Enviro Empress FPI not lighting

This is not supposed to be a stupid question because I have done it after cleaning once.

Is your burnpot liner in backwards?

daveob1 said:

Hi I'm trying to fix my stove and the problem is it won't light. All motors work and the burn pot fills with pellets. The igniter gets orange except for the last 1/2". Before I order another one is the whole igniter surposed to turn orange. Thanks dave

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no, the tip should be the only part glowing.
if you see a glow the ignitor is likely good..

be sure to download the repair manual from http://www.enviro.com/help/manuals.html it is very helpful

welcome the hearth.com btw

Try to Google "Empress FPI Technical Manual" I am not good at links.

Page 12 is the troubleshooting section, this manual has more info than the regular domestic manual.

Good Luck

sound like it's starting to short out on the inside. Could be even made worse if it's touching the tube around it in anyway.

gyingling said:

Try to Google "Empress FPI Technical Manual" I am not good at links.

Page 12 is the troubleshooting section, this manual has more info than the regular domestic manual.

Good Luck

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i linked the main page above, but here is the tech book for the empress if anyone is still looking..
http://www.enviro.com/images/manuals-brochures/owners-manuals/C-11914 Instruction Empress-A FPI Domestic Technical Manual.pdf

oops spaces=20%=bad link

I've had the Enviro FI for 3 seasons now. Sometimes it gets quirky. The ignitor should glow all over and the tip should be seen as bright red ( replaced one so far). It is a PIA to pull out and voltage test.
( any time I have not had pellets start is because someone put the burn pot in backwards - the little hole on bottom has to face the ignitor) Can't tell you how many times this has happened.
As far as your motors. Put a few pellets in the pot, put some alcohol based hand sanitizer on them and light with a match. Set the stove to run. If everything goes well it will be like new. You can light that way and deal with the igniter and pulling the whole FI out in the summer.

Hand sanitizer, never thought of that one.

Heard about using a propane torch for sweating copper, but not that one.

Thanks for the tip.

You likely have a plugged vent system.

It can cause problems establishing air flow through the fire pot and thus prevent the igniter from starting a fire.

ETA: I'd give the stove and the venting a very good cleaning, then I'd test the combustion blower.

daveob1 said:

HOLY CRAP ! I started it that way and it ran for about 5 minutes then all hell broke loose the combustion fan never started and it just poured smoke from the top grates filling the house. So I'm guessing whatever is wrong it's not the igniter.

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Have you taken off the 3 back plates and vaccumed behind there. Especially open the damper slide in the lower left corner and suc that stuff out. Maybe its time for the leafblower trick also.

So, forget about lighting the pellets. If you set it to run does the combustion fan come on right away? Open the door and you should hear a good strong suction. Its easy to test if you read the manual, however, you have to pull that succer out. I've become a pro at it, but it's not fun.

daveob1 said:

hi the exhaust fan comes on but the combustion fan won't kick on until it heats up I believe. How do you do the leaf blower on an insert unless you mean climbing on the roof.

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The exhaust fan is the combustion fan.

Yup if you are going to use the leaf blower it is roof time.

Make it simple. When the FI starts 1 fan comes on. " Exhaust, combustion whatever you want to call it. It feeds the flame and sucs the smoke out! Once the burn temp gets high enough, the circulator fan will come on and blow hot air into the room.
Check and see if your fan comes on. If so open the baffle and suc what ever you can out of their. I do the leaf blower from inside. I pull the FI, disconnect the 4" exhaust flex, duct tape the blower to the flex for a tight seal and let her rip. Done it 3 times after burning 5 tons ea time. Didn't really get that much stuff out and my exhaust is so good I barely keep the damper open. I know this stove and I relaly think your missing something obvious and it's in cleaning.

How are you venting? You said smoke pured into the house. Shouldn't happen if you have the right setup, unless your blocked.

I'm a long, long time wood burner. New beans about pellets 3 yrs ago. Read and read the forum and thats where I learned. I still log on every other day winter or summer. There is so much here just do a search.

Sounds like the exhaust is blocked. You need to pull the stove out a bit and undo the buckle that holds the pipe to the stove. You should find the 3" section from the back of the stove to the clean out tee partially clogged. I usually vac this area out every 2 tons. You can tell when the build up gets bad visually. When you try to adjust the combustion air the fire does not change a whole lot. Stays kind of lazy. Vacuum that horizontal section out and the tee and you should be back in business. Get one of those lint eater set ups and do the whole pipe to the chimney top in the summer. You can clean it from the hearth, no need to go on the roof.

The Radiator said:

Sounds like the exhaust is blocked. You need to pull the stove out a bit and undo the buckle that holds the pipe to the stove. You should find the 3" section from the back of the stove to the clean out tee partially clogged. I usually vac this area out every 2 tons. You can tell when the build up gets bad visually. When you try to adjust the combustion air the fire does not change a whole lot. Stays kind of lazy. Vacuum that horizontal section out and the tee and you should be back in business. Get one of those lint eater set ups and do the whole pipe to the chimney top in the summer. You can clean it from the hearth, no need to go on the roof.

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That says it in a nutshell. Exactly!!

That's good to hear. I just did the same after about 3 tons and it makes a big difference. My FPI was getting tough to start, and wasn't until it was going for a while that it was really burning well.

I cleaned out the "T" and then banged the pipe - OMG another quart of fine ash came falling down the pipe. The ash was so fine that after a while it would clog the vacuum, and all, but eventually got it cleaned. Unclog, reassemble, bang pipe, vacuum, clog, repeat. Did that about three+ times.

It made a world of difference.....