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TROUBLESHOOTING is for Qualified Technicians Only!
Unplug Appliance Before Performing Any Troubleshooting or Maintenance
If you are Lucky enough to be in E. Madera or Mariposa County, CA Contact THESTOVEDOC
Consult the manufacturer - If you need help troubleshooting your problem or for help in determining what parts to order call the factory technical departments for Quadrafire, Whitfield, Earth Stove, Lennox, Traditions Technical Support.
Common Pellet Stoves Problems
~~Pellet stove will shut down after 10-20 minutes after start up~~
LOW LIMIT DISC Lennox Part Number 12057601
~~Auger motor will not operate~~
PRESSURE SWITCH Lennox Part Number 16050001
~~Pellets will not feed~~
HIGH LIMIT DISC Lennox Part Number 12147705
~~Green light after you press the Auger button but no Pellet feed or ignitor~~
If you have checked all the Connections to the pressure switch and auger motor it could be the Jumpers on the control board have fallen off or on the wrong pins.
~~Stove keeps feeding pellets after turned off and cold~~
The auger thermodisk completes the electrical connection from the control board to the auger motor. This disk is normally open (N.O.) No continuity through it until it reaches a temperature of 110 Deg then it will close.
The control board feeds power directly to the auger during the 15 minutes start up cycle through the ORANGE wire, after 15 min. power is fed through the YELLOW wire.
If the stove is cold or it did not start up the first try it will stop feeding pellets. This prevents you from having a burn chamber full of pellets if your stove does not light or power goes off.
~~Auger will not feed Pellets with the Manual feed button pressed~~
1. With the stove turned on press the auger button. If the green light on the control board comes on, the high limit disk is NOT the problem.
If the green light does not come on go to step 2
2. Unplug stove!
Check the switch for continuity with a meter.
Set it to measure Ohms Resistance.
Disconnect the white wire.
Touch one probe to the terminal on one side of the thermodisk and the other probe to the other terminal of the thermodisk.
The meter should read zero or very low resistance. (or beep on some meters)
If so then the thermo disk is NOT the problem. Check the power supply and connections at the terminal strip.
It may be the control board, but check all other components first.
Common Problems With All Stoves
~~Smoking Stove~~ - stoves smoke in two ways - Smoke leaches out of the stove particularly when it is first lit, or when the stove doors are open.
SOLUTIONS:
Have the chimney swept and also sweep the flue connecting the stove to the chimney.
Check that there is not soot build up on the baffle plate inside the stove.
Check the joints in the stove and flue in case they need resealing with fire cement.
Check the rope seals around the doors and glass.
~~Smoke puffs out of the stove during use, which is caused by downdraft~~
SOLUTIONS:
Check that the chimney or flue terminal has a clear passage of air over it. If it doesn't terminate high enough, or has become sheltered by trees etc, this will cause downdraft.
Check the cowl on the chimney pot or flue and if necessary fit an anti-downdraft cowl.
~~The stove is slow to get going and doesn't put out a decent heat~~
SOLUTIONS:
Have the chimney swept and also the flue connecting the stove to the chimney.
Check that there is not a soot build up on the baffle plate inside the stove.
If the stove has an adjustable flue damper, check that it is operating properly.
If the stove goes into a big or uninsulated chimney, have a chimney liner put in.
~~The stove runs too fast and won't shut down~~
SOLUTIONS:
Check the joints in the stove and flue in case they need resealing with fire cement.
Check the rope seals around the stove doors and glass.
Check for any cracks in the stove.
Fit a flue damper to the stove.
~~The stove is making a lot of tar in the chimney~~
SOLUTIONS:
Burn only dry, seasoned wood.
Slow burn with coal if it is a multi-fuel stove.
Use an anti-tar powder reguarly.
Have your chimney lined and insulated.
Stove Maintenance
Like any machine, your stove needs to have a regular check over. On most stoves this is a pretty straightforward task and the maintenance can easily be carried out by the stove owner.
Follow these 8 easy steps to get the most from your stove:
1. If it is a multifuel stove, check that the grate is in good condition and that it riddles easily. If the grate is cracked or distorted, replace it immediately - too much distortion and it can jam the riddling mechanism or jam in the stove.
2. Check the firebricks if it has them. If a brick is damaged or cracked so that a piece could fall out, then change it immediately. A missing piece of brick can cause a cast iron stove to crack or a steel stove to distort.
3. Check the stove's ashpan for holes. Hot ash leaking from an ashpan burns carpets.
4. Check the firerope seals around the doors and glass of the stove. Replace badly frayed or missing firerope. A good way to check the door seal is by closing the door over a thin piece of paper - it should be difficult to pull the paper out again.
5. On a cast iron stove, check the seals between the side and top plates. If there are gaps reseal with fire cement.
6. Check the finish on the stove. Particuarly on a cast iron stove, excessive rusting can cause problems. Rub down with a wire brush or steel wool and re-spray with heat resistant paint or re-polish with black grate polish.
7. Check the glass for cracks and clean off black tar deposits with glass cleaner.
8. During summer, always leave a vent or door open in the stove to stop condensation build up inside it or in the chimney.
Stove maintenance is very important and it doesn't take much time to maintain your stove properly.
Determining What Heat Output You'll Need
To decide what heat output your stove should be, you will need to measure the length, width and height of the room that you are going to put the stove in.
Adjust that figure up if:
There is a lot of un-double glazed window area
You have uninsulated outside walls
There is a staircase or other areas opening from that room to which you'd like to spread the heat
If the ceiling is very high
If the wood burning stove is to act as secondary heating, i.e. there is already central heating, then you have a greater latitude in your choice of stove. Remember that having a stove on with central heating wil simply mean that the thermostat will turn the boiler off a bit sooner, thus saving oil or gas.
Consider whether:
You want to be able to see the fire, and therefore want glass in the doors
You want to use it with the doors open, and so want a large door opening
Ways to Reduce Tar and Soot Build-up in Your Chimney
- Always connect a stove to an insulated chimney (as per building regulations)
That means using double skin insulated flue pipe, insulated flexible chimney liner, or pumice chimney liners. - Regularly have the chimney swept - at least once a year before the start of the burning season.
- When burning wood only burn seasoned wood.
- Regularly have hot fires - this will help to dry out the tar that has built up.
- If mainly burning wood burn some coal occassionally - it burns hotter drying the tar and releases sulphur which will help the tar flake off the chimney.
- Use co-mate addative - a no zinc based addative that helps tar flake off the chimney.
- Do not use table salt or zinc based addatives as they can corrode the chimney.
All these recommendations will help to reduce the amount of tar build-up in the chimney and therefore the risk of having a chimney fire. These recommendations should be used together, only implimenting one of these recommendations is not enough.
Ventilation for Stoves
Stoves require less air than a fireplace to function, but they do still need some. Without this air supply the stove will smoke as there will not be a movement of air through the chimney to carry the smoke away. This is annoying and potentially dangerous. Building regulations vary state to state. Be sure and check your local laws. The best plan is to fit ventilation near to the stove so that the cold air coming into the house does not have to travel so far. We can supply a stove ventilator which can easily be fitted with a 5 inch core drill. It has a series of baffles to reduce wind noise, a louvred grille for inside and a hood to prevent rain entry outside.
Ventilation for Fireplaces
Fireplaces require a lot more air than a stove. This is because of the large opening size of the fireplace. The maximum opening size of a stove (the firebox opening when the stove doors are open) is small compared to the aperture of even a small fireplace. Inadequate ventilation is a common cause of a smoking fireplace. If your fireplace has a throat (where the chimney opening narrows above the fire) then you need to provide permanently open vent(s) of at least 50% of the cross sectional area of the chimney at the throat. If the fireplace does not have a throat then you need to provide permanently open vent(s) of at least 50% of the cross sectional area of the flue.
