St Croix Warranty

[kserr]

Done it, did it , been there. Thanks for the thoughts anymore would be great.

 

[jtakeman]

It really sounds as if your combustion fan is what we call thermaling off. Due to heat issue's. There is a heat fuse built into these motors to protect them. When it trips the motor just stops even though power is still being applied to it. Kind of like a circuit breaker but only heat activated.

Have you removed and cleaned the combustion fan? I would try it first as its free except for the gasket. Next maybe a lack of lube issue. Try lubing it with 20w oil or 3 & 1 oil in the blue can for electric motors.

If those 2 things do not cure the issue its time for a new motor.

Just my 2
jay

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

"When the repair man came up he tested our vaccum pressure and said it was low and cleaned out one the hoses and rechecked the pressure and it was back to normal."

So there was ash in vacuum hose. Is that what you are saying?

 

[tchdngrnby]

New combustion fan part number 80P20001-R for your St. Croix EXL. Just purchased one for myself as a spare. $117.00. I purchased the fan and it also included the entire lower housing. Probably could find the fan alone for cheaper. Do a search for a company called Auto Rain located in Spokane, Washington they carry a lot of St. Croix parts.

Mine is also under warranty. My local dealer simply will not respond. Eager to sell, not so eager to stand behind what he sold. To date I have:

1. Replaced all the venting with dura-vent. Noted the dealer installed components from 2 different manufacturers and some of it was used! ($250) Dealer said he would reimburse.. never happened
2. Corrected exhaust leak between the combustion fan housing and the appliance adapter. Ordered my own gaskets from Auto-rain (+/- $20.00). (Sealant was broken due to stress, installer did not cut the hole for the wall thimble high enough).
3. Combustion fan is very noisy, requested new fan. (purchased my own from Auto rain $117.00)
4. Cerra brick panels are cracked, requested new panels. (orderd my own from Auto rain $89.00)

So far my bealer has: 1 no show for appt., 1 cancellation for appt., 2 no response to e-mails, 1 no response after stopping at his shop to fill out a sevice request.

My next step is to send a formal letter to the dealer with copies of my reciepts and a copy to St. Croix. If no satisfaction, my only other option is to drag the dealer into a small claims action. Don't really want to do this but, if he does this to me, I wonder who else he is doing it to?

 

[tchdngrnby]

Done it, did it , been there. Thanks for the thoughts anymore would be great.

Did you use a long bottle brush and run it "up" and "between" the ash traps? Make sure that you are getting all the way up to the top of the plenum where the heat exchanger tubes terminate. I also use a smaller brush to clean downward (you will need to pull your heat exchanger scraper rod all the way out and you can access the opening accross the top of the firebox). Assuming you have cleaned the be-jesus out of the entire exhaust system, try the leaf blower trick and use a small rubber mallet to tap the back of the firebox with the leaf blower running.

I would have a hard time swallowing a number 3 blinking light due to wind... I suppose it could be possible but highly unlikely.

 

[61snowrider]

OK guys I hear everbody saying to use the leaf blower to clean the stove. Since everyone uses this I guess that it is best, but what about a shop vac. Is it just as good or not? I have a shop
vac but no leaf blower ( with vac ). What type of leaf blower works the best since I have to buy one? Also I have had mine ( St. Croix ) for 4 winters now. The first 2 years was great!
Now we bought our pellets from another supplier ( supposed to be premium hard wood pellets ) and these last 2 years they have been clunking up in the fire box. They also sell blend pellets ( ( a mix of soft and hard wood ). Could this be bad pellets? I am going back to my original supplier next winter but this supplier is only 2 miles away. My original one is 30 miles away!!. I am from Pa. I am always cleaning my stove, it burns black. I take the ceramic panels out and beat on the back with hammer to get debri out, clean out the 2 trap doors, and it still doesn't burn right. Can't wait to try the leaf blower trick.

 

[kserr]

Yes there was a little ash in the vacuum hose, but he cleaned out the ash and rechecked the vacuum pressure and it was fine, but the stove has shut down again twice since then so that couldn't of been the problem. Yes we have use a brush to clean the ash in the ash traps there is alot of ash that gets in there but we have already done that also. I guess we will just tare it down again and reclean. Like I said earlier we had no problems last year with the Lignetics maybe it is the pellets. I don't like the Pennigtons or the corniths.

 

[kserr]

Thanks for the infor on the combustion fan I really think that is the problem. this is only my second season with my stove its still under wannranty but I guess if you don't get your dealer to stand by you your warranty means crap and thats what I told St Croix that the dealer wouldn't come up until I gave him a 100 dollars. Now its cost me 132 dollars for nothing .. I could have bought a new combustion fan. Grrrrrrrrrr : :vampire:

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

kserr,

If there was a little ash in the vacuum tube that means there is likely a lot in the exhaust path somewhere as that is how it got into the vacuum tube.

I am not talking about the ash traps either, the exhaust system starts where the burn pot ends and goes all the way to and including the vent cap. Most of those vacuum switches only need to see less than one tenth of inch of a water column difference to activate, that is a very very small pressure difference. Less than one four thousand three hundred and twentieth of normal atmospheric pressure. If you have not removed and cleaned the combustion fan and its cavity and the exhaust path from the cavity all the way back and through the heat exchanger to just above the burn pot and also in the other direction through to and including the vent cap your stove has not been completely cleaned.

A large ash load can also lead to a combustion blower with thermal protection to overheat and thermal off leading to loss of vacuum.

 

[kserr]

Thanks for the input we will re-clean the venting system. The only thing is if indeed we had a lot of ash wouldn't the stove be starved for air and not burn good and not relight. My flame is always good .When it does shut down and the #2 light starts to blink I have just been holding the power on button until it restarts itself and it has been. It could go for a week and not shut down but yes lately its doing it more.

 

[tchdngrnby]

OK guys I hear everbody saying to use the leaf blower to clean the stove. Since everyone uses this I guess that it is best, but what about a shop vac. Is it just as good or not? I have a shop
vac but no leaf blower ( with vac ). What type of leaf blower works the best since I have to buy one? Also I have had mine ( St. Croix ) for 4 winters now. The first 2 years was great!
Now we bought our pellets from another supplier ( supposed to be premium hard wood pellets ) and these last 2 years they have been clunking up in the fire box. They also sell blend pellets ( ( a mix of soft and hard wood ). Could this be bad pellets? I am going back to my original supplier next winter but this supplier is only 2 miles away. My original one is 30 miles away!!. I am from Pa. I am always cleaning my stove, it burns black. I take the ceramic panels out and beat on the back with hammer to get debri out, clean out the 2 trap doors, and it still doesn't burn right. Can't wait to try the leaf blower trick.

Purchase an electric leaf blower that best fits your budget. Keep in mind that the more CFM's the blower is rated, the more air it is designed to move. More air means more turbulance which should pick up more fly ash when you attach it to your vent piping. Use your shopvac to clean your stove, then use the leaf blower and your question will be answered. A shop vac simply does not have the Um PAPA compared to the leaf blower. Myself, I purchased a TORO at my local hardware store along with some fittings and a roll of duct tape to ensure a tight fit. Works great. Just don't be downwind when you turn on the blower...

I note you stated that you clean out the 2 ash trap doors.... are you using a long bottle brush to clean upwards and between the 2 ash trap doors? Just cleaning out around the traps is not enough. If you are burning black, that should be a good indication of a dirty stove. Make sure you are cleaning the combustion fan and the interior of the fan housing as well. As Tjakeman said above, your exhaust system starts in your fire pot and ends at the chimney cap. The entire exhaust route must be cleaned or your stove will not be a happy fire belching machine.

Clinkers in your fire pot could be caused by a bad batch of pellets. Keep in mind that your pellets were once trees that have been cut, skidded through the mud, subjected to road dirt, handling though the mill, sawn, pushed around with a dozer and/or a bucket loader before being pressed into pellets. They do pick up an amount of dirt/silica along the way which ends up as a clinker in your fire pot. Once you find a good brand of pellets stick with them until they prove otherwise.

Happy burning (and cleaning!)

 

[tchdngrnby]

Thanks for the input we will re-clean the venting system. The only thing is if indeed we had a lot of ash wouldn't the stove be starved for air and not burn good and not relight. My flame is always good .When it does shut down and the #2 light starts to blink I have just been holding the power on button until it restarts itself and it has been. It could go for a week and not shut down but yes lately its doing it more.

The only time I experianced a #2 light is when the pellets have bridged over the auger opening (long pellets) or if the hopper was getting low and the remaining pellets failed to fall into the auger. You may want to empty your hopper and feel the surface of the sheet metal. If it is rough, hit it with a fine grit sandpaper and then spray it down with silicone compound and wipe the excess with a terry towel. Cleaning the hopper and vacuuming the fines out of the auger should be a regular part of your cleaning routine.

 

[MSmith66]

Hi
We are using corninth and Penningtons we usually mix them and vaccum them before we use them. The stove has shut down twice again since the repair man came and told us it was the wind gusts from our fresh air intake and to put a shield on it which my husband did. Well that wasn't the problem but I knew that. I don't think are vent system is clogged because we just checked it. We are vented up through our roof about 16 feet of stove pipe. We also went with a 4" pipe because of our evl being 16feet. When the repair man came up he tested our vaccum pressure and said it was low and cleaned out one the hoses and rechecked the pressure and it was back to normal. So I guess it couldn't of been the vaccum hose either. The flame is lively and not sooty our glass just gets the brown haze so I know its burning properly. When it shuts down you can hear the combustion fan shut right off so I'm wondering if their is a fault with that? Someone posted earlier that St. Croix was having problems with the combustion fan. I really don't know what you mean by bridging in the hopper? All I can figure is you mean that the long pellets are causing the auger to stop there for causing the stove to shut down. Anymore advice would be great I'm still waiting to hear from St. Croix. >:-(

Sound like your stove is plugged. You do have to clean out the two ports and ALSO, there are two plugs one on each side of the burn pot. You may have to remove the brick panels. Pop out the two plugs and use a 1/4" OD tube about 2ft. long to push out the ash from behind the chamber wall. St. Croix is a good stove but they don't do a good job of explaining that area to the owner in the manual. I have had numerous customers with the same problem even with 1 ton of pellets burned.
Hope this helps.

 

[Xena]

Sound like your stove is plugged. You do have to clean out the two ports and ALSO,
there are two plugs one on each side of the burn pot. You may have to remove the
brick panels. Pop out the two plugs and use a 1/4" OD tube about 2ft. long to push
out the ash from behind the chamber wall.

Are you referring to the ash traps as "plugs"?

 

[MSmith66]

The ash ports are down below the burn pot, the fire wall plugs that i'm talking about are next to the burn pot. One to the left and one to the right on the fire wall. The older models don't have them. A tech bulletin was sent uot on the older models to drill a 3/8 hole (2) on each side of the burn pot then cover with spring plugs.

 

[tchdngrnby]

The ash ports are down below the burn pot, the fire wall plugs that i'm talking about are next to the burn pot. One to the left and one to the right on the fire wall. The older models don't have them. A tech bulletin was sent uot on the older models to drill a 3/8 hole (2) on each side of the burn pot then cover with spring plugs.

Where can I get a copy of this tech report? I have an older EXL (11/2005). If these holes are not on this model, I would like to know exactly where they are suppose to be drilled and where to obtain the spring plugs. The cleaner I can get the stove the better.

Thanks,

Paul V

 

[Xena]

Mine is a 2005 as well.

 

[kserr]

Hi

Still haven't heard from Even. Temp. or St Croix whatever you want to call them but I really don't think the problem is that the stove is plugged. Ran fine all weekend no shut downs. Today is the 17th so 5 days no shut downs. Had the stove on low all day while I was at work got home at 6 turned the stove on high after 5 minutes or so boom combustion fan shuts off stove shuts down #2 light blinks green power button is off. I wait a little while maybe three minutes turn the power button on she starts back up no problems. What am I suppose to do call the dealer again so I give him another 130 dollars? I could of bought a new combustion fan for that. Looks like Even Temp gets an F for customer service in my book. :shut:

 

[woodsman23]

try this e-mail addy,,,, [email protected] i hope this helps you out...

 

[maglite67]

Remove the combustion blower take it to the dealer if your stove is under warranty it should be a free replacement. Tell them that it is tripping out on the thermo switch built into it. Also tell them you cleaned your room fan if you don't move enough air over the stove the high limit on the stove should trip before the combustion blower trips. also make sure that the motor is clean if it can not get air to cool down it will trip. The dealer should warranty their work you could call and ask if they do and if they say yes ask them to come out at no charge.

 

[kserr]

Thanks I will go down there fan and all. Maybe demand a refund.

 

[maglite67]

BY the way a #2 light is a vac error. Not enough neg pressure. On your stove it happens if your stove gets too dirty, door is left open, the combustion blower stops or slows, vac switch fails of not reading the pressure. also if you have wind blowing into your exhaust vent over powering the combustion blower dropping the pressure. Never your intake it would increase the pressure I would remove the flapper and go back to how it was if you ran fine last year. I have not seen any other causes of this except some rare cases control boards or voltage drops. 80% cleaning 15% blower and 5% other ones mentioned.

 

[jtakeman]

BY the way a #2 light is a vac error. Not enough neg pressure. On your stove it happens if your stove gets too dirty, door is left open, the combustion blower stops or slows, vac switch fails of not reading the pressure. also if you have wind blowing into your exhaust vent over powering the combustion blower dropping the pressure. Never your intake it would increase the pressure I would remove the flapper and go back to how it was if you ran fine last year. I have not seen any other causes of this except some rare cases control boards or voltage drops. 80% cleaning 15% blower and 5% other ones mentioned.

Or if the Combustion motor thermal Off. No vacuum without the motor going.