Need emergency pellet stove help.

[BHDavis]

I'm not going to give you all a sob story, but i am in an abnormal situation.
I have no family or money or anything so i need to get this fixed on my own if i can.

Winter is starting, it was 20 degrees last night here and my tiny electric heater isnt cutting it.
Before my father passed away he and I tried to get this old pellet stove working in our living room.

See attached pictures.

there is no manual and I have not been able to figure out the make or model.
all I know is that the glass was broken and replaced with a metal piece.

all the electricals seem to be working.
the blower will blow the hell out of some air.
the auger looks like it is turning when i look down in it.

I can get a small fire started in the pot, get everything kicked on, but then 30 minutes later the fire dies because no pellets are being fed in.

I know nothing about pellet stoves and all of the literature i have tried to read on it has confused me.
I really need some help getting this thing running to try and stay warm.

any help i can get will be appreciated.
it will all have to be diy because i have no money to call some repair person.

(broken image removed)

 

[Bioburner]

If its an Englander stove try and give them a call. They have good customer service. I see one thing in picture that is not at all good and that is there is no fire resistant pad under the stove to protect the wood floor. Stove issue sounds like either the proof of fire is not being met or the vacuum switch is not being satisfied to complete the auger circuit.

 

[BHDavis]

If its an Englander stove try and give them a call. They have good customer service. I see one thing in picture that is not at all good and that is there is no fire resistant pad under the stove to protect the wood floor. Stove issue sounds like either the proof of fire is not being met or the vacuum switch is not being satisfied to complete the auger circuit.

I have no clue what the make is.
what is the proof of fire and how can i check to see if either of those things are the problem causing this?

 

[briansol]

yes, you need a hearth pad under it so you don't burn the house down! The wall clearances may be a little close too (consider putting title/stone/etc as a backsplash).
assuming this is just a temp install to get it running...

it sounds like the proof of fire switch isn't triggering. you can probably jump it (run a wire to complete the circuit) to test that it's the problem before replacing the snap switch (which aren't that much money, $10-20 ish).

Also, clean the heck out of it. get in there with a leaf blower or compressed air and blow out all the ash.

Looks to me like it's a 25 PDV
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Englander-2-200-sq-ft-Pellet-Stove-with-Brass-Louvers-25-PDV/100168012

 

[bogieb]

My thought was that if the metal replacing the glass is not air tight where it meets the door frame, then the stove will shut itself down from lack of vacuum. Good luck!

 

[zrtmatos]

Good start to fix this Englander.

 

[JDenyer236]

My guess would be the vacuum switch is not being activated. The steel plate replacing the window may be the issue. Make sure that the steel plate is totally sealed. An air leak there could keep the vacuum switch from activating. You can try bypassing the vacuum switch and then the POF switch. This will tell you which switch may be the problem, or if you don't have enough vacuum due to leaks, plugged exhaust etc. The stove can't be left bypassed like that though as it would be a huge safety issue. It's only used for testing purposes.

 

[Owen1508]

BH Davis all of the above is 100% where you should look.....

 

[Polar Bear]

Piece of sheet metal or concrete board on the floor would work... something non combustible to create ember protection... doesn't need to be fancy, just have the clearances.

 

[BHDavis]

alright guys, thanks for the info.
I will put bricks under the stove and I will work on checking all of the things you guys have listed.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

 

[Polar Bear]

Good luck buddy... I hope you can get it working and the abnormal situation rectifies.

 

[Owen1508]

The 30 mins seems to be a time out on the POF disc. i don't know englander as well as Stoveguy2ESW, but I would bypass that disk 1st. It could be a pressure issue with the switch and having that sheet metal not sealed could cause that, but 30 mins seems like quite a while into it for an air error. If it is always 30mins exactly I would 1st look at the POF disc.

 

[BHDavis]

would leaving the pressure thing bypassed be a big deal?
I sant find any air leaks, no smoke in the room, etc.

 

[bags]

Hey BH,
These guys and GALS here will help you out. That stove is an Englander. They are very common and all over the place. Google it. Parts are easy to find and not pricey for most. You can get a manual online easily and I believe for free. You can print one off or save it on your computer for reference. I am confident that many here will help you get it up and running.

You do need to get some metal or cement board around that stove. Home Depot / Lowe's sells it for about $10-$15 bucks for a 3' x 5' sheet of 1/2". You can cut it with a razor knife. Another temporary safe fix would be sheet metal.

Do and check out all of the above recommendations. Read up on the manual. That is the same stove as the Summers Heat and Timber Ridge 22's. Englander pellet stove and Heat Redefined are some websites to check. Look them up on Youtube also. There is a wealth of info on this model.

Best of Luck and let us know how you progress.

I understand you need heat and your situation. Do the quick, cheap, and basic safety stuff and get it producing heat. Ten we can get you steered right on others stuff.

 

[Rock Crusher]

Yes it is a big deal deal to leave a safety device bypassed. The bypass is just being used as a diagnostic tool to determine what is wrong with the stove. One thing is for certain-you WILL get lots of help here!

 

[bags]

I personally am not sure but I wouldn't think so for a temporary fix. Let someone who really knows guide you here. Is it running OK wit it bypassed?

 

[bags]

OK, Rock Crusher answered that one. Makes sense!

 

[LuvMyPellets]

BH everyone here wants to help you get the stove running but they don't want you to burn the house down. Can you post a picture of the exhaust pipe going through the wall??

 

[BHDavis]

Not going to lie.
Everything has been pretty much jerry rigged.

I do not have many means out here.
I can only use what i have at my disposal.

I can take a picture of the exhaust pipe if i need to but i think its okay, no leaks or anything.

I just started tinkering with it, was curious about the top auger since i noticed the problem was pellets not keeping the fire alive.
I cleaned out the big hopper thing and the top auger isnt moving at all.
I started a fire in the pot again and turned everything on and checked on the top auger again and nothing has moved.
Maybe there is a jam or something?

Or is the top auger not moving part of some safety feature?

 

[BHDavis]

Thank you all for the help so far guys.
I cant express how much a little kindness means to someone like me.

 

[bogieb]

The auger usually won't turn if the hopper lid is open or if main door is open for longer than 30 seconds (some stoves may not even allow the door to be open. A jam is certainly a possibility too.

 

[kofkorn]

The auger usually won't turn if the hopper lid is open...

I doubt an Englander stove this old has a lid switch. I bought mine in '08 and it didn't have a lid switch then.

The top auger only moves a little bit, every once in a while. It has a 16 second cycle (I think). In the highest setting, it is turning somewhere around 5-6 seconds out of the 16 second cycle. Make sure you watch it closely. It won't turn more than 1/10 of a revolution or so every minute.

If it's not turning at all, then it could be a jam. If you can re-start it after it cools and have it run for 1/2 hr again, then it's not a jam. It would more likely be a sensor.

Good luck!

 

[BHDavis]

I doubt an Englander stove this old has a lid switch. I bought mine in '08 and it didn't have a lid switch then.

The top auger only moves a little bit, every once in a while. It has a 16 second cycle (I think). In the highest setting, it is turning somewhere around 5-6 seconds out of the 16 second cycle. Make sure you watch it closely. It won't turn more than 1/10 of a revolution or so every minute.

If it's not turning at all, then it could be a jam. If you can re-start it after it cools and have it run for 1/2 hr again, then it's not a jam. It would more likely be a sensor.

Good luck!

The auger usually won't turn if the hopper lid is open or if main door is open for longer than 30 seconds (some stoves may not even allow the door to be open. A jam is certainly a possibility too.

I thought keeping the door open would cause some sort of issue so i had it closed and just now checked on it again.
there is just half a handfull of pellets in there i couldnt get when cleaning it out, the auger is in the same position the burn pot is empty and no pellets have moved in the hopper.

 

[BHDavis]

how would I go about un jamming it?

 

[Lake Girl]

If door is left open for any length of time, auger will stop and stove will shut down. Safety feature... With steel in the window, hard to adjust fire as you can't see it...

A manual if Englander 25pdv http://www.englanderstoves.com/manuals/25-PDVEand25-PDV.pdf