Another Enviro Maxx problem

[stecy]

This is the first year the Maxx is available, at least in the US, although the dealer assured me that Enviro had carefully debugged it with in-use testing last year. However, I'm beginning to wonder about its reliability.

My problem is quite different from that reported by firestarter. Yesterday I came home after a several hour absence to find that the stove had shut down, and the #3 heat level light was flashing. According to the troubleshooting section in the manual, this condition is not fatal: pressing the on/off button should reset the control. But after doing that the system light went into a continuous flashing mode, and never turned off until I eventually pulled the plug.

This morning I plugged it in again, and it appeared to start up normally, except that the convection blower did not come on at the usual moment, and as a result when the fire really got going expansion noises that it doesn't normally make alarmed me, and I hit the off button. THEN the convection blower started up - so the blower motor is OK - and again the system light has been blinking continuously.

My best guess for the original automatic shut-down is that there may have been bridging in the hopper that starved it for fuel. When I stirred the pellets, there did seem to be some settling and clinking - perhaps as a void was filled. However that doesn't explain why it won't reset to a proper start-up cycle.

The unit is almost brand-new: only 20 bags of pellets so far. The first 14 bags were from Home Depot, then I switched to New England brand, which is manufactured nearby in New Hampshire, and I believe is a very good pellet.

The stove is installed in my cellar, and has 2 feet of horiz. pipe into a cleanout tee, then 13 feet vertical to an elbow, and another 2 horiz. feet to pass through the wall. I installed it myself, as the only dealer who could supply one from stock was over 2 hours away. The draft has not been confirmed with a magnehelic yet - one is on order but has not yet arrived. The burn seems visually correct. Prior to this incident, everything appeared to be working properly, with no fire pot problems as reported in another post.

The dealer has yet to return my calls, and its getting pretty cold in here! Anybody have any ideas?

Steve

 

[hearthtools]

Not sure on the maxx but other enviro stove have a button on the control board that shuts off the blower.
but you might have push the button on the control board that shuts off the Convection blower.
and then it will only come on when the stoves High blower limit switch hits 160 deg.

The blinking light stays blinking for the 15 minute start up cycle.
they it will be solid unless you are using a thermostat and the stove is in Keep fire mode.



If the stove every shuts down and you cant get it going
Open the Right side of the stove and see if the RESETTABLE high limit switch had tripped.
it will have a Red button in the middle to push and you will hear it click.

 

[stecy]

Thanks Rod for your reply

... the Convection blower ... will only come on when the stoves High blower limit switch hits 160 deg.

Is what the manual calls the exhaust temp sensor the same as "High blower limit switch"? I just put a meter on it, and it is open at room temp (40 deg F and dropping!) Does it then close at 160 deg? As I mentioned, the stove starts up more or less as usual, but seems to get a lot hotter because the convection blower is not coming on to dissipate the heat.


The blinking light stays blinking for the 15 minute start up cycle.
they it will be solid unless you are using a thermostat and the stove is in Keep fire mode.

Before this happened, the light blinked while doing its start-up or shut-down cycles, otherwise it was solid on while running, or entirely off when shut down. Now, after hitting the off button it goes thru the usual shut-down cycle, but then the light never goes out, it just keeps blinking forever.


If the stove every shuts down and you cant get it going
Open the Right side of the stove and see if the RESETTABLE high limit switch had tripped.
it will have a Red button in the middle to push and you will hear it click.

Well it gets going as usual, just that it seems to be getting too hot (making expansion noises that don't sound good, and the convection blower has not yet come on, so I get nervous and hit the off button). I also checked this high limit sensor, and the red button does not move, and it is closed at room temp.

Steve

 

[hearthtools]

Again Im not 100% on the Maxx control panel but if there is a push button with a Icon that look like a fan
try pushing it. this will turn the fan on to work with each heat setting.

Im still not understanding your light on
"Now, after hitting the off button it goes thru the usual shut-down cycle, but then the light never goes out, it just keeps blinking forever."

Is the light flashing with the stove OFF? that might be normal.

If it is blinking after the start up and when your stove is RUNNING for over 20 minutes then that is telling me the stove is in thermostat mode and you might have the Auto switch in the wrong location.
ARE YOU USING A THERMOSTAT?
If so what mode are you running it at. Hi low or On off?

If you are not running a stat KEEP THE switch to Manual mode. Or make sure the stat wires are jumped.
I have heard there are some jumpers on the back of the stove that change the BTU and some other stuff
Look at your service manual and make sure they are all factory.

I had a problem with my Omega control board out of the box (not the same as yours) but
I did have to UNPLUG the power to the board and let it reset then it has been working fine.
if you can send me a photo of your face of the board

 

[stecy]

Rod

Sorry to take so long to get back to you, but the good news is that all appears to be working properly again. It was just a random chain of events, plus my partial understanding of how the unit functions.

1) The flameout yesterday that started it all appears to be due to switching to New England brand pellets, which contain a small percentage as long as 1 1/2". There is a grate positioned midway down the hopper with 1 3/8" openings. These passed the 16 bags of Home Depot pellets that I was using before without difficulty, but after 3-4 bags of N.E., the grate was plugged enough to starve the auger. Now the grate has been removed, and the pellets are not obstructed in their descent. Time will tell if the auger itself has any problem with the long ones, but I am hoping not. Why is the grate there, anyway? My best guess is that somebody sometime stuck their hand deep into the hopper and had their fingers bloodied by the auger, and this is Enviro's way of preventing that from happening again. Any better explanation?

2) Apparently - and the manual unfortunately doesn't make any mention of this - when the power is interrupted, the control resets itself to the lowest heat level, which is basically just a fire maintenance level, with only natural convection. i.e., no blower. So the blower was not coming on because the control was set lower than I had left it, and it took me hours to notice that. (The five red lights that indicate heat level bleed into the adjoining windows, so you have to really stare closely to be sure exactly what level it is set to. Enviro would do well to correct this.)

3) On the lowest heat level, it is important to have the auger trim set properly for the pellets being burnt. For the Home Depot pellets, I had set this for the highest feed, because the quality seemed low. When I switched to N.E. pellets, I neglected to reset the auger trim to a lower feed appropriate for a higher quality pellet. Therefore the quantity of N.E. pellets being dropped into the firepot on the lowest level was too great, and made too hot a fire for just natural convection. That big fire is why it made alarming noises heating up too much. This is when I became concerned about the blower not coming on, and shut the stove off - before it had completed it's start-up cycle. And this is probably why the light kept blinking; the control was frustrated.

4) Now, with the obstructing grate removed, and the heat level and auger trim reset, everything seems to be working normally. It just took all day to figure this out. The manual is pretty good, but it could be better. Perhaps in the next edition they will have a better idea of what can confuse people.

Rod, thank you very much for the help you offered.

Steve

 

[hearthtools]

They have two manuals with the stove
Owners manual how to use the stove
and
Service and installation manual. Trouble shooting and install info

I know my Omega is new and only a few out there. Im the first in California. So they did not give me a service manual.


The grate is the only way to get around the required AUGER KILL SWICH on the hopper lid (Auger shuts off when the lid is opened) that some other country's require.

This is to keep Hands and large objects out of the hopper when it is running.
Dumb but NEEDED for Enviro is sold all over the world.

Glad this is working good now.

Keep the burn pot clean and you will be happy.

 

[stecy]

Rod

Well, I wouldn't want to get my hand tangled in the auger for sure. But if the grate is needed, it should have holes enough larger to pass the longest pellets, but still small enough to keep hands out. Using New England pellets with their long length, I see no choice but to remove mine.

Steve

 

[hearthtools]

I just learned from enviro
The Maxx control panel will shut off the room air blower on the #1 setting
then will go up in speed with every heat setting after that.

 

[CONCORDE]

You will find the following reference to standards for pellet fuel in your owner's manual:

"The Pellet Fuel Industries (P.F.I.) has established standards for wood pellet manufacturers. We recommend the use of pellets that meet or exceed these standards. Ask your dealer for a recommended pellet type."

PFI sets out minimum standards for pellet fuel intended for residential heating purposes. These standards specify parameters for ash content, BTU values, pellet diameter, and pellet length.

According to PFI, pellets should not be longer than one-and-a-half inches.

Longer pellets may hang-up on your stove's hopper safety screen. While this screen can be removed, over-length pellets could still jam up in the bottom of the hopper where pellets enter the auger. Long pellets can sometimes for a blockadge if they lodge cross-wise at this location forming a "bridge".

You can pull your safety screen out and use it to filter out overlength pellets. Long pellets can then be broken up so you can burn them. In the end, the best advice is to find a fuel that conforms to PFI standards.

DH

 

[CONCORDE]

Here is more info supplied by the Pellet Fuels Institute:

Industry Standards

The pellet fuel industry has developed fuel standards that must be met by all pellet mills. These industry standards assure as much uniformity in the final product as is possible for naturally grown materials that become processed, but not refined, fuel. The pellet fuel industry, through the PFI, has determined that pellet mills have the responsibility to test and certify their product. The Institute recommends that manufacturers conduct both in-plant and independent laboratory tests of their product on a regular basis.

PFI-graded fuel must meet tests for:

• Density: consistent hardness and energy content (minimum 40 pounds/cubic foot)
• Dimensions: length (1 ½” maximum) and diameter (1/4” x 5/16”) to assure predictable fuel amounts and to prevent jamming
• Fines: limited amount of sawdust from pellet breakdown to avoid dust while loading and problems with pellet flow during operation (amount of fines passing through 1/8” screen no more than .5 percent by weight)
• Chlorides: limited salt content (no more than 300 parts per million) to avoid stove and vent rusting
• Ash content: important factor in maintenance frequency


Grades of Pellets

Pellet mills produce two grades of fuel – Premium and Standard. The only difference between the two is ash content. Standard grade fuel is usually up to 3% ash content, while premium grade is less than 1 percent. This difference is a result of the pellet contents. Standard pellets are derived from materials that produce more residual ash, such as tree bark or agricultural residues. Premium pellets are usually produced from hardwood or softwood sawdust containing no tree bark. Premium pellets make up 95 percent of current pellet production and can be burned in all appliances. Standard pellets should only be burned in appliances designed to burn the higher ash content pellets.

For more on the Pellet Fuels Institute, go to: (broken link removed to http://www.pelletheat.org/2/index/index.html)

 

[ajbfire]

This is the first year the Maxx is available, at least in the US, although the dealer assured me that Enviro had carefully debugged it with in-use testing last year. However, I'm beginning to wonder about its reliability.

My problem is quite different from that reported by firestarter. Yesterday I came home after a several hour absence to find that the stove had shut down, and the #3 heat level light was flashing. According to the troubleshooting section in the manual, this condition is not fatal: pressing the on/off button should reset the control. But after doing that the system light went into a continuous flashing mode, and never turned off until I eventually pulled the plug.

This morning I plugged it in again, and it appeared to start up normally, except that the convection blower did not come on at the usual moment, and as a result when the fire really got going expansion noises that it doesn't normally make alarmed me, and I hit the off button. THEN the convection blower started up - so the blower motor is OK - and again the system light has been blinking continuously.

My best guess for the original automatic shut-down is that there may have been bridging in the hopper that starved it for fuel. When I stirred the pellets, there did seem to be some settling and clinking - perhaps as a void was filled. However that doesn't explain why it won't reset to a proper start-up cycle.

The unit is almost brand-new: only 20 bags of pellets so far. The first 14 bags were from Home Depot, then I switched to New England brand, which is manufactured nearby in New Hampshire, and I believe is a very good pellet.

The stove is installed in my cellar, and has 2 feet of horiz. pipe into a cleanout tee, then 13 feet vertical to an elbow, and another 2 horiz. feet to pass through the wall. I installed it myself, as the only dealer who could supply one from stock was over 2 hours away. The draft has not been confirmed with a magnehelic yet - one is on order but has not yet arrived. The burn seems visually correct. Prior to this incident, everything appeared to be working properly, with no fire pot problems as reported in another post.

The dealer has yet to return my calls, and its getting pretty cold in here! Anybody have any ideas?

Steve

What size vent piping do you use with your Maxx?