hi all, wife and I had contemplated for some time switching from our woodstove to a pelletstove so when this stove came along at a local thrift store at a great price I bit the bullet to make the move. Their comment was the donor had said it was working when removed. It does seem to be in great shape but when I plug it in the small display screen simply keeps changing thru various numbers and letters and the off/on button seems to have no effect. Is there a trick to reset the control or am I out of luck ? The replacement boards for these things are scary expensive ! Can they be repaired ? I "might" be able to take the stove back but I'd prefer to get it going and stay the course. Thanks for any help you can offer. We're located in northern VT.
Astroflamm Integra 2 - control issue
- Thread starter vtstove897
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Lake Girl
Moderator
They can sometimes be repaired ... I have not used this service but hopefully others will chime in with opinions/options.
http://www.pelletstoverepair.com/
Did you pay much for the stove?
Edit: In case you don't have one .... should at least give you an idea of what the letters/numbers mean.
http://woodstoves.net/documents/Rika/Integra-insert-manual.pdf
http://www.pelletstoverepair.com/
Did you pay much for the stove?
Edit: In case you don't have one .... should at least give you an idea of what the letters/numbers mean.
http://woodstoves.net/documents/Rika/Integra-insert-manual.pdf
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We paid $400 for the stove. It all goes for a good cause of course though I'm not sure we would have gotten it knowing it isn't working as is.
Lake Girl
Moderator
Try working through with the manual to see if you can get it in manual mode. If unsuccessful, might want to go back to the thrift store and explain the situation...
A search of the board for board repair should give some other repair services ... search box top right! Keep us posted
A search of the board for board repair should give some other repair services ... search box top right! Keep us posted
Joe at pellet stove repair is a good honest guy but I don't think he does does Integra II boards.
Contact him to find out if he does not he can probably point you in the right direction
See this thread about Joe
$400 dollars paid for stove another 400 for a new circuit board is really not expensive all things considered
Contact him to find out if he does not he can probably point you in the right direction
See this thread about Joe
$400 dollars paid for stove another 400 for a new circuit board is really not expensive all things considered
Lake Girl
Moderator
Shane1
Member
How long did you let it go for? I don't know the stove but maybe it's some kind of diagnostic or startup procedure. Also after you tried it did you try unplugging for a couple minutes than try again?
Joe at Pelletstoverepair does not touch the newer Integra II's.
Does the combustion blower start and do pellets start to feed? What exactly comes up on the display?
Does the combustion blower start and do pellets start to feed? What exactly comes up on the display?
This is a pretty good stove. I just wish i could offer you help other then a guess. Sounds like you've tried to power off the' user control board' and then unplugged the stove , from power source (wait 10 mins ? ) and tried a restart with no results . Maybe try to unplug the user control board from both the 'mother' main circuit board and 'User' board then re attach . See if that resets the user control board.
Sorry I can't add more. Hopefully others can offer more
Sorry I can't add more. Hopefully others can offer more
Here is a link http://www.manualslib.com/manual/795322/Rika-Integra-Ii.html?page=20#manual to a site that provides manuals.
Pages 20 - 30 show a little information that may help. Most is generic but at least some of the numbers and letters you are seeing on the User Board are given a meaning . Hope that gives you a little help.
Pages 20 - 30 show a little information that may help. Most is generic but at least some of the numbers and letters you are seeing on the User Board are given a meaning . Hope that gives you a little help.
I have the same stove, Built like a tank! The thing burns everything and makes lots of heat. I paid $800 for mine used and that was a good deal near me. It heats my whole house from basement and I didn't think it would. Although getting it to basement took 3 big guys it weighs a ton.
I would also try to unplug the board and from the push buttons for a while clean the connections and give it a try.
The stove is defiantly worth fixing even if you don't have the cash now you'll have it for next year.
Good luck.
I would also try to unplug the board and from the push buttons for a while clean the connections and give it a try.
The stove is defiantly worth fixing even if you don't have the cash now you'll have it for next year.
Good luck.
Thanks folks, I'll give it another try, give it longer in case it was going thru some kind of boot/diagnostics and possibly take the side panel off to see about access to the boards. I agree as to the heft of the stove.... whooeee, I wouldn't want to bring one upstairs somewhere ! I'll post an update when I have news.
Last eve I plugged in the stove and noticed it that finally after a time it dumped in a load of pellets. I thought that it might have locked into just overflowing the bucket but after a time a glow appeared by the igniter and sure enough it lit up and the combustion fan flamed it. Then it seemed it it wasn't blowing any warm air out. Meantime Big John over by Barre, VT returned my phone call as I'd heard he works on pelletstoves and he suggested I look at the control panel again and be patient. Sure enough it was slowly counting down and when it hit zero after perhaps 7 or 8 minutes the convection section fan kicked in and it blew warm air. As to the power off button not working, it didn't take too long with John recommending patience and again looking at the LED's that it was again counting down after I'd pressed the button (and it had stopped dropping pellets in... obviously it wanted the pellets burned up before turning off) and at zero it powered off. So the stoves basic functions are working. What I don't know is whether it would just keep burning regardless of room temperature and I still seem to have an issue as to not readily being able to set up the date/times or find the thermostat setting. An added note that I think it can't be quite right that a stove would want to start running as soon as power comes on so I think I still have at least some issue there. Things are generally looking up and I'll be looking further as to the next step. We could use it as an alternative already in a pinch though I think we're going to be fine with the stock of dry wood we have still this year for the woodstove. I do have the manual pdf and will need to read it more thoroughly rather than just the spotty bit I've done so far. I'll try to send further updates as this unfolds. Thanks all !
On the Integra II model the start-up sequence is about 21 minutes (pellets should start dropping immediately and they should light within a few minutes), and the shut down should be about 8 minutes, neither of which can be interrupted by the control panel. There is no thermostat - only a heat output setting, and on/off timer settings if you choose that feature, all of which is explained in the manual.
All you have to do is read the manual and you would see that your stove is working properly.
All you have to do is read the manual and you would see that your stove is working properly.
vtstove897 As lakensea says above your stove seems to be running normal . The stove does seem to burn any type pellet but my experience says it likes a better grade pellet . With the higher grade pellet you can burn at lower settings( 20% or below ) Your in Vermont consider Vermont pellets ( most people speak highly of that brand ) No biggie ,the stove seems able to handle Big Box store pellets . i just feel they require more diligence (burning below 20% less efficient and dirty)
Anyways sounds like your rounding into good shape . Good Luck
Anyways sounds like your rounding into good shape . Good Luck
When I got my Integra II my dealer had stopped selling Okanagan and had a different high quality brand (can't remember the name) that were hardwood. I still had some Okanagans to start, but then switched over to the hard pellets. My Integra I handled them fine, but the Integra II's auger groaned annoyingly. The tech and I spent hours trying to find the problem, even carefully filing the edges of the auger. After he left I found I still had an old partially wet bag of Okanagans. I salvaged out a bucked of clean pellets and the auger quieted right down.
I would stay away from hardwood pellets. Also, even though these stoves will generally run fine on any pellet, I have always found that you usually get what you pay for. After the hardwood incident the only choice I had was to buy big box store pellets. Even though they burned OK, I new from burning Okanagans for so many years that there is a difference in heat output, ash and even bag dust. If I had never burned quality pellets I never would have known the difference.
My dealer now sell LaCretes and they burn great. Low ash and they are double sifted before bagging so less dust in the house from filling the hoppers.
I would stay away from hardwood pellets. Also, even though these stoves will generally run fine on any pellet, I have always found that you usually get what you pay for. After the hardwood incident the only choice I had was to buy big box store pellets. Even though they burned OK, I new from burning Okanagans for so many years that there is a difference in heat output, ash and even bag dust. If I had never burned quality pellets I never would have known the difference.
My dealer now sell LaCretes and they burn great. Low ash and they are double sifted before bagging so less dust in the house from filling the hoppers.
My Integra II likes the LaCretes . As you noticed (me too ! ), the better grade pellets (softwood?) burn hotter and I feel cleaner.
I do shut the stove off each day let it cool (1-2 hours?) vacuum and wash the glass with rag, wet in warm water , wipe glass with a dry rag wait a few mins then restart. Takes less then 5 mins. About every 2 weeks perform a deeper cleaning consisting of taking the cast walls off( I also wipe down these plates ) Brushing off the heat exchanger and just about everywhere my brush can hit/ then vacuum . Put the plates back on and shes ready to go .
I do shut the stove off each day let it cool (1-2 hours?) vacuum and wash the glass with rag, wet in warm water , wipe glass with a dry rag wait a few mins then restart. Takes less then 5 mins. About every 2 weeks perform a deeper cleaning consisting of taking the cast walls off( I also wipe down these plates ) Brushing off the heat exchanger and just about everywhere my brush can hit/ then vacuum . Put the plates back on and shes ready to go .
I do not clean mine nearly that much. They put out so much heat - even when they need to be cleaned.
My old Integra I gets shut down every night. In the morning I vacuum the ash pan & burn pot & re-light (no auto-igniter) for the day. Run it on high for about an hour, then turned all the way down for most of the day (unless it's real cold). Mid season (about 2 tons) I pull the plates & flue (it's an insert) and vac. To be honest, I do not even notice much of a difference.
My newer Integra II is on a Rika Pellet Control which works great to regulate heat output and a regular thermostat used as a timer. The self cleaning feature keeps the burn pot quite clean, so every few days I vac out the pot and ash pan. I also pull the plates & clean this one mid season at about 2 tons.
I generally only clean the glass once a year - when it's clean it's too bright! Too much glare on the TV also.
My old Integra I gets shut down every night. In the morning I vacuum the ash pan & burn pot & re-light (no auto-igniter) for the day. Run it on high for about an hour, then turned all the way down for most of the day (unless it's real cold). Mid season (about 2 tons) I pull the plates & flue (it's an insert) and vac. To be honest, I do not even notice much of a difference.
My newer Integra II is on a Rika Pellet Control which works great to regulate heat output and a regular thermostat used as a timer. The self cleaning feature keeps the burn pot quite clean, so every few days I vac out the pot and ash pan. I also pull the plates & clean this one mid season at about 2 tons.
I generally only clean the glass once a year - when it's clean it's too bright! Too much glare on the TV also.
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