First Pellet stove

[Sono]

I am picking up my first Pellet stove tomorrow, dont know a lot about it yet except it is 10 years old, well maintained. It will need a new eye and igniter but it looks like new for the most part. They bought a new pellet stove so I am getting this one. Will be about a 2-1/2 hour drive round trip.

Is there anything to look for on the pellet stove? They said it all works as they used it last year and decided to buy a new one this year. I will know more about it once I get it home.

 

[johneh]

First thing get a manual (read it)
clean from top to tail
test it outside before installing it

 

[Sono]

First thing get a manual (read it)
clean from top to tail
test it outside before installing it

Thats what I do with everything mostly. If they dont have the manual Ill download it and I always test the wood stoves outside so the pellet stove will be the same. I know I have read stuff about the augers and other parts needing replaced occasionally and is a common thing for these ? I found the eye and igniter fairly cheap but can also be pricey depending on the make/model.

 

[Mt Bob]

Make and model would help. I would bet it is a whitfield, as you said "eye", and before you buy a new eye, there are cheaper, and sometimes better options.

 

[Sono]

Thats what I do with everything mostly. If they dont have the manual Ill download it and I always test the wood stoves outside so the pellet stove will be the same. I know I have read stuff about the augers and other parts needing replaced occasionally and is a common thing for these ? I found the eye and igniter fairly cheap but can also be pricey depending on the make/model.

Make and model would help. I would bet it is a whitfield, as you said "eye", and before you buy a new eye, there are cheaper, and sometimes better options.

Yes it is a Whitfield, dont know what model yet

 

[Mt Bob]

Well,they are generally good stoves, I'm kinda fond of the profile 30, easy to service. Anyway, they are known for slowly plugging up over time,so while it is outside, remove everything from firebox, including the access covers inside,run brushes, even stiff wire up them, also have combustion fan out, smack it inside the firebox a few times with a mallet(back wall), then blow every thing out with high pressure air, after you vacuum what you can. We will get to the eye after you find out what model it is.

 

[Sono]

Well,they are generally good stoves, I'm kinda fond of the profile 30, easy to service. Anyway, they are known for slowly plugging up over time,so while it is outside, remove everything from firebox, including the access covers inside,run brushes, even stiff wire up them, also have combustion fan out, smack it inside the firebox a few times with a mallet(back wall), then blow every thing out with high pressure air, after you vacuum what you can. We will get to the eye after you find out what model it is.

Tag did say profile 30 but cant see any numbers clearly in photo. Sounds like the same stove?

 

[Mt Bob]

There are 2 versions of the profile 30, but little differences. Good stoves, basic functions.

 

[Sono]

There are 2 versions of the profile 30, but little differences. Good stoves, basic functions.

Here are pics of what I know of it so far

 

[Mt Bob]

Ya,good stoves. Is your electric eye in the hopper,inside a housing?

 

[Tonyray]

Make and model would help. I would bet it is a whitfield, as you said "eye", and before you buy a new eye, there are cheaper, and sometimes better options.

Thanks bob. Advice without knowing what stove it was happens here alot.

 

[Sono]

OK, got it home. Whitfield Profile 30 INS-2, Has the eye inside the hopper. All glass is good just smoked up a bit. The story on it is the mother that used it ( an elderly woman ) always changed the eye and igniter every time it quit working. This year the daughter surprised her with a new pellet stove. So, it worked until it quit again. Before I throw any money into it I will clean the eye, the lense and see what happens as it may just be dirty/dusty lense or eye ? First I ned to drag it down to the garage.
** update , more pics and also have the owners manual ! **

 

[Mt Bob]

If the lens is cloudy,burned too bad, they are expensive.
When the eyes "go bad", they may not just fail. they can cause weird and strange problems, like shutdowns intermittently, even if stove was running for hours.
So,2 things
1 You don't have to buy the expensive eye from/for this stove.Just got one off ebay for 20 bucks, for neighbors Whit. Same part fits oil burners, all you have to do is shorten wires and crimp on 2 terminals.
2 What a lot have done, especially the older units where the eye came in from the back, and hard to get to, is bypass it. What you do--if you look right beside the combustion blower, you will see an indentation already made for a snap switch. It is simply a matter of getting the right switch,2 screws, and running 2 wires up to the control box, they hook in to where the eye normally would. There is a thread on this site about this.
Neighbor did not want to do this, but I would have,if it was my stove.

 

[Sono]

If anyone has links to the best and cheapest place to buy parts please provide them. I normally just hit amazon ( sometimes ebay
but I know there has to be better places to get parts if needed. I want to replace the broken wall in the back and may buy the fake log set I seen on amazon for this. But for now until I check it out the photo eye and igniter are the main parts needed from what I was told. For being 10 years old it looks pretty newish.

 

[Mt Bob]

This can replace your eye-as i said.

eBay item number:
294016705831

The Honeywell part number is-C554A 1042

 

[Mt Bob]

Earth Sense Energy Systems(pellethead)
Stove Parts for Less
Mountainview Hearth Products
all have good reputations, and there are some others, and some sell on ebay,at good prices.

 

[Sono]

OK, The dustball has settled. Cleaned, Vacuumed, Blown, Vacuumed some more. Pulled everything apart, cleaned the photocell (eye) and it was clean surprisingly but the protective lens was charred, cleaned and re-installed, pulled the 2 little doors inside and vacuumed the ash out, cleaned the blower wheel of all the caked on dust, cleaned the motors, blew all the dust out of them...did the works on this thing tonight. Neighbor has a similar stove and will come over tomorrow or so with some pellets to see if it will fire up on its own now without any parts being replaced, if not I will start trouble shooting it.
Pics, Ill try to do before and after in order...if not then they will be scrambled.
QUESTION: on the auger motor it seems to be oily dust caked to it, would it be safe to use electronics cleaner to spray it off ( its made so not to damage any electrical components, leaves everything clean and dry )

 

[Mt Bob]

The lens was the problem,no doubt. It sure cleaned up nice.

 

[Sono]

The lens was the problem,no doubt. It sure cleaned up nice.

Thank you, Once I get to try and fire it we will know for sure. I figured that lens was the issue just from research as she was replacing the eye and igniter every year.... we can all tell it was cleaned or maintained to an extent.

 

[Mt Bob]

Those 2 ash doors in bottom- they have channels that go upwards.That is where they can plug up.

 

[Sono]

Those 2 ash doors in bottom- they have channels that go upwards.That is where they can plug up.

Didnt know that, I have a long HVAC brush I will run up there and make sure its clean.

 

[Mt Bob]

Didnt know that, I have a long HVAC brush I will run up there and make sure its clean.

And a stiff wire,if you suspect anything.

 

[Sono]

And a stiff wire,if you suspect anything.

Nothing inside, clean as can be. I am thinking to direct vent this right out the wall since my house is on a slab, its a Berm style ranch home, so If I go straight out the wall and cap it I should only need about 4 feet of pipe, an elbow and the cap . As the book says it needs a slight rise per foot ( forgot what the actual measurement was ) so it shouldnt be too bad using a wall thimble as its a frame house but the exterior is stone faced where it will go out. For the window and overhang clearances I wouldnt be able to go up and out, just straight out level with the stove exhaust as there is a flowerbed below which are within the clearances but later will be poured over with concrete as I pour a concrete deck to replace the wooden decks that are rotted.

red X is about where it will exit inside, Blue line outside is floor level in house, Yellow line is flowerbed height where the poured concrete will also be. The red 0 is where the exhaust will exit and terminate.

 

[Mt Bob]

It is always preferable to have some vertical pipe in any installation. It sure looks to me like you could go up then out, especially if you install outside air for combustion, which lowers clearances. One thing to remember, if you put in a hole straight out, and later change to a different stove, you will have to change that hole. All are different.

 

[Sono]

It is always preferable to have some vertical pipe in any installation. It sure looks to me like you could go up then out, especially if you install outside air for combustion, which lowers clearances. One thing to remember, if you put in a hole straight out, and later change to a different stove, you will have to change that hole. All are different.

The highest I can go off the floor is 4' due to the clearance needed before the overhang of the roof that would leave me right at the 3' max as I only have a 7' wall in the house there ( vaulted ceiling )