# Enviro M55 FS Stops and Shuts off blinks light #3



## Tom F (Nov 25, 2012)

So this is odd, I have an Enviro M55 FS and what happens is it will just stop dropping pellets and shut off and will restart but wont drop pellets.  Here's the weird part of it.  If I remove the auger cover and replace it, the stove starts back up fine and will do the same thing a few hours later.  Any thoughts or suggestions?


----------



## vinny11950 (Nov 25, 2012)

From the Enviro trouble shooting section:

"4. Light # 3 on Heat output bar flashing (The Exhaust Temp. Switch contacts have opened.)
• Stove ran out of fuel - check fuel level in the hopper.
• See sections #2 - Stove will not operate when hot, #3 - The Exhaust motor will not function normally,
and #5 - Unit is on but auger does not turn at all for more suggestions.
• Severe negative pressure in area where unit is installed - Check the operation by opening a window,
does this solve the problem? If it does, install fresh air intake to unit or room. Venting system may
require vertical section to move termination into a low pressure zone.
• To reset Circuit Board after a trouble code - push the ON/OFF button."

So the auger stops turning or does it keep turning and no pellets drop?  sometimes the new stove will have pellets stick to hopper walls and will not drop.

See if the other bullet points solve your issue.


----------



## cuznvin (Mar 22, 2013)

Tom F said:


> So this is odd, I have an Enviro M55 FS and what happens is it will just stop dropping pellets and shut off and will restart but wont drop pellets. Here's the weird part of it. If I remove the auger cover and replace it, the stove starts back up fine and will do the same thing a few hours later. Any thoughts or suggestions?


 
I have been dealing with the same issue. Pellets not dropping. If I scoop the pellets out and move the remaining ones around near the auger, they begin to drop again. I have also had issues with smoke. I think it is upon startup or relighting. Smoke coming out of the stove and 3 light is blinking. I reset and pellets start to drop and smoke stops.. An ideas?


----------



## vinny11950 (Mar 22, 2013)

cuznvin said:


> I have been dealing with the same issue. Pellets not dropping. If I scoop the pellets out and move the remaining ones around near the auger, they begin to drop again. I have also had issues with smoke. I think it is upon startup or relighting. Smoke coming out of the stove and 3 light is blinking. I reset and pellets start to drop and smoke stops.. An ideas?


 
The smoke issue is the pipe, stove adapter, or the starter tube leaking somewhere.  You smell it most on start up because that is when the smoke is the heaviest.  Once the stove heats up and combusts better, the heavy smoke goes away and you barely notice the small leakage.

The pellets not dropping might be stove over heating and tripping the heat sensor.  The cast model had that problem which is corrected with a modified auger plate or the higher capacity convection fan.

When you say reset, do you mean resetting the heat resetting the high limit switch or turning on/off?

Check:

make sure exhaust path is clear and stove is not clogged up with exhaust that can't get out.  this might also cause the smoke smell.

make sure outside air path is clear.

make sure the fans are working correctly.  both fans.

if you do a search for the M55 you will find the threads about the auger cover plate and the new convection fan.


----------



## cuznvin (Mar 22, 2013)

I have the new fan. The smoke issue is not from a clogged exhaust. It isnt every time on startup. Only sometimes when the stove restarts itself. The smoke pours out of the stove..even the pellet bin top. You then find the 3 light blinking. The high heat limit causes the 4th light to blink I believe. Reset is turning on and off. Usually have to switch it to manual run to get the pellets to start dropping. Something is causing the pellets to clog at the auger...


----------



## whlago (Mar 22, 2013)

You are correct, the high temp limit switch blinks 4.  Trust me on that  As far as your issue, what is your venting like and do your have an OAK installed?  Actually question to the OP but your issue sounds similar.


----------



## cuznvin (Mar 22, 2013)

Yes, we have an OAK. This is the second season with this stove. Im thinking the stove begins to restart and pellets clog and stop dropping. THe pellets that already fell in are begin to smolder. Unit turns off, including exhaust fan. Smoke now leaking out of unit. Blinking 3 showing due to pellets not dropping. I'm guessing the thing that needs to be figured out is why the pellets clog up and stop dropping. If I mix the pellets around with my hand near the auger, they start to drop again..

Started burning cleanfire High grade this year and felt there was too much dust and fines. Thi sis when the machine started with the flashing 3 and clogging. Returned them for mid grade. Issue seemed better. Now using AWP softwood  and same issue is happening.


----------



## vinny11950 (Mar 22, 2013)

It does not sound like the auger is jammed because it restarts.  It sounds like a sensor is tripping and shutting down the stove.  Or you have a bad mother board that is malfunctioning.

That stove should not have issues with pellet quality.


----------



## whlago (Mar 22, 2013)

I agree with Vinny that this stove should not have an issue with the fines.   Have you checked the exhaust path?  Cleaned the vent recently?  Are you sure the Stirrer is in properly?  I once didn't put the stirrer  back in all the way after a cleaning and it didn't spin.  I wonder if this would cause buildup in the burnpot?


----------



## cuznvin (Mar 22, 2013)

vinny11950 said:


> It does not sound like the auger is jammed because it restarts. It sounds like a sensor is tripping and shutting down the stove. Or you have a bad mother board that is malfunctioning.
> 
> That stove should not have issues with pellet quality.


 
If I notice pellets arent dropping while its running and almost going out and I lift the rear hatch and stir the pellets near the auger with my hand, they start to drop again. This is why I think wither the sugar is clogging or a void is being created around the auger and the pellets arent falling down..If a sensor tripped I think the pellets wouldnt drop after I mixed them up. There is also a lot of fines down at the bottom. I vacuum them out but they buildup again. This is why I believe something is clogging it up


----------



## vinny11950 (Mar 22, 2013)

cuznvin said:


> If I notice pellets arent dropping while its running and almost going out and I lift the rear hatch and stir the pellets near the auger with my hand, they start to drop again. This is why I think wither the sugar is clogging or a void is being created around the auger and the pellets arent falling down..If a sensor tripped I think the pellets wouldnt drop after I mixed them up. There is also a lot of fines down at the bottom. I vacuum them out but they buildup again. This is why I believe something is clogging it up


 
okay then, if the auger keeps turning and no pellets drop then you might have a blockage somewhere.  That makes sense.

In that case you would have to clear out the auger.  Never had to do this so maybe someone else with experience doing this will chime in.


----------



## cuznvin (Mar 22, 2013)

vinny11950 said:


> okay then, if the auger keeps turning and no pellets drop then you might have a blockage somewhere. That makes sense.
> 
> In that case you would have to clear out the auger. Never had to do this so maybe someone else with experience doing this will chime in.


 
Yes, I thought it had something to do with the fines building up which still could be a possibility.. Do you guys find a whole bunch of sand like fines at the bottom of your bin or do they get picked up by the auger and drop down? If for some reason they are building up and not getting cleared out,then this is the issue. But why is the  question. Maybe you are right and the auger has to be taken apart...


----------



## whlago (Mar 22, 2013)

I have emptied the hopper a couple of times and found fines built up around the auger.  I do believe it drops them though.  I've never had a problem with a clog and have burned some pellets with a lot of fines.  I wonder if your auger motor is putting out enough power?


----------



## skinanbones (Mar 22, 2013)

my first question is going to be Is the inside of your hopper painted black?  if so this is 50% or more of the problem,  when the hopper are painted stuff doesn't slide very well and fines make it even worse.  Paint thinner should remove any paint, DO NOT sand it off it will just as bad.
my second question is Whats the average lenght of your pellets?  I have seen some brand that over over a inch long and they can bind together and bridge over the aguer. I have seen both of these issues cause simular problems to what your experiencing.


----------



## cuznvin (Mar 22, 2013)

skinanbones said:


> my first question is going to be Is the inside of your hopper painted black? if so this is 50% or more of the problem, when the hopper are painted stuff doesn't slide very well and fines make it even worse. Paint thinner should remove any paint, DO NOT sand it off it will just as bad.
> my second question is Whats the average lenght of your pellets? I have seen some brand that over over a inch long and they can bind together and bridge over the aguer. I have seen both of these issues cause simular problems to what your experiencing.


 
Hmmm. I will look when I get home, but I had zero issues the first season. I am also going to measure the pellets, but they dont look abnormally long.


----------



## cuznvin (Mar 22, 2013)

whlago said:


> I have emptied the hopper a couple of times and found fines built up around the auger. I do believe it drops them though. I've never had a problem with a clog and have burned some pellets with a lot of fines. I wonder if your auger motor is putting out enough power?


 
Something to think about...I may have to get the retailer to come look at it..


----------



## Brokenwing (Mar 22, 2013)

Something is not kosher here.  First you need to diagnose the Flashing 3 light, using vinnys troubleshooting guide!  Second when you say smoke is pouring out, and even coming out of the hopper something is definitely not right there.  So you have 2 different issues that need to be corrected.


----------



## cuznvin (Mar 22, 2013)

Brokenwing said:


> Something is not kosher here. First you need to diagnose the Flashing 3 light, using vinnys troubleshooting guide! Second when you say smoke is pouring out, and even coming out of the hopper something is definitely not right there. So you have 2 different issues that need to be corrected.


 
I think they are both related. Smoke never comes out unless the unit turned off and the 3 is flashing because pellets either stopped falling or are falling too little. If pellets fell right before the unit turned off the smoke would come out. Same as if we lost power which has happened before..


----------



## Brokenwing (Mar 22, 2013)

cuznvin said:


> I think they are both related. Smoke never comes out unless the unit turned off and the 3 is flashing because pellets either stopped falling or are falling too little. If pellets fell right before the unit turned off the smoke would come out. Same as if we lost power which has happened before..


That is why I asked about your venting.  My venting goes up and out, and if there is a loss of power I get a smoke smell, but no visible smoke!


----------



## cuznvin (Mar 22, 2013)

Brokenwing said:


> That is why I asked about your venting. My venting goes up and out, and if there is a loss of power I get a smoke smell, but no visible smoke!


 
Venting is straight out. If the main issue wasnt happening we wouldnt have to worry about the smoke. I have a UPS on it in case of power outtages now..


----------



## vinny11950 (Mar 22, 2013)

I am with Brokenwing here.  Get dealer to take a look at it.  It is acting flaky.


----------



## Brokenwing (Mar 22, 2013)

I understand what you are saying. I am trying to put my finger on it, I am trying to figure this out. Something is keeping your pellets from dropping, I would not think it is a bad auger motor if you can stir the pellets and they take off again. I am thinking maybe the adjustable feed cover needs adjusted, plus it sounds like you are getting jammed up with fines. If you let your stove cool off, and open the door to the firebox, You can take your shop vac and put it up to the opening where the pellets drop into the burn pot, and suck some fines and pellets out. Try this and see if your auger if your auger was plugged up. What is weird is these stoves are a beast, they will suck anything down in the hopper and keep on going. I do sift the bottom of every bag of pellets, to keep the fines out of my stove! Sorry I can not be of anymore help, I am puzzled right now, but will be keeping a eye on this thread, this will be a learning experience for all of us when you find a resolution..


----------



## cuznvin (Mar 22, 2013)

Brokenwing said:


> I understand what you are saying. I am trying to put my finger on it, I am trying to figure this out. Something is keeping your pellets from dropping, I would not think it is a bad auger motor if you can stir the pellets and they take off again. I am thinking maybe the adjustable feed cover needs adjusted, plus it sounds like you are getting jammed up with fines. If you let your stove cool off, and open the door to the firebox, You can take your shop vac and put it up to the opening where the pellets drop into the burn pot, and suck some fines and pellets out. Try this and see if your auger if your auger was plugged up. What is weird is these stoves are a beast, they will suck anything down in the hopper and keep on going. I do sift the bottom of every bag of pellets, to keep the fines out of my stove! Sorry I can not be of anymore help, I am puzzled right now, but will be keeping a eye on this thread, this will be a learning experience for all of us when you find a resolution..


 
Hope that is soon!! LOL... Im going to try vacuuming out the chute like you said. We did slide the feed cover up very slightly. Maybe we should bring it up some more. I am just puzzled because we burned 3 tons last year with no issues... As soon as we figure this out I will post here. Appreciate your help and if you think of something else, let me know...


----------



## whlago (Mar 22, 2013)

cuznvin said:


> We did slide the feed cover up very slightly. Maybe we should bring it up some more.​


 Didn't you say you have the turbo fan?  If so I would leave the cover up all the way.  I have the old fan and still keep the auger cover all the way.  That might be your constriction right there.


----------



## cuznvin (Mar 22, 2013)

whlago said:


> Didn't you say you have the turbo fan? If so I would leave the cover up all the way. I have the old fan and still keep the auger cover all the way. That might be your constriction right there.


 
Yes.. How are the two related? I didnt know that it should be all the way up.. Dont too many pellets come down that way?


----------



## whlago (Mar 22, 2013)

better than no pellets coming down


----------



## cuznvin (Mar 22, 2013)

whlago said:


> better than no pellets coming down


----------



## whlago (Mar 22, 2013)

cuznvin said:


> Yes.. How are the two related?​


 Do you mean how is the turbo fan related to the adjustable auger cover?  The adjustable auger cover was Enviro's first fix to the issue with the hopper high heat level. They would give this out as a "band-aid" (IMHO) to prevent the over heating situation by limiting the amount of pellets in the burn pot.  They also came out with the new convection blower in the newer model stoves as the true fix.  If you have the higher power blower there really is no need to limit the amount of pellets dropping down the shoot. I have the old model but still leave the auger cover completely open, and I manage the overheat situation by keeping my feed rate lower with high quality pellets (hamers in particular).


----------



## cuznvin (Mar 22, 2013)

whlago said:


> Do you mean how is the turbo fan related to the adjustable auger cover? The adjustable auger cover was Enviro's first fix to the issue with the hopper high heat level. They would give this out as a "band-aid" (IMHO) to prevent the over heating situation by limiting the amount of pellets in the burn pot. They also came out with the new convection blower in the newer model stoves as the true fix. If you have the higher power blower there really is no need to limit the amount of pellets dropping down the shoot. I have the old model but still leave the auger cover completely open, and I manage the overheat situation by keeping my feed rate lower with high quality pellets (hamers in particular).


 
Wow.. Thanks for that info.. I will open the cover and lower the trim if need be..


----------



## whlago (Mar 22, 2013)

I'm sorry I didn't mean the feed trim....I was really talking about keeping my heat level down.  The feed trim will give you some adjustment as well...but small.  Either way you really don't have to worry about the overheat situation with the newer blower (I would imagine), but definitely not this time of year.  Good luck!


----------



## cuznvin (Mar 22, 2013)

whlago said:


> I'm sorry I didn't mean the feed trim....I was really talking about keeping my heat level down. The feed trim will give you some adjustment as well...but small. Either way you really don't have to worry about the overheat situation with the newer blower (I would imagine), but definitely not this time of year. Good luck!


 
Yep.. Open the auger cover all the way. If I find there are too many pellets dropping, then I will adjust the feed trim down to slow the pellets..right?


----------



## whlago (Mar 22, 2013)

Right...the feed trim I just leave at 3. For a while I was fooling around with the feed trim and the combustion trim to get the perfect flame...but now I just leave them both at 3.  The reason is there was some question as to whether moving the feed trim higher meant more pellets would drop or less.  This was brought up in a thread a couple months ago and I never bothered to actually time the auger on cycle to see which was true.  But this has nothing to do with your issue.

I'm just curious, how far down is your auger cover?  Not sure if opening it up will solve your problem but it is definitely a possibility.


----------



## cuznvin (Mar 22, 2013)

whlago said:


> Right...the feed trim I just leave at 3. For a while I was fooling around with the feed trim and the combustion trim to get the perfect flame...but now I just leave them both at 3. The reason is there was some question as to whether moving the feed trim higher meant more pellets would drop or less. This was brought up in a thread a couple months ago and I never bothered to actually time the auger on cycle to see which was true. But this has nothing to do with your issue.
> 
> I'm just curious, how far down is your auger cover? Not sure if opening it up will solve your problem but it is definitely a possibility.


 
I think it will slide up about another inch


----------



## whlago (Mar 22, 2013)

Worth a shot....haven't heard from the OP since we hijacked the thread....maybe it's the same thing.


----------



## cuznvin (Mar 22, 2013)

Maybe.. The OP posted in November.. Must have figured out their issue by now..LOL


----------



## whlago (Mar 22, 2013)

cuznvin said:


> *New* Maybe.. The OP posted in November.. Must have figured out their issue by now..LOL​


 LOL oops...probably should be paying better attention!


----------



## cuznvin (Mar 23, 2013)

OK.. So a thought came to me yesterday as to why this may be happening. When I got home, I changed the batteries in the wireless thermostat thinking maybe that was the problem even though it didnt say the batteries were low. VOILA Burned ALL night without clogging. Woke up this morning to it burning on low (set to Hi/LO) and a warm first floor. Lets  see if this continues. Next to try it on Auto/OFF again...


----------

