Cleaning and inspecting the Englander 25-PDVC

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Don2222

Minister of Fire
Feb 1, 2010
9,110
Salem NH
Hello

Well after two winter seasons my neighbor's 25-pdvc stove was well overdue for a good cleaning and inspection. So we called in Scott Williamson and he went thru it with a fine tooth comb. Scott has all the tools, knowledge and experience that is needed to assure the stove is safe and running properly. Also, he is a great guy to work with.

We found that the original installation had adjustable slip vent in the wall-thru connected to the inside elbow and smoke was escaping inside the wall!! The inside wall-thru hole was enlarged but jaggered so the larger slip pipe would go thru!
We replaced it with a new wall-thru and the correct 3" pellet pipe.

Here is what we learned. Please let me know if there is anything else to add. Thanks

Cleaning and inspecting the Englander 25-PDVC

1. Check for proper install and note clearances. If improper install is dangerous then consult with owner.

2. Unplug the Wood Pellet Stove and using a Volt-Meter check the AC outlet for consistent power within reasonable limits.
Most stoves are 120 volts so if it measures between approx 115 and 123 volts AC and does not fluctuate, then the stove will work properly.
In our case the volt meter measured 119 volts AC and was very steady.

3. Disconnect the Flue and outside air intake if connected. Then pull the stove out to work on it.

4. Using the vacuum clean just the inside of the window with the soft brush.

5. Clean the window with a bottle of spray water and paper towel. Then wet the paper towel more and dip it into
the ash to remove the brown ash that is stuck to the window. At this time inspect the door gasket for proper seal.
Use the dollar bill test if needed. The door gasket is usually good for 5 years or so.

6. Now vacuum the inside of the stove.
Remove the Back plate and the burn box bottom wear plate and continue to vacuum all the loose ash.
Take a paint brush to brush off the ash in hard to reach areas with the vacuum or vacuum with brush attachment.

7. Remove the blowers for cleaning.
Now remove the back, left side plate and control panel to get at the blowers. Disconnect the 2 electrical wires first.
Behind the left side plate is the exhaust blower and on the right side behind the control panel is the convection blower.
Both blowers on the newer 25-pdvc stoves are sealed and do not need any lubrication.

8. Take the blowers outside and clean the blowers with a bottle type scrub brush. Then blow them out with a compressor.
Take the exhaust blower and scrape behind the fan blades with a putty knife.
Put back Blowers, the stock lytherm exhaust gasket can be saved in pieces and glued back with gasket
cement the 1st time. After that the white aftermarket gaskets for approx $10 should be used.
They can be reused much more!

9. Inspect the motors and atleast the bottom auger
Disconnect the wires to each motor.
About 4 turns of the bolt behind each motor should loosen them enough to remove them.
If the bolt is not facing up, then attach a line cord preferably with alligator clips to the motor contacts to rotate the
shaft for easy bolt access.
Note: The top motor works intermittently feeding the pellets according to the set feed rate. The bottom motor runs
constantly pushing the pellets into the burn pot. Both motors are the same 1 rpm gear reduction units that
are 115 volts AC.
If the coil windings are yellowed and burned they should be replaced or they will probably fail on a cold day in
winter when you need the heat.
The bottom auger is most likely to fail when 5 years old or so, but good stove cleaning and good
pellets certainly extends the life!

Remove the bottom auger and assure the gasket is good and there is no creosote that may indicate some burn back.
If the bottom auger is burned remove the top auger to clean and check but make sure no pellets in the hopper first!
Also assure the auger back flange is flexible and not binding up.
Dust and clean motors and auger(s)
When putting the motors back you can rotate them like rotating tires to get more even wear for
longer lasting motors!
You can also mark them with a felt tip marker so you know the original configuration.
Example: F for original Factory and U for the original Upper motor and L for the original Lower motor.

Put back motors and auger(s) by tightening the upper left auger bolt, bottom right auger bolt,
top right auger bolt and bottom left auger bolt in sequence. Then turn auger(s) by hand to assure they move freely.
Also check the front of the bottom feed tube and clean any pellet dust
or creosote out to assure front of auger is also moving freely.

10. Check pressure switch to assure air tube is clean. Vacuum or clean with a pipe cleaner. If end is damaged you can
snip off some and reconnect once and still have enough slack to clear the exhaust plenum.

11. Now clean all flue venting with pellet brush and assure air intake is also free and clear.
Assure there is atleast one screw on stove adapter flue pipe and joints have high temp silicone for
proper seal inside the house.
Having a "T" pipe at the top as well as the bottom of a vertical install makes it much easier to clean from the inside,
especially if far above ground level.
You can use the leaf blower trick but a good pellet brush will assure there are no obstructions to deal with.

12. Now put control panel, left side and back of stove together and re-attach vent and OAK.

Always test out stove and assure both blowers are operating properly when done. Before pellets ignite check flue for smoke leakage. This also assures ignitor is working properly.

You can also spray the fan blades and empty hopper with spray graphite that you can buy at the automotive store for smoother operation.

Here is a few pics
 

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I also wanted to follow up on a few items...auger motors and the ingiter.

Auger motors. The lower auger motor on this unit and it's big brother, the PDV are prone to replacement. Not a big deal. You can extend the life by keeping the front of the feed tube free of carbon and installing the stove according to manufacture recommendations. When I perform a service I'm looking at the cellophane tape that cover the motor coils on the auger motors, it should be a milky pink color. If it is at all yellow or brown, I know the coil is getting and old and I slate the motor for replacement. Why? Well, when the motor quits and it's usually the lower one, you may run the risk if a burn back situation. If this happens you are talking about more than a motor. Burn back problems usually require new pivot bearings with seals (upper and lower) and a new lower motor as well as a whole bunch of cleaning and sometimes we may even need a new upper auger motor too.

Do not take this as a sign of poor quality...understand that the stove costs 1/3 or price of a boutique stove that produces the same amount of heat. Even with a $400 repair once every 4-5 years, you are still WAY ahead of the game in savings.

On my Volvo if you do not replace the timing chain at 75,000 miles you run the risk of replacing the entire engine, yet we love our Volvo and bought it assuming all the maintenance to keep it in good order.

You left out the igniter in your write up. I did remove it from the air intake to visually inspect it. If it is at all bent or exploded I would have replaced it. while it was out I cleaned the weep hole from the heating chamber to the fresh air supply. In this model it is done by removing the 3/8" set screw and poking through the threaded hole. On other models there may have been a hose to blow out. Lastly, I also inspected the gasket behind the burn pot (looked to see if it was there), as from time to time with homeowner maintenance they remove the burn pot and either suck up the gasket in the vac or neglect to tighten up the burn pot compression bolts. With either of these problems there will be a delayed start (which shortens igniter life)or false start which lead to manually lighting fires and not enjoying the stove to its fullest potential.
 
Hello Scott

Great info there!

Here is a 25-PDVC video I found too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ga1qoFfvLAc

Spending money on cleaning and inspection like this will also make the stove last much longer and avoid winter break downs and costly emergency repairs!
 
What great thread!! I notice some "zirc" fittings on my auger motors and am not sure what grease or how often to grease? I have a 2005 model.
 
I to have them on my 05, I use high temp red grease on them once a year to help keep stuff free. make sure you just add a pump or two in there or it comes out the back side of the auger bearing and just collect the pellet dust.
 
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Most stoves are 120 volts so if it measures between approx 115 and 123 volts AC and does not fluctuate, then the stove will work properly.
In our case the volt meter measured 119 volts AC and was very steady.
The NEC (National Electric Code) standard moved up to 125 Vrms a few years ago so you can expect to see Voltages centered around that plus or minus a couple of Volts.
 
IMG_20121011_160145-1.jpg


A couple quick questions as I do my maintenance....

--To remove my auger/motor assembly am I removing/loosening the 4 black bolts as shown on the top of the above photo??

--When reinstalling my convection blower one of the the bolts turns a little to easy, I assume i stripped it even though I was gentle. Any fix for this??

--Where can I get the aftermarket Gaskets?? (and anything else I may need)


I thought I would point out that I have already done 2-8 and have cleaned and vacuumed my pellet stove, vent pipes go in this weekend :)

Vacuumed out :)
IMG_20121014_173039.jpg



New paint Job :)
IMG_20121012_163501-1.jpg

)
 
well i got everythig done except the gasket which is on the way, for the auger motor/assembly it is the 4 black bolts, ez. i have stripped and cleaned this thing and its pretty easy. DO WATCH OUT FOR SHARP METAL BURRS THOUGH. i am thinking of buiying englander a set of files. LOL
 
The NEC (National Electric Code) standard moved up to 125 Vrms a few years ago so you can expect to see Voltages centered around that plus or minus a couple of Volts.
The NEC doesn't dictate voltages the power company does. I would not bother checking voltage but I would be concerned with current as this will tell you if you have a motor loading/bearing issue. Small motors are pretty forgiving when it comes to voltage unless it is way off especially when operating larger high current motors on extension cords.. The problem then would be voltage drop on the cord itself and this can destroy many power tools and cause hard starting and excessive current which will burn up the motor. The motors that are used on these pellet stoves are pretty low budget considering the environment they operate in and look like shaded pole motors from what I can see. I am a licensed electrician and have worked in industrial plants for decades so these aren't random thoughts.

Ray
 
The NEC doesn't dictate voltages the power company does
I stand corrected. My point is that Voltages from 108 to 130 can be found around the country.
 
I stand corrected. My point is that Voltages from 108 to 130 can be found around the country.
No problem Harvey! :) Generally + or - 10% is OK for most electronics or they will say otherwise.. The only real problem I had in my home was low voltage on one phase from the street which had a burned crimp connector.. Everything caused my lights to go dim.. Bad for electronics.. Been fine ever since..

Ray
 
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