1992 Englander 25-PDV - Knob to Board Conversion

[numbcoffee]

Hi all;

I have seen many threads regarding fine tuning Englander stoves with the control boards in order to get the most out of the stoves.

We are in the possession of an old 1992 Englander 25-PDV, much older vintage than most of them out there.

In previous threads I had some questions on the burn pot plate and didn't really fiddle with anything, really just wanted to give the stove a year or so to settle in and see what we were working with. Long story short, it's been a great $400 investment and did us really well last winter. This winter I was pretty useless and didn't get enough pellets so it hasn't been used as much, with the end of the season hopefully coming soon and way too much propane being used, I would like to revert back to the stove for a month or two.

I am not sure how efficient it really is as the old controls are finicky, the heat knob either could be turned from all the way left at low to a half way mark the previous owner painted on (we really only stayed there as it was plenty hot enough, hungry though). From there you could turn it to the right a full turn and a half and probably burn the house down, we never tried thankfully.

So it was time to invest a little and we have a new board coming, a button style, hopefully this should help things. Unfortunately though I have no idea where to begin.

I thought I would start here though. I am thinking I start by installing it and putting it in a C mode and see what we're looking at, any other suggestions?

 

[SidecarFlip]

One thing you have BETTER do and that is KEEP THE LID LATCHES LOCKED AT ALL TIMES when using it and make sure the lip gasket is intact and sealing.

That is a positive pressure stove and is prone to hopper burnback if the unit is run with the lid latches not secured. I presume you have an owners manual for it, I suggest you read it, especially about the part that specifically tells you to lock the lid after each time you fill it with pellets.

What you have in your picture is a fire hazard... and, the hearth pad the stove is sitting on isn't nearly large enough either.

 

[numbcoffee]

Thanks for that, we did have a chat about this stove in another thread and you mentioned the latches. One of these must have really 'burned' you (sorry, couldn't resist).

 

[SidecarFlip]

Not really. I read instructions pretty well. Good luck on converting it to a solid state control. Sounds like fun.... not.

 

[Ssyko]

Get s box of male & female spade connectors and probably some 16/18 ga. Wire.

 

[Ssyko]

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[numbcoffee]

Thanks for that Ssyko, I will update end of the weekend when I get this done.

 

[numbcoffee]

All right so we started the install, got everything hooked up, changed mode to C to be safe, and see what happens. After five seconds, we got an E2 code, which is odd because there isn't an ignitor on this model.

Do I have to jump the terminals for this to work?

 

[SidecarFlip]

NO. Do not jump the ignitor terminals, you'll fry the board immediately.

 

[numbcoffee]

Holding off, didn't want to ruin anything, might give England Stove Works a jingle on Monday as I am sure they had a board without the ignitor terminals...

 

[SidecarFlip]

Not sure about that. My 6039 (2000 vintage) has the ignitor lugs on the board, in fact my spare board also has them. On both boards, the lugs are capped with insulators. The logic chip controls the ignitor on time, not anything else and my unit never had one anyway, not that I'd want one. I can light mine quicker than any cal rod ignitor can anyway. Hand full of pellets, a squirt of gelled fire starter or hand sanitizer, a match, light them and close the door and push on and in 2-3 minutes it's happy again.

In fact, if I ever bought an new unit (very doubtful), I'd delete the cal rod ignitor anyway. Just an unneeded thing that eventually needs replacement.

 

[numbcoffee]

Update it's an E2 code then an E1.

I think it's obvious that board is cleverer than my old one. Looking at some other threads there is quite a bit of talk about vacuum and vacuum switches. The stove doesn't have any, so something is reporting back that something isn't right.

I think it might be worth giving her a good clean intake all the way to exhaust and then giving it another go.

For tonight, old board is back in and she's running old school knob style. It was a nice day in Michigan today so definitely a good day to have a go, didn't expect it to go well without consulting tech support to be honest and my hunch was correct.

Any ideas would be great, I will consult with England Stove Works Monday and add what they suggest, could come in handy down the road for anyone else who wants to have a dabble.

 

[SidecarFlip]

You can add a vacuum switch. You'll need the switch, a length of silicone rubber hose and a brass nipple, a couple more terminals and some more wire.

Get a nipple that is threaded on the end and barbed on the other and drill and tap the combustion fan housing to accept the barb and fasten the switch nearby. take the silicone rubber hose and connect the the barb to the switch (I believe the black nipple) and then run the wires to the control board where it's marked 'VAC' and you'll be good to go. Not 100% positive on the black nipple on the switch so you will have to try it and see. All that does is allow the board to see there is proof of fire and the combustion blower is creating vacuum.

 

[Ssyko]

On the back of the board near the bottom you will see 2pins they should have a jumper across them. That it for the vacuum in the combustion blower housing that you don’t have. Just leave the igniter terminals empty

 

[SidecarFlip]

On the back of the board near the bottom you will see 2pins they should have a jumper across them. That it for the vacuum in the combustion blower housing that you don’t have. Just leave the igniter terminals empty

On my spare board. each 'station' is marked (imprinted in the board) with what the terminals are for. Mine has 'VAC" in front of those terminals. I wonder why the OP is getting an error display. Maybe the the terminals are not jumpered. If they were I would presume the board 'sees' the vacuum switch as closed (even without one). Again, I believer I'd install one regardless. Not hard to install and gives an added measure of safety.

 

[numbcoffee]

Morning all, that was it, there were two terminals with VAC labeled with no connection between them. I created a jumper and now all works much better.

Still have to do a little tweaking and move around the wiring so they don't touch the auger fans, things like that, but it works. There is only one set of connectors for one room blower fan, I have two so I will have to figure out what to do there.

We had the heat level on 1 last night, blower level on 8 and the heat was very sufficient. It was a tad warm outside but still...

One of the biggest challenges has been getting an OAK put on this thing as the inlet faces down right in the middle of the stove, since putting one on however I have seen much better performance just with that. The board is hopefully going to add another level of improvement until we can get enough money for a Harman.

Thanks all for the help.