Hello,
I hope somebody can help guide me, as thanks to the energy credit, a repair person cannot come out until January and we are currently experiencing the coldest weather we have had in years!
I installed this pellet stove myself over two years ago and have not had any problems. We do regular cleaning during the season and then a very thorough cleaning in the off season.
We started using it this season and only got a few weeks into it before we had to shut it down and move the stove because we were replacing the flooring in the room that the stove is in. The stove is directly vented with a single ~22 degree elbow, and a total of about 36" of pipe (so not very long).
When we moved the stove back into place, it was perhaps 3/4" lower than before, so our level direct vent now has a very slight upward angle going outside (I doubt this has anything to do with the problem, especially since it is going upwards, but I am trying to provide all of the information I can). We cleaned everything, and I even removed the screened cap on the vent pipe outside and could see clearly through the pipe to the elbow, so the vent is in good shape.
So here is what happens: Startup is fine - it ignites the same as it always has, and I get a good, strong flame going, but then just when the convection fan kicks in, the fire is immediately smothered and smoke starts coming out of every orifice possible. The first time this happened I thought that the draft may not be right so I let it run a little longer, and the flame acted like the air vent was being opened and closed - it would get smothered almost to extinction, then act like it just got a gasp of air and reflame, then get smothered again. Most of the time it is smothered and I could not take the smoke anymore so we shut it down. I tried again the next day and got the same result - as soon as the convection fan turned on, the fire acted like it was getting zero air.
It SOUNDS like there is a gasket/seal that has totally failed, but I cannot understand how that can happen when the stove was used only 5-6 days previously without any problem. It seems more likely that something shifted, fell, or otherwise failed as a result of the move. I jacked the stove up using a floor jack from the underside of the ash pan - could the weight of the stove done something to the ash pan gasket to cause a complete failure of the seal?
What is my most likely cause for something like this? While we clean the stove pretty thoroughly, I have never removed the fan housings or gone "deep" into it (although I do remove the cover on the exhaust fan and clean around the blades of that one), so if somebody suspects something internal, I can gladly take it apart and see what I can find. Since service is required to go through a dealer service guy, I cannot get my hands on a service manual to show how the stove comes apart or the paths of the air flows more than what they show me in the owners manual for cleaning.
I verified also that the combustion air intake is working - I can move the lever and affect the flame, and I hear whistling even when it is in some positions, so I know that is working OK. I also assume the exhaust fan is working fine because for several minutes before the convection fan turns on, the stove is fine and there is no smoke coming in the home.
Ideas?
Thanks MUCH in advance for your help!
Tink
I hope somebody can help guide me, as thanks to the energy credit, a repair person cannot come out until January and we are currently experiencing the coldest weather we have had in years!
I installed this pellet stove myself over two years ago and have not had any problems. We do regular cleaning during the season and then a very thorough cleaning in the off season.
We started using it this season and only got a few weeks into it before we had to shut it down and move the stove because we were replacing the flooring in the room that the stove is in. The stove is directly vented with a single ~22 degree elbow, and a total of about 36" of pipe (so not very long).
When we moved the stove back into place, it was perhaps 3/4" lower than before, so our level direct vent now has a very slight upward angle going outside (I doubt this has anything to do with the problem, especially since it is going upwards, but I am trying to provide all of the information I can). We cleaned everything, and I even removed the screened cap on the vent pipe outside and could see clearly through the pipe to the elbow, so the vent is in good shape.
So here is what happens: Startup is fine - it ignites the same as it always has, and I get a good, strong flame going, but then just when the convection fan kicks in, the fire is immediately smothered and smoke starts coming out of every orifice possible. The first time this happened I thought that the draft may not be right so I let it run a little longer, and the flame acted like the air vent was being opened and closed - it would get smothered almost to extinction, then act like it just got a gasp of air and reflame, then get smothered again. Most of the time it is smothered and I could not take the smoke anymore so we shut it down. I tried again the next day and got the same result - as soon as the convection fan turned on, the fire acted like it was getting zero air.
It SOUNDS like there is a gasket/seal that has totally failed, but I cannot understand how that can happen when the stove was used only 5-6 days previously without any problem. It seems more likely that something shifted, fell, or otherwise failed as a result of the move. I jacked the stove up using a floor jack from the underside of the ash pan - could the weight of the stove done something to the ash pan gasket to cause a complete failure of the seal?
What is my most likely cause for something like this? While we clean the stove pretty thoroughly, I have never removed the fan housings or gone "deep" into it (although I do remove the cover on the exhaust fan and clean around the blades of that one), so if somebody suspects something internal, I can gladly take it apart and see what I can find. Since service is required to go through a dealer service guy, I cannot get my hands on a service manual to show how the stove comes apart or the paths of the air flows more than what they show me in the owners manual for cleaning.
I verified also that the combustion air intake is working - I can move the lever and affect the flame, and I hear whistling even when it is in some positions, so I know that is working OK. I also assume the exhaust fan is working fine because for several minutes before the convection fan turns on, the stove is fine and there is no smoke coming in the home.
Ideas?
Thanks MUCH in advance for your help!
Tink
