Hey everyone as the title states this is my first pellet stove experience, and though I love it, I have no idea what I'm doing. It didn't come with a manual, I found one online but it uses terminology that I am unfamiliar with. I seem to be burning through pellets really fast and I'm not sure how to slow it down without losing heat. Right now I have my auger set at -2 and I get about 6-9 hours per bag of pellets and my house stays at about 60-65 degrees Fahrenheit on nights that are about 10-15 degrees outside. I know the house is drafty, it was built in the late 1800's but I feel like maybe I could be doing something more to optimize my pellet stove, but I still don't know what I'm doing. I vaccuum it regularly and clean the glass, but that's all I've done. I'm not sure what the other settings on the stove do. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks in advance!
Bought a house with an Osburn 5000 and have no idea what I'm doing
- Thread starter Chrisb12587
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First off a pellet stove is a space heater! It is not designed to heat a whole house
although some people do and have good results.
Read your manual all the way through. Anything that confuses you ask.
We would be more than happy to explain it.
Clean the stove as per your manual. A clean stove is a happy stove!!
And Welcome to the forum.
although some people do and have good results.
Read your manual all the way through. Anything that confuses you ask.
We would be more than happy to explain it.
Clean the stove as per your manual. A clean stove is a happy stove!!
And Welcome to the forum.
jurgenk
Member
I have the same stove which I have been using for 2 winters in northern BC, and the link is to a good video describing the mechanicals of the stove. My house is only 27 years old, so I do not have the excessive usage you speak of and if it is drafty you may not be able to do much to offset the amount of pellets you are burning. You could install a thermostat (you do not mention if you have one already) to be more economical and there are some settings (i.e. the pilot) that you might be able to use to be more efficient. Ask away and I will attempt to be helpful....
Ssyko
Minister of Fire
Welcome Chrisb if you could be a lil more spacific about what you don’t understand we can try and point you in the right direction. Reading your manual(one of the better written ones) till you understand it will give you the most benefit.
So specifically speaking I have settings on a panel on the side. In "fuel quality adjustment" menu I have 3 options. Auger motor 1, combustion fan, and exhaust fan. In the manual it just says "these adjust auger speed" or "this controls the combustion fan" but I'm not 100% sure what they do in the first place, I'm just making assumptions. I'm not sure what the combustion fan or exhaust fan adjustments control. I know it sounds stupid, but I'm just clueless. I also have another menu called "pilot settings adjustment" that also has auger motor 1 and exhaust fan. Right now I have my auger setting set on both menus to -3 and the combustion fan and exhaust fan set to -5. I'm just not sure what these settings change, and I'm not 100% sure if they are set correctly. These were the setting I adjusted to, when I moved in the settings were +2 for the auger motor, and +10 for exhaust fan, and I was just burning through my pellets, about 3 bags a day, and my ash catch still had embers under the ash. Again I'm flying blind here, any pointers would be useful, I'm just trying to figure it out as I go and found this place looking for solutions. Thank you again in advance, I'll watch that video now and see what I can figure out.
Ssyko
Minister of Fire
ok so to start you on your evolution with some terms commonly used
combustion blower = exhaust blower which draws air through a tube into the burn pot through the fire, the hot air goes up into the heat exchangers and down through the back of the stove to the combustion blower housing and its fan blade and is sent out you vent pipe (chimney/pipe). the faster this turns, the faster the air goes through the stove.
convection blower = room blower takes the air from the room and sends it through the back side of the fire box and the opposite side of the heat exchanger/tubes and collects the heat and sends it into the room. faster the motor the more air is moved.
the adjustments change voltages corresponding to each motor. the auger motor does not run on constant voltage it is controlled buy a micro chip on the control board that set timing intervals of X seconds on and X seconds off.
combustion blower = exhaust blower which draws air through a tube into the burn pot through the fire, the hot air goes up into the heat exchangers and down through the back of the stove to the combustion blower housing and its fan blade and is sent out you vent pipe (chimney/pipe). the faster this turns, the faster the air goes through the stove.
convection blower = room blower takes the air from the room and sends it through the back side of the fire box and the opposite side of the heat exchanger/tubes and collects the heat and sends it into the room. faster the motor the more air is moved.
the adjustments change voltages corresponding to each motor. the auger motor does not run on constant voltage it is controlled buy a micro chip on the control board that set timing intervals of X seconds on and X seconds off.
jurgenk
Member
Chris, sent you a PM and that video shows the mechanicals only and will only serve to give you a better idea of its components.
Brad
Brad
jurgenk
Member
To add to what I said to you in PM Chris, the "fuel quality adjustment" settings are for exactly that, when you are dealing with changes in fuel quality (i.e. you change from one brand to another or, perhaps, hardwood to softwood). You can slow down the auger motor (i..e values on the - side) if you are burning poor quality pellets to avoid unburned pellets or speed it up if the fire goes out at low settings . Same thing with the combustion fan setting; if you notice that you have a "lazy" flame or that you are have partially unburned pellets in your ashes, you can increase the fan setting to burn the pellets more thoroughly. In my opinion though, these settings are of the "micro" variety in your situation and in order to see "macro" changes in the amount of fuel you are burning, you need a thermostat.
As I mentioned in the PM, if you are using the stove on manual mode, the pilot system is not used so as you are not currently using a thermostat, those settings are currently immaterial. As I suggested, I believe your best bet to get more economy would be to install a thermostat, as that will allow you to more economically use your fuel and open up the full functionality of the stove. Another option once you have exhausted avenues here and through the manual, is to contact technical support and I can personally attest to their helpfulness. The number is on the bottom of the page linked below and you will need the serial number (located on a placard under the hopper lid) of your unit if you call in.
Brad
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