and a lot of general knowledge floating around the web.....that is different.

I have even gone as far...as suggesting that buyers of NEW pellets stoves purchase them from long-time companies that make a wide product line - which helps assure that the maker will be in business if the pellet "boom" fades. I have been giving that advice since 1995.

Anyway, sorry to go off-topic.....

If no one answers this thread, please send a PM to hearthtools - one of the moderators of this forum. He is in California so he may have at least heard of the unit and may know whether it it worth dealing with.

 

[fossil]

connsdragboats, we have multiple forums here, roughly specific to different aspects of alternative fuel heating & such. Your post was in "The Hearth Room", where the typical discussions are centered on the relatively low-tech appliances that burn cordwood. I moved your post (my first official act as a newly dubbed Moderator) over to "The Pellet Mill and Corn Crib", where all the geeks who know everything about those relatively more complex appliances hang out. My fervent hope is that some folks who know what they're talking about will jump in here and help you out. Welcome to the forums! Rick

 

[connsdragboats]

Thanks to who ever moved it..

Anyways I thought I would buy a used one to see how it would heat my house. Not a big fan of wood stoves. But i was way wrong and oh my husband is letting me know all about it.

If the stove is not that well known its just my luck. Has the controls been explainded well? Is that a proper way to use them?

 

[eernest4]

Yearly maintainance on pellet stoves requires that the combustion fan motor's blower housing be cleaned out of accumulated soot.Warning, this requires a New Gasket, as the old one will most likely break & need replacement ,so do not attempt this without a replacement gasket in hand. If the combustion fan motor appears to be running normally and you dont hear the motors fan hitting accumulated soot & ash (ting,clank or scrape) it is probably ok for now, but sooner or later must be cleaned, but not without a new gasket. thw stove can not run right without a new gasket here and can not run right all soot clogged ,either.




the exhaust flue pipe must also be clear & unobstructed. take off the outside hood termination & look with a bright flashlight.

UNDER THE FIRE POT GRATE , THERE MAY BE AN ASH TRAP, as the pellets burn in the fire cup grate, the ash drops down into this ash trap and it MUST BE CLEANED OUT ON A WEEKLY BASIS
or every two to 3 bags of pellets burned. If you dont burn a lot, go with the 2-3 bags rule.

If this trap is not cleaned of ash it is the same as having the outside cold air intake shut off- no air into the stove or insuficient ,weak air.

a dirty ash trap will override your intake air setting & close off cold outside air to the pellets.

The fire cup grate must also be cleaned every 2 or 3 bags of pellets as the air must be able to get through the slotts & holes in the grate to burn the pellets.

You will probably see a metal rod inside this ash trap rather close to the fire cup, if your stove has an electric ignitor. Do not bend or band this metal rod ,it is an electric heating element that ignites the pellets on stove start up. It has two wires attached to the back of it for electricity.
It glows red hot to ignite the pellets on stove start up for 10 minutes & then is shut off by the stoves control panel.

The cold outside air intake is suctioned up through this ash trap and flows through from under the fire pot grate & across the pellets,providing the pellets air to burn with; then suction pulls the heat up through the heat exchanger and finally to the combustion motor fan where the suction stops. The combustion fan blower then blows positive pressure out the 3 inch diameter pellet stove flue.

On my pel -pro pellet stove, a carburator type choke plate is installed (in the duct) between the fresh cold air intake hose & the ash trap. This is my cold air intake adjustment & is opperated by a slide rod that I pull out for open air & push in for no air. It has a notch that keeps it a little bit open all the time so that I can not shut off cold air input entirely. The less air you have coming in ,the more yellow & sooty and lazy the flame. The more air you have comming in, the brighter, yellow turning to an almost white flame and wildly dancing large or at least larger flame , depending on if there is enough pellets burning in the fire pot grate.

So keep an eye open for a rod or sliding lever or some such that could be a manual air intake adjustment.

STOVE COLD & NOT PLUGGED IN
also,have hubby with a 1/4 or 5/16th nut driver or even a screwdriver, take the sheet metal off the back of the stove with the stove cold & unplugged and trace from the cold air intake pipe on the outside of the stove, onwards into the stove to the pellet fire pot grate. Use a good bright flashlight & have him look for some kind of intake air damper control someplace in that duct between the intake pipe & the underneith of the fire pot.

The air damper may be automatically controled or have a missing manuel rod linkage. A cotter pin might have come loose & the slider rod was lost,(came out in the opperaters hand & was thrown away) or the automatic cold air adjustment (if so equipped) could be jammed up. WD 40 may be helpfull if it is jammed or frozen by rust. Lubrication might do a lot for you here.

Have hubby oil the motors, all three, while he is back there. They are the combustion blower motor, the room air circulator motor and the auger feed motor. 10 w 30 or sae 30 will do just fine, or even 10 w 40. Put oil on any motor shaft right where the shaft exits the motor or any exposed motor shaft (as seen on the auger drive motor). Both combustion fan and room air circulation fan motors should have oil holes or oil vent holes on the face of the end bells above when the motor shafts are located.

pellets popcorning or flying out of the fire pot grate unburned or only partly burned is an indication of too much cold intake air & a dark orange ,sooty,lazy flame with a sooted up glass window indicates not enough intake air.

The ash trap, being below the fire pot grate must allow the cold outside air intake to be able to be suctioned through there and through the fire grate, so it is important that that ash trap be kept clean.

You should check the outside vent hood where the 3 inch dia hot flue outlet of the stove vents to the outside. There may be a birds or mouse nest inside the vent cover or inside the 3 in hot air exhaust duct. Look with the bright flashlight.

Should the outlet pipe be clogged, it would create a back pressure that would send smoke out the fresh air intake.

Also make sure that the fresh air intake pipe to the outside is not clogged or obstructed.

mice nests have been found in pellet stoves before, it is a common problem. So use the flashlight to inspect both cold air in and hot air out.

Unelse you have one odd stove, this should be enough info to troubleshoot your problem.

 

[imacman]

Hello everyone!
I am new at this whole thing and at the pellet stove thing. 1st of all I bought a used Turbo Fire 2001 manufactured by Alternative energy Northwest INC. No manual and cant find the answers on the web so I thought I would try here!

I happen to see that you tried on the Forum "DoItYourself"....that one guy, Biggies2 said he could help you with any problem you might have with your brand and model of stove, and he said he has parts too....did you contact him?

http://forum.doityourself.com/firep...-help-turbo-fire-model-2001-pellet-stove.html

 

[swalz]

Hello everyone!
I am new at this whole thing and at the pellet stove thing. 1st of all I bought a used Turbo Fire 2001 manufactured by Alternative energy Northwest INC. No manual and cant find the answers on the web so I thought I would try here!

I happen to see that you tried on the Forum "DoItYourself"....that one guy, Biggies2 said he could help you with any problem you might have with your brand and model of stove, and he said he has parts too....did you contact him?

http://forum.doityourself.com/firep...-help-turbo-fire-model-2001-pellet-stove.html

I don't think connsdragboats was the one who posted but I did see that she did post a response to Biggies2 as hondoboats2.