Pellets don't seem to fully burn

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gregorysalatino

New Member
Nov 27, 2015
16
west middlesex, PA
I am new to pellet stoves. I just purchased an englander 55 and have been running it for about a week. My question is..... It seems like the pellets aren't fully burning up before more pellets are deposited. I have the lower auger speed turned all the way down to 1. I posted a couple pictures below of what i am talking about. Is this normal opperation or do i have something setup wrong?







[Hearth.com] Pellets don't seem to fully burn

[Hearth.com] Pellets don't seem to fully burn
 
Looks like lots of pellets in the pot.
What is the main feed set at?
Might be an air issue. Also your control board may be in the wrong mode.
Try a board reset.. Do a search on Englanders site for info.
 
Numbers on lower 3 settings are 6-9-1 per info provided by AcesWifey per England Stove Works. Never change the last number from one...
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/auger-not-working.150183/#post-2014883

Haven't looked at the manual to see what they have there... When making changes, always record settings and wait 1/2 or more to determine effects of changes. Keep us posted.

Make sure seals are tight at door, hopper, ash pan (depending on stove configuration) as those will interfer with burn...
 
gregorysalatino said:
Yes, the door is open, which explains the lazy flame. How do i know what the main feed is set at? If i turn up the intake air will i loose any of my heat out the exhaust?
Click to expand...

You already mentioned what the feed was set at.. 1-4-1. Are you sure these are the specs for the year of the stove??
Feed is as low as you can go. But you can bump the air up a number at a time giving it 20 minutes or so to set in.. yes more air will push heat out but you need enough air to burn the pellets..
Is the stove new or just new to you?
Does the stove have a restictor plate in the hopper?
Did you install an oak? Anything restricting the air flow?

And yea what lakegirl said too since she beat me to it
 
Last edited:
stoveguy2esw is the Head Tech at England Stove Works (Mike Holton) so enter that in your search ...
 
The stove is brand new and as mentioned the factory settings were 6-4-1. I believe the hopper does have a restrictor plate but i am not 100% sure. I will take a picture when i get home and post it of the hopper. I'm not sure what an "oak" is? The air flow in and out both seem to be unrestricted. I will keep you guys posted on my progress. I appreciate all the feed back.
 
gregorysalatino said:
new and as mentioned the factory settings were 6-4-1. I'm not sure what an "oak" is?
Click to expand...
You mentioned 1-4-1
Oak= outside air kit

First thing you need to do is figure out what the factory settings are supposed to be and make sure thats what you have it set at.
 
Ok. I do have an outside air kit installed on it. The factory settings are 6-4-1. Which, when it is on the factory setting i still have the same issue. That is why i have worked my way down to 1 on the feed setting to try and slow down the pellet feed.

I do know what the main feed is set at. Sorry for the confusion.
 
gregorysalatino said:
Ok. I do have an outside air kit installed on it. The factory settings are 6-4-1. Which, when it is on the factory setting i still have the same issue. That is why i have worked my way down to 1 on the feed setting to try and slow down the pellet feed.

I do know what the main feed is set at. Sorry for the confusion.
Click to expand...

If this is how it has burning from day 1 and your certain nothing is blocking the air (even too many bends will restrict airflow) just bump up the lba (low burn air) a number every 20 minutes or so until you get a better burn
 
Keep in mind not all pellets burn the same. So slight adjusting may be needed at other times.

Btw did you check the manual to see if you have the restriction plate in the hopper? If it does and its wide open can explain why its dumping so many pellets as well.
 
Ok, so i cleaned everything out. Loaded the stove up with some pellets and put the settings on 6-9-1 after reading the link that lake girl had posted. So far so good. The unburned pellet problem for now is not a problem.


I initially was under the impression that the factory settings were 6-4-1. I apparently wrote them down wrong before i changed them.
 
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Right now my heat range is on 5 and the blower speed is at 7.



I have been testing different brands of pellets to see what i can get the most heat out of while minimizing the pellet usage. That was the only reason i started messing with the bottom buttons.
 
Go back to your origins pellet and see if the symptoms still exist. I have , primarily, only burn Somersets for the last ten years, but they are no longer available. I have been using several other brands to no avail. Many of them are burning exactly as you describe. I think its just inferior pellet syndrome or IPS. In other words junk pellets. Pellet manufactures making pellets out of anything just to get a ton in your house. This industry is going down the tubes. The paranoia in me tells me its all part of a bigger picture involving the energy industry, but I'll spare you all of that rant. Anyway, try some of your old pellets and see what happens, then you'll. Know if its the stove or the pellet.
 
this is normal, it's how these englanders burn. This happens less with Super Premium pellets. The less ash in my mind is a big thing for these stoves. Super premiums that produce less ash means in these stoves that less build up occurs in the burn pot. Other stoves that burn diffierently don't have this "issue" or feature as I call it. It's like a bed of coals and in my mind it didn't negatively affect my stove's burn last year.

I'm burning super premium softwoods as they burn better with less ash in my stove. and by less ash, i mean i get less of what you are getting in that picture. I used Big Heat softies last year that were tiny pellets and not very good and with the restrictor plate closed all the way down, I still got this. Some call it Lava burn since it looks like lava. I would just scoop it out twice a day in the coldest part of the season last year.

As far as the lower numbers, they only affect the burn on settings 1 and 2. 3-9 burn the same regardless of the lower numbers. Don't sweat it, roll with it. I was reading all around the forum last year freaking out that my stove sucked and I needed to swap it out. Once i realized everyone has the same feature, I was fine and my stove worked fine. It heated my house well all year, and i was scooping ash out of it on Wednesdays and then doing a full clean on Saturdays. The only daily maintenance was scooping the lava burn out twice a day and wiping the glass cause I like to see the flame.

Enjoy the stove, Englanders are great stoves.
 
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