Englander 25PDV need help!

[newpelletstoveguy]

Hi all, new to pellet stoves but my house has one from previous owner. Worked GREAT winter of 2016-17. Last year it didn’t fire up and I said oh well (I have other heat). Now, trying to get it working for this winter.

Started it, got error code E2, then E1 after about 30 seconds.

Did a bunch of reading forums, bypassed vacuum switch, stove now stays on.

Cleaned out the entire stove and checked both switches, they click as they should when I blow into them. Exhaust motor now blows after I gave it a tap, and I chopped off the crunchy end of the vacuum tubes to make sure that wasn’t the problem.

With the vacuum switch bypassed, igniter gets red hot but the pellets will not light. I light them manually, and then I realized the top auger is not feeding. The stove goes into shut down mode after about 10-15 min.

Cleaned out all the old pellets, switched the auger wires to make sure motor wasn’t bad. It’s not. Both augers turn when I have the bottom auger wires connected to either motor.

Overall summary of problems: Hooked vacuum switch back up, still getting error codes E2 then E1. When switch bypassed, stove won’t light (unless I do it manually) and top auger won’t turn, then it burns out.

No idea, anyone know what’s going on? Maybe a blockage in my exhaust? Smoke is making its way out of the house through the exhaust as it should so I don’t think so, but we DID have an animal die in the chimney last year. However the way the chimney is built (by dumb precious owner) it’s not really accessible. All help appreciated, I hope my post is clear enough. Thank you.


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[Ssyko]

First welcome to the forums. Lots of good info here. Your going to have to get the exhaust vent completely clear of all obstructions and clean. Also the ESW 25PDV likes to be clean also they are finicky about the air path cleanliness. Remove you blowers and blow them out with compressed air, then lube the bushings with 3 in 1 oil. If the motors dont spin freely by hand you probably need to replace. Check each end of the vacuum tubing to ensure they are not cracked or hard if so cut a half inch off and reinstall. Make sure the nipples the tubes hook to are clear. Englander uses dual purpose vac/pressure switches make sure the lins are on the vacuum side not the pressure side. When thats all done give the stove a try. Let us know how you make out.

 

[Ssyko]

A couple other things I forgot, check the hopper lid is sealing good. Chech hopper switch if it has one, check your door gasket. Under the burn plate there are 2 holes, one on the left and right. Use hillman plugs to cap them off. That will give the stove a better burn.

 

[ericofmaine]

To add to what Shylock said, you may need to adjust your igniter depth in its hole. If it’s not letting air by to get into the firebox, it’ll never ignite the pellets. As for your auger, it may turn under test conditions, but not have enough life left to turn under load. Have you tried swapping the auger motors themselves? Thoughts for the moment...

Eric

 

[newpelletstoveguy]

Thanks everyone. Been a little busy but I will definitely update when I get a chance to check all these things.

I did already fiddle with the igniter position and cleaned that all out too. All the switches and seals seem fine. I didn’t swap the motors themselves but I swapped the wiring on the motors and they both worked so the motors are good.

Really think I’m looking at an issue somewhere in the exhaust or other vacuum sealed place that’s checked by the top vacuum switch.

Everything seems to run fine when I bypass that switch, I just know it’s not safe to do that because the switch is a safety feature. I’ll definitely update soon and thanks again for all this help!


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[newpelletstoveguy]

Guys I think I finally have time to get into this today... can you tell me which end is which on the vacuum switches? There are two openings on each, one black and one white, both plastic. Which one should the tube be attached to?

Got some 3 in1 oil and going to take off the blowers and clean them as best I can. It’s so cold outside I really hope I can get it working. Someone quoted me over $300 just to clean it for me. I’m all set with that....


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[newpelletstoveguy]

Alright, I have narrowed the issue WAY down but still need help.

Opened up exhaust blower, oiled it up, it’s clean and spins good when the stove is on.

Convection blower: cleaned it, oiled it, spins good but does NOT turn on. Now, when I hook it up to the exhaust wiring, it blows very strong and clear as it should.

So, the convection blower isn’t getting power. The blower itself works, but I now must find out why power is not reaching it. Anyone have any idea?

Still getting error code E2 then E1 within 5-10 seconds of powering up. Exhaust Motor blows good, convection motor doesn’t blow at all. Top auger does NOT turn but I have confirmed that the motor works when it receives power.

Stove is not sending power to the convection motor, and therefore I think it’s sending a signal not to feed (which would make top auger not turn).

Thanks in advance


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[newpelletstoveguy]

To add to what Shylock said, you may need to adjust your igniter depth in its hole. If it’s not letting air by to get into the firebox, it’ll never ignite the pellets. As for your auger, it may turn under test conditions, but not have enough life left to turn under load. Have you tried swapping the auger motors themselves? Thoughts for the moment...

Eric

Quoting to bump a notification to you


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[newpelletstoveguy]

A couple other things I forgot, check the hopper lid is sealing good. Chech hopper switch if it has one, check your door gasket. Under the burn plate there are 2 holes, one on the left and right. Use hillman plugs to cap them off. That will give the stove a better burn.

Quoting to send a notification


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[newpelletstoveguy]

Final update after putting it all back together.

Convection blower (room blower motor) DOES kick on after start up sequence and works great. Exhaust blower works great too. All gaskets are good. She’s clean as a whistle.

Remaining issues: only starts up manually. Only runs without error code if I bypass the flue vacuum switch. If switch is hooked up, error code E2 then E1 after about 5 seconds. Flue is clean and clear and smoke does come out the chimney very well.

Other problem is the top auger isn’t turning. I hooked it up to lower auger wiring and it worked fine. So both augers themselves work. It’s the signal telling it to turn that is not working. Could be related to vacuum switch issue?

I’m thinking my best bet is to replace the vacuum switch and see what happens next. I can’t possibly think of anything. I manually tested every part individually and they all seem to work fine. I’m lost. And it’s 20° outside thank god I have a mini split



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[newpelletstoveguy]

Another update: when I bypass the second vacuum switch (the door ajar vacuum switch) the top auger turns again!

We’re in business now, but I don’t feel too safe bypassing two vacuum switches.

I will buy and replace the vacuum switches and update again when it’s done.

Thanks again
Mike


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[zinger827]

I had same problem with same stove last week was a bad vacuum switch. The switch from exhaust side was my problem replaced it and now going strong.

 

[newpelletstoveguy]

Good to know thank you.

Quick side note I am getting HUGE puffs of smoke out of the intake tube with sparks which is SCARY. Entire house filled with smoke and I pulled the plug to stop air flow all together. What is going on??


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[bfr3pe]

It sounds like you have an air flow issue and/ or a bad vacuum switch.
I would make sure that the exhaust path is clear. This includes all flue pipes, horizontal and vertical. Have you removed the impingement plate and cleaned all of the fine ash which accumulates?
Do you have air infiltrating the stove at locations other than where it was designed to operate? Are the gaskets for both the hopper and firebox doors complete, intact and in good shape?. When closed, there should be NO play in either of these doors. The firebox door handle can be torqued down to get a better seal. While the latches on the hopper can be adjusted to get a firm seal.
I would check the seals and clean the exhaust before replacing parts. You may also be able to test the vacuum switch to determine if it is faulty.

Good luck.

 

[newpelletstoveguy]

It sounds like you have an air flow issue and/ or a bad vacuum switch.
I would make sure that the exhaust path is clear. This includes all flue pipes, horizontal and vertical. Have you removed the impingement plate and cleaned all of the fine ash which accumulates?
Do you have air infiltrating the stove at locations other than where it was designed to operate? Are the gaskets for both the hopper and firebox doors complete, intact and in good shape?. When closed, there should be NO play in either of these doors. The firebox door handle can be torqued down to get a better seal. While the latches on the hopper can be adjusted to get a firm seal.
I would check the seals and clean the exhaust before replacing parts. You may also be able to test the vacuum switch to determine if it is faulty.

Good luck.

Thanks for the reply. I have checked everything for blockages like you said. When it’s lit, smoke pours out the chimney outside as I would expect it too. I took the exhaust apart this morning and it was clean and clear. All doors and seals are good. Literally everything seems good it’s just not burning right. It’s driving me nuts. The problem is it DOES work for a little when I bypass the switches but after like 20-30 min burns out, fills with smoke, and then blows up big again. I can’t figure it out and I’m afraid the switches are fine and I’m missing something else. I’ve taken out the plate above the burn box, scraped it all out and used a shop vac to clean the thing completely. Installed the plate back etc. it just burns out after a while and then the smoke ignites and the flame is what seems to be way too big. Also I have (always) only had luke warm air blowing out the front. Never hot air like I would expect to heat my whole house. This thing just seems to have so many issues for such a simple piece of heating equipment.


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[bfr3pe]

I may be mistaken, but my understanding of the Start Up cycle is that the vacuum switches are bypassed. The lower auger always turns; during SU, the top auger turns continuously to feed the pot. I always give it a helping hand by placing a handful of pellets over the igniter opening instead of waiting for the pellets to make their way down from the hopper. During the SU procedure, the control board will display SU. Once the stove reaches the temperature set point the circulating blower starts and air is moved around the outside of the fire box and into the room. It is only after the stove has been running a while and the mass gets to temperature well over 200 degrees, does the forced air output reach levels that are sufficient to provide whole house heat.
If your stove is shutting down after the Start Up procedure is complete, then you may have a vacuum switch problem which would be evidenced by the top auger not turning. You may want to give the Englander support staff a call tomorrow.

 

[Ssyko]

25pdv & 25pdvc vacumm switches are grey and blk or white and blk. The hose goes on the white or grey nipple. Black side is for pressure not vacuum. Sounds like the stove is clean so lets ck the vacuum port which is inside the door on the right, and on the combustion blower housing.make sure they are open or clear of debris toothpick works great. Hoses? Are they in good shape no cracked ends? Check both hoses. Hopper lid switch may be out of adjustment and not closing. Vac and hopper switches are what allow power to upper auger.. How old is the stove has the combustion blower been replaced? They are the weakest link in the englander stoves

 

[newpelletstoveguy]

25pdv & 25pdvc vacumm switches are grey and blk or white and blk. The hose goes on the white or grey nipple. Black side is for pressure not vacuum. Sounds like the stove is clean so lets ck the vacuum port which is inside the door on the right, and on the combustion blower housing.make sure they are open or clear of debris toothpick works great. Hoses? Are they in good shape no cracked ends? Check both hoses. Hopper lid switch may be out of adjustment and not closing. Vac and hopper switches are what allow power to upper auger.. How old is the stove has the combustion blower been replaced? They are the weakest link in the englander stoves

I had already cleaned out the nipples on the switches and cut the tubes (only one was cracking a tiny bit) that was the very first thing I tried. Any chance you can post a pic of that hole in the right side of the fire box? I’ve heard everyone mention it but I literally had my head in the stove and couldn’t see anything at all. I found some but none that sound like the one that connects to the vacuum hose. I think that would be most helpful, as I feel I do have an airflow problem somewhere, if not bad switches. But now I’m getting the issue where it fills up with smoke (when running with switches bypassed) and then the smoke ignites and it POOFS out smoke and sparks from the intake tube.


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[Ssyko]

If you look in the right front decorator grill you will see the vac hose it is connected to the port. Im thinking you have a control board issue. Its not timing your upper auger with the switches jumped. And over feeding pellets

 

[Ssyko]

This on a 25 pdvc, your stoves lil brother. I know the older pdv’s were on the right wall about the hight of the bottom door hinge

 

[newpelletstoveguy]

If you look in the right front decorator grill you will see the vac hose it is connected to the port. Im thinking you have a control board issue. Its not timing your upper auger with the switches jumped. And over feeding pellets

Thanks for the pic, that was very helpful. I poked a nail through the hole and it seemed clean and clear.

I am with you in that it’s overfeeding and not timing correctly. The top auger is turning off and on intermittently based on the speed (heat range) I choose, but it doesn’t ever rest for a long period of time when the fire is running which I believe it should, and therefore it’s over feeding, smothering the flames, causing the smoke to build up and then the big explosions when the smoke gets too thick. Should I be nervous when this is happening? I saw one post where someone’s front glass blew up in their face. I do have the stove on a brick platform, but sparks and hot embers were SHOOTING out of the intake tube which does not lead outside. I opened the front of the stove when it smothered out, and it EXPLODED so hard the door swung open. I am terrified this thing is going to burn my house down or at the very least burn whatever hair I have left on my head.

On another note, do the vacuum switches have anything to do with regulating the timing of the top auger? (I.e. they measure something, then tell the auger to stop turning until it needs to start again, or is that ONLY the job of the control board/temp sensors?). The timing of each feed (slight turn every few seconds) is fine. But it should stop turning for several minutes when there’s enough pellets burning. What tells the stove that there are enough pellets burning?

I think we have narrowed down the issue to 1 or both vac switches and/or a control board. I just feel like if it was the control board i would have more issues than I have now. Thanks so much for your help and sorry for the trillion questions.


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[Ssyko]

Vac switches don’t have anything to do with the timing. I don’t see 2 vac switches failing at the same time. Did you have the stove on a good surge protector? Was it plugged in all summer? I would get ahold of Mike Holten at england stove works.

 

[newpelletstoveguy]

Did not have it on a surge protector (I do now). I don’t think I’ve had it plugged in since winter of 16-17 when I last used it, other than a couple tries to fire it up last year. Thanks again, I’ll see if I can get a hold of him.

Might be worth my time and safety to just grab a control board and maybe a switch or 2.

When I bypass the flue vac switch I stop getting error codes E2 and E1. Then, when I bypass the door ajar vac switch, my top auger starts working again. Maybe it’s because one works off the other, but I would think that if I have new results after bypassing each one, that both could be bad.


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[Ssyko]

You can try new vac switches. Then run it and see if it still over feeds.

 

[newpelletstoveguy]

I found the PU-VS online (flue vac switch). The DVD that came with the stove says that the door ajar switch is PU-VS-A. Any idea if I must get that -A model or can I order two of the same switch? I can’t find the -A model anywhere.


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