m-55c-fs "ISSUES"

[angler3]

When i first purchased my pellet stove in 11/12 , i was assured of what a great unit it was. i paid in the 5k range for soup to nuts at a "reputable place". for the first year i burned the recommended pellets, green supreme. Awesome. They wanted 60 dollars more a pallet then hd. but i bought my first one with them anyway . When i returned for 2nd, they were out. So i went to hd. No problems and great heat for the first season. Here comes October 13. Upon my first ton and start , the stove is howling like crazy. Establishment recommends cleaning stack and motors. ( I have a vid of noise ). but they don't do it , they refer you to their employee who just happens to be their installer. Via phone he says they clean out all motors and stack for 250. Way to high for a ground level stack with no ladder work. I reluctantly agree because i figured it was difficult to clean motors and he stated it was really a two man job that i couldn't do on my own. I cleaned my stove prior to their arrival as i do weekly, and they arrived and complemented me on how clean the stove is. So they removed a few screws and didn't remove convection motor, only combustion to my disappointment. Four screws.They leave on start up and problem not solved. I call establishment and they tell me to come in with video. They see video , and to make a long story short, replace combustion and convection with $225 out of my pocket because manufacturer will only pay half labor because stove is 14 months old. Disappointing , and they wont give me a number to speak with manufacturer or sales rep manufacturer. Its quieter, not like first year, but now a different dilemma. When i run stove at 4 or 5 the burn box backs up into chute and i get fires in the ash box from unburned pellets. I am burning energex pellets at 309 a pallet, normally 283 but there was a shortage ,supposed to be high end. I don't want to call the fireplace co because they want to charge a $100 trip fee plus a $300 diagnostics fee for a stove they sold and installed for methats now 15 months old. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, i am very handy but this %&$#%^& has gotten the best of me this second season in use.

 

[Bill L]

Are you getting a lazy flame when the pellets back up? You may need a damper adjustment if so. Sounds like you have cleaned it well, maybe check the burn pot liner for carbon blocking some of the air holes. I'm burning Energex right now no prob

 

[Lake Girl]

Hopefully you have a copy of the manual http://enviro.com/custom_content/docs/manuals/C-12532 Instruction M55CFS Domestic Owners Manual.pdf

Not sure how much you have experimented with the different functions of the stove... With the heat level on 4 or 5 that results in the overfeed of pellets, you should be able to reduce feed amount using the feed trim (page 7). Is the fuel type adjusted properly? There is also a combustion air adjustment that may need to be adjusted.

Hardwood pellets need more air for combustion. Softwoods feed is generally less than hardwoods.

Check under the media section to find the pellet stove operational videos that may be of help... http://enviro.com/media/videos/

Forgot to say - Welcome to the forum and we like pics of stoves! Some post videos to document problems that need troubleshooting...

 

[ohbix]

Might they have bumped your air damper when they replaced the combustion fan? A drop in air amount could result in pellet accumulation.

 

[Lake Girl]

In case the dealer didn't mention this, it is recommended that the internal exhaust pathways and exhaust venting be cleaned after every ton (edit: your manual says every two tons). May want to consider getting your own brushes and rods and do it yourself...

The convection fan likely could use a cleaning too - time to get familiar with your stove and keep the service tech away longer through proper maintenance.

 

[Bill L]

Someone else recently posted a thread with a problem of pellet build up on the higher feed setting related to the agitator rod not working. check to see if it is turning as it is supposed to? Maybe they did not turn it to properly engage the sprocket when they replaced it?

 

[vinny11950]

wow, pellet backups are not good.

the agitator will drop unburned pellets into the ash box, but if you put the stove in Premium Pellet mode, the agitator will turn less often, which should mean less pellets being cast out of the burn pot.

things to check (and you have to check them one by one until you find the issue).

for the pellet back up issue:

1) make sure you gaskets are still tight. do the dollar bill test on the door and ash pan door too. make sure they close correctly. if they are letting air in, it disrupts the draft going through the burn pot and the pellets are not going to burn right and then backup.

2) check the damper in the stove. as others suggested, stove guys might have changed it. look at the flame - if it is slow and lazy it is not drafting right. that means check your entire exhaust pipe for blockage. also check the exhaust channel in the stove. there is a plate with a sensor you can remove on the exhaust motor side of the stove that will let you see inside. WARNING: if you take this plate off, make sure you have a new litherm gasket for it. there is a good chance it will fall apart if you are not careful. you can buy your own gasket material online and save lots of cash instead.

3) exhaust motor. does it look new? same thing with the convection motor. could the dealer have kept the new motors and given you some used ones they had laying around? i am sorry, but i don't trust installers who just replace things without knowing what was wrong exactly. there are a lot of shady characters who don't know pellet stoves. if you are able to inspect the draft coming out of the vent pipe, check it out. if it seems weak you know you have a blockage or a bad motor.

for the old noise in the stove:

i am wondering if that stove had the old convection blower that would become unbalanced and die? your purchase date would be around the time when Enviro upgraded that motor to a more powerful and sturdier one.

also, all that noise you got on start up at the beginning of the season, could have been a loose wire or something touching the squirrel cage in the blower fan. weird stuff happens to stoves over the summer and they misbehave when you first fire them up.

i am sorry for the long post.

if you could post pictures of your motors we could tell you if you have the latest convection fan.

 

[angler3]

First off, thanks for all the replies.
bill L - imo the flame is good. Holes are good in the burn pot liner. I brush all the carbon off with a good brush while performing weekly cleaning . Agitator rod is spinning correctly, every 30 minutes at the premium setting. I will be doing my weekly cleaning today and checking damper.
lake-girl- Lowered pellet feed to lowest setting and c/a is at its highest. Fuel is set to premium. That's the only way i can get it to run at level three with no problems. When i set to regular pellets, i get more pellets in the ash box, the orange partially burned ones that eventually ignite in box. at that setting the auger and agitator spin at the same rate and time. I've gone over manual a few times with no results. I did purchase my own rods and that was the first #$%@ by dealer that they claimed was a two man job. Yeah, maybe if they were only allowed to use one hand each when working. My exhaust pipe is grown level.
ohbix- They were backing up before repair.
vinny11950- i did the paper test and the top of front door doesn't hold the paper , nor the top of door where ash pan is. Got the rope and rods from lowe's all at once. That will be replaced today also. I have a camera that i will run thru exhaust. I agree $100% with shady dealers. But i was there during install and did not leave their side. The convection motor was making a noise while spinning and removed. Combustion/exhaust didn't , but was replaced. The noise has been through the season till motors were replaced. I have the upgraded motor, as per thread i found during my google search.I do have a video on you tube entitled " enviro m-55 failure ". If you view it, believe me when i tell you it was louder in person". Excuse the mess in vid, my laptop and tools were out and i was trying to google a solution because i knew the "reputable dealer " was going to stick it to me." Fyi, my posts are always long too.
I'd like to add that i had an odd smell of almost plastic while burning green supreme the second season. And on first start up after stealer , oh i mean dealer replaced motors.
Thanks in advance for any advise.

 

[jgrz0610]

If you're getting way too many pellets have you checked the adjustable feed gate inside the hopper? If the problem is caused by too many pellets and not from a burn issue, you may just need to close it down some. I've not burned the energex so I have no idea, but if they are small pellets that M55 will dump a buttload of them awefully quickly on 5. I ran Somersets for a while this year and the burnpot was almost full after an hour and it couldn't burn them fast enough. I got around it with lots of air and low feed rate but if that didn't work I was ready to adjust the gate. Your stove may not have it, but it should. It was an upgrade to resolve overheating issues on these stoves along with the turbo blower fan. The FS should make it easy to get to but I know on my insert it's a royal pain if you have normal sized appendages. Hopefully this will help but if not, no harm no foul.

The smell may or may not be burn in on the cast iron if you're getting it hotter than you did last year. Every time it gets hotter it smells...until you overheat it! Then it's pretty much cooked in...lol.

 

[vinny11950]

is this the video?

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sounds like the squirrel cage crapped out (out of balance or bent fin). was the old motor that was replaced the old model or the new? just wondering?

i bought rope gasket from Lowes and it didn't work for me. too thick and thread was not pliable enough. i had to suck it up and pay the extra for the part specific. i am sure someone sells it cheaper but matching it exactly i have not been able to do.

if your flame looks good, i would agree with JGRZ that the smaller pellets maybe dropping too fast. trim down the feed rate or see if you can adjust the plate in the hopper.

BTW, your stove is Cast so it would be the m55 Cast. the FS is the steel version. some say not as pretty but in my eyes, its a looker.

good luck.

 

[angler3]

is this the video?

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sounds like the squirrel cage crapped out (out of balance or bent fin). was the old motor that was replaced the old model or the new? just wondering?

i bought rope gasket from Lowes and it didn't work for me. too thick and thread was not pliable enough. i had to suck it up and pay the extra for the part specific. i am sure someone sells it cheaper but matching it exactly i have not been able to do.

if your flame looks good, i would agree with JGRZ that the smaller pellets maybe dropping too fast. trim down the feed rate or see if you can adjust the plate in the hopper.

BTW, your stove is Cast so it would be the m55 Cast. the FS is the steel version. some say not as pretty but in my eyes, its a looker.

good luck.

the combustion motor , couldn't tell you if it was the old or new model. The convection was the new model. The noise improved greatly with motor changes. What do you mean by squirrel cage? The grate on the outside vent? That lowe's rope is a real pita. I must agree. Where did you get oem rope. I don,t mind paying more , i just don't want to give the fireplace establishment any more money.

 

[angler3]

Yes , that was the video.

 

[angler3]

If you're getting way too many pellets have you checked the adjustable feed gate inside the hopper? If the problem is caused by too many pellets and not from a burn issue, you may just need to close it down some. I've not burned the energex so I have no idea, but if they are small pellets that M55 will dump a buttload of them awefully quickly on 5. I ran Somersets for a while this year and the burnpot was almost full after an hour and it couldn't burn them fast enough. I got around it with lots of air and low feed rate but if that didn't work I was ready to adjust the gate. Your stove may not have it, but it should. It was an upgrade to resolve overheating issues on these stoves along with the turbo blower fan. The FS should make it easy to get to but I know on my insert it's a royal pain if you have normal sized appendages. Hopefully this will help but if not, no harm no foul.

The smell may or may not be burn in on the cast iron if you're getting it hotter than you did last year. Every time it gets hotter it smells...until you overheat it! Then it's pretty much cooked in...lol.

Have to check inside hopper, other than controls i don't believe its adjustable.

 

[vinny11950]

the convection motor, which shoots the air out of the exchange tubes on top of the stove has a big fan with lots of fins that people refer to as the squirrel cage.

 

[angler3]

got ya vinny11950, when they pulled it off, the fins looked good. But when i spun it , it made a squeak similar to bad bearings.

 

[nailed_nailer]

About cleaning your Burn Pot Liner.....A brush will not get it clean enough.

You need to really scrape it clean.

Scrape, Chip, Blast, Etc.

The carbon buildup looks a lot like the steel. You need to really chip at it to clear it off.
I use a Painters 5-in-1 tool.

Once you see a chip come out you will see how much builds up (even in a weeks burning)

Good Luck,
---Nailer---

 

[angler3]

About cleaning your Burn Pot Liner.....A brush will not get it clean enough.

You need to really scrape it clean.

Scrape, Chip, Blast, Etc.

The carbon buildup looks a lot like the steel. You need to really chip at it to clear it off.
I use a Painters 5-in-1 tool.

Once you see a chip come out you will see how much builds up (even in a weeks burning)

Good Luck,
---Nailer---

Thanks nailer, I use a strong scraper, flat head screwdriver and a wire wheel. I get it pretty clean. I'm starting to wonder if it has to do with the extreme cold temps we've been having in NY. Been running on three with no issues. Ran on four and did notice some partially burned pellets on edge ready to drop into pan. So I backed down to three

 

[mikestod]

Someone else recently posted a thread with a problem of pellet build up on the higher feed setting related to the agitator rod not working. check to see if it is turning as it is supposed to? Maybe they did not turn it to properly engage the sprocket when they replaced it?

I was the person who had the earlier issue. I also built up pellets one day after running fine all season long with no issues. I assumed it was a agitator stoppage, as it did not look like it was clearing out the burn pot. After a long helpful conversation with Enviro and their New England distributor, I tried some maintenance related troubleshooting and it has not happened since. Its possible that this may be adding to your problem, though the noise is a different problem.

Problem one was the damper itself...I must have inadvertently bumped it when I did the semi-annual maintenance about 2 weeks prior and it needed to be reset. Got out the magnehelic gauge and checked it. Sure enough it was out of whack, making the stove burn a little crappy for a couple weeks even though the flame looked substantially similar to when it was tuned properly. in your case, make sure you get the leaking gaskets squared away before you try to adjust it.

Problem two was that I also failed to realize that I was not fully servicing the stove when I did my weekly cleanings. In my insert there are two clean-out covers to either side of the ignitor. Though I was cleaning the ash out through those ports occasionally, I was not doing it often enough or well enough. When I opened these ports there was some ash I could get to with my ash vac, but couldn't really get in there well with the vac. The distributor walked me through how to get that whole lower cover off to completely access the area. With the scraper assembly up and the rear firebox baffle out, I had no idea that the lower plate could lift up and wiggle out. It was a little tricky to get out, but when I took it off I found my damper was partly blocked by an ash pile that I never could see or reach. The buildup had occurred over time and was also gradually reducing the damper opening as it piled up in front of the damper. I cleaned that area and have not had any issues since.

So I would start with a cleaning, making sure to access the area I mentioned above. Message me your phone number if you have an issue, I'd be happy to talk you through it.

 

[angler3]

Thanks lake girl. With my weekly cleaning I always removed that plate , the backing and the top plate. Also stuck vac in the exhaust passage. I'm going to see if I can grab a decent gauge fairly priced. I did the front seal and haven't had the guts to try four or five setting, yet. I have yet to check damper. Thanks again

 

[jgrz0610]

Funny this thread happened to come up in my alerts today. My burnpot was completely full of pellets and burning like chit. I turned the stove off before heading out to work today because I couldn't be bothered. Mine was caused by the damper opening being half blocked with ash (been running without cleaning for nearly a month with box store pellets (what a mess). Checked with the mag gauge before cleaning and it was way out of whack. Cleaned everything up and an hour later mag gauge reads perfect and all is well. If you're looking for a decent gauge I got a Dwyer pretty reasonably but do a search. I remember some threads showing some good gauges at outstanding prices. If you own an M55, you ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO HAVE A MAGNAHELIC GAUGE. I'm convinced Enviro should up the price of the stove 50 bucks and give you one with every new stove...but I'm a dreamer.

Good luck and let us know how you make out.

 

[angler3]

Funny this thread happened to come up in my alerts today. My burnpot was completely full of pellets and burning like chit. I turned the stove off before heading out to work today because I couldn't be bothered. Mine was caused by the damper opening being half blocked with ash (been running without cleaning for nearly a month with box store pellets (what a mess). Checked with the mag gauge before cleaning and it was way out of whack. Cleaned everything up and an hour later mag gauge reads perfect and all is well. If you're looking for a decent gauge I got a Dwyer pretty reasonably but do a search. I remember some threads showing some good gauges at outstanding prices. If you own an M55, you ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO HAVE A MAGNAHELIC GAUGE. I'm convinced Enviro should up the price of the stove 50 bucks and give you one with every new stove...but I'm a dreamer.

Good luck and let us know how you make out.

Where's a good place to start shopping for a decent gauge. You said Dwyer, I'll check amazon to start. Thanks for info

 

[jgrz0610]

I know a guy who knows a guy with a VERY large account. I got discount pricing on mine but that was a one time deal. Ebay has some good deals right now. Just make sure you're paying attention to the scale. You need a pretty small scale (0.50 inches max 0.25 inches is preferable) so just be cautious. A scale going up to 5 inches is pretty much useless when your shooting for a reading of 0.17.

 

[ohbix]

I just got a Dwyer air pressure and air velocity gauge on Amazon. It was recommended by someone in a recent Harman thread. It reads pressure up to 1" wc. Has anyone measured the pressure at levels other than 5? I ask as when I searched this site in the past, I came across a M55 owner who set his at level 3, gave the value, and has had success. I haven't been able to find that post. I have overtemp problems when dropping down a level from both levels 3 and 2, and thus haven't tried level 5 (original style convection fan).

 

[angler3]

I know a guy who knows a guy with a VERY large account. I got discount pricing on mine but that was a one time deal. Ebay has some good deals right now. Just make sure you're paying attention to the scale. You need a pretty small scale (0.50 inches max 0.25 inches is preferable) so just be cautious. A scale going up to 5 inches is pretty much useless when your shooting for a reading of 0.17.

Could you tell me which model you picked up. A ton of them came up when I searched. I read in the manual that you unscrew a screw to get the reading. The picture of the Dwyer just shows a gauge on a analog dial. Is there a probe on the back side or does it get permanently mounted. Forgive my inexperience , just not familiar with this device.

 

[jgrz0610]

Mine is a series 2000-0 with a max of .50 but a 2000-00 has max .25. Either works. I read by using tubing from the gauge to a piece of copper tubing that fits inside of the screw hole. I can take a picture later if necessary.