Still fighting my Maxx-1

[StrayFromThePath]

I’ve been posting off and on about my battles with this stove. I’m at wits end right now. It’s still burning out of control with the settings (feed rate 1, combustion blower 3, heat output at 3 and damper at about 50%) the flame is still up the glass most of the time and it’s destroying a second burn pot of the season. I don’t know what to do with this thing anymore. I’ve had a professional come out and check it and they aren’t sure. I’ve tried every combo of settings. I have almost no white ash it’s all black. I clean the stove all the time. Can anyone give me a link to a cleaning video for this stove, can’t find one anywhere, MAYBE I’m missing something cause the manual is so vague about everything. But I sweep the pipe, clean the vents, the exhaust shoot and fan, and keep the bin empty. The company barely responds to me and doesn’t seem to care if this get fixed. The dealer that came to the house even said they can barely get the company to help them deal with these stoves. I’m about ready to replace it if I can’t figure this out, as wasteful as it would be for me to do so, I just can’t get this stove to run right. The photo attached is a burn pot that’s three months old and it’s getting cooked already. Any and all help is appreciated and I’ll try whatever is suggested. Thanks.

 

[johneh]

Have you done this cleaning?
EXHAUST PASSAGES (Biannually)• Open the firebox door by lifting the handle.• Remove the burn pot and burn pot liner; clean both.• Using a ⅜” socket, remove the two (2) bolts that hold the firebox liner in place. Vacuum the firebox and firebox liner thoroughly.• Open the ash box door; remove the ash box and clean out the cavity.• Clean out the transition box to the combustion blower (located behind the ashbox)• Lubricate all screws with penetrating oil.• Re-install the ash box, firebox liner, burnpot, and burn pot liner• Close the firebox and ash pan doors and secure
From the look of your burn pot, there's too much combustion air
Still using my original burn pot, 12 years ( shop Stove)

 

[StrayFromThePath]

Have you done this cleaning?
EXHAUST PASSAGES (Biannually)• Open the firebox door by lifting the handle.• Remove the burn pot and burn pot liner; clean both.• Using a ⅜” socket, remove the two (2) bolts that hold the firebox liner in place. Vacuum the firebox and firebox liner thoroughly.• Open the ash box door; remove the ash box and clean out the cavity.• Clean out the transition box to the combustion blower (located behind the ashbox)• Lubricate all screws with penetrating oil.• Re-install the ash box, firebox liner, burnpot, and burn pot liner• Close the firebox and ash pan doors and secure
From the look of your burn pot, there's too much combustion air
Still using my original burn pot, 12 years ( shop Stove)

I’ve cleaned out the exhaust passages multiple times this year alone. So I’m doing all the cleaning that you recommend so I can rule out for sure that it’s not my cleaning process. I just don’t understand it. I have all the settings running lower than I did last year and I’m having all kinds of problems when I had zero issues at all last year. I’ll turn down the combustion blower even more. I guess I don’t know what else to do anymore.

 

[Whitenuckler]

I’ve cleaned out the exhaust passages multiple times this year alone. So I’m doing all the cleaning that you recommend so I can rule out for sure that it’s not my cleaning process. I just don’t understand it. I have all the settings running lower than I did last year and I’m having all kinds of problems when I had zero issues at all last year. I’ll turn down the combustion blower even more. I guess I don’t know what else to do anymore.

Have you replaced the control card?

 

[johneh]

Just to clarify, is your stove a Maxx or a Maxx-M
Serial number please
If you replace your board and use the wrong one, that could be your problem

 

[stovelark]

How often is the stove feeding, secs between feeds? If it running like you say, its not feeding at the correct timing. I can't remember the cycle times for the maxx, but its in the Enviro pellet stove tech manual available on line. IIRC, the Maxx uses its unique auger motor too. But almost sounds like the control board is running at max feed? I can't remember the on/off times for the Maxx.
Good point John. Has the board been changed? The Maxx is a heat beast. Good luck with her, definitely want to keep her and get it straightened out.

 

[Ssyko]

What light is “out” when you push the feed trim button? What light is “out” when you push the combustion trim button? The light will be you heat setting light. You have the damper open to far at most it should be close to 2 fingers of shaft between ball and side pnl. (mine is almost closed on heat setting 1). I will get out the test box and get the measurements/times. Have you changed pellets since this all started?

 

[Ssyko]

Heat setting
1= on 4 sec off 8 sec
2= on 4 sec off 5 sec
3= on 3 sec off 4 sec
4= on 2 sec off 2 sec
5= on 2 sec off 1-1.5 sec ( fast cycle)

This was tested while stove was in normal operation. (Not start up mode)

You really need a Magnehelic guage to set the damper properly when the stove has been operating for 20 - 30 minutes

 

[StrayFromThePath]

Have you replaced the control card?

I have not replaced the control card.

What light is “out” when you push the feed trim button? What light is “out” when you push the combustion trim button? The light will be you heat setting light. You have the damper open to far at most it should be close to 2 fingers of shaft between ball and side pnl. (mine is almost closed on heat setting 1). I will get out the test box and get the measurements/times. Have you changed pellets since this all started?

bottom light is out for feed trim. Third light out for combo trim. I’ll close the damper a bit and see what she does. What I don’t get is I’ve changed nothing from this year to last and now it’s off the rails. I’ve tried moving everything all over the place. It’s got to be a control board issue. Nothing else makes sense at this point. I know I seem like I have no idea what I’m doing but I’ve had a pellet stove for about 20 years now, so I understand all the things that are happening here…. Just nothing seems to work or makes sense.

 

[Ssyko]

Ok now we are getting somewhere, factory is feed trim at 4 and combo trim at 2, try changing them to factory. They have been changed over the years. Close the damper to about an inch open, then run the stove for 40min on heat setting 1 and let’s see where it’s going. 😎we will figure it out.