Austraflamm/Rika Integra II Freestanding, ER3 issues

[Pellet Dog]

Good Day All,

I am new to this forum, and looking for any Austraflamm/Rika Integra II Freestanding experts to give some advice on my issues.....

So I have a 2006 Integra II freestanding stove, I have had it for about 7 years and for the most part I have been happy with the stove. Stove is on the main floor of my house, and is direct vented out the back, and I have it plumbed for outside air. The stove heats my home very well, but I am always battling ER3 errors.

I understand the ER3 error and what it means..... But I can not figure out what is causing it. I clean the stove regularly, deep (complete) clean every ton of pellets, and I clean the burn pot and internal ash pan and glass about every two to three days. I will also periodically "spoon out" the burn pot while the stove is running. I run a 100% softwood pellet, and it is considered one of the best pellets we can get in VT. I also run the pellets through a pellet sifter before I put them in my hopper.

I have explored all the obvious places for an air leak. Here is what I have done so far..... I recently re-siliconed the back of the 4 nuts that are used for are used for the bolts that hold the cast walls in. Used a high temp Rutland silicone, 600 degree. I have also done the dollar bill test around the door seal and I have done the lighter test during the 21 minute start up and there is no obvious air leak in those areas. The lower cast wall gasket is in very good shape, replaced 2 years ago, seal around the combustion fan is in very good shape as well. The gasket on the "circular clean-out" (right side of stove) looks to be in good condition. I have cleaned my air sensor with "electronics compressed air". Other things to note, I have replaced my convection fan and user control board.

After the deep clean the stove runs great for about 2 days, and then the flame starts to get "lazy" and will get tall, only on the left side of the stove (hinge side of the door). That side of the stove will get sooted up. The left most glass will be covered, and part of the center. The latch side of the door and glass will remain clear of soot for many days.

I have put a lot of information here, and I appreciate anyone who takes the time to read it all and provide any insight or thoughts. I know there are quite a few posts specific to ER3 out there.

I tried to attach a file with a video and a picture, but I can not seem to upload to the page.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Welcome and if you put those likely large files up on a site such as photo bucket and post links here it should allow people viewing access.

 

[Flammam]

Burning to the left side is a function of the airflow through the burn pot and the air intake being on the right. My 92 Integra also burns to the left. What does your venting look like after it leaves the stove, this may be the issue if you are close to the maximum and the combustion blower cant push out the gasses fast enough. I am right at the limit of 15 on my stove but the majority of my run is vertical out side the house, I thinks this really helps the stove to flow well.

 

[Mark_ms]

Behind the heat exchange tubes there are 4 (?) holes that open up to combustion flue. They are somewhat difficult to see, but if you remove lower cast wall and open up the small door to the flue (on right side), shine a flashlight from tube side and you will see them. They will clog with ash and impede airflow.

As flammam says mine does the same thing on left.
just a thought...

 

[Pellet Dog]

Burning to the left side is a function of the airflow through the burn pot and the air intake being on the right. My 92 Integra also burns to the left. What does your venting look like after it leaves the stove, this may be the issue if you are close to the maximum and the combustion blower cant push out the gasses fast enough. I am right at the limit of 15 on my stove but the majority of my run is vertical out side the house, I thinks this really helps the stove to flow well.

Good Day Flamman, Thanks for writing, and providing some information. My exhaust run is pretty short, I direct vent out the back of the stove and it is a straight shot out the back of my house. Total length of exhaust out the back of the stove is 4 feet. Total of 4 feet from the back of the stove to the termination cap.
What do you burn for pellets? Is it a mix of hard and soft pellet? Brands?
Nice to be part of this forum, to compare notes....

 

[Pellet Dog]

Behind the heat exchange tubes there are 4 (?) holes that open up to combustion flue. They are somewhat difficult to see, but if you remove lower cast wall and open up the small door to the flue (on right side), shine a flashlight from tube side and you will see them. They will clog with ash and impede airflow.

As flammam says mine does the same thing on left.
just a thought...

Good Day Mark_ms, I am familiar with the 4 rectangular shaped openings under the cast wall, the make sure to clean those out after each ton of pellets through the stove. Thanks for writing and the information. It seems these stoves are very particular about the quality of pellet ran in them.

 

[Mark_ms]

Good Day Mark_ms, I am familiar with the 4 rectangular shaped openings under the cast wall, the make sure to clean those out after each ton of pellets through the stove. Thanks for writing and the information. It seems these stoves are very particular about the quality of pellet ran in them.

It's funny how one brand of pellets run poorly in one stove but, run great in another, check out the pellet reviews on the top of the forum, you will see what I mean

 

[Pellet Dog]

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Good Afternoon All,

I posted a you tube link of my stove in action. Hopefully this will better demonstrate the status of the stove. This video was taken 1 day after I did a complete clean on the stove. Thanks again to anyone that can provide some input.

 

[Pellet Dog]

Good Afternoon All, I forgot to mention one other symptom, which may be part of the problem, or a secondary problem. The speed of my convection fan varies in speed while the stove is running. In other words, if I leave the stove set at 40 ( this happens more frequently the hotter I run the stove). You will hear and feel the convection fan ramp up and ramp down. I recently replaced the convection fan as I was told this was a sign that the fan was going bad, but even with the new fan it is doing it. Also worth noting is the top and sides of the stove are hot to the touch. Again, I am curious if this is tied to the lazy and high flame issued I am having with the stove (description in my original post). Is there some sort of thermal protection that is causing the convection fan to slow down and then ramp back up?

This stove has been good, but I need to sort this all out or I may be forced to replace it. . Any help or thoughts are appreciated.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Looks like you still have crap in the stove or that ramping up and down is the controllers air sensor trying to get things up to snuff in the combustion department is there anything blocking the combustion air intake?

 

[MZR800]

Greetings Pellet Dog,

I have two of the same stoves and just last week ran into the er3 on both stoves. This is the second heating season with these stoves. I clean each stove once every week (ash pan) and do a plates off and exhaust deep cleaning once a month. Here's the interesting thing, I have been burning Curran blend pellets since the first of November (not the greatest pellet) and two days before the er3 codes showed up I started burning Barefoot pellets (much hotter and cleaner). I quickly vacuumed out each stove and fired them back up. It hasn't happened again and the only thing I can chalk it up to is the change in pellets as both of my stoves have been flawless until the recent pellet change. I have a very similar setup on my upstairs stove with Selkirk direct vent with oak as yours and I do notice if she starts huffing and puffing its time to go out and vacuum out the exhaust. Double check your exhaust and if its clean it might just be the difference in pellets. Good luck

 

[lakensea]

Have you tried changing the fuel use (FU) setting to "2"?

 

[Pellet Dog]

Looks like you still have crap in the stove or that ramping up and down is the controllers air sensor trying to get things up to snuff in the combustion department is there anything blocking the combustion air intake?

The air intake seems to be clean. I appreciate the help and thoughts.

 

[Pellet Dog]

Have you tried changing the fuel use (FU) setting to "2"?

Yes, I should have mentioned that, stove is on the FU 2 setting. I have pretty much have had the stove on that setting since I got it. Thanks for the thought and your input.

 

[Pellet Dog]

Greetings Pellet Dog,

I have two of the same stoves and just last week ran into the er3 on both stoves. This is the second heating season with these stoves. I clean each stove once every week (ash pan) and do a plates off and exhaust deep cleaning once a month. Here's the interesting thing, I have been burning Curran blend pellets since the first of November (not the greatest pellet) and two days before the er3 codes showed up I started burning Barefoot pellets (much hotter and cleaner). I quickly vacuumed out each stove and fired them back up. It hasn't happened again and the only thing I can chalk it up to is the change in pellets as both of my stoves have been flawless until the recent pellet change. I have a very similar setup on my upstairs stove with Selkirk direct vent with oak as yours and I do notice if she starts huffing and puffing its time to go out and vacuum out the exhaust. Double check your exhaust and if its clean it might just be the difference in pellets. Good luck

Thanks for the input. I am starting to think that it could be the quality of pellet I am using, but I am burning a 100% soft wood pellet, called the Vermont pellet and arguably the best pellet we can get in this area. I have burned LG's in the past and have had similar luck with them. I plan to do another deep clean this week, and will take everything apart. I just did this two weeks ago, and when I do the deep clean it does not run well for long. I will keep digging and will post more information and whatever I find to resolve it. How warm do your stoves get? Are you able to put your hand on the top and the side panels comfortably? Not saying you would get burned on mine, but they are really warm.

 

[Flammam]

My stove will burn pretty much anything although it does prefer the higher quality pellets. Really like the softwoods..ie: AWF, Okenagan.

 

[Flammam]

Just watched your video, that looks like a pretty typical flame. I usually dont run my stove on that high a setting unless its really cold outside. Right now I am about 25% on the dial and the flame is about 1 inch over the top of the burn pot. My stoves convection blower will also surge when its cranked up I think its defiantly a function of the airflow through the stove. If you continue to have problems read through this.

http://pelletstoverepair.com/IntegraTechManual.pdf

 

[Pellet Dog]

Just watched your video, that looks like a pretty typical flame. I usually dont run my stove on that high a setting unless its really cold outside. Right now I am about 25% on the dial and the flame is about 1 inch over the top of the burn pot. My stoves convection blower will also surge when its cranked up I think its defiantly a function of the airflow through the stove. If you continue to have problems read through this.

http://pelletstoverepair.com/IntegraTechManual.pdf

Thanks to all that have responded and provided insight. So I cleaned the stove again to day. While I was doing the cleaning I noticed that the door gasket on the upper side of the hinge side looked to not be aligned quite right so I adjusted the door. Perhaps that is the cause of my leak. I shot a video, stove is clean, and set at 35. Historically the stove looks good right after the clean, the flame will get lazy and draws to the hinge side in a few hours. I will report back.

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[Pellet Dog]

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Good Day All, For those continuing to follow my updates and progress..... I cleaned the stove last night, and took a video of the "clean" stove running. Eight hours later, (continuing to run the stove at the 35 setting). The video link is how the stove looks after 8 hours, you can see the flame is a bit lazier and a good amount of soot is starting to build up on the hinge side of the door.
I will continue to post an update. Thanks again for all that have taken interest in this and the help and insight that has been provided.

 

[lakensea]

I suggest you contact Stacy at Lucky's Distributing - I'm pretty sure he can help you out.

Also be aware that the tech manual link referenced above is for the Austroflamm Integra I stove which is similar mechanically to the Rika Integra II, but the control system is entirely different.

 

[Pellet Dog]

Thanks, I have spoken to Stacy many times in the past with other issues I have had with the stove. He certainly understood the stove, pretty amazing actually. My understanding is he no longer is with Lucky.

 

[mginwyo]

I am the new owner of an Integra II from Lucky's. My First burn was amazingly different compared to what I previously had (Thelin Parlour). Very happy how quiet the stove is and how clean it seemed to burn for the first hour long burn.

The new stove odor is pretty bad however. How long does it take to "Burn In" and clear that chemical smell from recurrence?

 

[semipro]

Less than a week for me.

 

[Jim C]

Good Day All,

I am new to this forum, and looking for any Austraflamm/Rika Integra II Freestanding experts to give some advice on my issues.....

So I have a 2006 Integra II freestanding stove, I have had it for about 7 years and for the most part I have been happy with the stove. Stove is on the main floor of my house, and is direct vented out the back, and I have it plumbed for outside air. The stove heats my home very well, but I am always battling ER3 errors.

I understand the ER3 error and what it means..... But I can not figure out what is causing it. I clean the stove regularly, deep (complete) clean every ton of pellets, and I clean the burn pot and internal ash pan and glass about every two to three days. I will also periodically "spoon out" the burn pot while the stove is running. I run a 100% softwood pellet, and it is considered one of the best pellets we can get in VT. I also run the pellets through a pellet sifter before I put them in my hopper.

I have explored all the obvious places for an air leak. Here is what I have done so far..... I recently re-siliconed the back of the 4 nuts that are used for are used for the bolts that hold the cast walls in. Used a high temp Rutland silicone, 600 degree. I have also done the dollar bill test around the door seal and I have done the lighter test during the 21 minute start up and there is no obvious air leak in those areas. The lower cast wall gasket is in very good shape, replaced 2 years ago, seal around the combustion fan is in very good shape as well. The gasket on the "circular clean-out" (right side of stove) looks to be in good condition. I have cleaned my air sensor with "electronics compressed air". Other things to note, I have replaced my convection fan and user control board.

After the deep clean the stove runs great for about 2 days, and then the flame starts to get "lazy" and will get tall, only on the left side of the stove (hinge side of the door). That side of the stove will get sooted up. The left most glass will be covered, and part of the center. The latch side of the door and glass will remain clear of soot for many days.

I have put a lot of information here, and I appreciate anyone who takes the time to read it all and provide any insight or thoughts. I know there are quite a few posts specific to ER3 out there.

I tried to attach a file with a video and a picture, but I can not seem to upload to the page.

Hello Pellet Dog. I have the same stove and i am battling the same ER3 issues. I am very suspect of the air sensor. Have you had any luck figuring out your problem? I know its an Air Issue, judging by the black in the burn pot.
I just cannot figure out where? The stove is only 11 months old.
What have you tried?
Thank You

 

[Jim C]

Well i sprung for the new air sensor. 110.00.
It worked great, for 1 night. Now im back to where i was with the ER3 code. This is beyond aggravating. I didnt buy a brand new stove to work on it every day.
I will keep trying.