Hi All,
Thanks again for all of your suggestions. As I was reviewing everything I noticed a very tiny crack in my vacuum hose, so I replaced that and restarted the pellet stove. For the last 30 minutes it's been running well, but I'll be sure to update should it start "hiccuping". I wonder if my stove is getting a little more sensitive as it gets older?
A short perhaps? Check all connections make sure they are tight and making good contact. Make sure the wires aren't grounding out somewhere. Yes a blower can slowly die. The flickering lights are an indication of a short, either in the motor or the wiring. How does the combustion motor sound? Is it loud?
- Thanks mralis. I checked all the connections and they don't appear to be grounding. The combustion motor is very very loud...I think you and others are right, that it's slowly dying. I just called Englander for a replacement.
"I've also seen power flicker rapidly when the circuit breaker starts going bad. I would have an electrician come in and take a good look at your panel and your power quality."
-kofkorn: This could definitely be causing the flickering lights on my stove. I know the circuits in my house are very old...I'm not too happy about the the thought of having an electrician come in to evaluate! I know what they will say!
"To that end, is the stove at least on some sort of surge protection? If at all possible, I'd try running the stove through a UPS. If it's a problem with the house wiring, the ups should keep an even power supply to the stove which should eliminate the "hiccups." If they still occur, then I'd say its something internal to the stove."
-Ericofmaine: The stove is on a surge protector.
"Unless there are a ton of lights on that "oven light" circuit I'm guessing this is not the case. an electrician would load the circuit up with more than a few lights and some outlets in an adjacent room. For now try this:
Plug an extension cord into an outlet you know is not on the same breaker and run the stove off of it for a bit, see if the problem persists, then get back to us... My educated guess is a bad board/relay on the stove, or a failing motor. How old is the stove??Also, I think I've heard of vacuum switches going bad and shutting the motor down (I think)..." "Elimination of a bad breaker" per kofkorn
-Woodporn & Kofkorn: That was actually one of the first things I thought about when I started having issues but when I took it off the circuit it still had issues. The stove has seen me through 6 seasons and to be honest I have been a bad girl...I know you are supposed to remove the exhaust system and clean it out yearly but because it involves removing it from the flue system I haven't done that. All I have done is replaced the gaskets and removed built up ash...perhaps this has led to the combustion motor's slow death?
"If the lights are on a dimmer, changes in load could cause them to flicker, but if they aren't on a dimmer it is most probably a loose connection in the house wiring.
It is unlikely that the stove is causing the problem.. I think that your stove is momentarily losing power.
Electricians don't always get things torqued down properly Even if they do, copper wires will squeeze down over time and connections become loose all by themselves.
Running to stove temporarily on another circuit is a good idea. It will confirm that the stove is or is not at fault. If it confirms that the stove is okay, you have to start going through all of the connections in that circuit looking for a loose one.
If the stove still mis-operates on another circuit, check the power cord and primary connections to the control board."
-Harvey Schneider: The lights on my kitchen stove aren't on a dimmer, but I think you and others are showing me I may have some troubling electrical issues in my house!
"What steps have you taken to rule out vacuum switch and low limit disc? What is the quality of your flame? When you get the "hiccup" , do you hear a variation in the combustion fan or does the flame quality change? Does the auger stop?
Is the hiccup occurring during start-up or after continuous run? I think I would go with Englander's advice and buy a replacement combustion fan... equipment can fluctuate when failing. The only other thing I can think of is variation in the actual incoming electric power. We have had variations with ours that have produced a noticeable variation in stove fans. However, when this has occurred, it effects all electrical appliances with noticeable difference in all the lights not just a specific circuit. The only way I found this out is that the neighbor has meters on his power outlets so he can protect his computer equipment. I'm thinking the oven in the kitchen is supposed to be on a circuit of its own so should not be associated with variation in pellet stove function. You might want to verify that it is on a separate breaker to avoid an electrical fire in the future. "
-Lake Girl: I'm not sure how to rule out a vacuum switch or low limit disc issue. I'm assuming they would both give the same E1 code - do you have suggestions as to how to isolate them? The flame is normal. With the "hiccups" the augers continue but the combustion fan stops. The hiccups can occur with either start-up or with continuous run. You're probably right, in that the kitchen is supposed to be on a circuit of its own...
"Another thing to do is find the associated breaker and touch the face of it, jus beside the handle and see if it is any warmer than the breakers around it."
-WoodPorn: Not warm fortunately!!
Thanks again for all of your help. I'm hunkered down in my 55 degree home until the part can come in
Liz
Hair dryer is used to heat switch so it will open. You need an ohm meter too. Often when the low limit switch fails, you get a pile of unburned pellets in the burn pot...
