Breckwell P24I Slow to Light

[clindert]

Folks,

I have a 7 year old Breckwell P24I insert that has become slow to light. Over time (last two years) I have noticed that the pellet level in the burn pot before pellet ignition has become progressively higher. It will now sometimes overflow the burn pot and shut down if it doesn't light just in time. I have performed regular annual deep cleanings (all fans are clean and spinning, chambers clear of ash) and just recently replaced the ignitor rod with a new super ignitor. Once the insert gets going it burns great, it's just that getting it going is sometimes an adventure involving a last minute ignition. I have also recently noticed that my "speed and feed" indicator on the control panel is dully lit (red led) on the #4 setting - never noticed this before. The stove until recently was not on a surge protector and we have had a few power outages in the last several years. So, thoughts on what could be the problem - control panel, or something else? Thanks in advance for the help.

 

[smwilliamson]

You got the Breckwell blues. For whatever reason, and I have been trying to figure it out for years, when Breckwells hit 5-6 years old they just start to act differently. I just recently worked on a 13 year old one that was great...but models in this millennium just seem not as good.

Test RPM on the motor. clean the heck out of it. Find out where the air leak is. Perhaps on the door gasket. Perform the dollar bill test around the door seals.

 

[Nicholas440]

If your burn pot is filling up to the top and over flowing you've got a feed problem. Once the stove lights up I imagine if your pot is almost full you have one hell of a large fire until the pot burns for a while . Maybe you can adjust the feed rate down a bit, it also sounds like a control board issue where its feeding your pot much too full.

My Quadrafire only dumps in about a small handfull , usually about 20 pellets at most on the initial start.

 

[smwilliamson]

You can trouble shoot the circuit board by verifying these times. thank jtakeman.

 

[clindert]

Many thanks to all for the suggestions on where to start looking for the problem. After I check it out this weekend I'll report back as to what I found. Hoping to get over the "Breackwell blues" very soon with all of your help.

 

[stovedoc]

Most of the time a "slow ignition" like you described is a result of the igniter beginning to fail. Since you have recently replaced that I think we can assume it is fine. Next most common reason for this is having the damper open too far on start-up. That is generally a beginner mistake though, but worth mentioning just to be safe. Finally if you haven't done this yet, I would encourage you to take the unit outside and use an air compressor and blow out the entire stove, especially the ash clean out doors, at about 120 to 140 pounds of pressure. This is a sure fire way to alleviate the "breckwell blues".

I am sure that this will resolve your problem, but if not, give at a call - 866-606-8444 ext 111.

 

[clindert]

Stovedoc,

Thanks for the additional suggestions and information on troubleshooting and curing my slow ignition issues. I'll perform a thorough cleaning on the unit and re-check my ignitor as you have recommended, in concert with the other maintenance tips received. If I have further problems, or the stove stills fails to perform, I'll give you a call. Thanks again everyone for all the help.

 

[smwilliamson]

Most of the time a "slow ignition" like you described is a result of the igniter beginning to fail. Since you have recently replaced that I think we can assume it is fine. Next most common reason for this is having the damper open too far on start-up. That is generally a beginner mistake though, but worth mentioning just to be safe. Finally if you haven't done this yet, I would encourage you to take the unit outside and use an air compressor and blow out the entire stove, especially the ash clean out doors, at about 120 to 140 pounds of pressure. This is a sure fire way to alleviate the "breckwell blues".

I am sure that this will resolve your problem, but if not, give at a call - 866-606-8444 ext 111.

I love seeing the manufacturers here representing! I hope you stay for a while.

 

[jrutman]

Chasman, any luck resolving your slow ignitor issue? I am having a similar issue with my Breckwell and I am stumped. I guess my next step is to replace the ignitor but seeing how you did this and it didn't resolve anything I am starting to think that is a waste.....

I know this post was from awhile ago but if you have an update please share....

Thanks
Jeff

 

[clindert]

Jeff,

My apologies to the board for not responding back earlier with the outcome of my "fixes" to my slow firing P24i. After trying all the recommended diagnostics and cleaning suggestions (I did find some problems with the door and door glass gaskets) with no improvement in the start up timing, the problem resolved itself to being a weak control board. Upon replacing the control board the P24i immediately fired up with a min level of pellets in the burn pot and has continued to perform well since. I have also installed a surge supressor to prevent future damage in power outages - I'm thinking the control board damage occurred before I became better educated, by the forum, as to susceptibilityof these parts to power spikes. Problem solved in several areas, stove is performing great.......... Along with the improved start timing, I also noticed a change in the fan speeds (faster), so the weak board was also adversely affecting several other stove systems. Should you decide to replace the control board, I would recommend doing some research/shopping on the internet as the prices for a new Breckwell control board can really vary, a lot, for the exact same part. Thanks again to the group for all the help and advice.

Charlie

 

[jrutman]

Thanks for the response Charlie, much appreciated! When you say a "weak control board" was that something you were able to confirm before replacing it or did you just replace it and see better results?

It seems as though I should probably do some trial and error with replacing the ignitor and/or control board but I was hoping on avoiding the guessing game. The slow ignitor is something that is starting to drive me crazy. I often have to remove the burn pot and dump the overflowing pellets and then start the process over. It is full or overflowing almost every time I try and start it up.

Thanks again for the response!!

 

[imacman]

jrutman,

although the control board on your stove could be "weak" also, a couple of things to check first.

Make yourself a "power test lead"....I made one when I first got a pellet stove out of an old lamp cord. Crimp female spade connectors on the ends, and it can be used to check auger motors, blowers, or ignitors for proper operation w/o having the stove even plugged in.

Unplug stove, find the ignitor leads, plug test lead onto them, and plug into wall outlet. If the ignitor is good, it will get cherry red fairly quickly.

Also, if you have a volt/ohmmeter, check the ignitor on "ohms" setting....it should be somewhere in the 45-50 ohms range.

If the ignitor checks out as good, then there may be an airflow issue through the stove.....that is the usual cause of an overflowing burnpot.

 

[clindert]

Jeff,

After running all the recommeded diagnostics, the only thing left was the control board. I had an inkling that it might end up being the control board as I had a transient red light showing in the feed/speed lights when the stove was fully off (but plugged in). I had a few power failures at home over the last several years, and the stove at that time did not have a surge protector so there's a good chance the events weakened the cb circuits - the stove is now surge protected. As mentioned, I did find a couple of other issues when working through the suggested diags such as leaking door and door glass gaskets, and some ash in the back channels. Fixing those made my stove run much better when lit, but did not significantly affect my "time to light". I had replaced the ignitor as a precautionary item - the old ignitor was 5 years old and I was unsure how much longer it would be good for. I tested the new ignitor and it proved to be OK. The suggested diags by imacman are good ones and should be be run through before the decision of last resort, buying a new control board.

Charlie