Stove Sentry Battery Back up Information

[Catfishjack]

This is just a post of information in regard sto the Stove Sentry products if anyone is interested.

I have a St Croix Prescott EXL. Since my stove is a direct Vent installation with no PIPE rise and being that harsh winters and power outages are common where I reside I spent $500.00 and purchased a Stove Sentry SF503A after reading the recommendation at Stovesentry.com as to which unit to purchase for my stove..
http://stovesentry.com/pelletstoveguide.pdf

Well a month and a half we had a power outage and when the power went off I got smoke back in my home as the Stove Sentry didn't work.
Long story short I sent it back to Sec America ( The manufacturer) for repairs. They sent it back to me saying there was nothing wrong with it. I hooked it back up an ran a power failure test. My stove didn't run..made a lot of noises but that was all...

I called St Croix..this is what IO was told :my stove requires Pure Sine wave , the SF503A outputs Modified Sine wave. My stove doesn't run on Modified Sine wave and even St Croix's literature specifies Pure Sine wave..

I contacted the Manufacturer and relayed this information to them. They never replied....

Oh well it is what it is....

 

[Skinn]

Thanks for the info, keep us posted if you hear anything back from them. This is one of the things I have been looking very seriously at, sorry that you have had issues but glad that you posted it here so myself and others can beware. Good luck.

 

[Ro3bert]

Have no idea if the Whitfield series of pellet stoves works on a modified sine wave orhas to have a pure sine wave, but...

I have a Stove Sentery mod SF503A battery back up system made by Stabylex Electronics Corp. out of Massena NY that ran my stove with no problems, until the battery want south (my lack of maintenance).

If anyone is interested their Phone number is; 315-769-5453, FAX: 315-769-2599.

Haven't been able to find much about the company on the internet except it does exist.

When I Google Stove Sentry I come up with Alternative Heating Supplies, http://www.stovesentry.com/?p=surefireheater.

Have no idea if this will help anyone but here it is.

 

[Catfishjack]

Just so were all on the same page here;
The stove sentry is manufactured by:
SEC AMERICA
here is there website with a link to the SF503A:
http://secamerica.com/batterybackups.html

If STABYLEX CORP is still in existence I would not know and I drive Rt37 to Massena, NY on a weekly basis and have never heard of them.
It might just well be they were the original manufacturer at one time or they are part of SEC America but SEC AMERICA in Burlington, VT is the manufacturer of the Stove Sentry Products.This I know for sure.

If your going to use one of these you need to find out :
Does your stove require Pure/True Sine Wave or will Modified Sine Wave work. It is important to know.

The Stove Guide on http://www.stovesentry.com is wrong. It states my stove will run on the modified Sine wave output of the SF503A...Well Stove Sentry.com.. news flash from me and St. Croix: it won't.......

 

[ryker]

Hello--long time reader of this board for months--so thought I'd respond to this

I have 2 whitfields--optima3 running a control board from an adv 2T (black board) because I didn't like the on-off shutdown-cycle of the opt3 board-wiring out of the 2T into the optima3-no eye sensing-but with ignitor--on thermostat-so it goes to low setting when reaches temp--not shut down--runs great

The other is a Quest+--but no ignitor--silver board--also on thermostat

Have had pellet stove for years--burning N Idaho Sup.Prem pellets which burn very well in these stoves here in Wa.state

For the post--I tried these 2 stoves on a mod sine wave backup system way long ago--they sounded like they would shuck their guts--and it also made me think that (by the sound)--it was going to fry the boards

I have the stove sentry 709 model backed up by 4 lifeline batteries which will power both of these stoves at the same time for up to 6 hours which is when it just hits the 50% battery drain. This is a pure sine wave unit--we have been away from the house (3000 sqft-reason for 2 stoves in different parts) for that length of time, power has been off for about 5 hours when we get back--and the SS709/with batteries just keep the stoves running as if they are on the grid. This gives me plenty of time to start the generator. We live in an area where we have been w/o power for up to 4 days--very cold temps--so many trees. Needless to say--if we are gone a long time--(days) the house has to go back on elec. We have been this year on gen power already 4 times.

IMO--these stoves w/elec/control boards and 120V fans don't like the mod sine wave power. They won't run right--IMO
Not a sells pitch--but this unit the way I have it set up works great--I won't ever be w/o it. There are other units out there I'm sure that are just as good-- but IMO--I would make sure it is pure sine wave--which ever brand you get.

On a side note--I have had pellet stoves long enough--that my yearly maintenance of these 2 stoves is they get hauled to the workshop--complete teardown--everything out--complete removal of ash-soot etc. then reinstalled as if a rebuilt unit. Only problem I had was one year in the middle of burn season one of the temp sensors went TU. In a normal year here--one or both (usually the opt3) never shuts down hardly.. This year is not normal--warmer--rainy--windy.

 

[Ro3bert]

Catfishjack, I stand corrected :red: . I've had the battery back up for somewhere near 8 or 9 years. Got it from the same dealer I got the stove from. Apparently my Goggling had a hiccup :-S .

Maybe some day I'll get a "cheep" oscilloscope so I can actually check the sine wave shape not only from a battery back up unit but also from my emergency generator.

 

[telegirl]

Thanks for this info was thinking of buying this very same unit and have the Prescott exp. Guess I won't now.