Combustion Blower Shut Down.

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rwebs

Member
Hearth Supporter
Dec 24, 2009
16
Central Maine
Ok, I'm at my wits end. Has anyone had trouble with their Breckwell P23 shutting down when trying to run it on 4 or 5 feed rate? Don't come back with the easy response that it needs to be cleaned, cause it's as clean as the day it was installed in 2008. Had a so called technician here yesterday, and he started trying to eliminate possibilities, when he blew the control board fuse. Guess what the latest shortage of the day in Central Maine is. Right, 5 amp, 125 volt fuses. Paid him $100, and no closer to a solution than before. I can tell you that the combustion blower motor is very hot, and I mean very hot to the touch. Hate to start throwing parts at it, but there is definately something mechanically wrong. Not to wish anyone bad luck, but hoping someone else has had the same problem.
 
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Since you don't want to be told to clean anything, then don't clean the combustion blower out.
 
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Just a question does the stove run on a lower setting? you said it shuts down on feed rate 4 or 5. you could have a small jam at the auger feed that is not letting enough pellets to keep the stove burning just a thought.
 
The combustion blower shuts down when it senses a temperature that it cannot tolerate and is getting close to the maximum that the joint sealant can withstand. This can be caused by a number of things.

1. A blocked vent system.
2. A failing combustion blower.
3. Ash in the heat exchanger.
4. A failing convection blower.
5. A downslope in the vent system.
6. An undersized convection blower.
7. Damper set to too low an air flow setting.
8. Dirt in the combustion blower's motor case.
9. Crud in the convection blower squirrel cage.

I'm with you, heat seeker, and hossthehermit, get a large cup of coffee, a piece of pie, and never ever clean anything related to a stove.
 
Since you don't want to be told to clean anything, then don't clean the combustion blower out.
Heat Seeker, don't understand your sarcasm. When 90% of pellet stove problems are consistant with the need to clean, it only makes sense to eliminate that possibility. That has been done to the extreme! Dirty stove is not the problem. I know it is hard to fathom, but there could be other possibilities that someone on this forum has encountered. Anyway, pour a cup of coffee, have a piece of pie and chill.
 
Heat Seeker, don't understand your sarcasm. When 90% of pellet stove problems are consistant with the need to clean, it only makes sense to eliminate that possibility. That has been done to the extreme! Dirty stove is not the problem. I know it is hard to fathom, but there could be other possibilities that someone on this forum has encountered. Anyway, pour a cup of coffee, have a piece of pie and chill.

Well you'll note that 4 of the 9 items I listed for you are in fact cleaning which of the five remaining ones was it ? Or do you need the the low probability one as well?
 
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Thermal cut switch is popping, high limit whatever you want to call it. Order a new motor, send old out to electric motor shop & shelf it for next time.

The fuse popping is most likely another issue. a good fuse will pop, it's their job.
 
Thermal cut switch is popping, high limit whatever you want to call it. Order a new motor, send old out to electric motor shop & shelf it for next time.

The fuse popping is most likely another issue. a good fuse will pop, it's their job.

The fuse issue was the tech playing according to rwebs.
 
This is easy. It is a warped stove causing the shut down. As for the fuse, when is the fuse blowing? Use your meter and you will find it out.

Eric
 
Smokey, I'm thinking I have narrowed it to the combustion motor. The fact that it is running so hot must have something to do with it...

Thanks for your list of possibilities. I've eliminated most of them, and that leaves combustion motor

Kingmanstoves-------- Warped Stove???????????
 
Smokey, I'm thinking I have narrowed it to the combustion motor. The fact that it is running so hot must have something to do with it...

Thanks for your list of possibilities. I've eliminated most of them, and that leaves combustion motor

Kingmanstoves-------- Warped Stove???????????

Yes warped stove, some stoves will warp and cause vacuum and other issues that can lead to the combustion blower shutting down.

That hot motor can be the combustion blower's motor case being packed with dust bunnies, there is a cooling fan and they and the motor case are well noted for attracting the ferocious saber tooth bunny rabbit who after shedding a lot of fuzz chomps on the motor's cooling fan causing it to stop spinning. It can take a lot of compressed air to remove it if it has really gotten packed in there.

Actually that hot blower motor can be from exhaust gases being retained inside the stove because of lack of airflow through the stove caused by the damper being closed to far. There is a very fine balance point that can result in one of two possible shutdown situations, one being the combustion blower stopping and the other being a heat exchanger high limit trip.

ETA: Oh the low probability item is the control board not sending the correct amount of juice to the blower to increase its RPM, IIRC on a number of Breckwells it is supposed to be all out all the time on the combustion blower so this may not come into play on the combustion blower side but does on the convection blower side it. It enters into consideration of the temperature seen by the stove's heat exchanger, the combustion blower, and possible warping.
 
Don't come back with the easy response that it needs to be cleaned

That's why my response. People here put a lot of effort into helping those who come here for help, and being told not to give the "easy response" is insulting, IMO.

And being told to chill is also insulting and a bit arrogant, again just my opinion.
 
Do some searching on here. I have a few posts that give examples of a warped stove and Breckwell is known for this problem. Usually stems from a lack of cleaning over a long time frame.

Eric
 
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