End of my rope with GC60: blinking 3, control panel not responding

[ekehoe]

I've had this thing for 5 years, as my only winter heat. It hasn't done great, but the house hasn't frozen so whatever.

This week, it's acting insane. I can't get it to change heat levels easily... I think the up button is broken on the circuit board. It ran out of pellets last night when I had finally gotten it up to 4, and wouldn't turn off and back on, so I had to unplug and replug, and now I can't get it off 1. When it runs. Because for some reason, after it runs for about a half hour on 1, the 3 starts to blink and it shuts down.

I am truly at the end of my rope here... I'm a single mom who lives on an island and it's hard and expensive to get someone out here to check it (no one on island will handle it...I wouldn't even know who to call). My house was 48 when I woke up this morning (I'm guessing because it must have died after I went to bed, the hopper was still full), and only up to 53 now 4 hours later. We have above average temps for the next few days (yay) so I'm hoping my 20 year old heat pumps will work since when it's over 38ish they will heat. Below that and no.

I'm freaking cold. And trying to not have a breakdown. I can't afford to get a new heat system, I'm computer savvy but not mechanically savvy, and even the damned Skytech remote isn't working now either. Don't even get me started on the ton of pellets my idiot older son left outside in a storm ("Please double check they're covered, please!"). It's been a chit winter.

 

[SidecarFlip]

I've had this thing for 5 years, as my only winter heat. It hasn't done great, but the house hasn't frozen so whatever.

This week, it's acting insane. I can't get it to change heat levels easily... I think the up button is broken on the circuit board. It ran out of pellets last night when I had finally gotten it up to 4, and wouldn't turn off and back on, so I had to unplug and replug, and now I can't get it off 1. When it runs. Because for some reason, after it runs for about a half hour on 1, the 3 starts to blink and it shuts down.

I am truly at the end of my rope here... I'm a single mom who lives on an island and it's hard and expensive to get someone out here to check it (no one on island will handle it...I wouldn't even know who to call). My house was 48 when I woke up this morning (I'm guessing because it must have died after I went to bed, the hopper was still full), and only up to 53 now 4 hours later. We have above average temps for the next few days (yay) so I'm hoping my 20 year old heat pumps will work since when it's over 38ish they will heat. Below that and no.

I'm freaking cold. And trying to not have a breakdown. I can't afford to get a new heat system, I'm computer savvy but not mechanically savvy, and even the damned Skytech remote isn't working now either. Don't even get me started on the ton of pellets my idiot older son left outside in a storm ("Please double check they're covered, please!"). It's been a chit winter.

Don't have a clue what you have but I will say something and that is, you NEVER depend on any solid fuel appliance as a primary heat source. To do so is false economy and inviting disaster as in a cold home. or frozen pipes or worse.

My suggestion to you is get your 38 year old heat pump professionally serviced and or replaced if necessary and only rely on your solid fuel stove as a supplemental heat source to enhance the your central furnace, especially being a single mom.

Have you cleaned it lately? Have you cleaned the venting and dumped the ashes out of the cleanout? have you cleaned the stove in all the nooks and cranny's with a good vaccuum cleaner (shop vac with a drywall bag)?

Think if I were you, I'd have a talk with the kid about covering up the pellets. Most skids of pellets ship with a plastic bag covering anyway. Easy to use and easy to put back on. I keep mine up by the house all winter with the bag on. Never been an issue with wet pellets.

 

[ekehoe]

Don't have a clue what you have but I will say something and that is, you NEVER depend on any solid fuel appliance as a primary heat source. To do so is false economy and inviting disaster as in a cold home. or frozen pipes or worse.

My suggestion to you is get your 38 year old heat pump professionally serviced and or replaced if necessary and only rely on your solid fuel stove as a supplemental heat source to enhance the your central furnace, especially being a single mom.

Have you cleaned it lately? Have you cleaned the venting and dumped the ashes out of the cleanout? have you cleaned the stove in all the nooks and cranny's with a good vaccuum cleaner (shop vac with a drywall bag)?

Think if I were you, I'd have a talk with the kid about covering up the pellets. Most skids of pellets ship with a plastic bag covering anyway. Easy to use and easy to put back on. I keep mine up by the house all winter with the bag on. Never been an issue with wet pellets.

Well thanks for the lesson... I don't have the money (as I said above) to get the heat pumps replaced. What I'm looking for NOW is a solution to it being 26 degrees tonight and having no heat.

Yes, I vacuumed and cleaned out every part of it that I possibly could, that was the first thing I did because that makes sense. Buttons still don't work, and it still shuts down after a bit on 1.

 

[heat seeker]

Have you tried unplugging the stove for a few minutes? That should reset the control. A quick unplug/plug may not do it.

I know you said you cleaned everything on the stove - how about the venting? Ash collects in the pipes, can clog the screen at the top over time, collects in any elbows, etc. That would kill the draft and stop the stove, although probably not affect your heat control.

I sure hope you get your heat going!

 

[johneh]

See pages 20 to 23 here my help

Regency Hampton GC60 Large Pellet Stove TECHNICAL MANUAL - Manual (Page 20)

Regency Hampton GC60 Large Pellet Stove TECHNICAL MANUAL User Manual • Troubleshooting • Regency Radiators

www.manualsdir.com

 

[Ssyko]

Does the convection/room blower come on? When you try to adjust the heat setting try to push the button gently and on dif angles and not to fast. The buttons do corrode inside and you may be able to get it to go up with some patience.

 

[ekehoe]

Have you tried unplugging the stove for a few minutes? That should reset the control. A quick unplug/plug may not do it.

I know you said you cleaned everything on the stove - how about the venting? Ash collects in the pipes, can clog the screen at the top over time, collects in any elbows, etc. That would kill the draft and stop the stove, although probably not affect your heat control.

I sure hope you get your heat going!

Everything everywhere has been cleaned. Unplugging and plugging it back in is now the only way to turn it on and off, because now the power button isn't responding either.

 

[ekehoe]

Does the convection/room blower come on? When you try to adjust the heat setting try to push the button gently and on dif angles and not to fast. The buttons do corrode inside and you may be able to get it to go up with some patience.

Yeah, the room blower comes on.

We've tried every which way on those buttons...they don't respond anymore. The power and the heat up/down don't do anything, but the Feed Trim and Combustion Fan levels still work. So it's not the whole board, just the buttons. We found the tech manual for the stove, and we're going to go in, and check the temp sensors, etc. Worst case, it just doesn't come on and I use plug ins overnight (we have a warm trend for the next few days, heat pumps will work for a few hours). But when I say I'm at the end of my rope.... If I could lift this thing it would be out of my house today.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Yeah, the room blower comes on.

We've tried every which way on those buttons...they don't respond anymore. The power and the heat up/down don't do anything, but the Feed Trim and Combustion Fan levels still work. So it's not the whole board, just the buttons. We found the tech manual for the stove, and we're going to go in, and check the temp sensors, etc. Worst case, it just doesn't come on and I use plug ins overnight (we have a warm trend for the next few days, heat pumps will work for a few hours). But when I say I'm at the end of my rope.... If I could lift this thing it would be out of my house today.

So then, what would you heat with? A campfire in the living room???

Sounds like you need some new controls.

 

[zrock]

ave you tryed removing the board unplugging it and giving the switches a good clean with electro contact cleaner? Not sure about your board but mine i can unscrew the cover over the buttons so i could get in their and clean it... Or even pull the cover off and vacuum it.. May just have a build up of fine dist in the buttons or a bit of corrosion.. Also try a pencil to push the button i have found before that with a failing button i was able to get it working a little longer by using a pencil to push it. Looking at the parts brake down the control board is separate from the main board and not overly expensive and its also connected with a ribbon cable.. Have you checked the cable and wiggled it to see if the buttons work better? May be a bad cable as well

 

[MalcolmH]

Maybe its the skytech remote or receiver box batteries, maybe one of them are defective, maybe it lost its programming, or there connection to the thermostat wires from the stove, if you changed the batteries in both as they suggest it needs to be reprogrammed. it sounds like the stove is acting like its waiting for the Skytech to tell it what to do and idling until its told to heat at the heat level setting when calling for heat. Try removing the skytech and try running it in manual mode jumping the t-stat wires. I'm not familiar with your stove or skytech but there is lots of videos on skytech indicating to me that they can be problematic if not fully understood. I know if my stove has the thermostat wires connected but a non functional thermostat it will be stuck in heat level 1 and will not shut off unless unplugged of course.

 

[stovelark]

Sounds like you need a new daughter board (the board that has the heat selection buttons on it). Those buttons do wear out especially if one is heavy on them. You've got a good stove there, but it needs some help. The flashing 3 is the proof of fire switch is not closed and running it on one will cause that problem. That switch needs to be cleaned with the annual cleaning of the blowers and heat exchanger and exhaust path too. If a tech is not available, most adjustments/replacements are available on youtube to have you do it. Don't throw it out, that is still a very nice stove. Just needs some tlc.