Unable to get high pellet feed rate

[Eric Bommer]

I have a 55-TRPEP and I have an issue with setting my feed rate to any value over 2. If I run my stove at a feed rate of 1 or 2 I get a very good flame and no accumulation of ash in the burn pot. If I bump it up to 3 or more after a couple of hours I am noticing the center of the burn pot is filling with ash and hot coals and the flame just starts to get a little lazy. After 8 to 10 hours I will have about 1/2 inch of ash in the bottom of the burn pot and the flame is divided in 2(Due to the 2 large holes in the burn pot). This is a problem I have had for a while and occurs with every type of pellet I have tried.

I have cleaned, brushed and vacuumed the stove from the burn pot, through all the baffle holes,both sides of the combustion motor and the entire chimney. I have also tried disconnecting the oak but no difference.

Any ideas or help is appreciated.

 

[Shaw520]

sounds like restricted air intake

 

[Eric Bommer]

I pulled the oak before and didn't see anything in there its a pretty straight shot into the stove. But I will get a flash light and check it again.

 

[Shaw520]

I pulled the oak before and didn't see anything in there its a pretty straight shot into the stove. But I will get a flash light and check it again.

also check air inlet tube under burn pot going to oak,...door seal,..and combustion blower for build-up.

 

[slvrblkk]

Are you saying that when you set it to 3 you feel like it's dumping too many pellets for the stove to keep up with and ash starts building in the pot?

What are your current bottom 3 settings?

 

[Eric Bommer]

Yes exactly, I am currently set at 1,5,1,

 

[Eric Bommer]

I also replaced all of my gaskets this year and did the flame test for leaks around all of the areas with gaskets and found no leaks. Also from last year working with Englander I replaced the Combustion Blower and the control broad which also made no difference.

 

[imacman]

......If I bump it up to 3 or more after a couple of hours I am noticing the center of the burn pot is filling with ash and hot coals and the flame just starts to get a little lazy. After 8 to 10 hours I will have about 1/2 inch of ash in the bottom of the burn pot and the flame is divided in 2(Due to the 2 large holes in the burn pot). This is a problem I have had for a while and occurs with every type of pellet I have tried.

I have cleaned, brushed and vacuumed the stove from the burn pot, through all the baffle holes,both sides of the combustion motor and the entire chimney. I have also tried disconnecting the oak but no difference......

How long has the problem been happening? Did anything change just before that? (cleaned the stove, power outage, changed the piping....anything?

You say you've cleaned the stove completely....while cleaning inside the ash traps, did you remove the fake firebrick and "bang" on the rear steel wall with a mallet or small hammer to dislodge any stuck-on crud hidden in there?

How many bags of pellets have gone through the stove since the last major cleaning? Do you have access to a leaf blower?

 

[slvrblkk]

This might be a dumb question but I'm just checking....you have pulled the plate off covering the heat exchange tubes and cleaned that whole area? Have you removed the "firebrick" and pound on the back wall with a mallet to dislodge any stuck ash?

It sounds possibly like an airflow issue. Wasn't your last issue a feed issue?

 

[Eric Bommer]

I have had this issue since almost the beginning. I worked with Mike from Englander around Christmas and he did find my mode was set incorrectly which made a big difference and I thought it was fixed. But I run the stove with a thermostat on High/Low and I think I was just running on the low burn setting most of the time not allowing the system to build up. Now the outside temp is under 10 degrees and I need more power.

I have had the fake brick off pounded on the wall with a 20oz framing hammer. I also have a 24 inch long 1 inch diameter brush and ran it trough the top hole and the bottom clean out in all directions. I have also taken my shop vac and a 1/2 diameter vinyl tube and cleaned out at the ash clean outs all around.

I have run less the 20 bags since my last major clean out(going to do another one this weekend). And no changes since the clean out. I have also been worried about my Chimney, I have a horizontal output pointing north west. I put up a wind break to stop the wind from blowing directly back into my stove pipe. But I would think if this was an issue it would really kill me at the low feed settings.

Unfortunately I don't have an leaf blower

Also I just inspected the oak again and no blockage.

 

[Eric Bommer]

My last issue was a feed issue, My stove was set to a 3 and Mike had me drop it down to a 2. So I was over feeding the system at all feed rates.

 

[Eric Bommer]

Sorry I change my stove more from a 3 to a 2

 

[Eric Bommer]

And I have also removed the plate covering the heat exchanger tube and cleaned with an old paint brush then vacuumed up the ashes,

 

[imacman]

Unfortunately I don't have an leaf blower....

Any chance of borrowing one from a friend/neighbor/relative? Have you tried upping the LBA to 6? Have you tried disconnecting the stat and either re-inserting the jumper, or twist the wires together at the stat? Try putting the stove back on On-Off?

 

[Eric Bommer]

Maybe you do know the stove. it was a refurbished unit

Right now I have the stat set to 90 to have it run continuous just trying to find out what are my issues are.

I have tried 6 and that seems to help a little(I went back to 5 since it didn't fix it), and I have run it all the way to 9(no real difference in performance between 6 to 9, but I do hear the motor speed increase)

 

[Eric Bommer]

Also if it helps I am using Selkirk 4" double wall vent pipe(exhaust on the inside, fresh air on the out side). From the stove I go to a clean out Tee then vertical 5 feet then a 90, then Horizontal 4 feet then a 45 on the output

 

[slvrblkk]

Hmmm....I know you are using 4" pipe but I wonder if you might have an issue with all the bends and that 4' horizontal section......Do you have rise on that horizontal section?

 

[Eric Bommer]

I just check it from inside with a level and I would estimate a 1/4" to 3/8" rise over the 4 feet(I have approximately 2 feet on each side of the wall ).

This is from the Selkirk Install manual This is the installation my contractor followed (but doesn't make it right)

 

[slvrblkk]

Maybe someone can confirm but I believe you "should" have 1/4"-1/2" per foot of horizontal....???????? but with you running 4" pipe, as in your case, I'm not sure if that would make a difference or not........just throwing ideas out there

 

[imacman]

Are you sure the 4' horizontal is really clean? Long horizontal runs are normally frowned upon in these stove installs since ash will accumulate there pretty quickly and choke the stove.

 

[Eric Bommer]

I am really not sure how I or anyone else can go much shorter then 48". I have about 12" from the back of the stove to the wall another 12" for wall thickness(Finished Basement wall) and another 18" to 24 " min away from the house for building code. That is 3 1/2 to 4 feet.

I have cleaned my chimney at least 4 times this year as I have been fighting these issue(I have run 1 1/2 tons of pellet this year). I have to admit last year I didn't know how import it was to clean the chimney, but I am making up for it this year. And the last time I ran a brush through the entire chimney was Jan 5th(3 weeks ago). I am going to do it again tomorrow, along with the rest of the stove.

Maybe tomorrow I will shut the stove down and get a very accurate horizontal rise measurement by putting my 4 foot level on the inside of the pipe.

I will try and find something in the stove pipe manual that describes the horizontal rise requirements. In many ways I am thinking it has to have something to do with the install. I have replaced and cleaned everything else, not much left.

 

[Eric Bommer]

I just found this

From Englander:
1. We require a minimum vertical rise of 36 in.(I'm good here)
2. Venting systems 15.0 ft. or shorter may be composed entirely of 3.0 in(I'm good here, I have about 9 feet and 4")
I found this at Woodpelletheat.com
1. Max horizontal 10 feet(I'm good here)
2. Rise must at least 1/4 per foot(Pretty sure I am missing this and its not going to be easy)

Still will do more research

 

[slvrblkk]

I have a standard install.....adapter.....45......2' horizontal.....tee....3' vertical.....I have about 1/4" per foot horizontal rise, I don't have any issues with build-up or anything...current settings are 4-4-1 and heat on 4 and blower on 7........

 

[slvrblkk]

I just found this

From Englander:
1. We require a minimum vertical rise of 36 in.(I'm good here)
2. Venting systems 15.0 ft. or shorter may be composed entirely of 3.0 in(I'm good here, I have about 9 feet and 4")
I found this at Woodpelletheat.com
1. Max horizontal 10 feet(I'm good here)
2. Rise must at least 1/4 per foot(Pretty sure I am missing this and its not going to be easy)

Still will do more research

Whoh.....I'm not sure if that 10' horizontal measurement is correct....

 

[imacman]

I just found this
1. Max horizontal 10 feet.....

Not in the Englander owners manual you didn't. There is NO mention of using any horizontal lengths, but there IS this:

"AVOID excessive horizontal runs and elbows, as both will reduce the draft
of the venting system and will result in poor stove performance."