GC60 issues

[ekehoe]

Hey there. Have had my GC60 for two years now. Most of the time like it a lot...but we're having issues...

1. The control panel, over the past week, has started to not respond to button pushes. The up/down buttons are having major problems, like taking 10 pushes before it will actually work. The down button plastic broke at the end of last heating season, so it's just the post that is under it. I think the up button is almost there.

2. Smell of wood smoke in the house. This is very new, I think I first smelled it on Wednesday after being out of the house overnight and had a friend put pellets in (which he did incorrectly, the house was cold when my son came home and started it up). Since then, any time I walk into the living room where the stove is, I smell woodsmoke. The house, I've learned recently, is relatively tight, so it's not the neighbors.

3. Overfilling burn pot. I am hesitant to put my stove on 4 or 5, because 9 times of of 10, the burn pot gets overfilled, and I worry about fire going back up the chute to the pellet reservoir. However, I cannot heat the house well on 3. I don't want to leave the house on cold days because of this. Do other people have issues with this?

4. Lazy flames. Yes, I guess I need to get a maghelenic or however you spell it. It was never adjusted, as my BF did the install for me since the place I bought it said that it would take 3 weeks (this was 2 years ago, in a damn cold Maine winter and my house had no heat. We picked it up from them, brought it over, and installed it on our own.) My calls to the dealer about this and other issues (like the control panel cracking/breaking) have gone unheard, apparently. So I feel like I need to do this on my own.

It's just not heating the house well either. Thank heavens we didn't have the bitter cold winter we had last year, or this house would be frozen. I love the stove, it can heat well, but according to BF's dad, "You can't push heat north." So yeah, the only corner that we could put it in was the southwest corner...the stairs and my room are to the north and are cold.

*sigh* I want to be warm, without worry. Is that possible? :D

 

[vinny11950]

Sorry you are having issues. We need more information about the stove and installation.

What type of vent pipe installation do you have? What type brand model vent pipe? Do you have the outside air kit installed?

Pictures would help.

How often do you clean the stove and has it ever had a deep cleaning, going into the exhaust channels with a brush to shake out the buildup of ash and vacuum it up? Or used the leaf blower trick?

You will need to be methodical with this.

1) The buttons and cover are very weak on these models so they start to wear away after a few years. Make sure all the wire connections to that board are tight. Look for any loose wires / connections. Do this with the stove unplugged, you don't want to short a circuit in the board. Also ground yourself first to avoid static shock to the board.

Look at your warranty information and see if you can get the parts replaced for free.

2) Here the smell of smoke could be different things and you have to check them one by one. a) how is the exhaust fan working (strong or weak)? If it looks weak you have to see why (clogged vent or bad motor). If the motor is not pulling enough exhaust out some could be causing the smell of smoke in the house. b) or it could be the vent pipe connections leaking smoke. Over time they shift enough so the seals let smoke out. At night, with all the lights off, in the dark, with the stove cold, start up the stove. Get a LED flashlight and start shining it at the exhaust pipes behind the stove. It is very important to do this on start up when visible smoke is being pushed out of the vents. The flash light should let you see the wisps of smoke and where they are coming from. Shine the light in different positions and angles.

3) Again, this could be a clogged exhaust vent (dirty stove), a bad exhaust fan motor, the door gasket not closing tight enough that and not channeling enough air though the burn pot to burn all the pellets (you can do the dollar bill test by putting a dollar bill in between the stove and the door and closing it - when closed, it should be very tough to pull out the dollar bill - this mean tight seal which is good).

4) Again, this cold be the same reasons for number 3.

Let us know what you find.

Good luck.