Getting Frustrated with Air Flow

[guitarjamman]

Year: 2000 Model: Enviro EF4 Insert.

I have taken this thing down to basic pieces, removed all the motors and cleaned/oiled them, replaced blower gaskets and cleaned the ever living hell out of the fire box. The stupid stove still reacts as if the damper is too far open regardless of completely closing it. With the slide damper shut all the way, the pellets do not dance much but the burning coals will still flick out of the burn pot every now and again and there is constant fly ash and lit embers leaving the burn pot with the flames (maybe this is supposed to happen?)

I have put duct tape over the air inlet on the back of the stove and this doesn't help, there are two side openings near the slide damper behind the fire box (same metal box that the slide damper goes into) and I have taped over one of them with the expectation that the fire would be VERY calm, not the case. Not sure where all the air is coming from but there is still a very good pull through the stove and the flames are never lazy.

The flame will cycle up and down depending on when the pellets drop but if the dial-a-fire is turned below 2'oclock, it still will burn out and leave no pellets in the burn pot. I am thinking of trying to block some of the holes in the burn pot liner and leave only air coming up from the bottom, but now I feel like a dog chasing its tail.

Does the auger drop tube provide a lot of air for the unit? When the flames get high (tips touch the heat exchanger tubes), they have a little swirl in them right at the auger tube opening.

Sorry for asking a lot of questions, I am just trying to get this stove in proper order before the cold stays in Massachusetts.

 

[Delta-T]

kinda normal to have smallish coals and whatnot flying around. don't put tape over the inlet hole. the stove needs air, it will take it from the path of least resistance if you plug up the place it wants to draw air from. I think you're over analyzing the thing. the pellets should dance a wee bit (2-5 pieces maybe with a little wiggle action going on).

you do not want any kinda of laziness in the flame...its not a wood stove.

 

[guitarjamman]

kinda normal to have smallish coals and whatnot flying around. don't put tape over the inlet hole. the stove needs air, it will take it from the path of least resistance if you plug up the place it wants to draw air from. I think you're over analyzing the thing. the pellets should dance a wee bit (2-5 pieces maybe with a little wiggle action going on).

you do not want any kinda of laziness in the flame...its not a wood stove.

Thanks for the words, I may be over thinking this whole thing. Never had a pellet stove before and trying to learn all I can while still keeping it running. I am just confused because after watching videos on youtube of a lazy flame, it seems I SHOULD be able to replicate that by closing the damper (also ensuring it works correctly). I will just let it run with the damper at half open and take a video tonight, will try and post tomorrow to see what others here say.

-Zach

 

[Delta-T]

in the end, the fact that it keeps burning itself out, might just be the pellets. maybe try some different ones. if your pellets are longish, it might actually be "under feeding" to support the minimum burn rate for the stove. there's a good number of top feeding stoves that are finicky at low with some types of pellets. some are equally finicky on high with some types of pellets. that's why there's so much chatter about different pellets. its a pretty dynamic situation in there, and its not likely to play nice with you if you try too hard to control it .

 

[St_Earl]

i would agree with Delta-T.

*just read Delta-T's post above. i think, Delta, he said it was burning out when he turned it down too much. so i read that as just not getting enough pellets to get proof of fire.
but i also agree with the difference pellets can make. often based on the length of pellets and how that affects feed rates.
so a shorter pellet will fill the auger channel with less air gaps and may allow you to run on full low.
i had to open up the feed gate some this year to account for just such a difference.

*there was a thread recently where someone actually did have too much air. but none of the experienced members here (many of whom are techs or dealers) had encountered it before. and the symptoms were very different from what you describe.

there was so much draft that the flames actually could not get out of the burn pot. the air was almost blowing out the flames. and actual pellets were being blown into the firebox.

Year: 2000 Model: Enviro EF4 Insert.
and there is constant fly ash and lit embers leaving the burn pot with the flames (maybe this is supposed to happen?)

my stove (top feeder) actually depends on air flow to blow the fly ash out by design to keep the burn pot clear.

 

[stovelark]

Hi guitarman, sounds like pellet quality might not be up to par, try different pellets to see if a change happens. If not, the dial a fire at 2 oclock should be dropping pellets with little time in between feeds as indicated with the green on time auger light on the control panel. I have the EF3 with the dial a fire, at about 9am, its about 13 secs between feed times (green light off, then on for 3-4 secs) and at 3pm. its only about a sec or two in between feeds. It sounds like your dial a fire might be bad, or one of the control timing boxes inside the stove on the back right side is not working right. The unit is not pushing too much air through, the exh blower on that unit runs at full speed (115 volts always applied to blower), the air damper and dial a fire vary the feed rates and flame adjustment. You can check the EF3 out on youtube, its about the same stove you have. I've had mine since 2008, its been a wonderful stove, I like being able to fine tune the convex blower speed and feed rate, unlike a digital board stove, which adjusts the blower/feed rates automatically. Good luck, its a quality stove. PS- perfectly normal for fly ash to be "flying" out of the burnpot when pellets drop and in between droppings too (that is how ash is cleared of the burnpot)

 

[SmokeyTheBear]

Make certain that that slide damper is properly seated and can actually be fully inserted to shut down the air flow, folks have discovered that when they think they have the damper fully shut it is in fact not fully shut due to items blocking the damper from fully closing or the control rods or cables not allowing the damper full range of motion.

Then again some stoves don't burn well on low.

 

[imacman]

......Then again some stoves don't burn well on low.

I think it's actually many stoves....

 

[Jack Morrissey]

What pellets are you burning??

 

[nailed_nailer]

Isn't the EF-4 the Enviro with the frequency controlled Exhaust blower?

---Nailer---