Introduction & newbie questions

[wjogert]

Hello. I'm a new owner of a hand-me-down 25-PVCD/55 mfg'd 10/01. My first pellet stove. Stove directly heats ~500 sqft living room / dining room with 17 ft vaulted ceiling (and the upstairs bedrooms if we leave the doors open). There's a ceiling fan over living room to help circulate the heat. Remainder of 1st floor is baseboard heat, which is fun... had to relocate the thermostat and still trying to balance the two systems.

Stove was in service until given to me. It was vacuumed clean, but not disassembled. Installed with all new DuraVent intake and exhaust ducts. Running a small desk fan behind the stove to cool the auger motor (highly recommended by the relative that gave me the stove, to prevent motor failure)

First 2 days of operation: Glass sooted over 3 min after lighting the stove (5-5), but it seemed to run well at 3 to 5 heat range. Set to 1-3 for overnight, woke to stove extinguished and the ashes were level with burn pot (so areas to both sides of burn pot were full to top of burn pot and burn pot was almost buried... yikes!)

Google search landed me here. TYVM to all of the knowledgeable contributors!
Discovered that the controller was in mode B, with 4-1-1.
Now running mode D, with 4-4-1 (after experimenting with multiple setting combinations). Glass doesn't soot over for about 4 hours, regardless of heat range. Every 6 hours or so, the accumulation of heavy ash reduces the burn zone to about 1/2. I just scoop it away with a spoon. At settings below 5, the pellets burn until the actual flame dies off, leaving just glowing embers until the next batch of pellets are dropped. They light almost immediately. I tend to run lower heat settings with higher circulation fan (90% at 1-5, up to 3-8). Using about 1 bag per 20 hours.

I'm seriously considering the burn plate mod and closure of lower side holes. This forum seems confident about the overall benefits.

WTH are "klinkers"?? lol

I don't own a leaf blower, but I kinda need one anyway. I haven't located a thread with detailed instructions to the leaf blower clean out procedure.

Any comments, suggestions, precautions??

 

[Ssyko]

Welcome to the forums Wjogert.

Clinkers= Wood, being a natural product, may contain impurities. When wood is pelletized for use in pellet-burning stoves, those impurities can result in "clinkers." A clinker is a particle that isn't burned during the normal combustion process. It looks like a chunk of ash, but when exposed to air, such as when you open the stove to clean out the ash, the clinker can re-ignite. Clinkers can also form when minerals in the ash fuse together or when dirt is introduced into the combustion chamber. Prevent the occurrence of clinkers by using low-ash pellets, and make sure the pellets are small — usually less than 1.5 inches. The larger the pellet, the more likely it won't burn properly, resulting in a clinker. Follow the stove manufacturer's instructions for setting the correct air-to-fuel ratio, since, if the pellets aren't burning properly, the lack of oxygen will cause the fire to burn cooler and the pellets won't burn as efficiently, causing clinkers. (the long version) lol

the burnpot Mod has been a proven improvement for years so you would definetely benefit from it. the "Leaf Blower Trick" is another proven (probably the best) way to clean out any pellet stove. not only does it do a great job it cuts down on cleaning time and its probably the only way to truely clean an Englander 25 PDV or 25PDVC. search You Tube for Leaf Blower Trick and you will get the idea how it works and you can make an adaptor.

 

[Smokinbubba]

Yep, what Ssyko said!
I recommend you use 1" magnets to block the holes under the burn plate. (if you have them) They are on the right and left wall under the burner plate. After I did this, my flame was taller and more pronounced. My glass stays clean for multiple days and no more clinkers, just fine ash. You can dial in your bottom three numbers to achieve an efficient burn. I have found 1-4-1 works well for power pellets but when I switched to green gold, I had to up the air to get a complete and efficient burn. Now at 1-5-1. I run a stat so when not calling for heat, My stove goes to low (idle) and flame is pilot to 3" tall.

 

[wjogert]

So, after doing the burner plate mod several weeks ago... I can't say I see much difference in the flame or ash buildup. However I do see the pellets dance around the burn pot like popcorn. This causes a lot of the glowing pellets to shoot up, and land in the side cavities. Is this proper? I don't think it has diminished performance. I don't think it has increased performance.

 

[wjogert]

Also, I've seen comments about switching to MODE C when it's really cold outside. Is this better than just increasing the pellet feed on top buttons??

 

[Ssyko]

No I would use your heat level adjustments before changing modes.

 

[wjogert]

More questions.
1) The two half moon cutouts on the burn plate are left open with the burn plate mod. What is their purpose? It allows so many pellets to drop below the plate. I tried blocking them off and can't say I see any difference in performance. But I also know this stove isn't performing 100%
2) We started with a pallet of TSC white bag pellets, but I wanted to try other premium pellets. I've come to realize that TSC pellets burn cleaner than any other (in this stove) but produce far less heat than any others... this includes Stove Chow, Fireside Ultra, LaCrete, Super Spruce, and several others. Every pellet brand, other than the cooler burning TSC, burn black heavy ash and tons of soot on window and vent outlet.
3) I was getting ready to try another brand. Hopper was almost empty, so rather than scoop out by hand, I just cranked it to 8-8 to use them up quick. To my surprise, the completely black window started to clear! We were running 5-8 before. So I decided to install a thermostat on 8-8, expecting it to dirty slightly at idle and clear up with call for heat. It doesn't. Pellet usage hasn't changed. I feel like the ash accumulation has increased. Low settings are at 4-4-1, Mode D.
4) I did count the lower auger speed. 1.5 RPM.

 

[wjogert]

...My glass stays clean for multiple days and no more clinkers, just fine ash. You can dial in your bottom three numbers to achieve an efficient burn. I have found 1-4-1 works well for power pellets but when I switched to green gold, I had to up the air to get a complete and efficient burn. Now at 1-5-1. I run a stat so when not calling for heat, My stove goes to low (idle) and flame is pilot to 3" tall.

This makes me so envious right now lol. And determined. I will get this stove running proper.