Enviro Mini problems

[Jeremy Hillary Boob PhD]

I purchased and installed a new Enviro Mini pellet stove a couple months ago. We're just now having cold weather and the stove seems to generate plenty of heat, and it seems to be very efficient wrt its use of pellets, etc. However, I have found a couple of annoying problems and I was wondering if anybody has had similar experiences.

Sometimes, the stove makes a terrible rattling noise. This seems to only happen when it is set to it's highest level and the fire is going full bore. The rattling seems to be coming from somewhere near the top, but it's difficult to tell for sure. In any case, it is very loud.

Another problem I have is related to the thermostat. It seems that whenever the stove goes off due to the thermostat (by reaching the desired temp, or I reduce the thermostat setting, or I turn off the thermostat), the pellets keep coming out at the same rate throughout the "cool down" cycle. The result is that the pellets always spill out of the burn pot, and then I need to open the front and clean it out before it cycles back on. This happens whether it is set to the on/off mode or to the hi/low mode.

Has anyone had either of these problems? Thanks.

Mark Stamp

 

[kast]

I also just installed a MINI and I have seen your first issue with the noise during high heat, I tightened all the screws down and most of it went away. I also noticed that after it runs for a few hours I don't hear it as much. I think it has become less and less as I run the stove. If you look on the side of your stove at the top right (or left) between the fins there is a slanted piece of metal, if you press on that when the noise is going it will stop it. Therefore, what I have done is tap it hard when it happens and it will stop.



For your second issue I haven’t hooked up my thermostat yet (this weekend!) but I have noticed that on low I need the auger trip set to the slowest mode with the 5 and 1 options selected or the pellets smother the fire and over fills the pot.

Oh and from what I have read HI/LOW mode is better for the stove, less ware and tear from not having to start and stop every time the thermostat stops calling for heat

 

[kast]

Any luck?

 

[Jeremy Hillary Boob PhD]

I haven't had a chance to take it apart and try tightening the screws (too busy installing a standby generator and automatic transfer switch, but that's another story...). I did take that right side panel off when I installed the thermometer, so I suppose there could be a problem there. However, the sound is so loud (like someone banging on it with a hammer) that I'm not optimistic. I plan to talk to the dealer next week and I'll let you know how that goes. Unfortunately, I'm not sure I can reproduce the noise (it doesn't seem to happen every time), so even if they come out, I don't think they can do any more than I can. The excessive dropping of pellets is consistent (always happens with the thermostat, never happens in manual mode), so I might have better luck with the dealer on that issue.

Mark Stamp

 

[kast]

I'm hopefully installing my tstat next week ill let you know if i run into the same issue.

 

[kast]

In perpetration for my Tstat I started looking again at the option I have for the MINI and the manual I have is showing a different looking control board then my unit has, can you tell me which board yours looks like, the one from the manual or the picture of mine?

The Manual says it has a AUTO/OFF – HIGH/LOW- MANUAL switch at the top of the control board, but I don’t seem to have that

 

[kast]

2nd picture

 

[kast]

Ok It turns out that I have two sets of manuals for the MINI both are 50-1220 but the one I downloaded off the net has different pages from the one that came with the stove. Turns out that ON/OFF and HI/LOW etc… are set by jumper.

 

[Jeremy Hillary Boob PhD]

Mine looks just like the picture from the manual---not like the 2nd picture that you posted. That's strange...

 

[kast]

What year is it? mine is 05 that prob why.

 

[Jeremy Hillary Boob PhD]

My Mini is supposed to be new. I assume that means a 2008 model, but I'm not sure where I'd find this info. In any case, I'd think noise problems (and any thermostat problems) would have been corrected by now...

 

[kast]

yeah i was able to get an 05 floor model in a month of going in, and installed in SEPT!, so i took it. my date is on the label on the back of the ash pan door take a look

 

[Jeremy Hillary Boob PhD]

Mine is dated August 2008.

Btw, scratch what I said about the pellets overflowing the burn pot _only_ when I use the thermostat. Yesterday, I ran it in manual mode and when I shut it off last night, all was fine. Apparently, during the cool-down cycle, it continued to drop copious amounts of pellets, which I did not notice when I turned it on this morning. I happened to see a lot of smoke coming out of the chimney and I rushed over to the Mini just in time to see a mini-explosion as a huge pile of smoldering pellets finally ignited. So, now I have a huge fire that is overflowing the burn pot on both sides, and it is also making that wonderful hammer-banging noise. What joy...

The local dealer claimed that demand for pellet stoves was at an all-time high this fall, and we were "lucky" to get this stove. I'm wondering just how lucky we really were. I suspect that quality control has suffered on the newer models, so that Enviro could meet the increased demand. Anyways, I'll see what the dealer has to say when they re-open on Tuesday.

 

[kast]

I know that on the 1 setting I have the auger trim to the lowest it can go (on my model) 2.5 seconds. I also make sure it is on the lowest setting when it starts because I to get many pellets in the pot before it ignites. (small pot!)

I get a weird banging sound when the stove first starts up but It goes away, I have chalked it up to the metal being cold then getting hit with a lot of heat, since when I first installed the stove and ran it to burn off the smell it was still warm outside and it never made that sound.

Question: with your wireless tstat did you run the wire out the back, or did you leave the wireless module inside the panel? was wondering if just tucking it inside would interfere with the wireless transmission.

 

[gw2kpro]

I have a 2005 mini (bought it new this year) and the pellets always stop dropping the second it goes into shut down / cool down mode.

FYI, I have had the same thing happen (once) with my Breckwell upon igniting a full burnpot of pellets, it took a real long time for it to ignite and when it finally did, a whole bunch started all at once and it made the same type of mini-explosion. Scared the you know what out of me.

 

[gw2kpro]

One other note to mini users: twice I have had mine seem like it was burning a little lazy and the burnpot was filling up faster than it was burning, regardless of which setting I had it on.

Both times it was right after I cleaned it and emptied out the ash pan.

There are two hooks at the bottom that hold the ash pan in place. The first time, I missed one of those hooks when putting the ashpan back in. The rope seal around ashpan didn't seal up and the unit was pulling air in through the ashpan instead of through the air intake. The second time I had it hooked correctly but a small pile of ashes had fallen out of the pan and were in the bottom of the housing. When I put the pan back in, it sat on top of the ashes enough that the top rope seal on the pan didn't seal well and the same thing happened.

 

[kast]

Great points!
Those are both top 5 on calls people pay allot of $ on just for someone to come out and solve, thanks for mentioning them I had totally forgotten about it. I had spoke to a tech when I first got the unit installed and he showed me the most common mistakes made, and those where them.

 

[Jeremy Hillary Boob PhD]

Could you tell us all of the common mistakes with the Mini?

Btw, I cleaned out the ash pan today (for the first time), and there was some ash underneath the pan, so I figured it might not have been sealed properly and maybe that was the source of the problem. However, I just had it running on low for a couple hours and, apparently, the fire got smothered---no fire and pellets overflowing the burn pot. It looks to me like this thing is extremely temperamental. If I wanted to spend all of my time tending to the fire, I would have gotten a plain old wood burning stove.

 

[gw2kpro]

Could you tell us all of the common mistakes with the Mini?

Btw, I cleaned out the ash pan today (for the first time), and there was some ash underneath the pan, so I figured it might not have been sealed properly and maybe that was the source of the problem. However, I just had it running on low for a couple hours and, apparently, the fire got smothered---no fire and pellets overflowing the burn pot. It looks to me like this thing is extremely temperamental. If I wanted to spend all of my time tending to the fire, I would have gotten a plain old wood burning stove.

Did they set the damper when it was installed?

 

[kast]

if your flame looks good then i would check the auger trim settings like i mentioned above i have mine on the lowest setting (auger trim 2.5SEC)when its on the 1 option, or i to get pellets smothering.

Ok that might be the highest setting? lol either way it is the setting that waits the most between auger turns.

 

[Jeremy Hillary Boob PhD]

Could you tell us all of the common mistakes with the Mini?

Btw, I cleaned out the ash pan today (for the first time), and there was some ash underneath the pan, so I figured it might not have been sealed properly and maybe that was the source of the problem. However, I just had it running on low for a couple hours and, apparently, the fire got smothered---no fire and pellets overflowing the burn pot. It looks to me like this thing is extremely temperamental. If I wanted to spend all of my time tending to the fire, I would have gotten a plain old wood burning stove.

Did they set the damper when it was installed?

"They" didn't do anything other than deliver the Mini. I installed the chimney and did all of the setup. After some trial and error, I believe the damper is set properly (at least close to optimal).

As for the auger feed rate, I think that is about right too, since the flame is never huge (under normal operation)---if anything, it tends to run a bit on the small side. It seems to me that the problem goes well beyond occasionally smothering the fire (which, as far as I can tell, has happened at most once). Whenever the thing goes into its cool down cycle (no fire, just the fan running), pellets continue to drop, overflowing the fire pot. It seems obvious to me that when it is shutting down and there is no fire, pellets ought to stop flowing into the fire pot. Anyways, suggestions and/or comments are appreciated.

I also took the side off to take try and resolve the hammer-banging noise. All screws were tight, but I did discover that there is a large sheet metal piece next to the blower which is not firmly attached to anything. The smallest vibration is sure to cause this to produce a lot of noise. It seems like a pretty poor design. Maybe I can drill a couple of holes and attach it properly... or maybe not.

Mark Stamp

 

[kast]

Sounds like a control board issue maybe. The pellets should stop when you hit the power so that is strange indeed.

as for the metal and banging if you search the forum there are other model stoves that have been built with what seems like to much metal! Some people have some unique fixes.

 

[kast]

Could you tell us all of the common mistakes with the Mini?

Btw, I cleaned out the ash pan today (for the first time), and there was some ash underneath the pan, so I figured it might not have been sealed properly and maybe that was the source of the problem. However, I just had it running on low for a couple hours and, apparently, the fire got smothered---no fire and pellets overflowing the burn pot. It looks to me like this thing is extremely temperamental. If I wanted to spend all of my time tending to the fire, I would have gotten a plain old wood burning stove.

* Improper ash pan and or door placement
(Make sure both hooks are in there place before placing the pan backing)

* Ash build-up under ash pan (causing pan to lift and the seal to break)
(I always vacuum under the pan when I do the cleaning)

* Improper placement of burn pot and liner (causing igniter issue/no flame on start-up)
(If the burn pot and liner are not seated correctly then the igniter will not line up and you will not get a flame)

* Damper settings, too much/too little air.
(The service tech that came by said about two finger widths wide (about and inch and half or two inches) for the damper will get the stove started 99% of the time, from there you can adjust the damper for best flame depending on if you have an outside air kit, horizontal or vertical piping)

* Burn pot clean-out lever
(Make sure you push that back in after cleaning. I left mine open a little, and while it didn’t cause the stove to fail it did effect the flame and was a source of aggravation just when I thought I got the damper settings right!)

Just a few please feel free to add/ change if needed.

 

[Jeremy Hillary Boob PhD]

Could you tell us all of the common mistakes with the Mini?

Btw, I cleaned out the ash pan today (for the first time), and there was some ash underneath the pan, so I figured it might not have been sealed properly and maybe that was the source of the problem. However, I just had it running on low for a couple hours and, apparently, the fire got smothered---no fire and pellets overflowing the burn pot. It looks to me like this thing is extremely temperamental. If I wanted to spend all of my time tending to the fire, I would have gotten a plain old wood burning stove.

* Improper ash pan and or door placement
(Make sure both hooks are in there place before placing the pan backing)

* Ash build-up under ash pan (causing pan to lift and the seal to break)
(I always vacuum under the pan when I do the cleaning)

* Improper placement of burn pot and liner (causing igniter issue/no flame on start-up)
(If the burn pot and liner are not seated correctly then the igniter will not line up and you will not get a flame)

* Damper settings, too much/too little air.
(The service tech that came by said about two finger widths wide (about and inch and half or two inches) for the damper will get the stove started 99% of the time, from there you can adjust the damper for best flame depending on if you have an outside air kit, horizontal or vertical piping)

* Burn pot clean-out lever
(Make sure you push that back in after cleaning. I left mine open a little, and while it didn’t cause the stove to fail it did effect the flame and was a source of aggravation just when I thought I got the damper settings right!)

Thanks for the info. What is the "burn pot clean-out lever"?

Just a few please feel free to add/ change if needed.

 

[kast]

Now this is on a 05 model. sorry for the crappy quality my good camera is unavailable right now.