Drolet ECO-65 Problem

[Acette]

Hello, I purchased an Eco-65 last year when my oil furnace conked out and have been having the same issue with it ever since. I ran it for most of the winter without an OAK and thought the problems were related to that. I have since installed an insulated 4" OAK that is 15' and the problems remain. Ignition cycle will often fail with Error Code "L". I've read pretty much every post I could find on it and the two that apply very closely are "New Eco-65 Issues" (which is the exact problem I'm having, but I don't think draft is the issue) and "Drolet Eco-65 - Bin Auger Operation". The ignition cycle seems to fail because the pellet stove stops feeding pellets partway through the ignition cycle, the pellets that have been fed burn through and and the temp steadily drops until the ignition cycle ends and it gives the error code. The flue is a 25' vertical run of selkirk SS insert inside an existing masonry chimney which transitions to double walled 4" selkirk pipe via a 45 degree bend down another 5' to a T with a cleanout on the back of the pellet stove. The hole in the chimney is sealed via high temp. concrete. The EVL for this installation is about 26. I've gone through the manual and the thermistor sensor seems fine, the heat sensor shows temperature climbs steadily until the fuel is consumed then drops. I've tried different brands of pellets with little change. I'm waiting on a magnehelic gauge to get exact draft readings but when the flue system is opened you can hear the air whistling up the chimney (could it have too much draft?). The stove is as airtight as I can make it; all the gaskets are in good condition and there is very little smell of smoke when it starts or stops. Sorry for the marathon post, wanted to give as much info as possible. Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[Darren111]

I'm still on my first year with my eco65 but the pellet feed stop during the ignition cycle is normal. Mine does it every time, but, soon as exhaust temp comes up to whatever the board is looking for(burning what the auger has deposited on the burn plate) it starts feeding and goes to whatever heat setting I have it on.

Sounds like your not getting the temp needed for the stove to recognize that it's burning for whatever reason.
Sorry I can't be more help as I'm still trying to figure the ins and outs of pellet burning, but, if you need anything timed(ignition cycle, etc) or want to compare what stoves do during start up I'm game to watch mine and see how it goes compared to yours to help troubleshoot.

 

[Acette]

Thanks for the quick response. I have a timeline for when it feeds during the start cycle from a post last year that seems to line up to mine. I'm wondering why the temperatures aren't reaching the required ones to get it to switch over to regular running feed rate from the ignition cycle. Is it possible my long chimney is creating so much draft it's burning through the pellets faster than normal? And if so shouldn't the temperature rise accordingly? The pellets are burning by 5 minutes, pretty much ash by 15 minutes, and the temp never reaches 130F, which is what is required to get it to switch over to regular function (I think). It stops feeding pellets after the first couple minutes and then doesn't feed again till about 20 minutes. If the temp drops during that time I get an error code.

 

[Darren111]

In the manual under troubleshooting the "L" code it talks about adjusting the feed rate but doesn't tell you how. Pretty senseless if you ask me lol. Maybe a call to customer service is in order if everything else lines up good which it seems it is. They may tell you how to increase the feed rate for the ignition cycle.

The only other thing I see is the convection blower may be coming on early blowing cool air around the heat tubes lowering the exhaust temp to the point the stove doesn't think it's lit. Those are adjustable on normal burn but not during the ignition cycle far as I know.
If it is natural draft causing the stove not to heat up then giving it more pellets during ignition seems the solution, but, again, that means a call to customer service.

 

[bf525]

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You might want to check out this site sent in by another reader. It really help me my stove is a 2012 model, don't know if it pertains to newer models.

 

[olmec]

Along with Darren, I've only had my 2015 eco 65 a short while. I got an L code once and got it with a really low temp pellet. The ton of cubex I have are terrible. Very low heat compared to basically everything else I've tried. I noticed that because of the low heat, the initial ignition doesn't always produce enough heat to satisfy the sensor.

Two things that I do are: 1. Take a hand full of pellets and toss them in the burn pot prior to turning on. Starts up faster and seems to always chug along after. 2. Scrape the back, right wall (if you're looking in the stove from the front) where the sensor is. I notice if there is a lot of soot build up it sort of desensitizes it.

That said tho, email drolet. I've head stellar service so far. Might need to up the feed rate on ignition. No biggy. Love my 65.

 

[Acette]

bf525 thank you very much, that video is great, I can adjust the limits now and that will help hugely.

Thanks Olmec, that helps when I'm home.

Changing the limits has solved the problem for now. Unfortunately, when it's -30C, I'm not sure the lower start limit will be enough to get it to kick on. I'll keep my fingers crossed and keep a handful of pellets ready, just in case.

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Thanks for the quick response. I have a timeline for when it feeds during the start cycle from a post last year that seems to line up to mine. I'm wondering why the temperatures aren't reaching the required ones to get it to switch over to regular running feed rate from the ignition cycle. Is it possible my long chimney is creating so much draft it's burning through the pellets faster than normal? And if so shouldn't the temperature rise accordingly? The pellets are burning by 5 minutes, pretty much ash by 15 minutes, and the temp never reaches 130F, which is what is required to get it to switch over to regular function (I think). It stops feeding pellets after the first couple minutes and then doesn't feed again till about 20 minutes. If the temp drops during that time I get an error code.

If the area where the sensor is or the sensor itself is dirty the sensor will be insulated from the exhaust temperature and likely the timeout happens and the controller says I think the fire didn't light shut down and flash an oops code. Ash and sometimes dust is a good insulator.

 

[Darren111]

Ran into this same problem today myself ironically. Using cold pellets right out of the shed. Normally keep a fee bags in the house closer to the stove.
Just reset and started stove as you normally would everyday and it was fine.
After seeing this and the video I'm still not sure what to do. My exhaust temp didn't pass 119°F. Not sure I should lower it that far as this is the first time it's happened to me.

 

[Acette]

Well, the lower limit of 120F has been allowing the stove to start reliably so far. I talked to Drolet and they think too much draft is keeping temps low at the start. The tech said that setting the lower limit to 120F was fine.

I did a thorough cleaning, including the temp sensor; so unless it's faulty I'm guessing that everything is reading correctly.

Thanks everyone for the help.

 

[Darren111]

Glad it's working out for you. I'll keep this fix in mind if it ever becomes a problem for me.

 

[evan454]

does anyone have a list of the factory settings for the eco65?

 

[hyfire]

Do not set the Auger speed to anything higher than 38. The stove gets way too hot, I would suggest 35 would be good. Great video though.

 

[Love the Heat]

Anyone can tell me if these settings are accessible on all eco-65 or is it on the newest only.
I have one of the early version????

 

[hyfire]

Not sure on the new version of th stove, but it works on V.1.07

 

[centaure]

Hello got also the same L code this season using LG prenium pellet
new ignitor cleaned thermistor show 119 f when Got L code

in menu is it the WRT value that set the low limit temp ?

120 f default i think. Not enought heat at start i guess.


thank-you

note:also a use the optional duct to feed to blower to feed hot air via hvac duct .I run thermostat mode .

 

[hyfire]

You got the code since it took too long to start, default for warm is 130F, not enough pellets in the pot to maintain the temp during startup mode. Not sure if raising the setting 1 auger feed rate from 8 to 11 will effect startup cycle, but it might be worth a try. Only time I get that code if I run out of pellets 1/2 through the start up cycle.

Tip:You might want to set your T stat differential temperature to .5 Degree if you can set it, you want to avoid the stove from shutting down all the time and restarting, if you dont use pilot on mode.

 

[centaure]

You got the code since it took too long to start, default for warm is 130F, not enough pellets in the pot to maintain the temp during startup mode. Not sure if raising the setting 1 auger feed rate from 8 to 11 will effect startup cycle, but it might be worth a try. Only time I get that code if I run out of pellets 1/2 through the start up cycle.

Tip:You might want to set your T stat differential temperature to .5 Degree if you can set it, you want to avoid the stove from shutting down all the time and restarting, if you dont use pilot on mode.

this warmt value is it the WRT value ? in prog mode.

info:my T is honywell rth 250 and is set to
Heating cycles per hour 4 =15 min can no set diff. i guess default value.

Thank-you

 

[hyfire]

Not sure on on your T stat settings, and Yes WRT is warm temp value, default is 130f

 

[centaure]

i changed my WRT TO 110 F and CLDT to 99 f and no more error code on ignition of pellet smoke after shot off .

i use 2 inline fans to supply air to original hvac ducking and supply all house ( twin turbo.... )



Thank-you

fan operation n Thermostat demand if duct temp= 21 c ( thermostat 1 duct senor ) and eco65 exhaust temp= 26 celius.

 

[Love the Heat]

Not sure on the new version of th stove, but it works on V.1.07

Checked and mine is V.1.02

 

[hyfire]

i changed my WRT TO 110 F and CLDT to 99 f and no more error code on ignition of pellet smoke after shot off .

i use 2 inline fans to supply air to original hvac ducking and supply all house ( twin turbo.... )



Thank-you

fan operation n Thermostat demand if duct temp= 21 c ( thermostat 1 duct senor ) and eco65 exhaust temp= 26 celius.

Wow, that looks like some crazy ducting, are you using china ebay controllers for duct temp?

 

[hyfire]

Checked and mine is V.1.02

Checked and mine is V.1.02

Can you access the prog menu?

 

[Love the Heat]

Can you access the prog menu?

Yes I can but cannot access the flue temp..

 

[Darren111]

Press the auger and + buttons at the same time for a couple seconds till it displays. That will give you the exhaust temp.
Works either while stove is off or running.