Hello everyone, first post after being interested in pellet stoves for several years.
Here's my story. I'd been casually looking at pellet stove inserts for the last 5-7 years. It doesn't get all that cold in North Texas but the built-in wood fireplace I had was basically useless so I wanted to upgrade it. Last fall, right around this time, I came across a pellet stove on Craigslist, contacted the seller who lived out of town, and after a few months going back and forth with him, went to take a look at the stove. Come to find out it was a Whitfield Advantage Plus. After coming back home and doing some research it seemed like a solid stove but obviously a little older. Going back to what I said earlier, it doesn't get that cold here and I wasn't going to pay full retail for a new stove that I'll only use for maybe a few weeks a year. Didn't think I'd find a better stove around here so settled on a price of $150 and I took it home along with some pipe, bags of pellets and a few other things he threw in.
Since the purchase I've done more research and it appears the Whitfield's were/are fairly well thought of and even though they're older, parts are still available and being very mechanically inclined repairs shouldn't be a problem for me.
Anyhow, being new to pellet stoves I do basic function tests and everything appears to work. Next I go through the process of removing my wood built-in. Not an easy process by any means since it's bricked in and recessed into the existing hearth! Well after some serious work cutting the built-in to pieces I get it out along with all the old chimney pipe. In the, in for a penny in for a pound category, I pour concrete into the old hearth to level it out, insulate the existing fireplace opening with rockwool insulation, seal the back and sides with cement board and run the new 3" pipe up the existing chimney w/ bracing and sealed it up as well.
Knowing we're going to have some cold weather, for us at least, I do one final check of the stove and notice the pressure switch has been bypassed and the tubing cut. Having researched what the pressure switch does I nix my plans to use the stove until I get some new vacuum tubing. I poke around and it seems the tubing nipple on the exhaust fan was plugged. I'm guessing that it being plugged wasn't allowing the pressure switch to show negative pressure and was shutting the unit off which is why the switch was bypassed. The tubing should be here sometime next week so I'll find out then if the switch is defective or not. Switches aren't that expensive and much cheaper than me spending funds on a new stove that I'll get payback on.
With all that said, what else do I need to be on the lookout for as far as tune-up type things? Ensure motor is oiled, make sure auger isn't bound for any reason.......what else? Some things I won't be able to tell until it runs through a full startup, i.e. control board, temp switches but what else should I check before first startup?
I appreciate your time and advice!
Very sincerely, BP
Here's my story. I'd been casually looking at pellet stove inserts for the last 5-7 years. It doesn't get all that cold in North Texas but the built-in wood fireplace I had was basically useless so I wanted to upgrade it. Last fall, right around this time, I came across a pellet stove on Craigslist, contacted the seller who lived out of town, and after a few months going back and forth with him, went to take a look at the stove. Come to find out it was a Whitfield Advantage Plus. After coming back home and doing some research it seemed like a solid stove but obviously a little older. Going back to what I said earlier, it doesn't get that cold here and I wasn't going to pay full retail for a new stove that I'll only use for maybe a few weeks a year. Didn't think I'd find a better stove around here so settled on a price of $150 and I took it home along with some pipe, bags of pellets and a few other things he threw in.
Since the purchase I've done more research and it appears the Whitfield's were/are fairly well thought of and even though they're older, parts are still available and being very mechanically inclined repairs shouldn't be a problem for me.
Anyhow, being new to pellet stoves I do basic function tests and everything appears to work. Next I go through the process of removing my wood built-in. Not an easy process by any means since it's bricked in and recessed into the existing hearth! Well after some serious work cutting the built-in to pieces I get it out along with all the old chimney pipe. In the, in for a penny in for a pound category, I pour concrete into the old hearth to level it out, insulate the existing fireplace opening with rockwool insulation, seal the back and sides with cement board and run the new 3" pipe up the existing chimney w/ bracing and sealed it up as well.
Knowing we're going to have some cold weather, for us at least, I do one final check of the stove and notice the pressure switch has been bypassed and the tubing cut. Having researched what the pressure switch does I nix my plans to use the stove until I get some new vacuum tubing. I poke around and it seems the tubing nipple on the exhaust fan was plugged. I'm guessing that it being plugged wasn't allowing the pressure switch to show negative pressure and was shutting the unit off which is why the switch was bypassed. The tubing should be here sometime next week so I'll find out then if the switch is defective or not. Switches aren't that expensive and much cheaper than me spending funds on a new stove that I'll get payback on.
With all that said, what else do I need to be on the lookout for as far as tune-up type things? Ensure motor is oiled, make sure auger isn't bound for any reason.......what else? Some things I won't be able to tell until it runs through a full startup, i.e. control board, temp switches but what else should I check before first startup?
I appreciate your time and advice!
Very sincerely, BP
![[Hearth.com] First Pellet Stove- Whitfield Advantage Plus insert](https://www.hearth.com/talk/data/attachments/265/265776-3929ec9075c5c89e8ed917419358eb0d.jpg?hash=A0KnLoIAqX "[Hearth.com] First Pellet Stove- Whitfield Advantage Plus insert")