Newbie in need of help with my St. Croix Auburn....

[stripesNstuff]

Hi all!
I just purchased my first pellet stove and im looking for some tips on how to get the best results. I bought from a reputable dealer here in central michigan but figured i would bug you guys first. I installed the stove last night and it went well, however i wasnt impressed with the output of the stove by any means. Im going to chalk this all up to me not knowing what im doing. My fire is just barely visible over the firepot no matter what setting i turned the stove to. I was told to use the splitter once a day and drop the ash out but this morning there was no fire above the spitter for it to hold up. I am running MWP(?) pellets made here in michigan and recommended by the dealer and friends who have stoves. My stove is vented straight out through the wall and my home is about 1500sq/ft. Last year i spent over $400 a month to heat with propane and i couldnt take another winter of that. I have a few questions and any and all guidance would be greatly appreciated.
1. Am i out of my mind to think that this unit can heat my whole home. (realizing that the propane may need to come on when the temps hit sub zero)

2. How full should the fire pot be when i light it. (not an auto light model)

3. How long should i let each heat setting run for before stepping up a level?

4.what should my flame look like? Right now the top of the flames just creep over the top of the firepot.

5. Does anyone else have any real world experience with this stove and what are your thoughts and what size area are you heating with it.

The stove i purchased is used.

Thanks!

 

[Bob Sorjanen]

Hi all!
I just purchased my first pellet stove and im looking for some tips on how to get the best results. I bought from a reputable dealer here in central michigan but figured i would bug you guys first. I installed the stove last night and it went well, however i wasnt impressed with the output of the stove by any means. Im going to chalk this all up to me not knowing what im doing. My fire is just barely visible over the firepot no matter what setting i turned the stove to. I was told to use the splitter once a day and drop the ash out but this morning there was no fire above the spitter for it to hold up. I am running MWP(?) pellets made here in michigan and recommended by the dealer and friends who have stoves. My stove is vented straight out through the wall and my home is about 1500sq/ft. Last year i spent over $400 a month to heat with propane and i couldnt take another winter of that. I have a few questions and any and all guidance would be greatly appreciated.
1. Am i out of my mind to think that this unit can heat my whole home. (realizing that the propane may need to come on when the temps hit sub zero)

2. How full should the fire pot be when i light it. (not an auto light model)

3. How long should i let each heat setting run for before stepping up a level?

4.what should my flame look like? Right now the top of the flames just creep over the top of the firepot.

5. Does anyone else have any real world experience with this stove and what are your thoughts and what size area are you heating with it.

The stove i purchased is used.

Thanks!

welcome to the forum. Is your fresh air draft set right? I have it set to the thickness of a pencil. Do you have an OAK (Outside Air Kit) hooked up? Is the stove clean? I have a St. Croix Lancaster and heat 1100 sf. If I want to get heat going good I just set it on #5 and let it ramp up itself. Also hopefully all gaskets are good on it. They can be checked with a dollar bill by inserting in a couple places on each side of doors. Should be hard to pull out. Do it with stove off. My flames can reach to the heat baffles on top.
Bob

 

[krooser]

Make sure the ash pan is tight to the stove… be sure the ash dump rod is pushed in all the way.

Did the dealer do a FULL cleaning before delivery? Did they show you how to clean your stove? The St Croix's have two or three ash traps that need to be cleaned out every week or so… they are located on the back wall of the firebox just above the ash pan… you'll need to remove the small covers and tap on the walls of the firebox to dislodge the ash that's trapped behind the back wall. You may also use a coat hangar, bottle brush or similar toll to dislodge the ash.

After you get all the ash out vacuum it up… do a search for "leaf blower trick" here… does an amazing job of keeping your stove running at peak efficiency.

 

[stripesNstuff]

Thanks! Im not sure where my fresh air draft is set, i will check it. The Fireplace shop i purchased it from told me they had checked it all over and cleaned it before i bought it. It was a trade in on a newer stove. I do not have an OAK. By gaskets do you mean the main door gasket? i can check when i get home, They look brand new. Appreciate the help!

 

[stripesNstuff]

The dealer did go over the routine stuff with me but did not inform me of the other areas to clean other than the ash pan. I plan to do some studying when i get home tonight.

 

[Bob Sorjanen]

Thanks! Im not sure where my fresh air draft is set, i will check it. The Fireplace shop i purchased it from told me they had checked it all over and cleaned it before i bought it. It was a trade in on a newer stove. I do not have an OAK. By gaskets do you mean the main door gasket? i can check when i get home, They look brand new. Appreciate the help!

yes on the door gasket and make sure the ash pan gasket is good also. Was the dealer a St. Croix dealer?

 

[heat seeker]

Is it in manual or thermostat mode? It sounds like the stove is just idling waiting for the thermostat to call for heat.

 

[Alfred]

On the back of the stove (near where the the wires go in) there is a spot to hook up a thermostat. If you don't use a thermostat then you need to put a jumper in. Other wise it will stay on level one. I've been using an Auburn since 2006 and it's really more of a corn stove than a pellet stove.

#1 Our stove won't heat our house by it self but you should have a warmer house and spend less.

#2 I use about a cup of pellets, pour in fire pot, squirt gel in, throw match in, close door. hit on button. FIRE

#3 There is a automatic delay between each heat level, set it where you want. If you open a door you won't be able to change heat levels for a minute or so. It freezes the controls for a short time.

#4 My flame on #5 will go from bottom to top of fire box also.

#5 Our house is about 1500 sq ft. 1000 1st/500 2nd. No insulation 1st floor,2nd floor mostly done. To see our lay out of our house (close) go to "sears modern homes" date range 1927-1932 Vallona is the name of it. We put our stove in the dinning room (middle of the house).

 

[bbfarm]

Yup, I would check the setting its on.

Totally possible for you to heat your entire house with the stove. We heat our 1870's two story farm house with it, about 1800 sq feet. Even when its below zero.

The flames in my avatar is with our St Croix set on 3. It can touch the heat exchanger tubes on 3.

We usually just start it up with whatever setting its on.

 

[stripesNstuff]

So a Jumper between the negative and positive where the thermostat wires connect? I have the stove set on manual mode. My flames are coming nowhere near the top. Barely peeking out of the firepot. Iast night was the first night with zero propane and i woke up warm, however the low last night was about 38.

 

[bbfarm]

I don't know about a jumper. You can pick up thermostats really cheap. I love ours for regulating the temp. Just like a furnace.

I would think otherwise it would just burn full out and you would have no way to turn the heat down.

 

[Alfred]

I have the jumper in mine. Not sure where my switch is set (at work now). You control the heat level on the stove by setting the # on the control board 1-5, with out the jumper you have a open circuit and it will only burn on level 1. If you had a thermostat hooked up it would open that circuit when heat was satisfied and close when calling for heat and going up to the level that you set on your control panel. With the jumper in it will always run on the level that you set it on.

 

[stripesNstuff]

Wow, would have been nice to have that information from the dealer. They are a St. Croix dealer, maybe they assumed i would be running it off a thermostat, which i still might. What should i use for a jumper? Solid strand wire or regular 12v automotive type wire? I have both.

 

[Bob Sorjanen]

Wow, would have been nice to have that information from the dealer. They are a St. Croix dealer, maybe they assumed i would be running it off a thermostat, which i still might. What should i use for a jumper? Solid strand wire or regular 12v automotive type wire? I have both.

I think either one would work and make sure control board is set to manual with the jumper

 

[stripesNstuff]

Thanks for all the help guys! Headed home for the weekend to see if i can get some real fire going. The stove kept things pretty nice last night, if it is set on the lowest setting i think im going to be quite happy. I'll have an update tomorrow!

 

[Alfred]

good luck with your new stove. Letus know how you make out.