Pellet Stoves, circa 1984

[webbie]

Interesting that the first pellet stoves were of two types....

bottom fed, and top fed -
Now, what else is new?

Oh, how about a pellet stove made of WOOD? Yes, you can see it here on the recent tour I took of Woodmans...
https://www.hearth.com/visit/woodsmans/source/1200woodenpelletstove.html

Anyone know what brand this is?

 

[BrotherBart]

I guess Whitfield.

 

[webbie]

I mean the wooden one!

Doesn't look like the pic in the article....

 

[ratkillingdog]

It is a Welenco. I have one burning right now.

 

[webbie]

Cool.....our forum members know EVERYTHING. The great collective mind.

Someday we will be stumped, but not yet.

 

[Tryingtogetwarm]

If you have a Welenco wood pellet stove burning right now....HELP! We didn't use ours for 10 years and jsut fired it back up this year and the flame is lazy! Not much heat and constant build up of unburned pellets are blocking the air flow around the burn pot. SO, do you think it could be crap pellets? It's almost like the auger is pushing too many pellets in too fast, but it never did that on low before. What kind of pellets do you use? The glass door gets black pretty quick, too. I remember there were good pellets and bad pellets.... We had it serviced before we lit it and did the tech have a hoot over a wood pellet stove Ha ha. His boss called himwhile he was here and said he found one on the internet in a museum! We even bought it from their store, but no one has been there that long! Feeling old and definitely cold, so you are our only hope, other than shelling out for a new stove!

 

[hearthtools]

I had one in my old store we used as a table

 

[stoveguy2esw]

If you have a Welenco wood pellet stove burning right now....HELP! We didn't use ours for 10 years and jsut fired it back up this year and the flame is lazy! Not much heat and constant build up of unburned pellets are blocking the air flow around the burn pot. SO, do you think it could be crap pellets? It's almost like the auger is pushing too many pellets in too fast, but it never did that on low before. What kind of pellets do you use? The glass door gets black pretty quick, too. I remember there were good pellets and bad pellets.... We had it serviced before we lit it and did the tech have a hoot over a wood pellet stove Ha ha. His boss called himwhile he was here and said he found one on the internet in a museum! We even bought it from their store, but no one has been there that long! Feeling old and definitely cold, so you are our only hope, other than shelling out for a new stove!

sounds like an air issue , age is not a factor in how they work , a pellet stove is a pellet stove , inspect the air passageways through the unit , pay particular attention to the induction , or combustion fan. the reason it looks to be overfeeding is that its under air , it simply cannot get enough air to breathe, and the pellets just pile up , looks all the world like its overfeeding , but i bet it isnt. let me know if you do not find a repair man , i'll try to guide you through it

 

[hearthtools]

That is the first version of the Pellet master
Bottom fed
Positive air system
Eprompte chip control board.
Same type of trouble shooting as what is on my page.

 

[hearthtools]

That is the first version of the Pellet master
Bottom fed
Positive air system
Eprompte chip control board.
Same type of trouble shooting as what is on my page.

I take that back
If you have the System with the combustion blower on the OUTSIDE of your house then it is a Negitive air system
but was made by the same people that made pellet master.

 

[pegdot]

Oh, that is sooo cool! The woodworker in me is drooling! Is the cabinet just for looks or is it a functional part of the air containment?

 

[Tryingtogetwarm]

The wood cabinet is just that; a cabinet to hold the parts in place. Nothing hot touches any wood, ever!
Yes, the exhaust fan is on the outside of the house and is clean, lubed and blowing smoke out. I don't know
about the incoming air. Seems like all exit holes around the burn pot are clean when we start it up and it does
burn in a swirling motion with lots of excitement and sparks flying out into the chamber like it should. After 5-6 hours
the flame gets lazy because the pellets are up to the top of the burn pot and blocking the air intake holes.
We had it serviced before we started it up, but the service tech thought it all looked good after cleaning out the
outside fan area. It's getting colder here by the minute and the oil prices are soaring....help! And thank you.
Should I post a photo of it???

 

[hearthtools]

Did he pull the blower off the out side and clean the vent pipe from the fan to the stove.
and pull the stove apart and clean the HEAT exchange
My experience with servicing a few of the stoves is the pipe gets plugged up and most people dont think they need to clean it.

 

[stoveguy2esw]

Did he pull the blower off the out side and clean the vent pipe from the fan to the stove.
and pull the stove apart and clean the HEAT exchange
My experience with servicing a few of the stoves is the pipe gets plugged up and most people dont think they need to clean it.

im with rod, as i posted above , check the air passageways , pay particular attention to the induction or combustion blower slow air means slow combustion , feed rate doesnt change , and there ya are , looks like an overfeed when its "under air"

 

[hearthtools]

Also because that is a Negitive air system
Be sure the Ash pan and door gasket is good and you are getting a good tight fit
Otherwise you have LESS air going into the burn pot that normal and the pellet will not burn up as fast.

O ya
the way that stove is vented
there is a 3" stainless flex Pipe in the INSIDE of 4" pellet vent
Just like the Direct vent gas stoves are but this is pellet
it uses the 4" for the intake OUT SIDE AIR
and the 3" stainless pipe as the exhaust.

 

[Tryingtogetwarm]

We've gone in from the outside as far as we can, and found only minimal debris had been sucked in. Cleared that out and still lazy flame after 5-6 hours of burning. Wouldn't it be worth it to break the seal where the pipe comes into the rear of the stove and check for obstructions? I don't know of any other way to get to that pipe, other than dismantle the entire fan case on the outside of the house and that has a seal all around it anyway. Thanks for your help!!