England PDVE 25 Pellet stove not burning right need help

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Magnarider

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Dec 14, 2013
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I have a 2004 and newer model England 25 PDVE. It has been giving me problems. Recently the bottom auger motor went bad and I replaced it. While I had it apart I took apart the combustion motor and cleaned it the vacuum hose connected to the combustion motor was brittle and broke so I replaced it and also fitted the combustion motor with a new gasket. I cleaned the room blower screen as well. After replacing the auger motor and reassembling I tried to get the stove to burn.

The stove will ignite and start but its burning through pellets to quickly. As soon as it starts burning it just burns through all the fuel and it wont supply itself with enough pellets to stay lit. I am unsure as to what the problem is.

If anyone has any ideas or can help please let me know. Thanks.
Also it shows Error code E-2 which is an ignite problem but it has no trouble igniting.

Thanks for any help.
 
England Stove Works E2 error code from E codes sheet
E-2:
Failure to start: Auto-ignition equipped stove models (units produced in 2004 and newer) monitor themselves during the "SU"sequence (Startup) when the stove is being put into use. If the unit does not reach its minimum operating temperature within the 20 minute startup period, it will shut down and display the "E-2" code. Should this occur, and the fire does not physically light, the fuel that fed through during the startup attempt should be removed from the burn pot, the burn pot area should be cleaned (if it was not cleaned prior to attempted start) and another start should be attempted. If the unit subsequently does not start on the second attempt, the following should be checked:

Common causes for E-2 codes (check these; more information is below this):

1. Igniter plugged with ash: To clear, vacuum out the burn pot, then insert a toothpick (or a straightened-out paperclip or similar item) into the igniter hole and “ream out” the airspace between the tip of the igniter rod and the backside of the hole. This will allow the heated air to pass through into the firepot, to more readily start the fire on time.

2. Igniter out of position: The igniter must have a standoff, which allows air to pass the tip to light the pellets. If the igniter rod is positioned too close to the hole into the pot, the air cannot get past the tip to light the pellets. Adjusting the igniter back to allow for a larger air gap should correct the problem.

3. If the unit fires but does not continue to run with ample heat to be able to make its proof of fire temp.: The likely issue is a disconnected heat sensor, or the “air on temp” setting being too high. To check the air on temp, push that button and look in the blower speed readout for the setting. It must be set on 1; if set higher, reset to 1 and re-attempt to start the unit. If the stove still doesn’t make it out of startup (particularly if the room fan does not come on), check the heat sensor for possible bad connection. If connected correctly, test the sensor in diagnostic; if the sensor reads a "9" in the heat range and it is connected properly, it’s bad and should be replaced.
MORE Information Concerning E-2 Codes:

A.
The cartridge heater itself, when energized, will start to glow
igniterhot1.jpg

B.
The burn area and the chamber beneath the wear plate should be completely clean. Ash that is left in the burn area from previous fires can retard airflow that is essential for a clean start.
Pay particular attention to the igniter opening to the right of the auger. Ignition is caused by the free flow of combustion air through the chamber which houses the cartridge heater; this air is then superheated as it passes through this chamber out into the burn pot. If this flow of air is restricted, the amount of heated air needed to light the pellets will not be present and the pellets will either not light at all or will take too long to ignite, and the unit will not have sufficient time to reach its operating temperature. To ensure that the airway is clear, it may be necessary to occasionally insert a toothpick or similar implement into the igniter hole and break up the ash that would be causing the obstruction.
This should only be performed when stove is completely cold! After breaking up the obstruction, use an ash vacuum or shop vac to remove the loosened ash from the igniter hole and, after ensuring the unit is otherwise cleaned and ready for service, attempt another start.

C.
When starting the unit, there is no need to place any fuel into the burn pot before lighting; the unit will allow itself enough fuel to sufficiently start. If the unit does not feed any fuel into the burn pot, there will be no fire and an E-2 code should appear. Should this be the case, inspect the auger system itself to ensure that the augers are working correctly; if they are, also ensure that the fuel is not getting hung up in the hopper.

D.
Wet fuel can severely retard the ignition process. Pellet fuel should be stored in a dry, climate controlled area, as the fuel can soak up excessive moisture; therefore, pellet bags should not be opened until fuel is needed.

E.
The position of the cartridge heater in its chamber can effect lighting as well. If the cartridge heater is not properly centered on the hole in the burn pot, or if its depth back into that hole is not correct, it can have the effect of blocking the opening with its own tip, restricting airflow. Also, if it is not centered, airflow would not effectively surround it before reaching the fuel, causing inconsistent starting.

F.
Other things that can cause a failure to start include:
  1. Non functional exhaust blower: This would give an E-2, followed by an E-1 as stated above.
  2. Top or bottom auger motor not running: No fuel flow would result in a fail to start.
  3. A non functional or disconnected heat sensor: If the unit does not read sufficient heat within the startup sequence, it will assume that the unit did not start and give an E-2 code. This can happen with a bad heat sensor, even if the unit starts normally and does get hot, and a mis-programmed "air on temp" setting; must be on 1.
 
I have already read all that Thanks. The stove lights it may even light better than ever but once it gets lit it burns up all the pellets and not enough pellets come put to kepp it lit Seems like its burning to hot and i have been adjusting all of the buttons on the bottom right now they are 4-6-1 i have had them all the way up and all the way down and it still wont burn right. I even plugged up the chimney flue that slowed the flame but still not enough pellets.

Thanks.
 
Try this......

Perform a control board reset as follows .....

Do this when the stove is cold.

Unplug the stove from the power outlet.

Plug the power lead back in.

You must press and hold the bottom 3 buttons all at the same time within 4 seconds and wait 3 seconds and then release buttons.

Wait 5 - 10 seconds for the F5 readout display to go blank.

Unplug power lead - wait 5 seconds

Setting the Heat Mode.
Heat Mode, the default setting is 'd' for the 25-PDVC, but some control boards default to 'A' when a reset is done. Do not run the stove in 'A' or 'b' mode.
Plug power lead back in and press both the up and down blower speed buttons at the same time within 4 - 5 seconds, you should now see a letter (A, b, c or d) in the left digital display under heat range, you need to change this to 'd' or 'c' using the up / down buttons below that readout, once set to 'd' or 'c' wait 10 - 15 seconds then unplug the power again and wait 5 seconds. (Sometimes the mode that you want does not set and defaults back to the mode that it was in before, repeat this step to make sure the mode that you want is set.)

Plug power back in, then set the lower three (3) buttons to read 6 4 1 from left to right.

Clean out the stove and reload with pellets and fire it up. Set the heat range to 2. Set the blower speed to 3 or 4 and then leave the stove alone for 60 - 90 minutes. After 60 - 90 minutes have passed, set the heat and blower to the numbers that you want.
 
How many threads did you start for this one problem. I have already seen three, I think.
It would be easier to give good advice if all of the responses are in one thread.
 
Only 2 threads I think. Im sorry I just want this fixed ASAP.
There is lots of good trouble shooting information on the ESW website. Go there and read.
 
So are you getting pellets to feed, or over feed? Or just burning too fast? Is blower kicking on after start up? Is it a feed rate issue?
 
Try adjusting bottom three numbers. I'm burning my PAH @ 3-3-1. However it is a single auger system. I'd try to slow the low fuel feed. Try running on 1-3-1.
 
I have gotten it to work better now. I removed the Door Ajar vacuum switch and plugged the top auger into the fuse box directly that seems to have solved it.

I havent modified my augers. What are the benefits? they arent causing any problems that I can see.
 
I have gotten it to work better now. I removed the Door Ajar vacuum switch and plugged the top auger into the fuse box directly that seems to have solved it.



The vacuum switch on connected to the fire box can inhibit pellet delivery. I think that you have a leak in the tube leading from the fire box to the switch.
That is the most frequent cause of the problem you described. The other cause is a leaking door seal, but this could also be caused by insufficient draft caused by a dirty exhaust path or a slow combustion blower.

you mean the one by the igniter? It looks good the only that was hard was the one on the combustion motor

A partial leak on the one connected to the fire box would cause the upper auger to intermittently stop. The same could happen with a damaged connection on the auger motor. edit Also the connections on the vacuum switch.



Don't leave you stove running unattended with safeties disabled.
 
Just a thought,on that stove,as pointed out,bottom auger supposed to run constantly,upper is timed.He has upper wired direct,running constant?Stove should be in full boar runaway burning mode?Sounds like wiring to motors is reversed?Just a thought.Bob
 
Just a thought,on that stove,as pointed out,bottom auger supposed to run constantly,upper is timed.He has upper wired direct,running constant?Stove should be in full boar runaway burning mode?Sounds like wiring to motors is reversed?Just a thought.Bob

He said he checked that in another thread on here and all was good, but it might be a good idea to check it again.

I too thought that the stove would be over feeding, but he said it's not, so not sure why it's not at full bore in this case.
 
Just a thought,on that stove,as pointed out,bottom auger supposed to run constantly,upper is timed.He has upper wired direct,running constant?Stove should be in full boar runaway burning mode?Sounds like wiring to motors is reversed?Just a thought.Bob
No, I think he just bypassed the vac switch. The control board is still controlling the motor but the safety is removed from the circuit.
 
I have gotten it to work better now. I removed the Door Ajar vacuum switch and plugged the top auger into the fuse box directly that seems to have solved it.

I havent modified my augers. What are the benefits? they arent causing any problems that I can see.

Can you give more details on this part I have put in bold / italics ?
 
Just thinking safety,thanks.Would bet piece of old vacuum hose stuck in switch.
I understand you safety concern. I have a PDVC and I believe they have the same controls. There is no fuse box. That is the control board he has plugged into.
 
I meant to say the control board and not the fuse box. It does not run wide open it still kicks on and off intermittedly. The switch that I bypassed is the vacuum switch that has a hose running to a stint coming out of the firebox, You can access the stint coming out of the firebox by removing the brass louver on the right side of the stove facing you. There is the top wire on the upper auger and comes off the auger and goes to the vacuum siwtch then another wire comes off the switch and goes to the control board. When I would run a diagnostic on the top auger motor it wouldnt turn on unless I had that vacuum switch plugged in and hooked up. When the stove was in startup mode the top auger would run through startup but it seemed that once the stove heated up and the blower motor kicked on the vacuum switch would stop working and so the top auger would stop turning, It also seemed to make a clicking noise that seemed to be coming from that switch.

When I took the top wire from the auger and put it directly into the control box everything seemed to work fine so the vacuum switch must be faulty. I dont think it has any leaks though. I have replaced almost all of the gaskets in the stove aside from the hopper gasket.

Thanks for your help.
 
Check your door gasket with the dollar bill test, fold the bill in half length ways and place one half in the door at certain places and close it shut, then see if you can pull the dollar bill out, if you can, you have a worn / bad door gasket and this is a common cause for a vacuum leak.

There is a way to test that switch, there are two of them in the stove, they are both the same, swap them round, if the switch is at fault, it will shut the stove down on the exhaust blower side and you will get a new error code come up.
 
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I have already replaced the door gasket.

I thought about testing the switch but its burning OK now so I will leave it as is. So now I just want to keep an eye on it and make sure that its burning how I want it to as far as pellet consumption and heat.
 
door gasket leak aint gonna cause this, the switch wouldn't drop unless the door was cracked about 1/4 inch or so, this is a restriction in the hose or metal connector tube at the side of the firewall, or a blockage in the heat exchangers, restriction in the flue system, or a leak in the vac line or a faulty switch. has to be one of those items
 
Well I have just replaced the door gasket so it cant be that and I am sure that its all good. I have cleaned out the stint with a drillbit. I am unfamiliar with the heat exchangers so I dont know how to check that. The flue is clean. I think that its the switch but its working fine now so I wont mess with it and hope that it doesnt burn the house down.
 
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