Question for new Pellet Stove Owner

[PatG25]

Hi Everyone

I had a St. Croix Element-P pellet stove installed last week. I had a few questions that isn't really answered in the manual about the stove. Maybe if someone here has the same or similar stove they could answer.

• The manual indicates that when you turn on the unit the room fan and high speed fan will come on, which it does. Then it says that “the igniter and auger come on and the auger runs for about 1 minute, then switches to #1 feed rate. The stove will typically light in the first 3-4 minutes”. My stove is set for manual (not T-Stat or Thermostat). After the Combustion Fan drops to the #1 setting and the room fan shuts off (after about 30 seconds to a minute – seems normal) the auger does not start up for about 5 minutes. It never runs continuously for 1 minute. The stove does not light for about 12-15 minutes. So if the igniter comes on after 1 minute there is no fuel to ignite as the auger hasn't even started? Is all this normal, or should I adjust anything? 12-15 minutes seems like a long time.
• The dealer was out and overrode the smart sensor as they indicated there was a lot of problems with the sensor. It did blink continuously after I first got the stove and kept shutting off with the #3 LED blinking.
• Once the stove lights, the green light keeps blinking. At one point it does go solid. Not sure when that is supposed to happen.
• The stove then goes out with the #3 LED blinking, anywhere between 1-3 times after it has lit. I have adjusted the damper control and the combustion fan voltage, to no avail. At first I thought the air intake was to high which caused the fuel to burn up. However, yesterday the stove seem to be running fine after it lit, there was pellets in the chamber, and it was burning. But all of the sudden it shut down with the number 3 LED blinking. That happened about 5 minutes after the stove lit. Can that happen easily?
• I turned power on and off, and then had to manually feed pellets as the auger does not come on for 5 minutes. That got the stove running, but if I didn’t manually feed pellets it normally shuts off again.
• After about 5 minutes the auger came on with its normal feed rate. The stove then seemed to be running fine.

· Once I have the stove running it works great. However, the problem seems to be getting it lit and up to temperature. I have only used high quality pellets purchased from the dealer.

ss Thanks!!
T

 

[imacman]

Pat, welcome to the forum.

While there may be members who will try to help you out, the person you should be talking to is your dealer. If they were the people that installed your stove, they should have started the stove and explained all aspects of it's operation to you before they left.

Even if they didn't install it, they are the people to speak to.

 

[PatG25]

Well, I did ask them about it. I didn't mention the auger not coming on as I have just figured that out this weekend. However, I have found that these forums are great and lots of times there are much smarter people here than the dealers. Sometimes the dealer just tell you that "its normal operation", so I take everything with a grain of salt.

But I will give the dealer a call tomorrow, too.

 

[imacman]

You need the dealer to be there with you watching what's going on w/ the stove. I don't have that stove, but the things you mentioned don't sound right, especially:

"The dealer was out and overrode the smart sensor as they indicated there was a lot of problems with the sensor. It did blink continuously after I first got the stove and kept shutting off with the #3 LED blinking"

and

"The stove then goes out with the #3 LED blinking, anywhere between 1-3 times after it has lit. ........ However, yesterday the stove seem to be running fine after it lit, there was pellets in the chamber, and it was burning. But all of the sudden it shut down with the number 3 LED blinking. That happened about 5 minutes after the stove lit. "

IMO, I would not let the dealer leave your house until they can show you that the stove will run for an extended period of time w/o any problems.

 

[PASIEMT]

Lancaster owner here!

Can't clarify EVERYTHING for you because we own a Lancaster and not an Element but.....

• Once the stove lights, the green light keeps blinking. At one point it does go solid. Not sure when that is supposed to happen.

This is normal.... the stove is going through its start-up process and checking for a vacuum and POF (Proof of Fire) before feeding in more fuel.

• The stove then goes out with the #3 LED blinking, anywhere between 1-3 times after it has lit. I have adjusted the damper control and the combustion fan voltage, to no avail.

The number 3 LED blinking on the control board is a diagnostic light that indicated that the POF switch no longer senses a fire in the stove... Directly related to your problem.

• The manual indicates that when you turn on the unit the room fan and high speed fan will come on, which it does. Then it says that “the igniter and auger come on and the auger runs for about 1 minute, then switches to #1 feed rate. The stove will typically light in the first 3-4 minutes”. My stove is set for manual (not T-Stat or Thermostat). After the Combustion Fan drops to the #1 setting and the room fan shuts off (after about 30 seconds to a minute – seems normal) the auger does not start up for about 5 minutes. It never runs continuously for 1 minute. The stove does not light for about 12-15 minutes. So if the igniter comes on after 1 minute there is no fuel to ignite as the auger hasn't even started? Is all this normal, or should I adjust anything? 12-15 minutes seems like a long time.

This seems LIKE a very normal start up procedure, however, like I said I own a Lancaster, the older MANUAL lighting stove so 12-15 minutes does seem like a very long time to light.

• Once the stove lights, the green light keeps blinking. At one point it does go solid. Not sure when that is supposed to happen.

This is perfectly normal!

NOW, are you supposed to add pellet fuel to the burn pot PRIOR to allowing the stove to start up or is it supposed to automatically auger in pellets? I know on my manual light Lancaster, we add a small amount of pellets before pressing the on button (probably a handful or so). This allows the stove to check for a vacuum and POF before adding additional fuel. This is something you MAY want to try.

P.S. Your stove will start to burn like crap about 2-3 tons in... do ALOT of research on your stove and learn about the Leaf Blower Trick and how to clean the ash traps WELL or you'll want to just call it quits with the thing.


*Edit - After re-reading your complaint.... try my idea about starting your stove with a minimal amount of fuel (a small handful) in the stove and see if it starts up. I have a strong feeling that this is your issue.

 

[PatG25]

Thanks for the reply. I will contact the dealer tomorrow and have him come out. I also send an e-mail to St. Croix; let's see if I hear back from the.

Thanks for the advise on cleaning the stove. I read through the manual but it seemed a little weak. I'll definitely look research the cleaning the stove especially the Leaf Blower Trick.

I actually did put in pellets into the burner but it made no difference.

 

[PASIEMT]

Pat,

You're absolutely right... St. Croix/Eventemp manuals are extremely vague. It's exactly like imac says, your dealer is going to be a big source of help. One of the biggest things to remember when dealing with this thing is that it is VERY different from any other pellet stove out there, so some tip/tricks/ideas here given by other members may or may not be relevent and/or apply to your stove.

Best of luck! Look me up if you need help cleaning!

-Mike

 

[Lake Girl]

Dealer shouldn't have to override the sensor for one - if they are trouble demand the fix (sensor or software, etc?) Sorry I can't offer suggestions for your particular burner.
x2 Imacman's advice.
My little pet peeve is that dealers/installer's usually don't recommend an OAK (outside air kit). I installed one two weeks after the stove install and it burns happier.
Suggestion - in the thread title mention your stove type so others with that stove will chime in and add your stove type in your signature line too.
Search the forum to see if others with your stove have had similar problems...
Hope the help you need comes your way and welcome to the forum