Do I have a freight train in my living room? EcoChoice CAB50

[Oregonk5]

Hi all,

Backstory: I've owned an EcoChoice CAB50 for just about an year now. When it was first installed it was fantastic, no sooting, ran quiet as could be. I keep it scrupulously clean. It vents straight out the wall with just one straight elbow so easy to clean the pipe too. I've owned multiple pellet stoves over the years.

About four months in the stove exhibited some strange behavior with the blower fan running but pellets barely feeding. Stove tech came out and said the auger was jammed and charged me $170 for not being under warranty. I'm not sure how I feel about that being the root cause because the stove never ran right after that.

In my layperson opinion, it seems like it is over feeding pellets, even with the adjuster closed all the way. There is more ash than there used to be and the glass soots up quickly, more start up smoke than before. I tried several different pellet brands but no change. Occasionally the fire pot overfills and there is a roaring fire!!

Flames used to burn +/- three inches above the pot and now regularly reach the ceiling of the burn chamber.

Attempts to adjust the fuel intake door have little effect. There is no OAK, dealer said not necessary and I've never had them on stoves in this house anyway.

The worst thing is the rumbling/roaring, which is much worse on cold evenings. Now believe me when I say this isn't a trivial roaring. This is a wake you from a dead sleep thinking a 747 is landing in the yard! It's not momentary either, goes on for minutes. Does this if the stove is freshly cleaned or a few days into a cycle.

The only thing that lessens the roaring is opening the ash drawer slightly and then it immediately quiets down some.

Had the tech out again yesterday since it's almost out of warranty. His response is this is normal with this model of stove, just one of it's quirks. Said he adjusted the air shutter and it should be better (it isn't). Then he left the side panel dangling from a bolt (again) and left.

Whaddya think? Any hope to get this stove back in quiet running order?

 

[Ssyko]

I don’t know you particular model, but if you open up the ash drawer and the noise quits, i would think there is some sort of intake restriction. That would or could cause a fan motor to spin faster(less load) and maybe cause a harmonic/vibration in the stove causing the noise. Can you grab the exhaust motor and feel anything while it’s making the noise? Check the OAK if you have one for an obstruction.

 

[Oregonk5]

No OAK, no obstruction in the air intake...-it's easy to see. Weird thing is the ash drawer practically sits on top of the air shutter...maybe 3/8" off of it. Looks like they expect the air to be pulled through air intake and then find it's way around the huge ash drawer and into the burn pot.

 

[kappel15]

Have you checked that the firepot floor is closing all the way? What setting is your control box on? I think yours is suppose to be on 2. How often do you empty the firepot? A buildup of ash can cause these issues as well. kap

 

[stovelark]

Eco choices have had the rumbling noise you mention for years. Check to see if the shipping bolt holes are sealed up with silicone (take out ashpan and check the floor, any open holes? If so, silicone them shut). Is the rumbling mainly on startup or when you are running in high heat setting? If so, its an air flow issue. The damper under your ashpan can try and be closed down to about 1/4 open to help the rumble. Is your venting clean? The tall dirty burn sounds like an air flow thru the stove. Combustion motor nice and clean? Like Kap was asking, is the bottom of the burnpot fit snugly? Again, air flow issue thru stove. I like these stoves, but I do like the Quad CB1200 best..... good luck.

 

[Oregonk5]

Eco choices have had the rumbling noise you mention for years. Check to see if the shipping bolt holes are sealed up with silicone (take out ashpan and check the floor, any open holes? If so, silicone them shut). Is the rumbling mainly on startup or when you are running in high heat setting? If so, its an air flow issue. The damper under your ashpan can try and be closed down to about 1/4 open to help the rumble. Is your venting clean? The tall dirty burn sounds like an air flow thru the stove. Combustion motor nice and clean? Like Kap was asking, is the bottom of the burnpot fit snugly? Again, air flow issue thru stove. I like these stoves, but I do like the Quad CB1200 best..... good luck.

Stove is clean as well as exhaust. The rumbling is less when running on high, it's most prevalent when running on medium and well after the burn cycle has started.

I guess I'm confused because the owner's manual says rumbling is from too much fuel and not enough air. Wouldn't closing the air damper just restrict air flow more?

 

[Oregonk5]

Have you checked that the firepot floor is closing all the way? What setting is your control box on? I think yours is suppose to be on 2. How often do you empty the firepot? A buildup of ash can cause these issues as well. kap

Yes firepot floor is fully closing. How do I locate and/or change control box settings? I empty the firepot at least once daily, usually I do it in the morning and before bed.

 

[kappel15]

Never, ever install or remove a control box, without unplugging stove first. There is a dial on the side of the control box with #'s on it