Tell me about Englander stoves? How good are they?

[stoveguy2esw]

what are you getting for a bag of fuel (hours) about as low as it can be dialed back is 1.6 lbs (roughly) an hour any lower and it risks starving out between doses of fuel.

if you are less than 24 hours on low I may can help you with that but it requires some "fiddling" with the controls.

 

[Harvey Schneider]

My problem is that my house is too small. I run it as low as I can without the fire going out. My understanding is that the stove stays at the lowest setting when the thermostat isn't calling for heat.

You would be better off with a stove that does on/off operation as opposed to high/low operation.

 

[stoveguy2esw]

youre probably right Harvey, an on off capable unit would be easier on him for a small house

 

[Jason Knapp]

That's right! This site is a god send. But considering I go out of town on business occasionally, and I'm working full time and going to school full time, just opening the door and giving the burn pot a quick scrape (Harman) would be amazing (READ: Easier for the wife to maintain while I'm gone, she runs the dino juice machine!) I did know what I was getting into though. Hoping we get a good tax return for an upgrade this year. Then I might make the Englander my basement dweller.

In some ways I understand your frustration. I went through it too. Now my 25 ep runs flawlessly. I dont touch it for 5 to 7 days, and it runs non stop in between cleanings. Harmans are no doubt a great stove, as are most of the products that hearth and home technologies offers. I didnt have the money for a top of the line stove, and I enjoy tinkering anyway, so the Englander was a no brainer for me. Personally, I think Englander makes a good product, but in the end everyone has to do what makes them comfortable.

 

[pelletizer]

Absolutely He said the 2 items that wear out prematurely are the combustion blower and the lower auger motor. Combustion blower can be prolonged by using a very good quality electrical lube. The lower and upper augers are identical and should be switched out. He recommended monthly as he does his, but not everyone has that amount of time so whenever possible. The lower auger never ceases while the top stops and goes as needed. Last, it is imperative to clean the lower auger area where it meets the burn plate to rid the excess soot that builds up because this will cause a substantial strain on the lower auger motor due to restriction.

As I said I like my 25 pdvc it heats my house great and I have no issues not having an ash pan.
But the only issue I have is the cheap Fasco motors used with sealed bearings that cannot be oiled.
Mike has helped me as well and no issues with him even sent him a video once to hear the noise, but (2 items that wear out prematurely appear to be known by Englander) and I think folks would pay the extra money for a motor with bearings that cold be oiled like the Fasco motor in my Field Controls power vent which has 8 seasons on it with yearly lubes and no issues,
Heck even the old Field Controls unit vent motor removed back in 2006 was fine and it was the mounting area rotted which ended the use of it.
I can tell you right now the noisy current combustion motor was only installed but a year ago and maybe has 2.5 tons if that run through it.
I found one way to cut down on noise at night while sleeping is to put a clothes rack about 5 ft away to dry wet clothing
It dries the clothing and puts moisture in the house and muffles the bearing noise nicely, LOL

 

[Harvey Schneider]

and I think folks would pay the extra money for a motor with bearings that cold be oiled

A big part of the problem is that consumers (us) demand the lowest price for the products they buy. Design Engineers are faced with making trade-offs to meet design to cost requirements.
Would people pay the extra cost for better bearings? Some would, many wouldn't.

 

[AddictiveStew]

In some ways I understand your frustration. I went through it too. Now my 25 ep runs flawlessly. I dont touch it for 5 to 7 days, and it runs non stop in between cleanings. Harmans are no doubt a great stove, as are most of the products that hearth and home technologies offers. I didnt have the money for a top of the line stove, and I enjoy tinkering anyway, so the Englander was a no brainer for me. Personally, I think Englander makes a good product, but in the end everyone has to do what makes them comfortable.

I'm not knocking the product *too* much, I just wish it would have worked out of the box and then I could fix issues later down the road. It seems like a crapshoot each time I start it up whether or not i'm going to get the same experience that I did the previous time.

 

[pelletizer]

Sadly combustion motor is now to noisy to run and as a safety issue do not trust it to run while not in the house.
Gotta love it as things fail at the best time, LOL ( Have company due here soon and what will I be doing when they get here? ( Installing the prior motor that was failing but not yet failed that I saved as a back up for such a situation) oh well.
.

 

[pelletizer]

Holy bad bearings we now be on oil ! glad its getting warmer this weekend.

 

[Harvey Schneider]

Sadly combustion motor is now to noisy to run

I don't recall you describing the noise that the combustion blower is making.
When the the motor is rattling rather than squealing it may be the motor end plate rather than the bearings that needs attention. The end plates loosen with time and vibration. They are usually held in place by three or four indents in the cylindrical part of the motor housing. Setting them again with a gentle tap of a nail set and hammer restores quiet operation

 

[pelletizer]

Very good observation very good indeed Harvey Schneider, but I know of that from experience.
Definitely the outer bearing on the combustion motor.
Started a couple weeks ago ever so slight and progressively got worse.
all I can describe it as is like a small stone grinder with a super fine grit and grinding a metal bar with real light pressure.
take care.

 

[pelletizer]

I have now replaced both my Convection and Combustion Cheap Englander / Fasco Sleeve (replace once a season or season and a half ) with and industrial new ball bearing (lube-able) (NEW) motors for a total cost of $85.00 including shipping.

Cheap sleeve bearings once toast cannot be lubed........

 

[Harvey Schneider]

I have now replaced both my Convection and Combustion Cheap Englander / Fasco Sleeve (replace once a season or season and a half ) with and industrial new ball bearing (lube-able) (NEW) motors for a total cost of $85.00 including shipping.

Cheap sleeve bearings once toast cannot be lubed........

Mind telling us where you got them?

 

[pelletizer]

Maybe after I buy some more.. LOL

Hang on let me get the info.....

 

[wolfie770]

On my second season with the Englander. 5 tons have gone through it. Vacuum hose to the exhaust blower failed recently. Easy fix. I recommend the Englander to people who are not afraid to open the back of something when it breaks. Its a pretty simple system so when it needs to be fixed there is plenty of parts and support out there to get it back up and running. Sure I wish it controlled the temp a little better but I didn't feel like spending an extra 2000 bucks to have that.

A $20 thermostat keeps ours within 2 degrees of the set temp. Love the Englander. Heats the whole house, no fuel used at all this year.

 

[wolfie770]

You would be better off with a stove that does on/off operation as opposed to high/low operation.[/quoStove is too big for the house. On/off setting will burn out your igniter pretty quickly.

 

[tjnamtiw]

I think the reason you see so many Englanders for sale on Craigslist is what I call the Pet Store Syndrome. (Buy something on impulse without knowing what you're buying, then get rid of it when things go bad) See the stove in Home Depot, by stove on impulse because the price is so cheap without and knowledge on how to operate and maintain it...Run it for a few years, getting more frustrated by the year. (Piece of junk...never worked well...always breaks down when you need it) Finally sell it on Craigslist to get some of your money back telling people how good it is and how sad you are to sell it.

This is a great answer to the comment about Englanders for sale on craigslist! So MANY people get sold a pellet stove and never told about the absolutely REQUIRED maintenance and possibility of troubleshooting or calling the dealer. Many of those people have no business buying a pellet stove, period, IMHO. If you aren't either rich enough to keep a service man on retainer or have any mechanical/electrical aptitude then you should not buy a pellet stove. I think the OP made a good decision to investigate ahead of time and get all these comments. I hope he takes them to heart. I see a lot more posts about Harman problems than Englander problems on here, for sure.
For me, my Quads do the job (knock on wood) but I expect to replace parts from time to time as with anything that has fire in it, electrical systems, and mechanical systems. I knew that up front.

 

[tjnamtiw]

Not true, wolfie, about burning out igniters. You'll find many people here (me included) who have stoves with original igniters after many years. AND they are not that expensive and easy to replace, when they finally do die.

 

[MCPO]

I think the biggest reason why Englander stoves are so often found on Craigslist is the complexity of the operating control. Few owners outside of some on this forum ever know what the bottom 3 buttons do and why they are there. And even fewer know how to do a reset or how to get it out of the wrong mode.
I`ve harped on this before and it falls on deaf ears . Why do they continue to keep the push button functions such a big secret? Since their stoves are marketed towards the " do it yourselfer " a few additional pages in the instruction booklet could easily explain in detail exactly what the buttons do , the reset and mode change procedure along with the sequence of operation with regards to the top and bottom augers .
It would cost next to nothing and help to retain loyal customers while reducing their phone service load .Maybe they would then reconsider Craigslisting it for something else.
Englander makes a very good stove for the money but the push pad control is definitely confusing especially to those without a mechanical mind . Add to this their users manual really lacks in content.

 

[slls]

I didn't want a panel that looked like a NASA shuttle, so I bought this.

 

[Harvey Schneider]

A $20 thermostat keeps ours within 2 degrees of the set temp. Love the Englander. Heats the whole house, no fuel used at all this year.

Every home is different, different levels of insulation, different size, different air infiltration. What works in one home will not necessarily work in another.
If a stove owner only has the choice of high/low and even on low, still feels overwhelmed by the stove output, your thermostat won't help. If the stove is undersized for the home and the recovery time is too long, a thermostat won't help.

 

[pelletizer]

Not true, wolfie, about burning out igniters. You'll find many people here (me included) who have stoves with original igniters after many years. AND they are not that expensive and easy to replace, when they finally do die.

I still have my original ignition thingy works like a "charm glow"... Get it LOL
yes bad bad comment I know, but it does still work.

 

[Indiana]

I am finishing my 5th season with my 10-cpm. As with any pellet stove, I do my weekly and monthly maintenance. This year I have done very little maintenance. This summer I will do a full break down of my CPM and replace all gaskets and motors. Why? Those motors run 24/7. There can't be much life left in them. I'll just save them as backup replacement parts. The amount of money my CPM has saved has been staggering to say the least. I'm even toying with the idea of buying another one. Putting the 5 year old in the basement and the new one back in the living room. Are there better stoves out there? That depends on what you factor into the cost of the stove and service calls. No one will dispute the impeccable tech support from englander. I for one am sold on the company and product.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

I am finishing my 5th season with my 10-cpm. This summer I will do a full break down of my CPM and replace all gaskets and motors. Why? Those motors run 24/7. There can't be much life left in them. I'll just save them as backup replacement parts. .

I did something similar. After 5 years i bought a new replacement blower fan for my boiler thinking the constant starting and stopping ,it could not go much longer. 7 years later the new one is still on the shelf waiting for the 12 year old one to die. Still feels good to know im ready when it does.

 

[Dr.Faustus]

I bought my pdvc in 2006 and it's been my sole source of heat since the day it arrived. Maintenance (as in broken parts) has been super minimal and nothing has broken that has caused actual downtime. I had a bad auger bearing a few years into it, but it was able to run until the new part arrived via regular shipping. Its running right now with all of its original parts except routine maintenance stuff, like gaskets and vac hoses. those are new and they come in the maintenance kit which i get either yearly or every other year depending on funds and condition of it.

Biggest complaints? No burn pot stirrer or ash drawer. I live with it and while i never had a stove with ash drawers, im assuming it would make life a lot easier and prevent backpiling of the pellets in the burn pot. The other complaint is very small hopper, which i've remedied with a hopper extension (not endorsed by englander) but i've been running the hopper extension since 08 with no problems. I made sure it was thick metal and just as airtight as the original. That also solved the problem where pellets stick to the walls of the hopper. simply doesnt happen anymore.

Customer service is top notch and website ordering is extremely easy and helpful. I wouldnt buy another PDVC but i would buy another englander, particularly their multifuel units with ash drawers and burn pot stirrers, like the CPM.