Englander 25PDV Not Burning Hot

[Nopoleian]

I recently (2 weeks ago?) purchased an Englander 25PDV (the 2200sq ft model). It goes through about a bag of pellets every 20 hours or so with heat range and blower on 9/9. I have to get really close to the stove to feel the heat coming off of it. It burns, it just seems like it should be producing more heat. Is there a way to get it to up the burn rate? I've seen mention of the "Mystery 3 Buttons" on the bottom of the unit (LFF, LBA, and AOT). My Settings came from the factory at 4-6-1, but it just doesn't seem to be enough.

With the current settings, it seems like I am only burning about 18kBTU/hr vs some statements saying the 25PDV should do 42k-45k (I know that is ideal conditions).

Any advice on upping the burn rate? I don't mind going through more bags, and don't want it to burn too hot. But right now it just doesn't seem to be producing that much heat to make it worth it.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[jim3854]

Plug it in and immediately press the fan buttons together and hold the let go and the press the heat button to C mode . try that and let us know what you think. ALso what kind of pellets are you using ( just curious )

 

[Nopoleian]

Plug it in and immediately press the fan buttons together and hold the let go and the press the heat button to C mode . try that and let us know what you think. ALso what kind of pellets are you using ( just curious )

Ok, I did that. What is c vs d mode?

As for pellets I am using "Premium Blazer".

 

[Harvey Schneider]

Is the impingement plate tight against the back of the fire box? If it is forward of the back, the hot gasses go almost straight out without heating the heat exchanger.

 

[Nopoleian]

Is the impingement plate tight against the back of the fire box? If it is forward of the back, the hot gasses go almost straight out without heating the heat exchanger.

I *believe* it is. I followed the guide for initial setup and think it should be good but will double check the next time the stove is off.

 

[Harvey Schneider]

I *believe* it is. I followed the guide for initial setup and think it should be good but will double check the next time the stove is off.

It needs to be flat against the back of the fire box. It slips behind two tabs at the back above the fire pot. My experience is that it makes a dramatic change in the heat output of the stove.
The other thing you mentioned is that it is only burning a bag every 20 hours on setting 9/9. That is way longer than I think it should take. My PDVC can burn a bag in an afternoon. Think about it, if a bag is about 8,000 BTU and the stove is rated at 22,000 BTU/hr, it should be able to consume almost three bags an hour at full throttle.
It sounds as though you might have an air leak or a vent restriction, or the exhaust fan is not running full speed.
There is a baffle at the bottom of the pellet hopper that restricts feed rate. That might be set too far closed for the size pellets that you are burning (long pellets might not pass through).
The magic numbers for the bottom buttons are there primarily for tuning low burn so that the stove can be kept simmering when heat is not required. I don't think that they are your problem.

 

[ericofmaine]

I'm wondering as well if the jumper for the thermostat is in, or is it set up to run on a thermostat?

Eric

 

[slvrblkk]

It needs to be flat against the back of the fire box. It slips behind two tabs at the back above the fire pot. My experience is that it makes a dramatic change in the heat output of the stove.
The other thing you mentioned is that it is only burning a bag every 20 hours on setting 9/9. That is way longer than I think it should take. My PDVC can burn a bag in an afternoon. Think about it, if a bag is about 8,000 BTU and the stove is rated at 22,000 BTU/hr, it should be able to consume almost three bags an hour at full throttle.
It sounds as though you might have an air leak or a vent restriction, or the exhaust fan is not running full speed.
There is a baffle at the bottom of the pellet hopper that restricts feed rate. That might be set too far closed for the size pellets that you are burning (long pellets might not pass through).
The magic numbers for the bottom buttons are there primarily for tuning low burn so that the stove can be kept simmering when heat is not required. I don't think that they are your problem.

Wait, huh?

 

[pell it]

Wait, huh?

That's what I was thinking!

I think it's 8000 BTU per pound!

That would be three pounds per hour.

 

[Harvey Schneider]

That's what I was thinking!

I think it's 8000 BTU per pound!

That would be three pounds per hour.

You're right, I knew something didn't sound quite right, but that is still about half the time the OP is seeing. 40/3 = 13.3 hours.

Edit
I just noticed that the OP is talking about the PDV not the PDVC. that burns 45,000 BTU/hr so halve that time to a bag every six or seven hours.

 

[Nopoleian]

Well, switching to mode C has made a decent difference. I can at least feel heat a few feet away now. I will try other suggestions during the next shutdown / cleaning. Thanks for the rapid resp9nses everyone!

 

[stoveguy2esw]

sounds to me as if the thermostat circuit is open, definately check the jumper for a good connection in thge bottom right corner of the board

 

[mchasal]

There's a diagnostic procedure for thermostat function, have you tried that?
http://www.englanderstoves.com/manuals/TstatTest_AutoIgnitePelletUnits.pdf
If that shows the thermostat isn't calling for heat, when there isn't one connected, there's something up with that circuit.

 

[MonoAnt]

The Bottom 3 settings should be 6,4,1 (from left to right) from the factory i would go back to D mode and set the 3 bottoms to the right settings, the 6 is your pellet feed rate, raising that to 6 from 4 will make a difference, changing your middle number from 6 to 4 will also help because this is your Air setting some times when this is to high you are pushing too much air into the burn pot and therefore it is pushing heat out the flue. Hope this helps pal from one englander 25-pdv owner to another

 

[Nopoleian]

So between switching over to C mode and setting the burn rate at 6-4-1, the stove has certainly increased its burn rate. Going through a whole bag in 10-12 hours, which has certainly helped, since we hit -41F a couple days ago. Not completely replacing the oil, but definitely offsetting it by a few gallons a day at those temps.

Thanks everyone for the advice! I was on the verge of ripping this thing out and hauling it back to Home Depot for a refund.

 

[slvrblkk]

So between switching over to C mode and setting the burn rate at 6-4-1, the stove has certainly increased its burn rate. Going through a whole bag in 10-12 hours, which has certainly helped, since we hit -41F a couple days ago. Not completely replacing the oil, but definitely offsetting it by a few gallons a day at those temps.

Thanks everyone for the advice! I was on the verge of ripping this thing out and hauling it back to Home Depot for a refund.

Out of curiosity, how warm are you keeping the area the stove is in?

 

[Nopoleian]

Out of curiosity, how warm are you keeping the area the stove is in?

The stove is downstairs in the garage, and it is staying around 63-65. We're in the process of house building, so still have a bit of sealing up to do insulation / vapor barrier / etc. Upstairs, where we stay, stays about 69-92 as a result, but this is with a supplemental kerosene heater. The PDV by itself can't do the whole job, but was intended as a semi-temporary solution until we have our main fireplace/stack installed.

 

[MonoAnt]

Happy its workin out, glad to help, all in all for the money its a hell of a stove, no need to return, once u find the right settings for ur application it throws some heat.

 

[slvrblkk]

The stove is downstairs in the garage, and it is staying around 63-65. We're in the process of house building, so still have a bit of sealing up to do insulation / vapor barrier / etc. Upstairs, where we stay, stays about 69-92 as a result, but this is with a supplemental kerosene heater. The PDV by itself can't do the whole job, but was intended as a semi-temporary solution until we have our main fireplace/stack installed.

When you said it was -41F out there I was just curious as to what temp it was in the house....That is efffffin cold!!

 

[Nopoleian]

When you said it was -41F out there I was just curious as to what temp it was in the house....That is efffffin cold!!

Sorry, meant 69-72 in previous post (not 69-92). And yes it is cold out! This was sort of a test run at our first cold stretch for the year. Up to +15 or so today, but we get temps as cold as -60F some years. It's a cold that is hard to describe without having experienced it. Some days I'm not sure why I put up with it. But on those days the car doesn't start, so I don't really have an option

 

[slvrblkk]

damn...I have a tough time managing 30 degrees sometimes...lol I'm getting soft!

 

[jim3854]

So between switching over to C mode and setting the burn rate at 6-4-1, the stove has certainly increased its burn rate. Going through a whole bag in 10-12 hours, which has certainly helped, since we hit -41F a couple days ago. Not completely replacing the oil, but definitely offsetting it by a few gallons a day at those temps.

Thanks everyone for the advice! I was on the verge of ripping this thing out and hauling it back to Home Depot for a refund.

Glad to hear it Thats my dream trip !

 

[Stihl029]

I have an older Englander PDV and I have never had a time I could run it on 9/9 without it overheating and shutting down. But, I have never had it running with it -40 outside. lol I do know by reading other threads on here and seeing Mike H. respond that the mystery 3 buttons at the bottom only come into play on settings 1 and 2. This is the only time they regulate the air/feed rates on the stove. Your issue sounds more of a quality of pellet issue to me.

 

[Dgopetactical]

I have an older Englander PDV and I have never had a time I could run it on 9/9 without it overheating and shutting down. But, I have never had it running with it -40 outside. lol I do know by reading other threads on here and seeing Mike H. respond that the mystery 3 buttons at the bottom only come into play on settings 1 and 2. This is the only time they regulate the air/feed rates on the stove. Your issue sounds more of a quality of pellet issue to me.

I agree, I have tested many many pellets an it not hard to find a brand that burns 50deg hotter or cooler than the other.

If it was -40 here I'm sure my stove would be blowing ice cubes also, thats cold.

I would also talk to ESW tech dept before pressing the magic buttons.