Enviro EF2 poor combustion, unburned pellets HELP!

[dreamingofpalmtrees]

Our old Whitfield Quest insert died recently (auger and combustion fan) and so instead of fixing it, we opted for a local used Enviro EF2 free standing stove that someone was selling for $300.

Oh, how we miss that Whitfield.

The Enviro is a free standing unit, but we have it in the fireplace (it is not on the stand) in the living room (cathedral ceiling), vented out the chimney. It was very, very clean when we got it - surprisingly so - we were told it wasn't used that much. It's in very nice condition in/out.

Here's the issue: it's not warm. We've taken it apart and cleaned it thoroughly numerous times. Using Pennington brand pellets right now (not bad, but not great from Walmart). We used Okanagan pellets until the supplier ran out of them - even those Douglas Fir pellets didn't do so well.

There are unburned pellets in the burn pot and there seems to be poor combustion. Have tried adjusting the auger speed, adjusting the damper - but nothing seems to improve the performance.

It's a lazy flame, and it starts to clog up almost immediately (within 10 mins).

Any advice? We are in New England - in the middle of this "bombogenesis" blizzard. We have a 2nd Whitfield free standing in another part of the house and that thing CRANKS (though the auger is starting to fuss on that).

Our house is a mid-century modern house on a slab with duct work that is collapsed (in the slab) so we depend on these two stoves for heat and only run the furnace now and again. The Whitfield runs much more efficiently and hotter - the Enviro is barely worth the trouble. We'd love to be warm in the main part of the house!

Thanks...

Kara

 

[dreamingofpalmtrees]

Oh - and hubby wants to ditch this at the end of the season and buy a Harman.

 

[johneh]

What year is the stove and do you have a manual ?
Have you removed the inner panels in the stove and
cleaned the exhaust path from the heat exchanger to the combustion fan ?
Service manual here http://enviro.com/custom_content/docs/manuals/C-12145 Instruction PELLET Service Manual.pdf

 

[dreamingofpalmtrees]

What year is the stove and do you have a manual ?
Have you removed the inner panels in the stove and
cleaned the exhaust path from the heat exchanger to the combustion fan ?
Service manual here http://enviro.com/custom_content/docs/manuals/C-12145 Instruction PELLET Service Manual.pdf

No idea about the year, and don't have the manual. Thank you for the link. It was cleaned thoroughly this morning - including the pathc from the heat exchanger to the combustion fan and it actually seems to be working better. Fingers crossed. Maybe it's just extra sensitive? We notice the feed is not as quick as the Whitfield - even at highest setting. Maybe that's just the stove?

 

[johneh]

Remember the mini is a 30 - 35000 BTU stove
It doesn't pack the heat your old stove did

 

[Brian L]

Remember the mini is a 30 - 35000 BTU stove
It doesn't pack the heat your old stove did

He said EF2 not mini. I have the mini and it throws tons of heat. My 2 story 1600sq ft colonial is fully heated by it.

 

[johneh]

Sorry me BAD ment the ef 2
And so will an ef2 throw lots of heat . But from the problem described
there is a combustion air problem. Which is usually caused by ash
in areas of the stove not being fully cleaned

 

[nailed_nailer]

The EF-2 is a 40K BTU unit with no "Electronic" (i.e. motherboard) controls. It relies on snap discs and potentiometers.
It is a capable heater in a smaller area.
I heated the 900 SQ ft main floor of my house for many years with one.
I had to really "Crank" it up to get the heat out of it and burned 3 bags a day of good pellets to keep it comfy in the house on a cold windy day.

If you are experiencing a lazy flame you have combustion issues. A few places to check.
1. Exhaust Path must be free and clear. Including the Combustion blower (It needs to be removed and cleaned) and the vent passages from the firebox to the blower. Ensure blower spins free and clear and the bearings are oiled (IIRC they are oil less bearings but a bit of 3-in-1 blue can lube works wonders).

2. Door and Ashbox gaskets. If these leak the combustion blower will pull the air from the combustion chamber without sending it thru the firebox. Results in a lazy flame.

3. Most likely problem if above is good The Firebox liner must seat evenly within the Firebox. The top front and rear walls of the liner become warped with heat. Over time the combustion blower pulls air from around the liner and not thru the burning pellets in the liner. You can replace a liner from internet sources or you can use a BFH (Big Freaking Hammer) and straighten them out using any good straightedge. It makes a huge difference when the firebox liner seats well to the firebox.

As I recall I ran mine with the dial-a-fire set to at least the 2 O'clock position usually higher.
Good Luck,
---Nailer---

 

[dreamingofpalmtrees]

Thanks - I'll bring this to the pellet stove manager's attention.

 

[dreamingofpalmtrees]

OK. So Nailer's last message was very helpful. Here's the thing:

*stove runs on HIGH all the time
*burns less than 2 bags of pellets in 24hrs
*stove has been thoroughly, thoroughly cleaned
*firebox is airtight
*gaskets are good
*there is no firebrick, but there never was (no sure that matters as we do know it's decorative)

He thinks after reading your responses that it's actually a problem with the auger.
The auger is dropping pellets every few seconds, but not that many if that makes sense. The flame is low, and so doesn't create a great amount of heat.

I did post about the heat exchange baffle plate falling into the fire a few times - it has to be set just right.

If it's true that you all are using yours to heat entire houses, perhaps we can tweak this one and not have to get a new one for next year. It's been brutally cold, and the room it's in has an 18' cathedral ceiling and it's opposite a wall of glass (a sort of A-frame).

Thanks again.

 

[JRemington]

What is your chimney set up going into the fireplace?