I just wanted to know if everything is working as it should or if I might have a problem or 2 with my unit:
To start off with the basics, I have an Englander 25-PDV manu in Sept of 2003. It was given to me as a housewarming gift and has previously been used. This is my first pellet stove. I use only Premiun hardwood low ash pellets. Air Intake is 2" pipe that has (1) 90 at the back and extends about 1' under my house to a crawl space with screen attached. Exhaust is 3" double lined pipe that goes out to an immediate 90 and up to 2' above roof. I'm sure there isn't a problem with intake, nor exhaust blockages (both of those have been vacuumed out and screen is clean). I clean out the entire burn pot, wear plate, and behind the impingment plate after each bag or when the stove is cooled down.
I've installed the stove and have used it for about 4 weeks now and have a few questions on the operation. I've searched online and the Englander website (also sent an email and tried phone calls, but put on hold for over half hour each time I call Englander and no response to email in over 2 weeks) and haven't been able to find any specific answers to the questions below.
1) Should I be able to operate the Heat and Blower setting independently? Currently the blower settings can only be controlled by the Heat settings and can only be the same settings. How do I change them independently? Are there any advantages to changing indepently?
2) When I start the stove, I set it at Level 5 for about an hour or until the blower turns on and is blowing out warm heat. I have tried turning it down to Level 1 or 2 and when I do, the fire goes out after a while and then smokes, then relights (most of the time). On level 1 it goes out and usually won't reignite. On Level 2 it relights, but smokes and blows out some cold air until the flames start. It blows out some cold air, then warmer once the flames begin, then cold air as the flames extinguish. Is this how it should work? The front glass turns black when it's on either of those settings also. One night the stove went out altogether when on Level 1. I thought it may have run out of pellets, but can only assume that the pellets did not feed in quick enough before the fire went out and could not reignite. I normally run it on level 5, then turn down to level 1 after about an hour or 2, then back to level 5 when it starts to smoke inside the stove to feed more pellets (usually every 1/2 hour or so)
3) The first couple times I ran the stove, it ran for about 30 minutes, then shut off with an E code. I would try to turn back on, but would kick right back off. I let it cool and turned on and the same happened again. I let cool and started a 3rd time and never got the E code again.
4) One night a week later I let it run out of pellets. The stove shut down normally and cooled, except the lower auger kept turning for well over 2 hours, even after the stove was completely cooled down. I had to unplug the unit to get the lower auger to stop turning. I plugged it back in and everything has been fine since, shutting down normally and the lower auger stops when the entire stove cools.
5) There is a high-pitched screeching every so often intermittently that comes from the stove that has been present since day 1. I believe that is one of the augers scraping. Is that also normal? Should I remove the auger to clean or grease?
6) My house is only about 600 sq ft ( 1level) and set at level 2, maintains a temp of about 63 degrees, which I've been told should be warmer for the sq footage at level 2. Burns about 1 bag per day. When I crank it up to Level 5, my house gets toasty quick, but burns pellets like crazy, about 1 bag per 8 hours.
7) When I start the stove after lighting the pellets, the burn pot blows air out the right side holes, but nothing out the left side holes. The right side stays clear of ash, but the left side builds up with ash and doesn't seem to feed any air to the burn area. Is that normal? Could something be blocked on the left side? Should I remove the burn pot and clean out entirely and if so, I read that I need to replace the burn pot gasket at the back once removed?
I hope I explained this enough for some answers. Is there anything that I could be doing wrong with the startup or operation? I love my new pellet stove and is so much better than my other ventless wall propane heater that is only used as my backup now. Colder weather is coming (I live in Erie, PA) and I'd like to know that I can leave my stove on all day and come home to a warm house without the stove turning off when set on Level 1 setting.
Thanks for any help or suggestions!
To start off with the basics, I have an Englander 25-PDV manu in Sept of 2003. It was given to me as a housewarming gift and has previously been used. This is my first pellet stove. I use only Premiun hardwood low ash pellets. Air Intake is 2" pipe that has (1) 90 at the back and extends about 1' under my house to a crawl space with screen attached. Exhaust is 3" double lined pipe that goes out to an immediate 90 and up to 2' above roof. I'm sure there isn't a problem with intake, nor exhaust blockages (both of those have been vacuumed out and screen is clean). I clean out the entire burn pot, wear plate, and behind the impingment plate after each bag or when the stove is cooled down.
I've installed the stove and have used it for about 4 weeks now and have a few questions on the operation. I've searched online and the Englander website (also sent an email and tried phone calls, but put on hold for over half hour each time I call Englander and no response to email in over 2 weeks) and haven't been able to find any specific answers to the questions below.
1) Should I be able to operate the Heat and Blower setting independently? Currently the blower settings can only be controlled by the Heat settings and can only be the same settings. How do I change them independently? Are there any advantages to changing indepently?
2) When I start the stove, I set it at Level 5 for about an hour or until the blower turns on and is blowing out warm heat. I have tried turning it down to Level 1 or 2 and when I do, the fire goes out after a while and then smokes, then relights (most of the time). On level 1 it goes out and usually won't reignite. On Level 2 it relights, but smokes and blows out some cold air until the flames start. It blows out some cold air, then warmer once the flames begin, then cold air as the flames extinguish. Is this how it should work? The front glass turns black when it's on either of those settings also. One night the stove went out altogether when on Level 1. I thought it may have run out of pellets, but can only assume that the pellets did not feed in quick enough before the fire went out and could not reignite. I normally run it on level 5, then turn down to level 1 after about an hour or 2, then back to level 5 when it starts to smoke inside the stove to feed more pellets (usually every 1/2 hour or so)
3) The first couple times I ran the stove, it ran for about 30 minutes, then shut off with an E code. I would try to turn back on, but would kick right back off. I let it cool and turned on and the same happened again. I let cool and started a 3rd time and never got the E code again.
4) One night a week later I let it run out of pellets. The stove shut down normally and cooled, except the lower auger kept turning for well over 2 hours, even after the stove was completely cooled down. I had to unplug the unit to get the lower auger to stop turning. I plugged it back in and everything has been fine since, shutting down normally and the lower auger stops when the entire stove cools.
5) There is a high-pitched screeching every so often intermittently that comes from the stove that has been present since day 1. I believe that is one of the augers scraping. Is that also normal? Should I remove the auger to clean or grease?
6) My house is only about 600 sq ft ( 1level) and set at level 2, maintains a temp of about 63 degrees, which I've been told should be warmer for the sq footage at level 2. Burns about 1 bag per day. When I crank it up to Level 5, my house gets toasty quick, but burns pellets like crazy, about 1 bag per 8 hours.
7) When I start the stove after lighting the pellets, the burn pot blows air out the right side holes, but nothing out the left side holes. The right side stays clear of ash, but the left side builds up with ash and doesn't seem to feed any air to the burn area. Is that normal? Could something be blocked on the left side? Should I remove the burn pot and clean out entirely and if so, I read that I need to replace the burn pot gasket at the back once removed?
I hope I explained this enough for some answers. Is there anything that I could be doing wrong with the startup or operation? I love my new pellet stove and is so much better than my other ventless wall propane heater that is only used as my backup now. Colder weather is coming (I live in Erie, PA) and I'd like to know that I can leave my stove on all day and come home to a warm house without the stove turning off when set on Level 1 setting.
Thanks for any help or suggestions!
